Mar 02 2009
Far Right Makes Obama Look Sane
I am glad I did not waste my time at CPAC. Last thing I needed was to watch a lot of people in denial make the same mistake that put them in the minority in the first place. While conservatism has a solid core of family values, responsibility, peace through strength, and limited (but efficient) government, the movement has too many loose cannons which spoil Reagan’s view of America with their own fanatical poison.
Those who ranted about the impure conservatives (RINOS, Traitors, Quislings, etc) helped shrink the movement down to its repulstive components, while ringing in the age of out of control socialism. Quite a feat. So last week there was much patting on backs in admiration of the carnage they left the party and country in.
One example of how the conservative movement has jumped the shark are the ‘birthers’ – the right wing equivalent of those who think George Bush and Dick Cheney planned 9-11.Â
Bill Clinton had the Vince Foster “murder.” George W. Bush had 9/11 Truth. And the new administration has brought with it a new culture of conspiracy: The Birthers.Â
Out of the gaze of the mainstream and even the conservative media is a flourishing culture of advocates, theorists and lawyers, all devoted to proving that Barack Obama isn’t eligible to be president of the United States. Viewed as irrelevant by the White House, and as embarrassing by much of the Republican Party, the subculture still thrives from the conservative website WorldNetDaily, which claims that some 300,000 people have signed a petition demanding more information on Obama’s birth, to Cullman, Alabama, where Sen. Richard Shelby took a question on the subject at a town hall meeting last week.Â
Their confinement to the fringe hasn’t cooled the passion of believers; the obscure New York preacher James Manning turned up at a National Press Club session in December to declare the president “the most notorious criminal in the history not just of America, but of this entire planet.”Â
No, what they have done is relegate conservatism to the fringe – which is why CPAC is a waste of time for normal conservative Americans. The fact the ‘birther’ crap was even mentioned at CPAC illustrates how conservatism is now a pathetic carny side show. We have Anne Coulter doing her annual foot-in-mouth act (I never did see Muslim American booths at CPAC after her ‘towel-head’ tirade). Newt was probably there, admiring his laurels again. And Malkin was probably blasting immigrants again, as seems to be her lot in life.
1941 Side Show Poster
So boring, so predictable. Even down to the straw poll, which Romney won and Palin came in 3rd. Which is completely OPPOSITE of what the conservatives in the nation say (Palin came in on top in a CNN poll recently). The leadership is out of sync – again. What a surprise.
So the Dems have their Global Warming fanatics, the Conservatives their Creationists movement (of various names and flavors) – both of which are deniers of established science and followers of cult like fiction. The Dems have their 9-11 truthers, the GOP their Obama Birthers – two mobs full of clowns. Scary if not comical.
I and others ‘on the sane right not in exile’ have been debunking these cults of cluelessness (see here for my posts on the ‘birthers’ silliness), but the lemmings keep jumping the cliff. I can’t tell people what to think, but I can do my part in Darwin’s grand plans for losers.
I am fed up with political nonsense from both sides. We need serious adult action on the issues this country faces and these people run around with a 3rd grade level of comprehension of how things work. Money is magically manufactured out of thin air, astronomical debt will bring economic nirvana (isn’t this the same BS the left sold us on mortgages???). Â Global Warming is coming – after a decade of cooling. And President Obama’s American mother means nothing to his nationality claim? Oh pulleeaaze!
When will all the madness end? One thing better not happen to the Tea Party movement if it is to succeed. If the ‘birthers’ become and element of it the movement will die. If the nativists who jump at every Arab or Muslim become a part of it it will not succeed. If it gets tainted with calls to deport immigrants, it is over.
The far right needs to pick one or two good fights to pull this nation to their side. The ones I just listed are definitely not them and should not be anywhere near the good fight, if you want the good people of this nation on your side.
Addendum: And as a reminder that acting like idiot left wingers doesn’t make conservatism better or stronger we have the Rush Limbaugh problem of hoping America suffers so he can be proved right. Here we have the perfect ‘pot’ calling ‘the kettle’ black syndrome:
I’m not stunned that conservatives oppose President Obama’s economic policies. Actually, I wouldn’t have it any other way.
El Rushbo didn’t stop there, of course. Limbaugh went on at CPAC to suggest that liberals opposed to the war in Iraq wanted the war to fail. Oh, shock and outrage!!!
Well, guess what? You’re damn right I wanted the Iraq war to fail.
Yeah, I said it.
…
The problem is – I’m not Bobby Jindal so I don’t believe in magic.
So I repeat – damn right I wanted the Iraq war to fail.
Not because I hate our country or hate the troops but for the exact opposite reason – because I love my country and I value the lives of the people sworn to protect it. If you opposed the war, I bet you feel the same way. Now, fasten your seatbelt while I go a step further.
I believe that Limbaugh wants the President to fail because he loves the country, too.
OK, time out with the brinkmanship. If this fool can hope for bloody failure on the battle field with al Qaeda and Rush Limbaugh can hope for millions of Americans to suffer form monhts due to economic devestation, WHAT IN THE HELL IS STOPPING THEM FROM ACTUALLY WORKING TOGETHER WITHOUT THE MELODRAMATIC SUFFERING!
Geez, when can we find people who can love America without requiring it to suffer under their love????
Update: John Hawkins notes how Rush can describe the positives of conservatism and the negatives of liberalism better than anyone (which is his gift), before Hawkins jumps the purity shark and goes off the permanent minority cliff. Until this self destructive stuff ends the conservative movement won’t be able to beat even a super failed Obama.
“birthers” ?
Like in the John Birth Society?
All I can say is one good piece of Goebbels propaganda deserves another:
Not only are you a global warming denier, you are now evidently
a truth denier as well.
see, anybody can do it, it does not indicate intelligence. It just indicates
a tendency towards dictatorial problem solving methods. I think you
would be more at home in the “Obama” (that’s the fake president)
administration than you think, and he’d give you a lot more dosh.
Name calling doesn’t work.
Strange that it is so prominently featured on this blog.
Dave M
Last warning dude. Don’t come in here and call me a Goebbels you twit. The man was a murderer who participated in The Holocaust.
Just because your simpleton mind cannot grasp a fact if it had to does not give you the right to recklessly and wrongfully make accusation about me on my blog.
Chill out or you are out of here. Go shovel some snow or something.
Sorry Aj
Need to point out to you how dictatorial you are about debate on you’re
supposedly open minded site.
You are only open minded to those people who agree with you.
For everyone else, you have only insults and name calling,
for example dude.
I don’t need to shovel snow. I’ll let you do that.
But my point is valid. You call 47% of Americans “birthers”
because they think Obama has something to reveal about his birth,
source AOL. 47% ! What in the world do you think you are.
You call me a “twit” because you disagree with me.
Frankly, I don’t care.
You are as dictatorial as our fake prez-o-dent. I believe I sent you
about $15 bucks over time. Well, you’re not getting a penny more from me.
Until you learn to debate in a civil manner, then there will be no
retraction from me. You are a denier.
Waste of space.
All of this whinging about “hope he fails” or “hope he succeeds” on either side is moronic. It’s playing off Obama’s entire oracle of hope persona that he built his campaign.
WE ARE AT THE POINT WHERE HOPE MEANS NOTHING.
This is because events to come no longer have any possible relationship to our hopes for good or ill. This train has no brakes and is gathering speed for a destination we cannot see.
Personally, I think there’s a chasm just around the bend and the bridge is out. I don’t hope it’s there, and there’s no point in hoping it’s not there. If it’s there, we’re going into it, and all the hope in the world won’t change things.
….we have the Rush Limbaugh problem of hoping America suffers so he can be proved right.
AJ, I’m so appreciative of your views, and find myself nearly 100% with you on most issues, including the global warming hoax, and the far right’s (so far) ill-considered fling with the validity of Obama’s birth certificate.
However, to characterize what Rush said as “hoping America suffers” is completely wrong in my view. The leftist media attempted to mis-characterize what he meant, and you’re helping them in your above post.
Rush has said many times that what he hopes fails (again) is Obama’s attempt to eradicate capitalism and install his version of socialism. What we are witnessing now on Wall Street is the markets assessment that we WILL suffer as a result of Obama’s policies, and what the polls are showing (thank you for pointing it out in your posts), with Obama’s popularity dropping like a rock, is that the PEOPLE feel Obama’s policies will add to the suffering we’re already experiencing. Rush is not saying he hopes the country suffers, just that he hopes this President doesn’t succeed in turning us into Cuba. Some suffering MAY HAVE TO OCCUR, in order for people to find out that the private sector is the fount of all wealth, especially the young who voted for Obama having been taught the “rich”, and “CEO’s” are the true enemies of prosperity.
I’m not sure about others who post here on your blog, but I too hope Obama’s policies fail to convince Americans that socialism is the way to go, I hope he fails to get enough votes to remain in power. So I guess I hope Obama fails too.
Dve M you are wasting your time with AJ, probably a nice guy but definitely not someone with the balls to take a hard position.
If you notice he constanly dumps harder on the conservatives than the Libs.
For us he holds the hate and disgust for the other side well they are just misguided.
But thats an independent for you why take a stand the middle of the road is so much safer than someone who has to bleed or shed some blood.
WWS hope is horseshit, action is what is needed and counts.
OH by the way I am an erratic genius I can see what happens because logic and patterns show the way. We are in deep and will collapse unless we do the Declaration thing!
YOU folks know the thing we are obligated to do.
Where were these conservative critics of big government during the catastrophic George Bush years? They were shilling and bending over for him. Now they’ve got Obama – basically more of the same – and yet suddenly they’re upset!
I just read on another site that Bush still had something like 70% support among self-described conservatives when he left office! So apparently a wrecked economy that may lead to depression, unnecessary foreign wars, open borders, tearing up parts of the Constitution, and the total discrediting of the GOP are all fine as long as you engage in happy Jesus talk for the ‘Intelligent Design’ droolers! The liberals turned out to be correct about conservatives: They are either morons or sanctimonious hypocrites.
Bloody Idiot – I am taking a hard position.
I have been working to exile true conservatives for years now. With much success I might add. They no longer control the GOP or conservatism. They can Kubaya all week at CPAC, but they already have had to adjust. And it will continue.
Taking out the trash doesn’t take balls, just the ability to tolerate some pungent odors!
You think the far right is coming back? They’re days ended in 2006. If the GOP returns it will be a right center coalition.
Enjoy the minority of failure. How’s that for back bone?
Jules, Bush proposed minimal growth budgets. He needed the wars funded so he let the GOP leaders pick their price for their support. It was pork.
Stop blaming Bush because most conservative politicians are as honest as a liberal politician. Wake up, it is the grass roots who work hard and by the rules who are the only genuine Americans left on the planet.
Jules, you prove that there’s no conversation so low that a slobbering moron like you can’t make worse.
Total governmental control of all health care is hardly “more of the same.” That’s what’s being proposed, and that’s just a single example out of dozens. By turning our backs on oil and gas, this government is guaranteeing an energy crisis in the 2012 – 2015 timeframe that will be worse than anything this country has ever experienced, and which should prolong this depression several more years than it would otherwise run. And that’s just another of the small mistakes being made – the $1.75 trillion dollar deficit is the big mistake than no one seems to be able to wrap their mind around. Say hello to Argentinian inflation levels for the rest of our lives, starting about 2010.
I suppose every circus needs it’s sad clown.
Dave M considered me dictatorial because I would not allow him to insult me on my blog which I pay for (with some help from our readers who do donate to the site – haven’t forgot about you!).
Dave M is an idiot for not realizing he would be shown the door for being a rude guest. Dave M is an idiot about a lot of things and he is now banned.
I have to admit I came close to completely deleting him (which takes his comments to oblivion with him).
But it is always good to have a reminder of what not to be as we try and chart our path.
The far right is out of control and losing support. Rush Limbaugh surely knows what economic failure means to Americans and the suffering it would entail. We don’t need to hope for that to placate our egos. And yes, I have heard Rush say he hoped Obama’s policies would fail so America could learn. His attempts to say he hopes socialism fails is a non-story. Rush screwed up and he is now giving conservatism another black eye.
Which means he his helping Obama stay afloat.
I know Obama’s economic plans are a disaster. I know people are going to suffer for it. But I find no glee in that. I hope it would not have to be this way. I wish America could learn that the boob-tube is run by boobs and that it is best to get a good education and pay attention to current events so we don’t keep selecting idiots for leaders (right and left).
I wish Obama and the Dems had some self control – but they don’t. I don’t wish for Obama to fail. Sadly, I know he will.
As I said, I would rather we find a way to work together and temper the radicals than have people suffer to learn lessons. If we can tolerate death in Iraq to be right, or economic suffering in America to be right, then we can tolerate some god damn moderation in our policies and some bi-partisanship as well.
That is why I am fed up. We can’t have bi-partisanship, hell no! That is evil. But we can pray for disaster.
Folks, that is sick, messed up, insecure thinking.
One of the hallmarks of any political movement is coalition building, in which each partner gets a little something that they would not receive if they were left out in the cold. Well the far right is now left out in the cold hoping Obama is a failure. The rude awakening will occur when Obama is a failure and his attempt to blame Bush and the GOP will wear thin but the far right will not be the beneficiary of that turn of events. The center right will benefit (RINOs), and I think it will make the birthers even madder still.
One fault of the far right and even William Buckley missed this bedrock point is that they do not recognize that the business community is the foundation of the GOP. When the GOP elevated the big government spending social conservatives and anti-illegal immigration nut jobs to senior coalition partners they lost their majority. Of all the contributors to this site, only Crosspatch is aware of the senior status of the business community to the GOP coalition. Rudy understands this, which is why he would have made a better candidate than McCain.
If the GOP wants to be a majority party again it must give senior status to pro-business, socially progressive (but tolerant of social conservatives as junior partners) voters. Otherwise the business community will support Chuck Schumer and the Democrats. Enough for now.
Mark, count me in as one who has always believed that a successful private economic sector is the foundation of our liberty. People who are jobless, sick and starving don’t care about ideologies and will support any dictator who promises to make things better. Which is why I am so down about watching policies being put into place that will crush the private sector for years and years to come.
As the WSJ pointed out recently, “Atlas Shrugged” is in the process of going from fiction to fact.
“For the uninitiated, the moral of the story is simply this: Politicians invariably respond to crises — that in most cases they themselves created — by spawning new government programs, laws and regulations. These, in turn, generate more havoc and poverty, which inspires the politicians to create more programs . . . and the downward spiral repeats itself until the productive sectors of the economy collapse under the collective weight of taxes and other burdens imposed in the name of fairness, equality and do-goodism.”
“The current economic strategy is right out of “Atlas Shrugged”: The more incompetent you are in business, the more handouts the politicians will bestow on you. That’s the justification for the $2 trillion of subsidies doled out already to keep afloat distressed insurance companies, banks, Wall Street investment houses, and auto companies — while standing next in line for their share of the booty are real-estate developers, the steel industry, chemical companies, airlines, ethanol producers, construction firms and even catfish farmers. With each successive bailout to “calm the markets,” another trillion of national wealth is subsequently lost. Yet, as “Atlas” grimly foretold, we now treat the incompetent who wreck their companies as victims, while those resourceful business owners who manage to make a profit are portrayed as recipients of illegitimate “windfalls.””
I suggest reading the article, and the book.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123146363567166677.html
The mistakes being made today are going to take decades, if not lifetimes, to reverse.
WWS: Reading the Wall Street Journal today I found a very helpful editorial from a Rep. Ryan of Wisconsin. It doesn’t say whether he is a leader in the House GOP, but he should be minority leader. I don’t know if he is a RINO or a far right nut job, but his economic plan is very good. His four points are perfect:
1) Pro-growth tax policy
2) Tight (sound) monetary policy, aka high interest rates when necessary
3) Clean up the banking mess through minimal and temporary government intervention i.e. the RTC of the 1980s. aka smaller but effective regulation.
4) Control entitlements (reduce government spending).
Rep. Ryan for President.
I would not read so much doom-and-gloom into the results of the straw poll, AJ. Mitt Romney probably has the best economic credentials – and with the mess Obama is likely to leave on that front, Romney probably will match up better against Obama than Palin.
I have nothing against Palin, but one of the big problems that the type of people at CPAC have is a failure to anticipate attacks from the other side properly. And it is all too easy for me to envision Tima Fey back for another round of Palin sketches on Saturday Night Live.
The problem, of course, is that people like Limbaugh and Hannity are the best – and arguably, only – real option Republicans have when it comes to getting their message out relatively unfiltered. And if Rush and Sean ain’t happy, as they weren’t with McCain, the GOP has a problem.
There aren’t any good answers at this time.
While never a fan of demigogues, I watched Rush Limbaugh’s speech to finally hear someone say what needs to be said. Obama is undermining the principles that this country was founded on and has embarked on a disastrous mission that we can only only hope will fail. America will recover—it is not like we will all start wearing fancy Mao jackets anytime soon—that is failure. Unfortunately, like most animals, humans don’t understand reason and seem to react to reward and punishment (ask Pavlov and Skinner—we are just bigger dogs and rats).
Any business plan that relies on success from funding by 2%-10% of its audience is not feasible in the long run as these people will wise up and not do the hard work that they are getting punished for. Which means the next group of 10%ers gets to pay for the new world order and so on and son on.
Mayor Bloomberg made an interesting refusal to raise taxes in NYC—in a city of 8 million around 40,000 people cover 60-70% of its operating budget. Raise their tax burden and they will move out. A shift of only 10,000 people would destroy the economy of NY.
Hey Harold,
I am not concerned about the straw poll, what I am saying is the CPAC crowd is in an echo chamber, blind to the rest of the nation.
Every candidate will have problems. But all through Palin’s media problems she drew stunning crowds. She still has the largest national debate audience of all time – beating The One himself, even when he was the top of the ticket.
Look, if people don’t get the populism behind Palin, and realize she is just like Ronald Reagan – but even more powerful in connecting to people, they just don’t get it.
This is not the time for the cerebral, this is the time for the spark.
Palin is the only one who sparks, and she rivals (if not beats) Obama at his own PR game.
The draw of Obama but with common sense conservatism behind her. That is as close to perfect there is!
If the GOP still squabble with the gift Palin provides then there is no hope – they are the modern Whigs.
AJ, I’m not sure I agree with the suggestion the GOP are the modern Whigs (or at least I hope not!). The GOP has survived the Depression and Watergate. The GOP can survive and rebound in 2012 if not 2010 if the far right shuts up and stops turning people away. I know- as a moderate, they turned me away.
As long as Palin remains an icon the next few years and a symbol of the future of the GOP, there is a chance. She is everything Obama presented himself as. But SHE is the real thing.
I don’t want Obama to fail, but to echo one of AJ’s earlier comments, I too know he will fail. When so many people have compared him to FDR, JFK, Lincoln, Jesus (have I forgotten anyone?!?!), I don’t think anyone can live up to such grand expectations. Those are big shoes to fill, and his policies so far look like they will only hurt us in the future. However, I do want his kool-aid drinking supporters to realize this. It frightens me when I have seen so many people blindly support him or even worship him. As a Christian, I hope these people realize that no mortal should be so worshipped, especially when he has yet to deserve praise.
Obama’s incompetence and his side’s bloodthirsty desire for vengeance against Bush will take a lot of the appeal away. But a lot of his PR is from the media and pop culture. As I said, Tina Fey probably was the most devastating line against Palin – and it’s a fair bet that she will be back if Palin runs in 2012.
At the very least, I’d like to see some planning to counter this likely line of attack.
But the bigger problem is that Limbaugh is the tail wagging the GOP dog. His audience is less than 1/3 of the votes that George W. Bush got in 2004.
At this point, I see little reason to stick my neck out for a political movement that seems determined to self-destruct. I’m as angry at them as I am at folks like Obama. Probably angrier. I would think that they’d want to get some progress on issues where the desired end is the same (or close to it), but instead, we get it in the back when things don’t go exactly the way certain people want it.
“And yes, I have heard Rush say he hoped Obama’s policies would fail so America could learn.”
That is not what Rush said. He never wants America to fail to teach people a lesson. He has repeatably criticized callers for that strategy. He hates that strategy because it allows people who want to redefine America into power which can cause long term damage.
What you probably heard is that he fears that people *will* learn from Obama’s success, but it might be too late because the government will have grown so much. He was not saying he likes this approach, it is just that he believes that it could happen that way.
Rush simply said he hopes Obama fails because that will be *good* for America. He doesn’t want America to fail. He wants America to prosper. For that to happen, Obama (his policies) *must* fail.
Rush is a communicator. He choose the words “I wish Obama fails” on purpose. He wanted people to talk about it. He wanted to point out the hypocrisy since many people wanted Bush to fail. I think he also enjoys knowing how predictable the press is in twisting his words.
AJ, don’t let the press define Rush for you.
marksbbr,
I agree with you 100%. Conservatism need not die on the alter of the purists. But the purists are the path of the Whigs.
Here’s hoping the GOP and conservatism can right itself, just like this nation can come back from the great Obama experiment of socialism.