“Focusing your life solely on making a buck shows a certain poverty of ambition.” – Barack Obama, Knox College Commencement address, 2005
It must suck to be Hillary Clinton these days. Victory is in your grasp, so close you can almost taste it: you can be the first woman President in history. After years of clawing your way to the top of the political dung heap, shaking sweaty hands, eating rubber chicken at fundraisers, kissing farty-smelling children and covering the ass of a goat of a husband who dry humps anything that will hold still, you’ve paid your dues. But it all boils down to this: you’re going to lose a game you invented yourself. And the winner will be a guy who’s almost exactly like your husband: articulate, smart, charming–and quite calculating.
“He doesn’t walk around saying he’s the next Lincoln or JFK, but he’s also not in Washington to be just another senator.”
– anonymous staffer
No, he’s not. I voted for Obama in 2004, impressed by that glowing centrist speech he gave that brought down the house. I thought he had character. What the hell was I thinking? Washington draws the power-hungry like a turd draws flies. Within a year, I recognized him for the fake he is. Voting down the highly qualified Justice Roberts was the tipoff. Even the Washington Post endorsed Roberts. It was the calculated move of a man with his eye on the White House, a guy trying to play both sides.
Since he’s been in office, he’s been a low-key, but mainline liberal voter: No to Bolton, No to CAFTA, No to ANWR, Yes to Civil Rights for Terrorists, Yes to every social activist program. With a couple of exceptions the media trots out to accentuate his so-called centrism, he is a classic leftist trying to pass himself off as a centrist–just like Bill. In fact, he may be brighter than Bill: writing a book that pre-emptively exposes your youthful cocaine snorting is nothing less than genius.
Left out of the breathless accounts of his centrism are items like these discovered by the Washington Times in 2004:
• In October 2002, Mr. Obama said that the buildup to the war against Saddam Hussein was just a political diversion concocted by Bush political adviser Karl Rove….
• Mr. Obama has been endorsed by the anti-defense organization Council for a Livable World, which supports cuts in defense spending and opposes missile defense.
• Mr. Obama supports gun-control laws across the board. As an official at the Illinois State Riflle Association told us, “Mr. Obama is about as liberal as you can get” on the question of gun ownership.
A look at his remarks last year is, I think, telling:
In Washington, they call this the Ownership Society. But in our past there has been another term for itâ€â€Social Darwinismâ€â€every man or woman for him or herself. It’s a tempting idea, because it doesn’t require much thought or ingenuity. It allows us to say that those whose health care or tuition may rise faster than they can affordâ€â€tough luck. It allows us to say to the Maytag workers who have lost their jobâ€â€life isn’t fair. It let’s us say to the child who was born into povertyâ€â€pull yourself up by your bootstraps. And it is especially tempting because each of us believes we will always be the winner in life’s lottery, that we’re the one who will be the next Donald Trump, or at least we won’t be the chump who Donald Trump says: “You’re fired!â€Â
But there is a problem. It won’t work. It ignores our history. It ignores the fact that it’s been government research and investment that made the railways possible and the internet possible. It’s been the creation of a massive middle class, through decent wages and benefits and public schools that allowed us all to prosper. Our economic dependence depended on individual initiative. It depended on a belief in the free market; but it has also depended on our sense of mutual regard for each other, the idea that everybody has a stake in the country, that we’re all in it together and everybody’s got a shot at opportunity. That’s what’s produced our unrivaled political stability.
Emphases, mine. The solution to life’s problems is nanny stateism, classlessness, protectionism, identity politics, unions, welfare–in short, more of the same. Having already made his bucks, Obama aspires to be yet one more wealthy socialist Democrat who will confiscate our money and kill our economy while telling us he’s doing us a big favor. As if we needed one. But he’s right, money isn’t everything. There’s always power.
No poverty of ambition here.
Looks like the Demos have two good candidates for 2008.
Who do the Republicans have?
McCain?
Ouch
No shit? Who are they?
– From that monkeyshit, I take it you aggree that he’s another snake oil salesman in the mold of Slick Willy, wrapping himself in faux moderation, while persuing hard Left right down the line.
– Just your kind’a guy.
Who do the Republicans have?
Rudy. Rudy. Rudy. And Romney.
Who – Rudy/Condi …. the dream ticket. I can live with his position on abortion, he’s a born leader. In office he’ll be more centrist than anything, and he’ll get it done.
I agree about the drugs thing. If I were running for something, and someone brought up my . . . errrr . . . youthful indiscretions, I’d just say, “Yes, it’s true: I did the drugs. And I’m still a shitload smarter than my opponent.”
Also, in the campfire light, the dogwood branches all looked like satyrs.
BBh, personally I’d like to see Condi/Rudy, but that’s just me.
Dan …. Did you gambol naked?
I could see Rudy, not sure who Romney is, which can’t be good for his chances.
Nah, BBh. I don’t think the family down the way would have appreciated it . . . at least not on the dogwood satyrs night.
– Condi doesn’t have the leadership experience. Only minus though. She’d be a hell of a support to him, and tons of diplomatic milage by then. First woman, First black, First in the hearts of her countrymen. Rudy’s a natural. If he steps in the ring it will be a slaughter. I’m sensing it’s not by accident that certain Left-wingers are starting to promote Obama. They fear the Condi machine.
You need to get out of the cave once in a decade or so.
McGehee,
Their are 535 members of Congress and 50 governors…don’t assume your local hero is making that big of an impact outside your own state.
I didn’t know who George Allen was either…until Maccacagate, of course.
“I didn’t know who George Allen was either…until Maccacagate, of course.”
– Yes. We already know how the left keeps it’s finger on the absolute pulse of the important earth shaking political events of the day. The amount of ink and loud yammering of the nutroots for a week, over a single mispoken word, just underlines your alacrity.
Don’t be mad because the right’s phony stories about Teddie and Reid didn’t get more play, BBh.
I live in Georgia you moron.
Like I said, get out of your cave once in a decade.
Ok, I guess you’re still eating, but when your done get your sorry Marxist ass over to ahem’s….
Monkeyboy? I think the locals are on to your minor shit by now. Sorry.
Obama, the media manufactured ‘All American’ image Leftists Dems believe we will love.
It’s like I’m living the movie Network and am watching The Manchurian Candidate.
I think I would have remembered a guy named “Mitt Romney” if I’d heard of him before…
Looked him up, he seems to be yet another member of the Republican aristocracy who owes his success to his rich and famous daddy instead of his own personal achievements.
Remember when the Republicans used to elect self-made men like Ronnie and Tricky Dick?
So how did you happen to hear about the mediocre governor of tiny Massachusetts, Mc?
Huh? You mean the government sponsered research on the creation and improvement of steam engines in the 1800s?
Whatever.
By not living in a cave.
Which just further proves McGehee’s point. Give it a rest.
Do you like the Winter Olympics?
How about the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics, did you watch them?
What event was “Mitt” entered in, MayBee?
Did he win a medal?
Yes, he won the gold medal in the “I organized these things after some corrupt bozos almost derailed them” relay.
And he looked good in the sherling coat and cowboy hat.
So, how did you hear about the mediocre Senator of tiny Massachusetts, MoBo ? Is he from a rich and famous family, or something ?
– It must have been his championship swimming form Harry…. It was all over the pages for months…. I’m not sure he won any medals, unless it was for acting…
– MaryJo isn’t available for comment…..
I had forgotten about the Roberts snub. Yeah, that chafes a little, since I’d promised myself at the time that I wouldn’t forget it.
Hey, where did all that Feingold buzz go, anyway?
Ahhh…more lowering of the stupid bar being brought to PW by monkyboy. Isn’t there a “saved by the bell” blog that you can troll?
Mitt Romney might not be a bad pick for the republicans. I’m not big on his healthcare plan for Mass, but then again, I don’t live there. I thought I heard something about him NOT trying to replicate that on a federal level, though.
Unfortunately she took gold in Asynchronous Drowning.
Eh. I didn’t take issue with macaque-boy when he called Romney “mediocre.” As far as I’m concerned his main advantage is not being McCain.
Holy crap, and I thought monkeyboy was a semi-informed troll!… Him not knowing who Romney is is like me not knowing who Evan Bayh or Tom Vilsack is… and they’re much lower in the Presidental candidate odds than Romney.
monkeyboy – you obviously are politically ignorant, no need to post with the adults here.
Hehe, JFH,
Not sure who those guys are either.
Did they run the Olympics, too?
monkyboy isn’t even smart enough to know how to pretend to be smart. Instead of just Googling Mitt Romney when he doesn’t recognize the name, he just plows on ahead, accusing us of being dumb because he doesn’t understand what we are talking about.
That wouldn’t be a fair test of their chances of becoming President, would it B Moe?
If I haven’t heard of them…they got no chance winning a national nomination a year and a half from now…not with a guy like McCain in the running.
Pretty hair, a rich and famous daddy and a job working for a minor state won’t cut it this time.
I guessed that Evan Bayh was the idiot offspring of a guy who used to be kinda famous years ago…
Tom Vilsack? Did his family make money in pickles, maybe?
Now that is some encouraging news.
Because you’re the guy who makes that decision, right? Sitting in your cave.
No, I just don’t think some noname is gonna win this time…most of America will be looking for someone like Ronnie to erase the stain of the prior 8 years.
You guys are welcome to try to nominate Mitt Romney if you want, McGehee.
Hehe, good luck with the guy who organized the 2002 Olympics.
“…[most] of America will be looking for someone like Ronnie to erase the stain of the prior 8 years.”
– I don’t think even Reagan could paper over Clinton’s mess, although he certainly made us forget the disasters of the peanut farmers years in about 15 minutes. That is before Cahtah came back from oblivion like a Carribean Zombie, to prove to a whole new generation what a total ass he is.
hehe,
Just keep attacking Clinton, the most popular American President in recent history…that’s working so well for you guys…
speaking of Clinton, and unknown governors…. any of you *ahem* older folks remember when he came on the national scene? I was wondering if that might compare with Mitt “monkyboy’s never heard of him so he must be a loser” Romney. or are Arkansas governors usually really well known?
That’s true about Clinton, maggie, but look at his opponents in the primary…there was nobody like McCain in that race. Poor ol’ Mario Cuomo…he coulda been a contender.
I think if the Republicans want to keep control of the White House in 2008, they’ll need someone as strong as Ronnie…McCain isn’t close, but he’s the best they have.
Except for, you know, the fact that the Republican base would gladly feed McCain to the Cenobites…
And Carter was relatively unknown when he started out in the ‘76 election… just keep showing your ignorance of politics, monkeyboy, or please quit while you’re behind
I knew Obama was a fraud when he was in the IL State Senate – same as in the US Senate – he was grooming, looking in the mirror, straightening his tie, accepting the boquets tossed by Sun-Times and Tribune columnists, and positioning for the next race upward. Hasn’t accomplished a thing outside of lookin’ good in his whole time in various elected offices.
Why? What did the Cenobites ever do to them?
Because, after all, if P&I (Pointless & Irritating), in all of his political savvy splendor, doesn’t “know” a candidate then he/she has no chance to win. Do you even reread what you write and see the ignorance?
Ahem: this reflects something that I said in a previous thread: The more I hear Obama speak, the more he reminds me of Bubba. He’s very smart, very savvy but the sense I get is that he’s painting a beautiful romantic national portrait over his existing painting of affirmative action students, new, higher tax bills and a diminished military.
Be afraid, be very afraid.
That would be the president who is still waiting to be elected with the margin the “unpopular”
President Bush acheived in his 2 elections? That’s a far more important test of “popularity” than polls.
I think the Cenobites are a cloistered order, but I should probably check with The Anchoress.
Ummm…Ronald Reagan is the most popular president in recent history. Bush? Stain? Have you gotten your presidents mixed up again? Carter was a nobody before he ran. Nobody else on the democratic side was viable in that election so Carter won.
But, BJTexas, monky ONLY knows what his very closed mind allows him to know. That “stupid” election poll is bogus anyhow, as it is obvious that they stole both elections! And dammit, Clinton was a god!!!! At least that’s what his trainers tell him.
TPN: do they train him with…bananas? Latte? irritating but ultimately human electric shocks to his gonads? just asking…
I wasn’t completely clear in my last post.
1992: Clinton=43.0% (of popular vote)
2000: Bush=47.9%
1996: Clinton=49.2%
2004: Bush=51.1%
Yep, Bubba sure was popular…
Clinton suddenly came out of nowhere himself. One day he was a governor, the next day, President.
I’d liken it to the tendency the NBA has these days of recruiting from high school instead of college. It doesn’t produce a high quality product.
Obama is scary because he’s very polished and convincing, but he hasn’t really been tested. How does he act under pressure? A lot of politics is working with Hobson’s choice; that’s what the war on terror is about.
I’m not equating him with Clinton morally–Clinton is in a class by himself–but I wouldn’t be surprised if Obama turned out to be much, much different than he appears. Even idealists can do great harm–especially idealists.
Truer words have never been spoken, ahem. All we have to do is ponder Jimmah and his merry band.
I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again: before I got into finance (money management, specifically), I spent almost ten years in non-profit social service (higher ed, then national and local social service organizations).
I can tell you without hesitation that I met more imbeciles, bigots, petty crooks, lardasses, lunatics, and incompetents in non-profit “service” than anywhere else. The last organization, in particular, existed solely to drain money from the state and federal government because (to quote the executive director), “dammit, the government owes it these (poor) kids.”
(Did this organization actually do the kids any good? I honestly don’t know. I do know that way more focus was on lobbying than on devising measures to see if the services being provided were effective down the road – in other words, on determining whether the organization was doing a damn bit of good.)
So, Barack? Go fuck yourself. I do a hell of a lot more good for society now, in my “impoverished ambition,” than I ever did in “social service.”
Jaysus, I didn’t think I could hate this cocksucker more than I already did, but I surprised myself.
so…um…Percy….how do you really feel? Don’t be shy…
I don’t know Barack well but, as I said before, my “Bubba Bullshit” meter is going off like the last Friday bell at the local high school.
Fool me once, shame on me…
That whole “It ignores the fact that it’s been government research and investment that made the railways possible and the internet possible.” statement ignores the fact that the space, and military research program have probably done more in as many years (which are also government research). But that wouldn’t fit what he is trying to espouse… no military, no bad things, lets all be happy and play in fields of daisies… just like in “The Sound of Music”. It’s socialism, stupid, and last time I checked no one has a working example of socialism where the people frolic in effing fields of daisies and have no cares in the world.
http://americanthinker.com/comments.php?comments_id=6444
Clarice:
I’d have appreciated it more if I could have gotten credit for it! – ahem
I did not vote for that candidate, Osama Obama Macaca la Bamba.
Never heard of Romney? Not suprising – monkyboys in captivity spend an inordinate amount of time playing with themselves.
Ah! Obama supports Ned Lamont. Can I pick ‘em?