Friday, January 30, 2009

Where’s the Controversy Over Rush Limbaugh?...








For whatever reason, Rush Limbaugh has long been the Left’s public enemy #1.

Maybe that’s because in the minds of lazy thinkers, who forget about Barry Gray, Bob Grant, Barry Farber and a host of Conservative radio Talk Show hosts that paved the way for Limbaugh, “El Rushbo” has become a phenomenon since bursting on the scene at the end of the Reagan era and has since become both a target FOR and a bogeyman TO Liberal angst.

All of that’s no doubt been good for Limbaugh’s ratings and those ratings have certainly been good to both his and his numerous outlet’s bank accounts, but, as Conservative as Limbaugh is, there’s really nothing all that controversial about either Rush Limbaugh himself, NOR his Conservative positions.

What’s really odd is the inane charge that Conservative radio Talkers like Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and others have “conned many Americans into believing in things (Conservatism) that runs counter to their own best interests.” A fovorite canard of the Liberal pseudo-elite.

That’s not only utter nonsense but it belittles the mainstream media, as what it says is that Limbaugh and his ilk, with their tiny slice of the broadcast spectrum (the radio reservation), have completely outperformed and have had a much larger impact on America than has the rest of the entire so-called “mainstream” and largely Left-leaning media (ABC, CBS, CNN, NBC, PBS, NPR, the N Y Times, the LA Times, Washington Post, etc.). I can think of no possible greater insult to those in the mainstream media than that.

In fact, that seems MORE an indictment of the utter failure of Liberal voices, even when given a Goliath’s share of the media, then it does of the alleged “corrosivity of Conservatism.”

The harsh reality for Liberals is that self-identified Conservatives outnumber self-identified Liberals by better than 2 to 1 in America. The “Limbaugh phenomenon” has little to do with Limbaugh’s powers of persuasion, BUT his genius for tapping into the vane of what most Americans believe and offering those starved for that viewpoint, an outlet.

That’s really ALL there is to it! THAT seasoned with an optimistic and pro-American outlet, that too many on the Left fail to understand or appreciate.

Recently, there’s been a huge controversy over a comment of Limbaugh’s allegedly referring to Barack Obama, in effect, “I hope he fails.”

Since I didn’t hear that comment first hand, I had to go to CNN to get the full context of those remarks.

It turns out that in a segment on the Democrats’ current $850 BILLION “stimulus package,” Limbaugh said, in part, this; “If I wanted Obama to succeed, I’d be happy the Republicasn have laid down and I’d be encouraging Republicans to lay down and support him. I don’t want – look, what he’s talking about is the absorption of as much of the private sector by the U.S. government as possible, from the banking business, to the mortgage industry, to the automobile industry to healthcare. I DO NOT WANT the GOVERNMENT in CHARGE of all those things! I DON’T WANT THIS TO WORK! So I’m thinking of sending a reply to the guy, but I don’t need 400 words, I need four – I hope he fails.”

Limbaugh’s fundamental point was that he hopes Obama’s policy goal of expanding governmental control over the economy will fail. Those who’ve interpreted this as Limbaugh wanting America to fail, are erroneous in their interpretation and that's almost certainly due to the woeful ineptitude of those misinterpreters rather than any real malice on their parts. I'm at least pretty sure of that.

Moreover, in my travels, I came across an actual gem from Rush Limbaugh...and I KNOW it’s a gem because I’ve said the same thing for over a decade now and this one excoriates the GOP! Proving that Limbaugh is, nothing less than an equal opportunity critic.

This quote is absolutely right on the money and goes to the heart of why Conservatives have had such a hard time getting their agenda passed even when Republicans are in power; “...What it really comes down to is that the Republican Party is made up of a bunch of elites, moderate Rockefeller types. And the dirty little secret is that they resent being in the same party with a bunch of people who are pro-life, because the pro-life people are from the (southern accent) South, they're Southerners, and they like NASCAR and they chew tobacco-uh."

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And they just hate going to the conventions, the Republican Party conventions and they get teased by their liberal elite buddies in New York and Boston and the whole northeastern corridor and California, too, for having these Deliverance types is what they think of them as, in the same party. Plus these guys, these Rockefeller liberal Republican guys, wives are always nagging 'em about abortion, to get the Republican Party to get rid of it 'cause, "You can't win with it," even though we've won landslides. I said this last night, and it's probably one of the first times it has been said so directly and powerfully on television. I've said it on this radio show numerous today. That's the preamble. A Bloomberg story out just this afternoon by Heidi Przybyla: "Republican Battle for Party Chairman Pits Leaders Against Base."
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“Now, wait. It's not what you think. "Republican leaders' efforts to select a new national party chairman are stirring concerns among a vital constituency: Republican voters." Tell me if you believe this. "Rank-and-file..." This is what it says here. "Rank-and-file Republicans are telling their leaders they want more ethnic, gender and age diversity in a party that is dominated by white males. They also want party leaders to cooperate with President Barack Obama, according to surveys." Now, let me continue. " After losing the White House and 28 seats in Congress last year, some party leaders still aren't hearing the message from voters who are urging them to claw their way back to power by promoting minorities and striking a less partisan tone, said Rich Bond, a former Republican National Committee chairman.”

Rush Limbaugh, January 23, 2009

I’ve said for years now, that the GOP is at best a very flawed vehicle for Conservatism. I know that to be true and so, apparently does, Limbaugh.

And Rush Limbaugh isn’t the only Conservative HOPING the current non-stimulating “stimulus package” fails.

Perhaps Ed Morrissey put best, why Republicans SHOULD listen to and heed their Conservative base; “I’d agree that we need to articulate a clear conservative message — and that the GOP caucuses in the House and Senate have thus far failed to do so, and have failed at it for the last few years. Rather than take shots at Limbaugh, Hannity, and fellow Georgian Newt Gingrich, they should be listening to them. Because, despite Barack Obama’s fantasies, the Republicans in Congress stopped doing that after they won the majority in 1994, and they’re paying the price now."
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They have a golden opportunity before them now to demonstrate that they’ve learned from their bingeing on government pork and reckless spending between 2001-6. The stimulus bill represents everything conservatives fight against. If the Republicans don’t stand up for efficiency, accountability, and responsible governance now, they won’t get another chance for years as this turkey burdens another generation with its irresponsible spending.”

I’m with Ed Morrissey on that.

And I still don’t get the “controversy” over Rush Limbaugh. He merely seems to be stating what most of America actually thinks.

Monday, January 26, 2009

Europe’s Left Assails Free Speech...for Fellow Europeans...Not So Much for Jihadist Terrorists...














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Dutch legislator and film-maker Geert Wilders (above, bottom pic) has been indicted and will apparently be tried for hate speech in the Netherlands.

The title, "Fitna", is an
Arabic term used to describe "disagreement and division among people" or a "test of faith in times of trial".

Wilders, a prominent critic of Islam, described the movie as "a call to shake off the creeping tyranny of Islamization". The film shows a selection of
Suras from the Qur'an, interspersed with media clips and newspaper clippings showing or describing acts of violence and hatred by Muslims. The movie tries to demonstrate that the Qur'an, and the Islamic culture in general, motivate its followers to hate all who violate the Islamic teachings.

For their part, the Netherlands Court of Appeal said it “considers criminal prosecution obvious for the insult of Islamic worshippers” after Wilders compared parts of their faith with Nazism.

That ruling, posted on the court’s Web site today, overturns a decision by the prosecutor last year not to charge Wilders.

For his part, Wilders said, “I see this as a black day,” in statement on the Web site of his Dutch Freedom Party. “If you voice your opinion you run the risk of being prosecuted.”

Wilders released his film “Fitna” on the internet in March 2008. The 17-minute movie features verses from the Koran alongside images of various Muslim atrocities and terrorist attacks.

This ruling is an outrage, NOT only shaming the Netherlands, but the West as a whole. It is nothing less than an official seal of approval for Dhimmitude.

H/T Angel

SEE Angels’ GREAT post on the issue at:
http://www.womanhonorthyself.com/?p=5320

Sunday, January 25, 2009

New Administration Seeks to Rein in Expectations Via Contradictory Assessments...







Here’s an irony, sort of dualing headlines; UPI: Volcker: U.S. 'addicted to spending' (http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2008/12/08/Volcker_US_addicted_to_spending/UPI-45251228775537/) and Obama Warns of Tough Times Ahead, Need for Action (SPENDING) (http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-obama-stimulusjan17,0,3737175.story)

Volcker’s right, SPENDING, both individual and government, but especially government spending is THE problem.

The last Congress, sad to say, that actually reduced the federal budget was the Gingrich Congress. Unfortunately post-Gingrich, every subsequent Congress has reverted to Keynesianism (more big government, more social spending). Those Gingrichian federal budget cuts were solely responsible for both the surpluses of the late 1990s and some of the lowest Misery Indexes (the inflation and unemployment rates combined) in nearly half a century!

Since last Spring, we’ve had a Pelosi-Reid engineered (and Bush approved) unstimulating “stimulus package,” the Pelosi-Reid bank bailout Bill of this past September – the Democrats wrote that Bill, refused Conservative attempts to make the monies available ONLY for lending. Since then the Democratic Congress has passed an auto bailout package and now wants another $850 BILLION “stimulus package” on top of last year’s failed package.

Who’s fault is it if all this spending fails to correct the problems caused by government regulation mandating banks to offer more subprime loans to “lower income Americans?”

The answer to that is a Liberal Congress coupled with a Liberal administration!

Conservatives rightly let G W Bush take the blame for the things that happened on his watch (his SEC failed in its oversight duties to protect us from the subprime mortgage mess that mushroomed into a global credit crisis when Fannie and Freddie were saddled with backing/guaranteeing hundreds of BILLIONS of dollars in bad loans) and his cooperating with two Keynesian Congresses, the spendthrift Hastert Congress and the even more recklessly Keynesian Pelosi-Reid Congress.

Now we MUST make sure that the current administration is held to account for making a bad situation WORSE by attempting to correct a crisis born of government overspending with MORE government overspending, and while we’re at it, we MUST ultimately make sure that the Pelosi-Reid Congress in general and Rep. Frank and Sen. Dodd are held to account for pushing what then HUD Secretary, Andrew Cuomo advanced as “affirmative action in lending.”

THAT is the Liberal Democrats’ legacy and they have to ultimately own that.
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THANKS to P-Mac for some crucial heads ups.

Saturday, January 24, 2009

OMG! Obama is Spying on Americans...






Is this just the GREATEST or what?!

First, Obama switches sides in the Senate vote over the NSA surveillance program AND the telecom company’s immunity (which SHOULD HAVE come as an IMPLIED IMMUNITY) and NOW he’s doubling down and urging a federal judge to set aside a ruling in a closely watched eavesdropping case that is weighing whether a U.S. president may bypass Congress and establish a program of eavesdropping on Americans without warrants.

The case involves Justice Walker's (of the 9th Circuit Court) decision to admit as evidence a classified document allegedly showing that two American lawyers for a now-defunct Saudi charity were electronically eavesdropped on without warrants by the Bush administration in 2004.

"The Government's position remains that this case should be stayed," the Obama administration wrote in a filing that for the first time made clear the new president was on board with the Bush administration's reasoning in this case.

So Obama really is continuing most of the Bush anti-terror policies!

Still, I think liberals will just grin and bear it, just as they did an earlier “UN-opposed and unprovoked military action against another sovereign nation (Bosnia), when a Democrat was in the White House.

H/T to Barry over at Cynical Nation;
http://www.cynicalnation.com/

It’s Kirsten Gillibrand!







On my way into work yesterday (Saturday) I heard that NY Governor David Paterson had filled Hillary Clinton’s vacant Senate seat with...little known Kirsten Gillibrand (pictured above) of upstate Columbia County.

Charles Schumer had to be smiling.

Senator Schumer had to be tired of being in the shadow of Junior Senator, Hillary Clinton, the past eight years, so it was widely speculated that he wanted no part of Caroline Kennedy, nor Any Cuomo at all.

Kirsten Gillibrand fits the bill on so many levels.

She’s an upstater, a woman and she’s a bona fide Blue Dog Democrat with a high NRA rating!

In fact, she’d interned with former Senator and current lobbyist, Al D’Amato!

Better still for “Zell Miller Democrats,” like myself, is the fact that Liberals are apoplectic over the Gillibrand pick.

Suddenly, their not knowing where Kirsten stands on the issues MATTERS, even though Caroline couldn’t even articulate the issues, let alone where she stood on ANY of them!

Funny stuff.

Carolyn McCarthy, the LIRR widow, who now serves as a Long Island Congresswoman, has vowed to challenge her, in the next possible Primary.

Apparently Carolyn McCarthy is blithely unaware that Pete King would thrash her in a race for that seat.

When Liberals complain so openly and bitterly, you KNOW it’s a good choice!

Charles Schumer recruited numerous Blue Dogs for various Senate races in Red States (Webb, Tester, etc.) back in 2006. Now he may have helped engineer one for New York.

So far, I like it very, VERY much!

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Never Mind...







That’s what Caroline Kennedy has pretty much said about her recent bid for Hillary Clinton’s New York Senate seat.

And that’s probably a good thing too, given her public speaking woes and her even bigger public policy lapses evidenced in even the softest of interviews.

To date, she's spent her entire life avoiding politics, while serving on various charitable and non-profit boards - she should probably stay that course. It’s a good and noble one, devoid of the slime of politics.

Her few forays with the media have proven that not only is public speaking NOT her strength (she not only made G W Bush look positively Shakespearean, she’s even made some rappers look eloquent by comparison), but, worse yet, she apparently hasn't even thought much about many if any of the major issues a Senator would be dealing with.

Into the breach, have stepped forward some real strange and some scary names, the most disgusting being former UFT head Randi Weingarten, then there's Carolyn Maloney and even Fran Drescher.

Don’t Do It Barack!...








Please don’t take the obviously well-intentioned advice of George McGovern. Please!

In today’s Washington Post, the former Senator and the vanquished Democratic standard-bearer in 1972 wrote, “As you settle into the Oval Office, Mr. President, may I offer a suggestion? Please do not try to put Afghanistan right with the U.S. military. To send our troops out of Iraq and into Afghanistan would be a near-perfect example of going from the frying pan into the fire. There is reason to believe some of our top military commanders privately share this view. And so does a broad and growing swath of your party and your supporters.”

Well, at least George McGovern’s consistent. Peace at any cost...on our knees, begging for mercy from merciless enemies, folks like McGovern would seem to prefer even the deafening quietude of slavery over war.

Of course he argues, “I don't oppose all wars. I risked my life in World War II to protect our country against genuine danger. But it is the vivid memory of my fellow airmen being shot out of the sky on all sides of me in a war that I believe we had to fight that makes me cautious about sending our youth into needless conflicts that weaken us at home and abroad, and may even weaken us in the eyes of God.”

But he misses the point.

The world has shrunk since his generation fought Hitler and Tojo and today Mujahadim in the mountains of Afghanistan plan, coordinate and train cells that are operating within our own borders.

In the end, Mr. McGovern asks, “How about a five-year time-out on war - unless, of course, there is a genuine threat to the nation?”

The correct response, from President Obama would be, “Thank you, no.”
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