Thinkin’bout Stuff

Ever worked with anyone who had a talent for creating a crises and then getting all the credit for saving the day?

Just thinking… 

Let’s assume for the moment that much of the problems we face are being magnified by a steady drum beat of doom and gloom during a protracted presidential campaign.  We have been told over and over that our lives are terrible, that we need change, that this is the worst economy since the Great Depression… so much so that, with the cooperation of a liberal press, the Democrats have driven our country to the brink of economic suicide.

Think about it… you are told the economy is in the toilet, so you become nervous, then worried, then down-right scared and you stop spending.  Enough folks follow suite and no product is moving.  No product moves, and workers are not needed.  Folks lose their jobs, tighten their belts, and less product is moving… and the downward spiral accelerates.

Add to that the apparent ignorance of much of the US population when it comes to how government works, and the Republicans are tossed out even though the Democrats control the House and Senate.

Enter the savior.

Don’t get me wrong, I hope Obama, whether through actual actions or simply because folks will feel that it is safe to spend again, turns this economy around and gets us into an upward spiral.  But don’t kid yourself, he and those who pushed his message of despair are largely to blame for the current situation.

Obama has made some good moves in his early selections for his cabinet, and some not so good moves.  But the best move he can make, and I would expect him to wait until he takes office so he can be certain to get all of the credit for the recovery, would be to promise to not raise capital gains taxes for at least two years.  This will bring investors home and turn the stock markets around.  Combine that with lower fuel prices, which leads to lower prices for just about everything else, and spending will pick up, which will drive demand, which will drive production, which will drive job creation, which will drive spending, etc.

Even if he doesn’t, just the fact that he will be talking about how much better things are going to be now will create an environment where things will get better… it’s all about perception.

By the way, i wonder if gas prices finally hit the tipping point earlier this year.  Did they go high enough that we actually will see a long-term change in consumption habits?  If so, the oil guys shot themselves in the foot because it will take a dramatic drop in prices ($1.25/gal maybe?) to reverse that trend.  Like I said, just wondering…

Oh.. and you gotta love how team Obama is redefining his message of change.  Now change means anything different than the Bush administration as opposed to a change politics as usual in Washington.  If that was the case, then Hillary Clinton would have been a more qualified choice for the Dems.  You know what, I think even Obama agrees… how else can you explain that he is essentially building his cabinet from drift wood gathered from the Clinton years.

“Everyone will go to school, everyone will have a job, everyone will be equal, no one will exploit or be exploited… and all those who oppose this wonderful vision will be crushed” — from Amerika

Here we go….

Medvedev: Russia to deploy missiles near Poland - Russia will deploy missiles near NATO member Poland in response to U.S. missile defense plans, President Dmitry Medvedev said Wednesday in his first state of the nation speech.

Medvedev also singled out the United States for criticism, casting Russia’s war with Georgia in August and the global financial turmoil as consequences of aggressive, selfish U.S. policies.

He said he hoped the next U.S. administration would act to improve relations. In a separate telegram, he congratulated Barack Obama on his election victory and said he was hoping for “constructive dialogue” with the incoming U.S. president.

<snip>

Speaking just hours after Obama was declared the victor in the U.S. presidential election, Medvedev said he hoped the incoming administration will take steps to improve badly damaged U.S. ties with Russia. He suggested it is up to the U.S. - not the Kremlin - to seek to improve relations.

Deja Vu…  echoes of the Cuban Missile Crises

So what’s the plan?  Back down on our plans to deploy a missile defense system? Tell Medvedev to pound salt? Deploy troops in Poland and demand Russia back down? Send Russia a nice fat check if they promise to let us deploy our missile system? Turn over all of our research and technology so they can build their own system?

Or vote “present”…

Looks like Joe knew that of which he spoke…

Black Panthers intimidating voters?  What the hell is wrong with some people in this country?!

This guy, tapping a night stick said: “We’re tired of white supremacy” and “A black man is gonna win this election no matter what”.

Here’s the video of an eye witness to the incident:

ACORN illegally registering people, people going to swing states to vote, foreign contributions to the Obama campaign, preachers preaching hate and politics from the pulpit, threats of violence and riots, and now direct intimidation of voters in Philadelphia.

And that’s what we are facing BEFORE Obama is elected.

UPDATED Video:

Was watching Senator Obama vote this morning and it seemed to take forever to decide.

Hope if he’s elected the decisions he faces won’t be as tough for him as this one.

In his own words, Barack Obama talks about Rev. Wright, “my pastor”, “a wonderful man”, “Rev Wright represents the best of what the black church has to offer“. 

He talks about discovering his own faith and liberation theology:

A wonderful man?  Among these 20 statements by Wright, there are some I hadn’t heard before:

“I can no more disown him than I can disown the black community”:

Now he claims Wright was not a mentor, just the pastor of his church…

Another video… OK, so I don’t feel like writing :-)