The Palinization of Michele Bachmann

Well, it didn't take them long did it? The "lamestream" media have launched their attack on Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann not a week after her official announcement that she is running for president. The first and by my account, one of the worst was on Fox News Sunday when Chris Wallace asked her if she were a flake. Her response was measured and poised, a credit to her character that she didn't walk off the set. He later issued an apology via the web which she didn't accept but he also called her personally and she graciously accepted. But she also had to endure the condescending tone of the likes of George Stephanopolous and Matt Lauer. From her comments about the Battles of Lexington and Concord, mistakenly stating it occurred in New Hampshire instead Massachusetts to her stating that John Wayne was from Waterloo, Iowa she has been what some of have come to call "Palinized". That relentless nitpicking, slamming and downright viciousness that has dogged Sarah Palin for three years. To say that Bachmann isn't a serious candidate is quite frankly ludicrous. She has a law degree, has been a Federal Tax attorney and is in her third term of Congress. She is a conservatives conservative from the role of government and economic issues to her strong prolife stance. She scares people but not because of her gaffes, and the president has made similar ones which seem to be overlooked by the media, but because she is one of the few who speaks the truth about where we are in this country. She has been an outspoken critic of Obamacare and government intrusion into our lives, like the light bulb act. Now that she's officially a candidate she will have to do more showcasing her own ideas than criticism. We need solutions not finger pointing. I don't know if she's the right one to be President. I like her fire and she strikes a cord with people and is picking up in the polls. But I will keep sticking with my motto "ABO": Anyone but Obama.

Memorials, Civility and Don't Illinois Me Bro!

Last night I settled in by a roaring fire and a kitty purring on my lap and watched what I thought would be a solemn, moving memorial service for those killed in Tucson. What I saw looked more like a pep rally or at times a campaign rally. The President of the University of Arizona acted more like an MC than someone leading people in remembering the dead. The way he introduced each speaker was more like The Price is Right and the audience, many college students, whooped and hollered. When the president of the school introduced The President of the United States, it sounded like a campaign speech during the Iowa primaries. To blather on about how wonderful Obama is, was completely inappropriate given the circumstances. Janet Napolitano comes up and says "Thank you Tucson, thank you Arizona" as the crowd cheered her on like a rock star. The only person who struck the right tone was the current Governor, Jan Brewer. She spoke movingly and you could see her heart was heavy. Obama's speech itself was good and he said moving, lovely things about those who were killed. He could have made it clear when he got up that all the cheering, etc was inappropriate. He didn't know that was going to happen but he could have stopped it. The Native American "blessing" at the beginning made no sense and the guy spoke ad nauseum about himself. There were flyers, t-shirts, etc. What kind of memorial was that?

Obama Spoke of civility then said that incivility had nothing to do with what happened. So why are we still talking about this? If the suspect was not motivated by rhetoric from the right or the left, then why do we need to have a discussion or keep emphasizing the need to change the tone? Well, we don't, not in connection with this horrible tragedy. I think, at some point down the road, we should look at what is being said on both sides. Obama was right, it should live up to what a young girl, like Christina Green, dreams it can be.

We also accomplish nothing with heated rhetoric that deviates from the facts. Engaging in robust debate can lead to solving problems but I think we are past debate and need to acknowledge hard choices must be made. Debate is essential but unless it leads to action, we are still in the same place. We have states that are facing billion dollar deficits and a national debt topping $14 trillion. We see two answers. Chris Christie and Bob McDonnell,Govs of New Jersey and Virginia respectively, have cut taxes and spending, and Virginia is seeing pretty amazing job growth. Illinois just passed a 66% income tax increase and an increase in the corporate tax. People will be leaving Illinois in droves if they can. I don't think there is any doubt where these states will be in a year based on the decision their governors made.

A Tragedy In Arizona

We have all seen the footage of the horrible scene in Tuscon this past Saturday where Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords was shot in the head and several others were wounded. 9 year old Christina Green, Giffords aid Gabe Zimmerman, and several other were senselessly gunned down. I first want to express my deepest sympathies and heartfelt prayers to the victims and their families. I don't live in Arizona and therefore I am not represented by Ms. Giffords. I imagine she and I are far apart on many issues but from both sides of the aisle she has won much affection and respect and like they, I wish her a full recovery.

I am, however, sickened by some on the left to use this for political fodder to blame Sarah Palin, Glenn Beck and others in the conservative movement. There is absolutely no evidence to date linking Jared Loughner, the suspect, to anything political on either side. He was a disturbed young man who needed help. Paul Krugman of the New York Times, couldn't wait to write, I imagine with much glee, attacks on Palin and Michelle Bachmann. Palin's now infamous electoral map with crosshairs on certain districts, one of them Giffords, has been held up as the worst kind of hate speech. Rep. Bachmann made comments about a revolution and being armed and dangerous to fight against the progressive, big government policies that the left wants to enact. So, I guess you could say Palin and Bachmann are in Krugman's crosshairs. He stated there is no talk of attacking public figures on MSNBC but there is on Fox News. I hate to burst the fairy tale Krugman is living but there is clip after clip of some of the most vile rhetoric coming from the likes of Olbermann, Matthews and others at what has become the Obama News Network. Even Patricia Maisch, one of the brave people who got the rest of the ammunition away from Loughner, went on tv and blamed Republicans. The Sheriff of Pima County did the same thing. This derangment syndrome once only affecting the liberal media has now infected ordinary citizens and law enforcement. Whether it's Bush, Palin or just Right Wing Derangement Syndrome, it is now being accepted by supposedly mainstream Americans. I applaud Ms. Maisch for her bravery and in the first hours afterwards anyone can make heated statements. But I hear it in my everyday life. The truth is, the world's problems can not be laid at the feet of George Bush, Sarah Palin or conservative talk radio. No one person has that power. Many people in power have made bad decisions and what we have to decide right now, is what good decisions can be made to strengthen our country and to quote Rep. Giffords "maintain our superiority over other countries". Maybe she and I aren't too far apart after all. God Bless us all and God Bless the United States of America.

What is Going On in Washington?

I guess I should not be surprised by anything that happens in Washington these days but nevertheless, I am stunned at the attitude regarding the Bush Era tax rates. These rates expire at the end of the year and unless something is done, all Americans will face an increase. The Republicans have a united position of making the current rates permanent. The Democrats are all over the place. Some are holding to the $250,000 cut off and some want to raise it to $1 million. There are even some who don't want to raise any taxes, at least not now. Who can keep up with all their "ideas"? They all have known this was coming and yet they sit on their hands. If this is passed to the new Congress in January, there could be a huge mess, even if they retroactively make them permanent. According to Karl Rove, it could cause problems with tax returns and be a disaster. I am no economist so I can't say with any credibility that we should not raise taxes on the so called rich. But it doesn't seem to make sense to raise taxes on those who create jobs and hire people, drive innovation and have investment capital. Who has ever been hired by a poor person? The left doesn't seem to think that these people will generate jobs if they keep their money, they will just hoard it. They blame the tax rates for the current state of the economy, conveniently ignoring the housing market fiasco. Presidents Reagan, Kennedy, and way back when, Calvin Coolidge, all cut taxes and had economic growth. While private sector jobs are being shed at an alarming rate, government jobs are exploding and government employees are now making more than their private sector counterparts. Our 401Ks are shrinking and their pensions are bloated. Why should they be immune to what the rest of us are feeling. My company laid off 1400 people and restructured our time off policy, giving us fewer days. We still get a generous amount but I am sure that was more palatable than even more layoffs. Obama has said he will freeze government employee salaries but how about cutting the workforce and looking at the retirement system they have? Hard choices have to be made by everyone and that means looking at entitlements, earmarks and taxes. We actually do not have a taxing problem, we have a spending problem.

Pelosi for Life?

Yesterday Heath Schuler from North Carolina announced he will challenge Nancy Pelosi for House Minority Leader in the new 112th Congress. Conventional wisdom,of course, says she will win. She would not be running if she didn't have the votes. That's how it works. I know the Republicans are salivating at the thought of her continuing to be the face of the Democratic Party. As one GOP insider put it; she is great at creating jobs, for House Republicans. I don't know how good it will be for our country. She is not only a rigid ideologue but she has no track record of be willing to compromise on anything. She rammed through healthcare, twisted arms to get the votes for Cap and Trade in the House which died a quick death in the Senate. After a crushing loss of 60+ seats, I cannot see how the Democrats think she should still lead the party. But so many of those Blue Dogs are gone. They lost to Republicans because many of them were in more conservative districts. What is left of the Democrats is a much more liberal minority. We are still stuck with Barney Frank and his ilk, who will no doubt vote for her. I am glad to see Schuler challenge her, if for no other reason than to say not everyone is afraid of her. He also promised his constituents that if he was re-elected that he would challenge her. He is more conservative, one of the few Blue Dogs that remain, and seems to be principled. However, it seems nothing is going to stop Pelosi. This reminds of an episode of Designing Women, in which Julia Sugarbaker ran for office and during a debate with her opponent got so exasperated that she uttered these words of wisdom, "I am a Christian and I get down on my knees and pray everyday. One of the things I pray for is that people with good sense will get power and people with power will get good sense and that the rest of us will be blessed with patience and the strength to survive people like you in the meantime!". It seems almost ironic that such an appropriate statement for where we are now would come from a sitcom character from nearly twenty years ago, especially a liberal one.

Looking for Ronald Reagan

As this "silly season" comes to an end and we cast our votes tomorrow, I have been struck by the mood of the country. I titled this piece as I did because throughout this midterm election Ronald Reagan has been referenced more than once. Is that who we are looking for? This generation's Reagan. He was President during my grade school years through my sophomore year in high school, so my firsthand knowledge of his administration is almost non existent. I do know, from the many video clips and documentaries I have seen that Ronald Reagan loved his country. His campaign ad "It's Morning in America" and "The Shining City on the Hill" weren't just slogans. He meant it. He saw America as a beacon to the world. He cherished individual freedom. I know many of the candidates seem to embody those sentiments but can any of them save us from our "Jimmy Carter"? I don't know. The mainstream media deride people like Marco Rubio, Sharron Angle and Sarah Palin, much as they did Reagan. They made fun of him for being an actor, someone to not be taken seriously. They mocked his intelligence. How many in the media have called Sarah Palin dumb? I want to believe that if the Republicans win tomorrow as it looks like they will, that out of this crop of "outsiders" will rise someone with Reagan's vision of this great country. After seeing our current president apologize to other countries for us, belittle the american people by insinuating that the only reason we would vote for republicans is because we are scared and not thinking clearly and not because his policies have failed and failed miserably. I would like to see someone in charge who inspires us again, and has the political will to do what it takes to solve our problems while still believing in our greatness. Is it Palin? Maybe. Could it be Paul Ryan and his roadmap for America? which no one else in the House will embrace but is the only substantive outline of ideas put forward. Could it be Michelle Bachman who seems to have the strength to stand up to the establishment of either party? Marco Rubio is quite impressive, but will he change Washington or will Washington change him? Maybe it will be New Jersey Governor Chris Christie. He has shown he is not afraid of a fight. I love my country and it pains me to see the road we are travelling now. If there is a Reagan out there, we need to hear you.

The Greatest Stimulus is Unemployment???

So, in her infinite wisdom, Nancy Pelosi stated that unemployment benefits were the biggest economic stimulus for this country, better than any other program. What world is she living in? People continuing to be unemployed is stimulus? All that does is stimulate more debt providing these bennies. People need to be working and there have been studies done that indicate people are turning down jobs to stay on unemployment. I am not saying we shouldn't help people, but this just perpetuates dependence on government and not on the American spirit of hard word and self reliance. Our nation could crumble under this debt. All you have to do is look at Greece and some of our states like California and Michigan. Government is not the answer to our problems, we the people are. What would stimulate this economy is lower taxes, so businesses can feel confident to hire more people. Business don't need to be burdened with over regulations which stifles productivity. While private sector jobs are being outsourced, government is ballooning. A perpetual welfare state is, to use an oft overused word, unsustainable. We need to help the truly hurting but not create dependence on government for our livelihood.