Obama’s Legacy; It Ain’t Nancy’s Problem

The Democratic overreaching begins. It looks like Waxman is going to oust Dingell as chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee. What we have is the hard left of the Democratic party driving policy; in this case energy policy with complete obeisance to the environmentalists. Translation, global warming with cap and trade.

So, just when the economy is tanking, we’re going to be faced with artificially high energy prices to “encourage” us to switch to “alternate, green” energy. This encouragement will be in the form of the return of four-dollar plus gasoline. If this represents a pattern we’ll see more killer tax and spending policies coming out of other parts of Pelosi’s Congressional Empire.  

Obama’s, like pirate Jack Sparrow, has just been tossed up on a desert isle with a pistol and one bullet. He’s all alone. What Obama will have to realize is that his getting into subsidized housing on 1600 Pennsylvania is all and the entire bone that the Democratic leadership is willing to give to its black constituency. As far as they’re concerned, the legacy of Obama is getting elected. Whether he’s successful in his own right is not their problem.

From Pelosi’s and Reid’s point-of-view, picking off enough Republican Senate and Congressional seats and putting Obama in the White House was to give them the running room to pass their agenda. And, in particular, before any backlash in the 2010 mid-term elections, jam as much stuff through this two-year window of opportunity. For Pelosi in particular, and her power barons in the House leadership, being almost immune to any voter backlash, they will have their agenda and to hell with the other rats, Democratic and Republican, on the sinking ship. Obama’s going to have to realize he’s one of those rats that Pelosi could give a rat’s ass about.

Obama’s no longer from a safe seat. His legacy, if he wants a positive one, will require more that being a first in the form of high melanin content. He will need a track record of accomplishment to secure a real place in the history books. A record of accomplishment that will secure him a second term. A record of accomplishment that will allow him to retain running room with regards to working with congress. A record of accomplishment that will allow him to pull a country out of a recession and not degenerate into a depression; and not have his one-term presidency tarred as Hoover II (or Carter II).

In short, Obama will need to realize that he no longer lives in the bubble of pre-ordained elections of the Chicago Democratic machine. He needs to truly in the center and start playing football between the 40 yard lines. Frankly, he need Senator McConnell, his GOP caucus and enough blue-dog Democrats to form a governing coalition. Reid, Pelosi, Dodd, Schumer, Frank, Rangell are not his friends. 

Polls, Polls Everywhere and Not a Drop to Drink

The polls have had a very unsettling effect for we McCain partisians. But, face it. The financial meltdown with a Republican in the White House and the MSM totally pushing the Democratic version of events is going to take a toll.

Frankly, it’s a wonder it isn’t worse. And, it isn’t worse because there is a blogosphere and talk radio to counter what was the MSM monopoly on information.

Also, we have to give McCain credit for using his position and prestige to come off the campaign trail and bring the glare public scrutiny on a bail out plan that was being turned into a pork barrel vehicle for even further corruption. This scrutiny has only further heightened the public disgust with this whole sordid affair. So much so that Pelosi, though she has the votes to work without the GOP, needs strong bipartisan cover to pass any bailout plan. This in turn as given the GOP in the House the leverage to re-craft the bailout to more cleanly address the specifics of the financial meltdown with out the pork such as payout to ACORN. That leverage, with his strong anti-pork and anti-ear mark bona fides, comes from McCain’s presence in Washington last week. 

While the MSM narrative is that McCain messed up a done deal, he in fact did. By messing up the deal on the table, he created the opening for the House GOP to step up and significantly alter the bailout. McCain did not receive any immediate benefit. But, the benefit will accure over the next several weeks. Fortunately, there is time before the election for McCain’s crucial role to become manifest to the electorate.

But, McCain’s got to do the following:

First, the deal, as imperfect as it may be, must be complete by this Monday. There has to be a closure so passions can cool; which is probably the real reason for Obama’s rise in the polls. Also, once the deal is complete, McCain’s role can become more evident.

Second, blame must be pinned on the Democrats. The vice-presidential debate will be a great place to do this because of Palin’s credentials as a reformer and corruption fighter. This is no time for “reaching across the aisle.” That’s being done now in cutting the bailout deal in order to prevent plunging this country into a recession or even a depression. But, once the deal is completed, it will be time to make the guilty parties take responsibility. If for no other reason to try to prevent a repeat of this whole mess. And, to demonstrate that the melt down was not a failure of free markets but of corrupt governmental meddling in the free market.

Third, McCain must use this deal to show how he is the anti-corruption fighter. He must use his role in the bailout to show that he saw this coming as participated in legislation, in 2005, to better oversee Sallie Mae and Freddie Mac. And, how this oversight legislation failed on a straight party line vote.

The third presidential debate will be focused on economics. This will be the time to pull the rug out from under Obama by showing the campaign cash Obama collected from Sallie Mae and Freddie Mac. It will be the perfect time to demonstrate the abysmal economic stewardship, on the part of the Democrats, in their role to properly supervise Sallie Mae and Freddie Mac.

Thank You MSM

McCain’s going to win.  All because of faulty vetting by the MSM of the Democratic party.  As much as the liberal bias of the MSM has been an undying source of frustration to the GOP, the beneficial result has been to weaken the Democrats and strenghten the GOP.  The MSM has been relentless in scrubbing the GOP of its weaker members by enthusically reporting every and any lapse by any conservative.  The net result is a contingent of GOP politicians that are really tough in a very Darwinian sense.

The other result is that the Dems have a lot of deadwood piled up in their ranks.  This is no better demonstrated by this presidential election cycle.  

First, you have “love child” Edwards.  Had McCain been Edwards shoes, the NYT would not have been so diffident in reporting this “minor” picidillo.  It would have been front page news one nanosecond after the union of sperm and ovum.  Frankly, the Dems were fortunate that Edwards didn’t catch fire. Can you imagine the problems for the Dems if that news broke at the convention and he was the nominee?  Those styrofoam pillars would have taken on a whole new meaning.  To paraphrase Dolly Parton:  “you don’t trust no southern backwoods lawyer.”

Then, there’s Hill.  Probably the strongest of the very shallow Dem bench.  But again, what did she have to offer? A lawyer from Arkansas who owes her entire career to a name she acquired through marriage.  Some feminist.

Finally, Barry.  Anyone who knows anything about Democratic machine politics in Chicago will smell another machine politician from ten miles off.  Any participation in Chicago machine politics makes you dirty automatically. All of your associates have skeletons in their closets. Rezko. Ayers. Wright.  I know.  I grew up there. I have relatives who were patronage workers.  

But, while the MSM was “vetting” Sarah Palin by trashing her 17 year-old daughter (Bristol’s not even old enough to vote), the MSM failed for decades to vet its own (face it, they’re a wholly owned Democratic party subsidiary). Leaving the Democratic party unable to field candidates any better than Love Child, Hill and Barry.

Then Barry picks Biden.  What’s Biden done?  Just gets re-elected and re-elected so he built up enough seniority to wind up as chair of the foreign relations committee.  Foreign policy experience; try peter principle.

Finally, in the spirit of enlightened self-interest, the MSM has been the their own worst enemy in promoting their liberal agenda.  Moreover, it has badly tarnished its own brand name.  The MSM is increasingly being discounted as an accurate source of news.  And, by its bias, it has stimulated the rise of alternate sources of news and information.  What was it?  Twenty-four hours before the internet demolished Dan Rather?

There is a reason that stock prices for such propaganda organs such as the NYT are sinking faster than a drowning polar bear in the globally-warmed, ice-free Arctic.  That reason is that people will pay, and pay well, for information.  As in accurate information.  But, people will not pay for propaganda; propaganda is to be handed out for free.