Category Archives: Political Commentary

Media Criticism, Political Commentary

From Christianism To Europeanism

2 Comments

Some thoughts:

Liberals are determined to mock and ridicule the notion that Obama’s moving America in a European direction. But of course he is. Liberals have been — unapologetically — pushing America in that direction for generations.

Anyway, what I didn’t get into in the column is how this contrasts with the theocracy-panic of five minutes ago. Back then, the liberal consensus was that we need to be very, very, very scared that the bible thumpers were going to take over everything and turn us into a Handmaid’s Tale (itself a classic example of paranoid fiction). But back then, if I had suggested that America’s rich history of religious tolerance and pluralism could stand up to the Orwellian onslaught of Bush’s Office of Faith Based Initiatives, I would have been laughed off as ludicrously naive.

But when Obama is literally spending trillions of dollars to move us in a European direction, conservatives like Mark Steyn, Charles Murray, and others are supposedly daft for thinking this is anything worth worrying about.

It’s just the substitution of one religion for another — worship of the state.

Political Commentary

The Gift That Keeps On Not Giving

14 Comments

Is anyone surprised that the DVDs that the president gave Gordon Brown don’t work in British players?

By the way, when Obama’s unlikely gift was disclosed, a reader emailed me to ask if Clueless was among the films. Funnily enough, it was not.

Me, neither.

[Update a few minutes later]

Iowahawk called this a week and a half ago.

[Friday morning update]

Barack Obama, unplugged — it’s a Special Olympics presidency.

And more from Mark Steyn:

I haven’t run into Gordon Brown in over a decade, but my memory of the last time I met him in a TV green room is of a glowering misanthropic type who enjoys nursing a grudge. What doesn’t go around (in the DVD player) comes around. When the President and his Teleprompter visit London for the G20 summit in a couple of weeks, it would be a tragedy were Barack Oprompta to rise for his big speech to find nothing but the words “Wrong Region” flashing on his screen (although I’m sure the Queen would be very polite and string along and make all the swells stand up and join the toast to “Ron Region”, whoever he is).

But don’t forget, folks: Somewhere in Texas a village has been reunited with its idiot, and we now have the whip-smartest administration of David Brooks’ lifetime.

The sycophancy of the press is truly disgusting, particularly after the way they bashed George Bush for eight years.

So, whose words were the “Special Olympics” line, his or TOTUS’? Or is Joe Biden writing his material for him now?

[Off to check…]

Heh. TOTUS says “Don’t blame me, I didn’t do it.”

Okay, I see the bus coming right at me, so let’s be clear: this was His ad lib.

It’s OK, we believe you. Hang in there. You have a tough job.

[Late morning update]

More from Powerline:

Can you imagine the Democrats’ reaction if the Bush White House had given a European head of state a set of DVDs that can only be played on North American machines? It would have been conclusive proof of Bush’s provincialism, lack of sensitivity to our allies’ sensibilities, ignorance of the wider world, techno incompetence, failure to appreciate the superiority of European civilization, blah blah blah. That’s how it would have been reported and editorialized on in every newspaper. So let’s check tomorrow’s papers and see whether that’s how Obama’s gaffe is covered. Or whether it’s covered at all.

I’m not going to waste my time looking.

Business, Economics, Political Commentary, Social Commentary

Downsizing?

14 Comments

There may be a new trend in the Midwest:

Temporary Mayor Michael Brown made the off-the-cuff suggestion Friday in response to a question at a Rotary Club of Flint luncheon about the thousands of empty houses in Flint.

Brown said that as more people abandon homes, eating away at the city’s tax base and creating more blight, the city might need to examine “shutting down quadrants of the city where we (wouldn’t) provide services.”

He did not define what that could mean — bulldozing abandoned areas, simply leaving the vacant homes to rot or some other idea entirely.

Presumably, those areas would go back under the jurisdiction of the county, like other unincorporated areas, including policing by the Sheriff rather than city police.

Humor, Political Commentary

It Was Inevitable

1 Comment

President Obama’s teleprompter has started blogging:

Well, last night didn’t go well. What can I say? I was tired. By the time Barack and the Irish PM stood up, the President and I had already done two major policy speeches, three nomination announcements, and light dinner banter for a table of twelve. And by the way, that “ad lib” last night about Guinness? Mine.

So why am I going public now, when for the past two years I’ve let others do the talking? Well, this is a thankless job, and I sure don’t want to take the fall for communications missteps. But more important, I expect you’ll be seeing a lot more of me over the next few months and years. Barack and I don’t go anywhere without each other; we even complete each other’s sentences … well, more mine than his, but let’s not split hairs.

I sense new text being loaded now, so I’ll have to be going.

Hail to the TOTUS! Next stop, TMZ!

[Early afternoon update]

I wonder who the teleprompter’s picks are for the final four?

Obama spent part of Tuesday making his tournament picks for ESPN, which posted his completed bracket online Wednesday and showed the First Fan filling it out with Andy Katz on the noon edition of “Sportscenter.”

Of course, the president’s choice drew a reaction from the Tar Heels’ most intense rival.

“Somebody said that we’re not in President Obama’s Final Four, and as much as I respect what he’s doing, really, the economy is something that he should focus on, probably more than the brackets,” Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said from the Blue Devils’ first-round site in Greensboro, N.C.

Actually, given how disastrous the president’s plans for the economy are, I’m glad that he’s distracted from them by something.

Political Commentary

Thuggery

6 Comments

Congressman Gerry Ackerman:

…the point of finding out who has taken this money – – listen, we own 80 percent of that company right now. From my — as far as I am concerned, they are almost public employees. Public employees, we have — we can have certain requirements on them.

If they return the money, then I don’t think anybody has to know who they are or what their names are.

So, as Jonah says, if you just give us the money, we won’t tell the people who want to garrotte you who you are and where you live. We just want to make you an offer you can’t refuse.

And of course, there’s all the bluster from slimeballs like Chuck Schumer about ex-post-facto bills of attainder, as though it’s not dually unconstitutional.

I cannot recall a time in my life that I have been more sickened by the political class in Washington.

[Update a few minutes later]

And then there’s this, on the president comparing bankers to suicide bombers:

“Same thing with AIG,” Obama said. “It was the right thing to do to step in. Like they’ve got a bomb strapped to them and they’ve got their hand on the trigger, you don’t want them to blow up, but you’ve got to ease them off the trigger.”

And the president held out his arm and pantomimed a hand on a trigger, and we were rapt, waiting for what would happen next.

Remember, the president is a great communicator.

Like many, I have my share of anger over the bonuses, at the employees, at the AIG leadership, Geithner, the Fed, President Obama, Senator Dodd, etc. … But if some nut tries to kill some AIG employees… who fanned the flames?

Hey, it’s the Chicago way.

Media Criticism, Political Commentary

What Did Geithner Not Know?

3 Comments

…and when did he not know it? And a bonus — “heckuva job, Timmy!”

I think I hear the bus starting to warm up its engine in preparation for its next victim.

By way of the AllahPundit we learn that TIME has been told that the Fed flagged the AIG bonuses to Treasury on Feb 28, ten days before word percolated to Geithner. What an operation – Geithner was at the NY Fed working with Hank Paulson on these bailouts, was brought to Treasury to provide continuity, and now has forgotten everything prior to Jan 20, 2009. Geithner needs to bring on some senior staffers so he can fire someone. Inshallah.

…FREUD IS EVERYWHERE: I know they are a bit down on Obama just now but this reflexive Bush-bashing from the Chi Trib blog is ridiculous:

This appears to be a case where the government’s right hand didn’t know what the left was doing. Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner learned only last week about the bonuses, according to the Bush Administration.

Yes, we all miss Ari and Dana and what’s his name. But since this is the Obama Administration let me offer an editing suggestion: “This appears to be a case where the government’s left hand didn’t know what the far left hand was doing.” Just trying to help.

Maguire is a one-man wrecking crew on this story.