Three great pieces on the dangers posed by Obama's economics policies. Just highlights – read them in their entirety if you have time.
From Chicago Boyz: Why isn't Detroit a Paradise?
In 1950, America produced 51% of the GNP for the entire world. Of that production, roughly 70% took place in the eight states surrounding the Great Lakes: Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York.
[…]
Yet, a mere 30 years later, by 1980, we called that area the “rustbelt” and it became synonymous with joblessness, collapsing cities, high crime, failing schools and general hopelessness.
What the hell happened?
Obama happened.
Of course, not Obama personally but rather the same ideas that Obama espouses. What those ideas did to the Great Lakes states, they can do to the entire country.
Via Chicago Boyz, at Free Republic: An American businessman's letter to Obama
It's long but powerful. The conclusion:
In short, Mr. Obama, your political philosophies represent everything that is wrong with our country. You represent the culture of government dependence instead of self reliance; Entitlement mentality instead of personal achievement; Penalization of the successful to reward the unmotivated; Political correctness instead of open mindedness and open debate. If you are successful, you may preside over the final transformation of America from being the greatest and most self-reliant culture on earth, to just another country of whiners and wimps, who sit around looking to the government to solve their problems. Like all of western Europe. All countries on the decline. All countries that, because of liberal socialistic mentalities, have a little less to offer mankind every year.
God help us...
David Harsanyi at the Denver Post: If it redistributes like a duck ...
Now, I'm not suggesting Obama intends to transform this nation into 1950s-era Soviet tyranny or that he will possess the power to do so. I'm suggesting Obama is praising and mainstreaming an economic philosophy that has failed to produce a scintilla of fairness or prosperity anywhere on Earth. Ever.
[…]
From 1982 until now, every arrow on nearly every economic growth chart, every health care chart, every chart that matters, points in one general direction — and that's up.
Obama — who, it seems, is running not only for president but also national babysitter/accountant/daddy/icon — ignores this success and claims he can "invest" (will that euphemism ever go away?) and disburse your money more efficiently, smartly and fairly than you can. How could any American accept the absurdity of this position?
Monday, November 3, 2008
Obama and the post-racial illusion
I have a new piece up at Pajamas Media in which I argue that, while it's understandable that some people will be persuaded to vote for Obama because of his skin colour, rather than his policies, an Obama presidency is unlikely to usher in the 'post-racial' era that Americans are being promised, and in fact could have a negative impact on America's black underclass. You can read the piece here.
The piece was inspired in part by a video, embedded below, by a black conservative called 'Zo', which has deservedly become a big hit on YouTube, and has been linked by many conservative blogs. They should have given this guy half an hour of prime-time at the Republican convention, and he deserves to become a star of the Republican Party in the years ahead.
Via the links on his YouTube page I've found some great blogs by black Republicans. Here are a few links, and you can find lots more blogs and resources via these: Zo's blog, Hip Hop Republican, Bob Parks, Rational Black Man and Black Man with a Gun. You might also want to consider donating to the National Black Republican Association. These guys have a lot of guts to go against the 'conventional wisdom' of their peers, the party that's considered their 'natural home', and the narrative spun by the mainstream media, and they deserve the support of all conservatives.
Over to Zo…
The piece was inspired in part by a video, embedded below, by a black conservative called 'Zo', which has deservedly become a big hit on YouTube, and has been linked by many conservative blogs. They should have given this guy half an hour of prime-time at the Republican convention, and he deserves to become a star of the Republican Party in the years ahead.
Via the links on his YouTube page I've found some great blogs by black Republicans. Here are a few links, and you can find lots more blogs and resources via these: Zo's blog, Hip Hop Republican, Bob Parks, Rational Black Man and Black Man with a Gun. You might also want to consider donating to the National Black Republican Association. These guys have a lot of guts to go against the 'conventional wisdom' of their peers, the party that's considered their 'natural home', and the narrative spun by the mainstream media, and they deserve the support of all conservatives.
Over to Zo…
Saturday, November 1, 2008
VDH: The End of Journalism
Victor Davis Hanson on the US media's wholesale abandonment of journalistic integrity:
The media has succeeded in shielding Barack Obama from journalistic scrutiny. It thereby irrevocably destroyed its own reputation and forfeited the trust that generations of others had so carefully acquired. And it will never again be trusted to offer candid and nonpartisan coverage of presidential candidates.
Worse still, the suicide of both print and electronic journalism has ensured that, should Barack Obama be elected president, the public will only then learn what they should have known far earlier about their commander-in-chief — but in circumstances and from sources they may well regret.
Read the whole thing. I agree with most of what VDH says, but if Obama wins and the Democrats make gains I'm not sure if his prediction of long-term damage to the reputation of the MSM will hold true.
The Democrats will likely bring back the Fairness Doctrine, and pursue other measures to curtail the influence of talk radio, bloggers and other new media outlets, which (along with a few conservative outlets like Fox News and the WSJ) have dared to question Obama's motives, past associations and fitness to be president.
At the same time they'll do everything in their power to prop up the 'old media' that has in effect become an arm of the Democratic party, and which will spend the next four years portraying the Obama presidency as a spectacular success enjoying universal support, whatever the reality.
The media has succeeded in shielding Barack Obama from journalistic scrutiny. It thereby irrevocably destroyed its own reputation and forfeited the trust that generations of others had so carefully acquired. And it will never again be trusted to offer candid and nonpartisan coverage of presidential candidates.
Worse still, the suicide of both print and electronic journalism has ensured that, should Barack Obama be elected president, the public will only then learn what they should have known far earlier about their commander-in-chief — but in circumstances and from sources they may well regret.
Read the whole thing. I agree with most of what VDH says, but if Obama wins and the Democrats make gains I'm not sure if his prediction of long-term damage to the reputation of the MSM will hold true.
The Democrats will likely bring back the Fairness Doctrine, and pursue other measures to curtail the influence of talk radio, bloggers and other new media outlets, which (along with a few conservative outlets like Fox News and the WSJ) have dared to question Obama's motives, past associations and fitness to be president.
At the same time they'll do everything in their power to prop up the 'old media' that has in effect become an arm of the Democratic party, and which will spend the next four years portraying the Obama presidency as a spectacular success enjoying universal support, whatever the reality.
Closing arguments from Mark Steyn
Mark Steyn has a timely reminder about Obama's utter lack of substance and achievement at National Review:
In Tokyo last week, over a thousand people signed a new petition asking the Japanese government to permit marriages between human beings and cartoon characters. “I am no longer interested in three dimensions. I would even like to become a resident of the two-dimensional world,” explained Taichi Takashita. “Therefore, at the very least, would it be possible to legally authorize marriage with a two-dimensional character?”
Get back to me on that Tuesday night. We’ll know by then whether an entire constitutional republic has decided to contract marriage with a two-dimensional character and to attempt to take up residence in the two-dimensional world.
Read the whole thing.
In Tokyo last week, over a thousand people signed a new petition asking the Japanese government to permit marriages between human beings and cartoon characters. “I am no longer interested in three dimensions. I would even like to become a resident of the two-dimensional world,” explained Taichi Takashita. “Therefore, at the very least, would it be possible to legally authorize marriage with a two-dimensional character?”
Get back to me on that Tuesday night. We’ll know by then whether an entire constitutional republic has decided to contract marriage with a two-dimensional character and to attempt to take up residence in the two-dimensional world.
Read the whole thing.
An exceptional American
A powerful endorsement of McCain from Quin Hillyer at the American Spectator. Here's his conclusion, but do read the whole thing, especially if you're a wavering voter…
So there you have it: John McCain as a patriot firmly rooted in the American traditions of free enterprise, limited government, strong defense, personal accountability, and a decent respect for the cultural standards of the broad middle of the American public. Those are the constituent elements of American exceptionalism -- and to his great credit, John McCain is an American exceptionalist, and an exceptional American.
So there you have it: John McCain as a patriot firmly rooted in the American traditions of free enterprise, limited government, strong defense, personal accountability, and a decent respect for the cultural standards of the broad middle of the American public. Those are the constituent elements of American exceptionalism -- and to his great credit, John McCain is an American exceptionalist, and an exceptional American.
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