The Myth of Obama

An excellent article at Commentary which describes, in as plain an english as I've yet found, exactly why Barack Obama is not - and never was - even 1/10 the giant his supporters insisted he was. Obama was supposed to be the leader of a new age of Democrat rule, as well as the transformer of a tarnished, broken America into something more perfect, more glorious than anything we could have imagined.

Alas, it was all a dream that ended far sooner than anyone could have imagined:

2010 is shaping up to be a perfectly awful year for Democrats. It’s a safe bet that in response they and their allies will lash out in rage, angry at the perceived injustice of it all, furious at the fate that has befallen them. They will blame Obama’s predecessor, Republicans in Congress, the conservative movement, angry white males, Fox News, Sarah Palin’s tweets, and the wrong alignment of the stars. It won’t work.

Having created a myth, they must now live with its unmasking.

Democrats Seek To Ease AMT Hit For Millions

You'll never guess how they plan on doing that.

House Democrats looking to spare millions of middle-class families from the expensive bite of the alternative minimum tax are considering adding a surcharge of 4 percent or more to the tax bills of the nation's wealthiest households.

For those of you who don't know, the Alternative Medical Tax, created in 1969, was designed to ensure that a small number of super-wealthy citizens weren't able to deduct and loophole their way out of paying any taxes. Unfortunately, Congress neglected to index the AMT for inflation. So, as incomes have increased over the years, more and more "non-wealthy" people are falling under the AMT's reach. Back in 1969, the AMT was designed to nab 155 filers. But today

the tax is projected to strike more than 23 million households next spring, many of them earning as little as $50,000 a year.

The trick here is to provide relief for those who shouldn't be caught up in the AMT, while at the same time not denying the Government too much revenue. Under the proposal discussed in the article, a 4.3% surcharge would be imposed on incomes over $500,000 per year. This would allow the Government to eliminate the AMT for those earning $250,000 or less. Representative Richard Neal (D-MA), chariman of the House subcommittee with responsibility over the AMT, claims this proposal has broad support with key Democrats. However,

Some Democrats say Neal's plan stretches the definition of the middle class too far, providing AMT relief to too many wealthy households. They argue that the cutoff for families to be spared from the AMT should be lower, at $200,000, $150,000 or even $75,000.

So, some Democrats define "wealthy" as $75,000? No wonder they're always shrieking aboout the shrinking middle class! Not to brag, but I myself make somewhere north of $75,000 per year, and believe me, I would not call myself "wealthy".

See, this is what gets me about the Left's take on wealth. They're so determined to demonize everyone who manages to live comfortably, with cries of "paying their fair share" and redistributions of wealth. Why don't they just get it over with, tax the wealthy at 80%, and give the proceeds directly to the vaunted underclass. At least that way, we'll only need to provide public assistance to the top 10% of the population (since they'll no longer be able to afford a living) instead of the current 30% or 35%.

Obama Alludes To "Quiet Riot" During A Speech

Afterwards, he closes with a rousing rendition of "Cum On Feel The Noize".

Oh, sorry. My mistake.

Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama said Tuesday that the Bush administration has done nothing to defuse a "quiet riot" among blacks that threatens to erupt just as riots in Los Angeles did 15 years ago.

The first-term Illinois senator said that with black people from New Orleans and the Gulf Coast still displaced 20 months after Hurricane Katrina, frustration and resentments are building explosively as they did before the 1992 riots.

Once again, Obama thrills a crowd with platitudes instead of real substance. Is he really saying that, unless he's elected, there will be riots in the streets? How very French of you, Senator. If that's the case, then I'd really love to know what Obama has in mind to prevent this upheaval.

According to him, an overwhelming sense of hopelessness and despair in the black community is threatening to bring things to a boil (I'm assuming the black community. Obama never comes out and says that, but the suggestion is pretty clear).

And now, it's time for another Barack Obama Allegory of Sweetness and Light:

Obama noted that during the [Los Angeles] riots, a bullet pierced the abdomen of a pregnant woman and lodged in the elbow of her fetus. The baby was delivered by caesarian section, the bullet was removed and the child, Jessica Glennis Evers-Jones, has only a small scar on her arm to show for it.

Using the incident as a metaphor, Obama said society's problems are worsening because "in too many places across the country, we have not even bothered to take the bullet out."

For a minute, I thought Obama was going to say that he was the child, and that's why he has such an understanding of the situation. Then I remembered we've already heard his miraculous birth story.

So, what's Obama's solution for diffusing this impending eruption?

Repeatedly, with evangelical zeal, he raised issues that roused the crowd: increasing the minimum wage and teacher pay, funding for public schools and college financial aid for the poor, ending predatory lending and expediting the reconstruction of New Orleans and the Mississippi coast.

God, that's their solution for everything.

Divisive

So, there was another Democratic debate tonight. No big surprises, mainly just more handwringing over Iraq. There was one particular question which interested me:

To a question on whether English should be the official language in the United States, only former Alaska Sen. Mike Gravel raised his hand in the affirmative.

But Obama protested the question itself, calling it “the kind of question that was designed precisely to divide us.” He said such questions “do a disservice to the American people.”

Sure, because it's always so divisive to mention any attempt to promote even a semblance of national identity. For Obama, the question isn't whether immigrants will learn English - he takes it on faith that they will. For him, the question is about coming up with a "legal, sensible immigration policy".

For someone who's supposed to be so smart, Obama's clueless when it comes to this issue. First of all, we've made it too easy in this country to get by without a strong grasp of English. Press "1" for English, anyone?. Believe me, there's a difference between being able to get by in an English environment and knowing the language well enough to get ahead. Without strong incentives to gain real competence with the language, future immigrants will never be able to prosper in a society as competitive as ours. Unless, of course, the most we ever want for these people is to cut our lawns and paint our houses. If anything, a language competency requirement should be alogical part of a "sensible immigration policy".

I hate to say it, but at least Hillary had a reasonable argument against English as our official language - it would preclude accomodating non-English speakers by mandating translators in hospitals and government offices and printing voting ballots in multiple languages.

Yeah, I said it was reasonable, I didn't say I agreed with it. In order to vote, one has to be a citizen (at least for now). So, how does someone become a U.S. citizen without learning enough English to read a ballot? How the hell do they even understand the issues they're voting on if they don't speak the language?

Hell yeah, that's exactly the kind of "informed" electorate I want helping to shape the course of this country.

Thousands Rally In Support Of Hugo Chavez in Venezuela

Only after they were paid and/or forced to attend by the government.

I guess Hugo was bummed about all of his citizens protesting his decision to shut down a popular independent TV station. See, that's the good thing about being ruled by a dictator - you've just got to love him...or else! From Fox News' Adam Housley, who's in Caracas covering the protests:

I see all sorts of government vans and trucks, with paintings on the side with sayings like "Socialism or Die." There are pictures of Chavez and Che everywhere. Most people are wearing red shirts with the logo of their government employer.

There are busses everywhere and some have been taken to a place across the city, as if to hide the fact that most people here were bussed and given a free shirt, hat and lunch. I am also told by several here that they were paid 50,000 bolívar's to attend. That's roughly 25 dollars plus a free lunch, not a bad day for many that were brought here free from the countryside.

EXTRA: Hot Air has video of Adam Housley calling former Black Panther and current NY City Councilman Charles Barron a "son of a bitch". As a good little liberal, Barron dismisses Adam's reporting for Fox News as one-sided. He accuses Housley of cherrypicking a single anti-Chavez protestor when there are thousands of pro-Chavez protestors he could interview. Housley angrily defends his reportage, saying they've covered all of the protests, including the pro-Chavez one's (he also claims they were threatened at those) and accuses Barron of not being informed on the issue. He goes on to encourage Barron to watch Fox News and see the whole story for himself. Barron then gives us the quote of the day, "I don't have time to sit at home and watch T.V., I'm an activist."

Whatever.

Shock! DUers Don't Believe The Plot Was Real

As sure as day follows night, you can always count on the "reality-based" community to refuse to believe...well, reality.

"...after all the administration needs some positive press! I'm sorry but I don't believe most of this stuff anymore. When they have the proof I'll listen."

That's right. It's a publicity stunt.

"I smell more Rethuglikkkan bullshit. There was no plot. These are dupes."

Ah, the name calling, and the absolute certainty that there was no plot. Of course, there's never a plot.

"Four guys with CRIMINAL aspirations were foiled before they could do anything. not really much news there, IMO."

Whatever, dude. Call me when they actually blow something up!

"This plan was more inspirational than operational meaning, they didn't have the resources, skills, manpower, etc. to carry out their acts....But I'm sure the Republican spin bull-shit machine will act like they just prevented WW III."

That's right, the Republicans don't deserve any credit for foiling the plot. But God knows they'll surely deserve the blame if a plot is ever carried out.

The Left's slavish refusal to accept these threats are real never ceases to amaze me. And yet, we should have no problem allowing them to be responsible for the country's security.

I wonder what it must be like to actually be one of those Muslim extremists; to pour your heart and soul into striking at your infidel enemy, only to realize that a sizeable segment of population you wish to destroy thinks you're a figment of some Republican scaremonger's imagination!

Of course, we already know what the Left will say if a plot is ever successfully carried out.

UPDATE: Newsbusters asks "How long before they question the timing?"

Little Green Footballs points out the deafening silence on the Left side of the Blogosphere:

Maybe they’re still trying to settle on the spin. “Question the timing?” or “blame Bush?” Choices, choices...

Not so fast! Daily Kos is on it. Someone posted a diary about the "alleged plot":

Sounds to me like another wanna-be plot, but we'll see.

Once again, nothing to see here. These people simply will not be satisfied until blood is actually spilled. Of course, then it's "Bush's fault". Oh, and make sure you read the comments. otherwise, you won' learn that infiltration by FBI informants = entrapment.

The Joke, Take 2

MSNBC reports that John Kerry has cancelled most of his campaign appearances in the wake of his comments at the Angelides rally. The article also gives us the joke which Kerry regretfully "misspoke" as an insult to the troops:

A Kerry spokeswoman, Amy Brundage, said Kerry’s prepared text had called for him to say: “Do you know where you end up if you don’t study, if you aren’t smart, if you’re intellectually lazy? You end up getting us stuck in a war in Iraq. Just ask President Bush.”

Sorry, but I call bullshit. After the reaction his actual comment got, it's way too easy to trot someone out a day later and have them say "this is what the Senator meant to say". Besides, it's still suggesting that the penalty for being dumb is getting elected President.

That certainly doesn't say much for Kerry himself considering his own Presidential ambitions. It sort of makes sense, though. You'd have to be pretty stupid not to be able to get this crappy joke right to begin with.

John Kerry Is A Moron

Honestly, what else is there to say?

While at a Pasadena Community College campaign rally for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Phil Angelides, John Kerry said the following:

You know, education, if you make the most of it, if you study hard and you do your homework, and you make an effort to be smart, uh, you, you can do well. If you don’t, you get stuck in Iraq.

So, according to Kerry, if you're smart you'll have options in life. If you're not, then joining the military and shipping out to Iraq is pretty much all you have to look forward to. Which I suppose suggests all of our troops currently deployed in Iraq are uneducated losers. Seems pretty clear cut to me. I mean, I can't see how you can read that statement any other way.

Apparently, I'm wrong.

Now, Kerry is saying he botched a joke - that he wasn't insulting the troops, he actualy meant to insult President Bush! What's more, Kerry says Bush knows that's what he meant to do, and to suggest otherwise is more "despicable Republican attacks". The entire statement is chock full of handler-speak, calculated right down to the last period.

The only thing missing, I'm sure, is a finger wagging.

So John Kerry was admonishing a crowd of college students to study hard and do well in school, because the alternative is...becoming President of the United States and initiating hostilities in a foreign country with the support of Congress?!?

Oh, I get it now.

Heh.

Update: Ace of Spades has the same take on Kerry's "stay in school" message. Great minds think alike...except of course Ace actually has a readership while I'm pretty much just talking to myself here.

Hillary Comes Clean

Hillary Clinton is setting the record straight on how she got her name:

For more than a decade, one piece of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton’s informal biography has been that she was named for Sir Edmund Hillary, the conqueror of Mount Everest. The story was even recounted in Bill Clinton’s autobiography.

But yesterday, Mrs. Clinton’s campaign said she was not named for Sir Edmund after all.

It's certainly looks like Hillary's planning on running for President in 2008. After seeing how "I invented the Internet" and "Love Story was written about me and Tipper" worked out, I suppose Hillary doesn't want to take any chances.

One last quote from the article:

“It was a sweet family story her mother shared to inspire greatness in her daughter, to great results I might add,” said Jennifer Hanley, a spokeswoman for the campaign.

Give me a motherfucking break!

How do these people manage to get these types of statements out of their mouths without their tongues bursting into flames? Does Hillary really, really think that bullshit actually works? Is that what we have to look forward to if she actually wins?

Bill Clinton Gets Testy

Chris Wallace interviewed Bill Clinton on Fox News Sunday.

Chris stayed cool while Bill looked like a fool.

Bill got mad because Chris asked him "a legitimate question".

I tried, I tried, I tried...Bush did not try, no he didn't, he did not try...

Bill pointed his finger at Chris, tapped his notes with it, got in his face with it.

Remember the last time Bill waved that finger at us? Yep.

I'm thinking it's about like that this time, too.