At Home On Piety Hill

It looks as if a new president of the United States was elected, while Denise and I were taking care of business. It wasn’t much of a surprise. The Republicans fielded a weak candidate in McCain, Obama lied — raised and spent more money than any other contender in history and no one in the watchdog press was interested in vetting the Democrat candidate. Oh well, this should all make for plenty of opinion and wonderful satire as we embark upon the birthing of a progressive utopia here in the US.

Well, I’ve taken about all I can this election year. So, I’ll close out political week with a flurry of posts on a variety of issues for those with inquiring minds and plenty of time to peruse. I’ve done the footwork, so now all you need to do is click and enjoy. Let’s begin with this one…

Forget all that babble from Democrats and the automatons on the paleo-press about violence and hate at the McCain-Palin rallies. The real scary stuff is happening in neighborhoods across the land. Here we find progressives in New York expressing their tolerance during a recent march:

Meanwhile, in Portland there are some neo-hippies spreading their brand of peace, love and understanding through a creative use of fossil fuels:

Leslie Brockette Leudtke, 23, and Kevin Carl Robinson, 23, were held on at least eight felony charges of making a destructive device and possession of a destructive device. Leudtke also was charged with reckless burning.

Michael Barone sounds a warning about the potential for mischief if these jackboot thugs become emboldened when Obama sweeps to power in January ‘09. There’s a chill wind blowing across the land of the free:

That’s what Obama supporters, alerted by campaign e-mails, did when conservative Stanley Kurtz appeared on Milt Rosenberg’s WGN radio program in Chicago. Mr. Kurtz had been researching Mr. Obama’s relationship with unrepentant Weather Underground terrorist William Ayers in Chicago Annenberg Challenge papers in the Richard J. Daley Library in Chicago - papers that were closed off to him for some days, apparently at the behest of Obama supporters.

Obama fans jammed WGN’s phone lines and sent in hundreds of protest e-mails. The message was clear to anyone who would follow Mr. Rosenberg’s example. We will make trouble for you if you let anyone make the case against The One…

These attempts to shut down political speech have become routine for liberals. Congressional Democrats sought to reimpose the “fairness doctrine” on broadcasters, which until it was repealed in the 1980s required equal time for different points of view. The motive was plain: to shut down the one conservative-leaning communications medium, talk radio…

Then there’s the Democrats’ “card check” legislation that would abolish secret ballot elections in determining whether employees are represented by unions. The unions’ strategy is obvious: Send a few thugs over to employees’ homes - we know where you live - and get them to sign cards that will trigger a union victory without giving employers a chance to be heard…

Today’s liberals seem to be taking their marching orders from other quarters. Specifically, from the college and university campuses where administrators, armed with speech codes, have for years been disciplining and subjecting to sensitivity training any students who dare to utter thoughts that liberals find offensive. The campuses that once prided themselves as zones of free expression are now the least free part of our society.

Obama supporters who found the campuses congenial and Mr. Obama himself, who has chosen to live all his adult life in university communities, seem to find it entirely natural to suppress speech they don’t like and seem utterly oblivious to claims this violates the letter and spirit of the First Amendment. In this campaign, we have seen the coming of the Obama thugocracy, suppressing free speech, and we may see its flourishing in the four or eight years ahead.

Well, a lot has happened since I began the draft of this post almost two months ago and photoshopped the images. Back then, Obama was on top and I thought he was the sure bet. Then, McCain came back with a surprisingly crisp campaign apparatus, but he quickly went into a tailspin and it looks as if it’s Obama by a nose. This go-’round I don’t have a horse in the race, so I’m enjoying this election a lot more. I don’t care for either of the candidates. I suppose Fred Thompson would have suited me.

Anyway, I think I’ll blog a lot of politics for the next week to sort of purge it out of my system and then get back to the fun stuff: Family and friends, Maine, art, books and music with some Krazy Kitsch thrown in for good measure.

Now, there’s plenty of talk out there about hope and change, but not much detail about what or who we’re hoping in and what kind of change we want to see. It’s as if the two words are floated out as empty containers and the audience is left to fill in their notions, their ideas about what kind of change each of the candidates is offering. Actually, I think that’s the strategy. Put out some reassuring, yet imprecise phrases to make people come away with an optimistic feeling about one candidate or the other.

So, which of our two presidential candidates presents us with the best chance to see some positive changes?

Thoroughly Modern McCain First, we have John McCain who has been in politics since I was a boy. He’s a bona fide war hero with a compelling story and I salute him for that. But, he was also one of the Keating Five, the gang of fourteen and he crafted legislation which limits my right to free speech under the First Amendment. I’m sure he’s a nice guy, but he’s a deal-maker and I think he would get rolled by the Congress every time. So, under McCain I would expect to see government grow… not much change there. I’m  already bored just writing about a McCain presidency.

His Holiness Barak Obama All of the institutions came together and anointed Obama King of the World, so I suppose we’ll have to change some things around here to accommodate him after he makes the triumphal entry into Washington in January. Gwen Ifill, the vice-presidential debate moderator, wrote a prophetic book about Barak’s ascension, slated for release on inauguration day. In his case, not only will congress work him pretty good, but I expect Russia or China to test his mettle before Summer ‘09. I suppose the only real change I expect with an Obama presidency is a decline in US influence abroad. It didn’t take long for him to become a Washington insider… and fabulously wealthy.

Joey O’Biden What about Obama’s choice of Joe Biden for VP? He’s also been in the Senate since I was a boy and doesn’t show signs of change. During his failed primary, He joined Hillary Clinton in declaring Obama is unqualified to be Commander in Chief, but now Joe seems to see Barak as a regular George Patton or something. Of course, he did certify that Obama is an  ”articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy.“ Same old beltway politics. Biden has, however, changed history, which is pretty slick. He said FDR addressed the nation on television in 1929 to calm the fears of the American people following the stock market crash. What a buffoon! You know what would be a change? If Saturday Night Live lampooned this clown for the most enormous verbal gaff of the entire political season.

Governor Sarah Palin Now, John McCain’s choice of Sarah Palin for VP has introduced some changes. She and her husband have a combined family income that’s down there in the normal range. She’s a Republican, running against the real enemy: snotty, east coast pseudo-intellectuals and pop-journalists. Man, that’s a refreshing development and I sure wish there was a real man at the top of the ticket, to watch her back. 

Oh, well… we’ll see what the next 30 days bring.

UPDATE: The video has been removed from YouTube, but I hope it will be back. Rep. Wexler and Chris Matthews double-team Rep. Wilson, hoping to beat up on a girl, but get their lunch handed back to them. Here’s the transcript.

Wouldn’t it be refreshing if Americans had the opportunity to vote in 2008 for a presidential candidate with strong convictions, who is able to articulate them without stuttering and stammering or flying into a rage, whenever challenged?  A military veteran and legislator with some depth in foreign policy and international business relations, who seems to have a grasp on history, would certainly be a positive addition to the slate of candidates already put forward. You know, the republican convention is still over a month away. Perhaps they may want to take a look at Congresswoman Heather Wilson. 

I think this Washington Post story puts its finger on the problem of declining network viewership, plummeting newspaper circulation and ad revenue.

Lured by an offer of interviews with the Democratic presidential candidate, Brian Williams, Charlie Gibson and Katie Couric will make the overseas trek, meaning that the NBC, ABC and CBS evening newscasts will originate from stops along the route and undoubtedly give it big play.

John McCain has taken three foreign trips in the past four months, all unaccompanied by a single network anchor.

The US has devolved from a representative democratic republic to a two party system with a press that has a cult-like fascination with only one party and philosophy. From the many to the one. Yes, we get one perspective. That’s all. That’s it. One right way to think. One portrayal of how normal people ought to view current events, culture and public policy. 

It’s not as if I don’t understand their strategy. It’s all about being relevant and close to the power people. It’s not about profit and objectivity is definitely out of fashion. When you’re aiming your product to the lowest common denominator and the other guy is indistinguishable from the hip candidate, except for age and ethnicity, follow the buzz and go with the winner! 

One word from a serious news consumer — boring!