Monday, November 24, 2008

A New Kind of Administration

Obama has set out to radically change the way we view politics and the presidential administration by bringing people into his government that are Washington outsiders, non-lobbyist and from both sides of the aisle, fulfilling his campaign promise to Americans of post-partisanship.

Here are a few of his appointments:

Tom Daschle – Health and Human Services
Former democratic minority leader during the Clinton administration.

Eric Holder – Attorney General
Justice department official during the Clinton administration that has involvement in a pardon gone-wrong.

Bill Richardson – Commerce 
Clinton’s energy secretary and Democratic governor of NM.

Rahm Emmanuel – Chief of Staff
Aide in the Clinton whitehouse.

Hillary Clinton – Secretary of State
A Clinton.

Janet Napolitano – Homeland Security
Democratic Governor of Arizona

Tim Geithner – Treasury Secretary
NY Federal Reserve President

Lawrence Summers – Economic Counsel
Treasury Secretary for Clinton’s last 1.5 years in office

…In any case, I’m sure you get the point.  For all the rhetoric and all the promises, it looks like Obama has brought about the second-coming of the Clinton administration (which is not all bad).  However, in doing this there seems to be one thing lacking…change.

Posted by -Wade in 22:22:39 | Permalink | Comments (1) »

Friday, November 7, 2008

Obama’s Plans

There are plenty of people out there still reporting on the history of Obama’s voting record and his past associations, etc.  Some of that might be important, but I think assembling a list of his new policies originating after the election would be much more interesting and informative.  I will try to keep an updated running list.

1.  America Serves
Obama will require middle school and high school students to serve 50 hours of community service and college students 100 hours of community service every year.  President-Elect Obama will expand national service programs like AmeriCorps and Peace Corps and will create a new Classroom Corps to help teachers in underserved schools, as well as a new Health Corps, Clean Energy Corps, and Veterans Corps.  He will also encourage retiring adults to serve.

Posted by -Wade in 17:49:25 | Permalink | Comments (1) »

Thursday, November 6, 2008

Tempered Expectations

With the appointment of Emmanuel Rahm as his chief  of staff, Barack Obama is quickly beginning to give definition to the way his administration will run and operate.  While running under the banner of post-partisan politics, Obama was able to garner the support of many who do not traditionally support the values which he has stood for through his voting record.  While the idea of ending partisanship is a noble idea in many circles, it quickly becomes a utopian-like holy grail of political operation.

While I have no misconceptions of the unreality of the elimination of partisanship, it seems that Obama must be careful in the appointment of the rest of his cabinet not to quickly lose all the centrist support that he worked so hard to acheive.  Rahm is quite well-known for his sharp and pointed attacks on the Republicans, as well as the ruthlessness with which he pursues his causes.  Provided that he will become one of if not the principal advisors in Obama’s Whitehouse, Emmanuel has the chance to take his personal ambitions and attacks to a whole new level, with no reason to believe that he will hold them within the check of post-partisanship.

As I have mentioned earlier, Obama’s career in politics has been defined by public opinion, only rivaled by his personal ambition.  With this in mind, the selection of Emmanuel, who is Jewish, makes complete sense considering the anti-Israeli sympathies that have often been espoused by the “radicals” with whom Obama has so often been associated.

It will now take a concerted effort in his appointments for his administration to rise above partisanship, by appointing several people with whom he does not necessarily agree…afterall this is what he has promised us.  A token effort of appointing Hagel and Lugar, both of whom had voiced their support for the Democratic ticket will not suffice.  What is needed is real bi-partisanship, the kind that made Abraham Lincoln a great president.  The appointment of actual conservatives with whom the heart of the Republican party can identify is the only way that he will gain the respect and the support of both sides of the aisle. 

I, for one, will be more than a little surprised if this administration would differ from the status quo of appointing cronies to positions of power.  Then again, that is exactly the kind of thinking that will be needed in order to move into an era of post-partisanship which was promised throughout his historic 2 year campaign for change.  Now that would be change we all could believe in.  Here’s your chance Barack.

Posted by -Wade in 19:40:24 | Permalink | Comments (1) »

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Now What?

Face the facts:
Barack Obama is President-elect.
The democrats gained 5 seats in the senate and roughly 17 in the house.

Where do Republicans go from here?
I hear whining and moaning about how Socialism has officially come to the United States and how the outcome of this election changes everything.  In all honestly, they might be right, but it is NOT because we elected Obama as president.  Let me be clear about this.  I wish things had gone differently yesterday, but they did not.  However, the saving grace in all of this was the congressional results.  The democrats did not secure the 60 seats that were needed to ram through their agenda without the republicans!

When Obama becomes president, it will be on his shoulders to figure out how to govern most effectively.  The one thing that can be gleaned from watching how he ran his campaign is that this is a man who knows how to hide his liberal stripes when he has to.  He is a slave to public opinion.  All of his career, he has flipped and flopped his positions on issues to please those with whom he is the closest.  This is not an admirable trait in a man who should be known for his backbone of steel, but it might be a glimmer of hope for those mired in dispair.   

He also knows that in order to be a successful president, he needs to keep himself positioned to be reelected in 4 years.  This will most certainly lead to a tempering of his liberal agenda in order to appease his supporters in the center.  Don’t get me wrong, there are many reasons why this man’s judgement is a cause for alarm, but we are still Americans and we still get our say.

As recently as the bailout only a month ago it was quite clear that if we as Americans deeply care about any particular issue, we can have a strong impact on the outcome.  Not only republicans, but democrats in the House stood in opposition to a bailout bill that was being pitched as the best thing since sliced bread by both president and senate.  They are still our reprsentatives…up for reelection every 2 years.  You’d better believe that they will listen if a majority of their constituents stand up to them.  We still have our voice.

No one knows what Obama will do over the next 4 years as President, but what you can count on is that he doesn’t want this to be one and done.  With congressional elections 2 years away and surely an almost immediate begin to his next campaign and with many major challenges facing our country immediately, Obama will truly have to show that he is the One in order to get even a handful of his ideas enacted…something he has never been good at.  His inexperience might be the republican’s saving grace on domestic issues.

Although it might hurt for a while, hopefully this is the low-point of conservatism and out of this will emerge a more clear, focused and Reaganesque GOP.  Get over your disappointment and make sure the representatives know that we’re the ones who gave them their jobs and we’re the ones that can take it away.

Posted by -Wade in 21:01:34 | Permalink | Comments (1) »

Monday, October 13, 2008

There are other issues

Granted the economy is the issue that is at the forefront of everyone’s mind right now, but as far as this election goes, it might be one of the less significant differences between the two candidates.  In the next 4, maybe 8 years there will be many other issues that will become hot button issues where there are stark differences between the ideologies of the two candidates.

1. Supreme Court Justices 
Obama favors activist judges that have chosen to interpret the constitution as a living document.  This leads to justices in the vein of Ginsberg, Souter and Stevens.  There could be 3 openings on the court in the next four years…and remember, these are lifetime appointments!

2. Abortion
To say that Barack Obama is Pro-Choice, while John McCain is Pro-Life, only gives a superficial description of the differences between the two.  Examining BO’s record finds that he has voted to oppose the bill banning Partial Birth abortion, which was approved by a large majority of both parties.  While in Illinois, he also voted against a bill that contained the same language as a federal bill that provides medical treatment to babies who survive attempted abortions, whom die when neglected.

3. Taxes
While claiming to give 95% of American families tax cuts, Barack Obama has neglected to clearly specify to whom and how this “tax cut” would be orchestrated.  He has acknowledged that he plans on raising taxes on those who make over $250,000 a year, including small businesses that are filed individually.  However, what he is not saying is that the bottom 40% of Americans do not pay any income tax.  In the term “tax cut,” Obama includes refunding money to people who did not pay it in the first place.  This is essentially a welfare check.  In his own words, “when you spread the wealth around, its good for everybody.”

4. Selective Service
Obama is in favor of requiring women to register for the selective service, while John McCain is not in favor of requiring them to register.  Neither believes implementing a draft is a good idea.

5. Iraq\Afghanistan
Obama has pledged to remove all combat troops from Iraq within 16 months of when he becomes president.  McCain is more guarded, opting to make troop withdrawals as the commanders on the ground see fit, with an emphasis on making sure victory is achieved.

Posted by -Wade in 23:09:40 | Permalink | Comments (1) »

Saturday, October 11, 2008

Obama Can’t Get a Security Clearance…

If Obama were trying to get any other job in government, besides president, he would not be able to get the job because of all the questionable people he has been involved with.  Why should it matter for every other position, except President??

As a part of this election, questions are starting to come up about Obama’s associations and whether they are relevant or even if we should be talking about them.  Associations imply that he knew of or might have been acquainted with a person – such as the terrorist Bill Ayers.  My stance on this is that while associating with him might have been a lack of judgement on BO’s part, it is in no way incriminating.  However, what you should be focused on are the things that Barack has done himself. 

Here are a few:

1.  Obama’s has been involved with ACORN for a long time.  Yes, this is the same organization that is currently under investigation in approximately 15 states for voter fraud for signing up many voters numerous times, as well as falsifying names and addresses on applications.  He was involved in granting ACORN $200 thousand between 2000 and 2002 as a director for the Woods fund.  He has represented them legally in Illinois and even was so aligned with their values that he taught classes to those identified as future leaders of ACORN.  But there’s more!  The real kicker on top of all of this is that his campaign (this year!) has paid over $800 thousand to ACORN and its affiliates for its GOTV efforts in this election.  Could it be that ACORN has been breaking the law, while working for Obama and his campaign??

2.  While Obama was on a board with Bill Ayers, he was in charge of giving away up to $100 million for furthering education in the Chicago area.  Instead of giving it to groups with a proven track record of helping kids improve their scores in reading and math, he gave it to groups that shared Bill Ayer’s views of educating children in the ways of radical political activism, with the goal of standing up to teachers and parents.  This is Obama’s only real executive experience.  Not only is it an insight as to how he might run the country as its chief executive, but also how he would run the education department of the US. 

3.  Obama has undermined the US!  Just hear me out.  According to the Washington Post on Friday (Oct 10.), Obama was in contact with the Iraqi government, asking them to delay making a deal with the United States, so that they could negotiate with him once he is elected President.  Perhaps he’s never heard of the Logan Act.  Undermining an acting President and US foreign relations for personal political gain is illegal!

There’s more!  Although it has yet to be proved definitively, there are rising suspicions and accusations that during the violent Kenyan elections, Obama made a pact with Raila Odinga, offering advice and finances ($1 Million)  in his run for president.  The most troubling part of this connection is that Odinga has been linked to Islamic Extremists.  He was exposed for signing a secret agreement with Muslim leaders in which he agreed to institute Islamic law.  He also promised that Kenya would become a safe haven for those who are facing extradition.
What business does Obama have giving support to foreigners who clearly oppose the interests of the US??  Keep looking out for this story.  It is just breaking!
Mark my words, there are more skeletons in Obama’s closet that are just beginning to come to light.  They might not all come out in time for the election, but here are a few possibilities:
- Tony Rezko, who helped BO jump-start his political career and was the financier of Obama’s state elections has been arrested for fraud and is now spilling the beans to the federal prosecutors.  Rezko also helped Obama buy his house.  Interesting.
- Larry Walsh, one of Obama’s poker-playing buddies and Ill. state senator is being investigated by the FBI.
- Frank Marshall Davis.  In Obama’s books, he talked about a father figure who he consulted with for every major decision in his life.  He just so happens to be one of the leaders of the communist party in Hawaii (where BO grew up).
- Jeremiah Wright and Father Pflager.  Both have been Obama’s spiritual confidants over many years and hold very extreme views on America.

I’m not saying all these associations reflect on Barack Obama, but sometimes where there’s smoke, there’s fire.  There’s a lot of smoke from a lot of different places on this guy.
Posted by -Wade in 19:35:31 | Permalink | Comments (1) »

Thursday, October 9, 2008

The Eco-Obama Spiral

The market is tanking and it doesn’t look like there is any end in sight.   We’re on the verge of breaking the $3 trillion 401k loss point and it might not stop there.  So what in the world is going on?

Ok, so our congressional buffoons went ahead and passed a bailout in which Secretary Paulson has the power to go out and consume bad paper to his little heart’s desire in an effort to unclog the constipation of credit liquidity in the banking system.  We as the American public now own most of AIG, treating them to $34k / night hotel visits along with their well-deserved spa treatments.  We’re being told that this is the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.  This self-fulfilling, fear-based prophecy is becoming remarkably accurate.  So what’s next?  Are we going to have to buy up stakes in all of the major US banks, seems like Paulson thinks so.  I almost forgot.  We were in such a hurry to get this time-sensitive bailout bill passed that we’re going to sit on the $700 billion until the next president takes office.  Hmm….something’s fishy here.

Its starting to look like there is a combination of two main problems starting to take hold here:

1.  The bailout didn’t solve anything!  The fear-mongering administration convinced the idiots in the senate that they needed to move fast.  The contents of the bill (tax-breaks for wooden arrows, indians and even bicycle commuters) were pretty much irrelevant, while the House Republican’s got demonized for standing up for the average taxpayer, letting the 40% of House Dems take cover for voting it down.  The problem is still not fixed.  We’ve found a way to turn the Almighty Dollar into an inferior currency and still have a problem.  Maybe the government can’t fix this problem.   When the government is not there to fix the problem, how do we go about fixing things?  Maybe the free market should try to figure this one out….nevermind, we killed that.  Now its up to the Warren Buffetts of the world to show us how we really should have played our cards.  We need the government to buy preferred stock in these financial institutions and then use their new power to mandate that these companies fix the slew of semi-fraudulent mortgages that they handed out like lolli’s at the pediatrician.  Now they gotta go pay the costs for the dentists for all those kids who they just gave cavities to, with the kids being the people who bought homes that they couldn’t afford.  No bonuses to the executives until they can start making a profit on these houses.  That requires them to do just about anything they see viable as a way to keep people from defaulting or foreclosing on these overpriced homes.

2.  Here’s the theory behind this economic downturn that I haven’t heard anyone in the media talking about yet, because I’m sure it would be picking on Obama and his tax plans, but here goes….  There’s a trend here though!  With each day that Obama seems to become the clear frontrunner in the presidential race, the stock market plunges some more.  Could this be related??  Let’s think this one through.

Obama wants to raise taxes on everyone making $250k or more a year.  According to the Brookings Institute (Here),  this would include raising the taxes on almost all small businesses and all large businesses.  He wants to raise the capital gains tax – raising the tax on anyone who owns stock or securities.  He wants to raise the social security tax, so anyone who works pays more.  BUT WAIT!!  He says 95% of people will get a tax cut.  This is where is math doesn’t make any sense.  40% of Americans DO NOT pay federal income tax at the end of the day.  This is essentially enacting wealth distribution….socialism.

So, through these rosy glasses, let’s examine what is happening to the markets.  We’re having a tough time already, the taxes on the companies on Wall Street are about to go up (assuming an Obama victory) and now everyone who owns stock is about to pay more on their gains.  Hmm…it only makes sense to me to pull any money I have out of the stock market.  The Street is not stupid!  An Obama presidency is BAD for our jobs, businesses and our economy as a whole.  

Stop Obama, stop the plunge!

Now I’m not saying this is the only reason our economy is tanking, but it is a catalyst to the market sell-off.
Posted by -Wade in 21:50:59 | Permalink | Comments (1) »