Blog @ MoreWhat.com

Every politician invokes the use of ’spin’ to some degree and with some frequency during their their term or terms in office. That is the essence of politics. And that is the dominant feature which cripples effective governance. Political games are often defended as a ncessary evil in government and public affairs. Of couse, politicians and those who craft strategy are the only ones who subscribe to that philosphy. And it is responsible for Scott Brown’s victory in the Massachusetts special election held last week.

But politicians and community organizers are addicted to that unfortunate part of the process. Enter President Barack Obama. Defined by supporters, of which there are less these days, as the consummate campaigner President Obama is once again embracing that which had served him well in getting elected. Even though it is largely responsible for his falling approval rating, failing agenda, dismal first year in office and party prospects in 2010.

White House officials say they understand why emotions are running high. The president’s top political aide says President Obama has had to take unpopular action to deal with an economic crisis far worse than anyone expected when he took office.

David Axelrod says he warned the president early on that his public approval ratings were likely to drop. “I said to him a year ago, Mr. President your numbers are going to be considerably worse a year from now than they are today because you can not govern in an economy like this without great disaffection,” he said.

Axelrod told the ABC television program This Week that he believes the president did the right thing. “I have no regrets about that. I think history will look back and say the President of the United States met his responsibilities,” he said.

Someone is smoking crack if they think reaction to Obama’s agenda is due to ‘an economic crisis far worse than anyone expected when he took office.’ Or have they forgotten all the Bush bashing in his last year of office over the ‘worst financial crisis since the Great Depression’?

Of course Axlerod suggests what history will say about Obama. There is nothing he can point to currently putting the President in a favorable light. The same goes for the President and the Democratic party’s agenda. Nothing positive is promised until years in the future with the expectation it can be passed and the sham will not be noticed for years.

With all this President Obama continues the spin strategy of politics.

Going into year two, political strategists expect the president to re-center himself Wednesday as a hard-fighting, bank-busting, Obama-on-your-side jobs president, while acknowledging the hiccups in getting to this point.

At the State of the Union, the state of the presidency may be the question that most needs answering.

“It’s going to be jobs, jobs, jobs. Economy, economy, economy,” said Democratic strategist Joe Trippi. “Year two’s gonna be this guy.”

And when that doesn’t work it will be some other guy. The never ending campaign continues.

Now, he is taking a more populist approach - focusing on the day-to-day issues that create money woes for many families.

He says it is part of an effort to show the administration cares about workers who are struggling to pay their bills or have anxieties about losing their jobs.

An entire year goes by before the tranformational President of hope and change recognizes the economy and jobs are the largest concern for voters. How reassuring.

Jan. 25 (Bloomberg) — President Barack Obama will propose a three-year freeze on federal spending outside of national security to save an estimated $250 billion over a decade as part of an effort to rein in record deficits, administration officials said.

Let’s see. Push a New Deal, eighty year liberal pursuit of the nanny state holy grail of government-run healthcare at 2 1/2 trillion dollars and then suggest a pultry $250 billion savings over the same time period as a new agenda strategy. It is remarkable his ratings are quoted at only down to about 50%. There must be a considerable number of people in favor of more job killing entitlements.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

Nothing like a football reference in politics on a weekend featuring NFL playoff games. But President Obama’s agenda and current bashing of the banking industry has little to do with playoffs and everything to do with games, political games.

Obama’s Lead Blocker on Wall Street

The two men first met in December 2006 in the New York office of billionaire investor George Soros. Mr. Wolf was a newcomer to elite Democratic donor circles. Then-Sen. Obama, still months from launching his bid for the White House, was desperate to raise campaign cash on Wall Street.

Here’s a link with a brief description of Robert Wolf from UBS, the company that returned the topic of Swiss bank accounts to a prominent status in the news.

Robert Wolf WG ‘84 and UBS AG for a quick review of the company history.

Imagine that, President Obama, George Soros, UBS, Robert Wolf and Swiss bank accounts. What could be wrong?

Other reports in the news support the notion the Obama administration and their agenda is coming apart and they know it.

Reporting from Washington - President Obama, allowing that he has run into a “buzz saw,” today carried his pitch for economic revival, healthcare and an agenda now threatened by political upheaval to battleground Ohio.

Defeats in numerous elections around the country including New Jersey, Virginia and most recently Massachusetts have POTUS and VPOTUS hot on the campaign trail when they should be leading the country out of a weak economy.

President Barack Obama is slated to appear in the Tampa Bay area on Thursday, one day after the State of the Union address and nearly one year after he pitched his economic stimulus plan in Florida.

Vice President Joe Biden, who visited Miami Saturday to show the administration’s commitment to Haiti’s recovery, is scheduled to join the president.

In a midterm election year the White House demonstrates more concern about losing seats than addressing the nation’s top issues. Campaign stops to repeat speeches on an agenda already rejected by the public and pathetic emotional appeals about Haiti in order to ‘never let a crisis go to waster’.

Some politicians simply never get it or refuse to admit they’re wrong.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

Just as the GOP has historically been characterized as blindly supporting ‘big business’ to the detriment of the ordinary citizen the Democrats have a reputation of being tax and spend liberals. Recent losses for the GOP in the 2008 presidential election and the 2006 midterms are at least in part due to a Republican fall from grace on conservative principles such as fiscal responsibility. Now that the Democrats are the majority party they have chosen to describe their Congressional minority opponents, the GOP, as the party of ‘no’. Members of the public who share the GOPs opposition to the Democratic party’s political agenda have likewise been labeled something less than American.

A topic not receiving the attention it may deserve as well as some related reports may help readers see through the fog that is politics as usual in the US Capitol. The topic has been called the Tobin tax. The prospect of a so-called Tobin tax, floated last month by U.K. Prime Minister Gordon Brown, is already provoking nervous U.S. financial companies to lobby for its defeat. Democrats, including Oregon Representative Pete DeFazio and Iowa Senator Tom Harkin, this week proposed taxing large transactions in stocks and derivatives. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the idea has a “great deal of merit.”

In general, the idea is to impose a tax on all investment transactions. As if there were not enough taxes (actually too many) on investments and everything else already. When was the last time you heard of a tax being repealed? And if you can cite an example, can you be sure it was not reborn in another piece of legislation? Far worse, an idea like the Tobin tax is appealing to tax and spend liberals for one reason. If the tax can be successfully imposed on investments, how long will it be until ALL financial transactions have a new tax?

Tax Cheat Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner would have you believe he is looking out for the little guy not unlike liberals in general. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, throwing cold water on a plan by congressional Democrats to tax financial transactions, said banks and other market participants would find ways to circumvent the expense.

“There’s a real risk that retail investors, who’ve got fewer choices, they end up bearing the cost of the tax,” he said.

But that is not the end of the Geithner story on the Tobin tax. “Just to be frank about it, there’s a lot of people in the business community and the academic community who are not confident that that particular proposal would be that powerful,” Geithner said. “But we’re going to keep looking at it.”

Along with other Democrats of course, Speaker Nancy Pelosi favors the Tobin tax. Maybe in light of Geithner’s remarks she changed her story. But that doesn’t mean she is giving up on new ways to spend your money.

WASHINGTON (Dow Jones)–U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) said Thursday that unused money in the Treasury Department’s financial rescue plan would be used to pay for a new job-creation package.

Pelosi said she favored using funds in the Troubled Asset Relief Program to finance initiatives aimed at kick-starting growth in the moribund jobs market.

In doing so, she effectively ruled out implementing a tax on financial transactions by banks and other financial institutions.

Pelosi said she still favored a tax in principle but the U.S. would have to work with other countries to implement such a levy.

Not long after the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act became law it was reported about 25% of the money went out the door. All of it was used for one of two things. Saving jobs and programs in education to payback the NEA for their votes. And more money to spend on Medicaid. Never mind that TARP funds were criticized as private sector bailouts that would never be repaid by companies considered to be too big to fail. Any concern then about taxpayer money can be ignored now that Pelosi and friends are targeting that taxpayer money for other programs in their agenda. This should make you wonder how that wonderful ‘health insurance reform’ (once called healthcare reform) will work out for you.

BTW, most Americans are not buying into Geithner’s agenda as Treasury Secretary.

Upbeat Conservative News, POLL: Geithner Performance Stinks

More voters cast their ballots in 2008 for hope and change with Obama/Biden than the ‘ticket for America’ of McCain/Palin. The main issue was the economy. A year later the economy is still in the tank. Hope and change informed us unemployment would not exceed 8% if their plan was enacted. Unemployment was above ten percent and is still at ten percent in the latest reports. Every Democrat in office in one way or another is supporting tax increases and spending in support of the liberal agenda. President Obama now owns the economy and everything else. Yet there is little evidence that the hope and change selected will be delivered. The information above demonstrates the real agenda. And you’re paying for it with fewer and fewer jobs.

Correct the mistake in 2010 and beyond.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

As President Obama campaigns on behalf of liberal candidates in current elections and has school children singing his praises thanks to questionable encouragement from their teachers one has to wonder how voters view his performance thus far. Indeed, Obama’s honeymoon with the American people lasted less than six months. So Mr Obama, how are all those government interventions working for you? You know, government motors, government healthcare, government pay czars and your nanny state agenda?

VPOTUS Joe Biden was tapped to shore up Barack Obama’s lack of foreign affairs experience during the 2008 Presidential campaign. Apparently most people dismissed any concerns about Obama’s lack of experience in other areas. A community organizer-in-chief was what the majority of American voters selected. The new President tapped his former rival for President as his Secretary of State. So how is Hillary Clinton doing in the minds of voters?

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 27 percent of voters think Secretary of State Hillary Clinton would be doing a better job as president, while 49 percent say she would be performing about the same. That’s about 70 percent that say a hypothetical ‘President Hillary’ would be doing as well or better than President Barack Obama.

Obama’s honeymoon is over and according to the poll above about half the voters think Hillary or Barack would be doing about the same as president. Barack Obama has done nothing to inspire confidence resulting in the honeymoon being over and half the voters think Hillary would be doing about the same. So how’s Hillary doing as Secretary of State? Forget that most of the year she was promoting human rights as her central focus. What about the Middle East?

Secretary Clinton came to Marrakech for the sixth Forum for the Future, which joins civil society groups and the private sector with foreign ministers from the Group of Eight leading industrialized nations and the Middle East to talk about democracy and resolving conflict in the region.

What was the result of these discussions?

Palestinian leaders are voicing frustration after U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton praised Israel for making what she said are unprecedented concessions in efforts to restart peace negotiations. Israeli leaders are keeping up their calls for the Palestinians to drop all preconditions.

Palestinian leaders on Sunday stuck to their demands that Israel stop all settlement activity before any resumption of peace talks that have been stalled since December.

Clinton praises Israel for doing their part and the Palestinians register a complaint.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met with Arab foreign ministers in Morocco to discuss Israel’s offer to limit the expansion of Jewish settlements. Clinton says Israel should reciprocate positive Palestinian moves to improve security.

Clinton reverses her earlier praise of Israel in response to Palestinian objections.

Well then, how’s it going on the issue of Iran and their pursuit of nuclear weapons?

Iranian officials say they want technical experts to review the U.N.-backed plan for sending Iran’s uranium abroad for enrichment.

All the rhetoric from various nations including the US over Iran’s nuclear program has produced zero results except that Iran is still stalling and being allowed to get away with it. And the answer from the US……

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says there will be no changes to an international offer to end the dispute over Iran’s nuclear program by having its low-grade uranium processed and enriched abroad.

That’s reassuring.(NOT) Given the impotent international response to date and Clinton’s caving on statements made about the Middle East peace process more of the same is anticipated.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

There is another feeble attempt at the White House ‘fact check’ site and linked to on the White House ‘blog’ claiming we cannot afford to abandon healthcare reform. It is presented by VPOTUS Joe Biden’s economic adviser. The so-called economist who works for Joe Biden tries to pass this off as valid.

Even though President Obama has no healthcare reform proposal his ‘economist’ issues these paraphrased statements which you can listen to in the video.

Obama’s healthcare reform plans pay for reform ‘fully’, are ‘deficit neutral’ as they will be ’squeezing inefficiencies out of the system’. An example given claims ‘$180 billion’ will be saved by denying ‘excess payments to private insurance from Medicare’. This ‘economist’ also claims that Medicare ‘can provide them more effectively and efficiently’. Sure, that is why Medicare has cost 10 or 15 times more than estimated over the life of the program. Why would this government program labeled ‘reform’ be any different?

Here’s the video.

If you have forgotten or never checked the CBO’s estimate on HR 3200 you can find it here…… Preliminary Analysis of the House Democrats’ Health Reform Proposal. While things change and this estimate is from July 2009 there is more evidence even from the White House that their agenda is too expensive to be considered.

WASHINGTON: A ballooning US government budget deficit that could reach US$9 trillion over a decade threatens to dent President Barack Obama’s reform plans and thwart long term economic growth.

Of course the typical blame is laid on the previous administration for economic woes as is the trend in American politics no matter who gets elected. Blame your problems on the one who was in office before you. That strategy only takes you so far. After a while, you own it all if you are POTUS.

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO), the financial watchdog of Congress, meanwhile, offered a more optimistic projection – US$7.13 trillion – assuming all Bush administration-imposed tax cuts expired in two years.

That would confirm the only way government can find money for their agenda is by raising taxes. Eliminating tax cuts is effectively the same thing. How about the idea that Obamacare will not improve healthcare, cost us more and give the government another reason to raise taxes?

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

A common situation has occurred at numerous town hall meetings this summer as politicians face their constituents on the topic of healthcare reform. Voters are mad and most object to more government control or a takeover of their healthcare choices.

Sen. Charles E. Grassley, a key Republican negotiator in the quest for bipartisan health-care reform, said Wednesday that the outpouring of anger at town hall meetings this month has fundamentally altered the nature of the debate and convinced him that lawmakers should consider drastically scaling back the scope of the effort.

After being besieged by protesters at meetings across his home state of Iowa, Grassley said he has concluded that the public has rejected the far-reaching proposals Democrats have put on the table, viewing them as overly expensive precursors to “a government takeover of health care.”

It is refreshing that the public has finally engaged their political representatives on not only a government takeover of healthcare but the fact that spending is out of control, debt is crushing the economy and destroying the future for generations of Americans.

What is not refreshing is that Senator Grassley and others still don’t get it, exactly. No scale back, no little healthcare takeover, no little spending programs, we do not need any of it. Drop the idea. Continue the discussion on solving issues but drop the ‘reform’ idea as it stands now. Government needs to be scaled back and not increased by any legislative measure now before Congress. Government is out of control and spends too much. Not every problem can or should be solved with more government. The solution is less government. We cannot afford more of it.

PIEDMONT, S.C. — U.S. Rep. Bob Inglis is a Republican who says he doesn’t support the president’s approach to health care. But Mr. Inglis’s efforts to suggest other ways the government could change the system have stirred up his upstate South Carolina district.

Congressman Inglis could have stopped with opposing Obamacare. Instead, like Grassley, he somehow feels compelled to distance himself from the liberal complaint that the GOP is the party of ‘no’. He could have simply explained dropping the healthcare reform idea would satisfy most of his constituents. But instead, he suggests other ideas.

Mr. Inglis favors requiring everyone to carry health insurance, which he said the government “is uniquely suited” to enforce. He also supports making insurers guarantee coverage to anyone willing to pay for it, subsidizing premiums for people on low incomes and a series of policy changes intended to reduce premiums for everyone.

He is finding it risky as he searches for a middle ground acceptable to those who support providing more people with coverage, and those who don’t want any expansion of the government’s role.

There is little public support for healthcare reform and even most POLS are not happy with it. Yet some POLS keep trying to find reform rather than drop the idea. And there are other healthcare ideas that should not see the light of day.

Vice President Joe Biden plans to announce Thursday nearly $1.2 billion in grants to help hospitals transition to electronic medical records.

Biden and Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius were set to detail in Chicago how that piece of the $787 billion economic stimulus plan would help Americans when they go to the hospital or their doctors. It also is a what’s-in-it-for-me way for the White House to illustrate how it is spending parts of the massive amount of taxpayer dollars.

There’s another government idea ripe with problems. Like most government ideas they make it sound like a good thing. But the problem is in the details. With your medical records available to anyone who can gain access to the ‘electronic’ system the chance for abusing the system and exposing your personal data increases.

Those who support the liberal agenda will continue to push it. And those POLS opposed to it will continue to find an alternative even if no one wants it. The White House and Congress would find life much simpler as well as getting things done that people favor if they would just stop spending and increasing the size of government. Correcting the problems they have already caused would be a good place to start.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

U.S. President Barack Obama hosted a get-together at the White House Thursday with an esteemed African-American professor and a white police officer. But this was more than a social occasion: it was a chance to talk about a controversial arrest that sparked a national debate on race relations.

But the fascination with the story exploded after President Obama told reporters he thought the Cambridge police “acted stupidly” by arresting Gates.

Sgt Crowley had said the meet allowed two men to agree to disagree on the situation and when asked about President Obama said ‘he supplied the beer’.

This is surely not the test for Obama forecasted by VPOTUS Biden some months ago but it ranks right up there with the VP’s own gaffe history. And the only teachable thing about this moment is those who ‘acted stupidly’ at the ballot box last November.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

What’s the story on economic recovery, foreign affairs and a shared view by the US President and Vice-President? The porkulus bill is working. No it’s not. ‘We misread the economy’. If the porkulus is not working and the White House misread the economy why would they be currently considering another one? And in foreign affairs are POTUS and VPOTUS on the same page. Seems Biden would give Israel the ‘green light’ for a strike against Iran nukes and Obama would not.

Could that be the famous ‘test’ everyone was talking about after Joe Biden suggested it some months ago? The following emphasizes the ‘public face’ of the White House on matters of out of control spending and the lack of sunlight contrary to liberal leaders suggestion that transparency and accountability have ended the culture of corruption in the nation’s capital.

Vice President Joe Biden speaks at a recovery act event outside the American Can Factory building in Cincinnati, Ohio, Thursday, July 9, 2009. Official White House Photo by David Lienemann)

Biden Acknowledges Administration ‘Misread’ The Economy
Washington Post - Scott Wilson - Jul 5, 2009
Vice President Biden acknowledged today that the administration underestimated the depth of the economic recession months ago as it prepared …

Biden: Administration “Misread” Economy

In an interview on ABC News’ This Week, Vice President Joe Biden said that although the Administration relied on consensus economic forecasts in crafting its economic stimulus package, the White House erred in its assumption about the unemployment rate. Biden said, “The truth is, we and everyone else misread the economy. The figures we worked off of in January were the consensus figures in most of the blue chip indexes out there. … No one was talking about that we would be moving towards — we’re worried about 10.5 percent, it will be 9.5 percent at this point. … We’re much too high.” The remarks were tepidly reported by news wires and print sources, which also noted congressional criticism. The AP reports Republican congressional leaders “expressed disappointment about the impact of stimulus spending,” while Biden “cited the economic conditions inherited from the Bush administration.”

If the Obama/Biden admiinstration can ‘misread’ the economy how does that apply to their spending habits and claiming this will be good for Americans?

Vice President Biden outlined how the Recovery Act is helping Ohio:

“Roads plus teachers plus cops plus jobs equals a community — and that equals paychecks and prosperity. In other words, it equals a better future right here in Southwest Ohio.”

According to the GAO’s 2nd report on porkulus, education pork went to retaining staff and programs. Is this saving jobs or rewarding the NEA for their support? Those are public sector jobs not private sector. So how is that helping SW Ohio?

Later in the day in Saratoga County, he announced the release of over $275 million in unemployment insurance (UI) modernization funds authorized by the Recovery Act. Vice President Biden was joined in New York by Congressman Scott Murphy, who noted that in addition to addressing workers’ immediate needs by financing unemployment benefits, the Recovery Act is addressing the nation’s long-term needs as well:

“By improving our roads, bridges and water infrastructure, we are not only creating jobs in the short term, but building a base upon which we can attract businesses to our area and foster long-term economic growth.”

Again, the GAO report indicates all the money right now is going to transportation, education and Medicaid. Maybe there will be some jobs in the private sector in transportation but what will that accomplish for all the money being spent? Temporary make work jobs and timetables suggesting they are spread out over three years and may have no speedy effect on the economy. Plus GAO indicates accountability will miss the mark. In other words no sunlight is projected. Yet, below, the POLS continue to suggest Recovery.gov uncovers all. The ‘breakdowns’ mentioned have always been available. It doesn’t show the details needed to analyze performance so the campaign promises are not being met.

For additional information on the Recovery Act, including breakdowns by category, state and agency, please visit Recovery.gov.

And with all the misreading, lack of sunlight and no indication of positive performance, they want to do another out of control porkulus spending spree.

Obama Advisor Urges Another Economic Stimulus Plan
By Michael Bowman
Washington

The Obama administration appears to be sending mixed signals on whether a second stimulus package will be needed to pull the U.S. economy out of a deep and prolonged recession. Democrats and Republicans are expressing dissatisfaction with the impact of the $787 billion stimulus package President Barack Obama signed into law in February.

And what about the other issues? Biden seems to indicate Israel has the White House blessing to do a first strike on Iran’s nukes.

from VOA…..
US Vice President Backs Israel’s Right to Preemptive Military Action
By Michael Bowman
Washington

U.S. Vice President Joe Biden says Israel is entitled to decide for itself how best to respond to Iran’s growing nuclear capabilities. Mr. Biden also says America’s willingness to engage in dialogue with Iran is unchanged, despite Tehran’s violent crackdown on demonstrators following last month’s disputed presidential vote.

Vice President Biden says Israel has the right to deal with foreign threats as it sees fit.

But it seems Biden’s take is not a perfect fit with Obama on Israel and first strikes.

Obama: No green light for Israel to attack Iran
Tue Jul 7, 2009 4:29pm EDT

WASHINGTON, July 7 (Reuters) - President Barack Obama said on Tuesday the United States had “absolutely not” given Israel a green light to attack Iran over its nuclear program, but he said Washington cannot “dictate to other countries what their security interests are.”

“It is the policy of the United States to try to resolve the issue of Iran’s nuclear capabilities in a peaceful way through diplomatic channels,” Obama told CNN in an interview during his trip to Russia.

Vice President Joe Biden said in an interview with ABC’s “This Week” program on Sunday that Israel had a sovereign right to decide what is in its best interest in dealing with Iran’s nuclear ambitions, a comment seen by some as giving Israel a green light to attack.

Asked if that was the intent of his administration, Obama said: “Absolutely not.”

How’s that for a confidence builder on YOUR leader’s in DC? Unsure about the economy, foreign affairs but not about spending like there’s no tomorrow. And the way they’re spending your money there may not be a tomorrow. And their relative stances on foreign affairs do not paint a pretty picture for a tomorrow either.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

Just a little reminder that there is much to yet worry about illegal immigration even with healthcare and all the other issues on the average American’s plate.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

By LAURIE KELLMAN –

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid became the latest Democrat to stray into rhetorical trouble Tuesday, botching statements on three subjects in one news conference — including the fragile health of the chamber’s most senior members.

The Nevada Democrat reported that one of them, Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., was absent because he was receiving a new round of treatment for his brain cancer. Asked if the cancer was in remission, Reid replied, “As far as I know, it is, yes.”

Kennedy’s office refused to confirm Reid’s comments or make any statement in response, the public silence a classic Washington disavowal.

Biden speaks at Wake Forest - does not disclose nuclear launch codes
Christian Science Monitor -
By Jimmy Orr
05.18.09
Good news for Vice President Biden’s office! The Veep successfully delivered the commencement address at Wake Forest University without disclosing top secret information.

Biden discloses undisclosed location for Vice-Presidents but really did not since his office ‘clarified’ what he said, or meant, or was supposed to say or not or something. This is the person and mechanism one heartbeat away from being President.

And the next person a couple of breaths from the Oval Office is Fancy Nancy. That is the name Mike Huckabee gave his poem about the current Speaker of the House of Representatives. Biden and Pelosi both suffer from loose lips. Something that would not be a characteristic sought for Commander-in-Chief in these United States.

But then this country’s voters saw fit to elect Barack Obama as President. Granted, plenty of voters did not vote for the current President but enough did to place him in the White House.

Sure, these stories are quite amusing but lose that appeal when one considers the situation after a few chuckles and realizes this is no laughing matter. We’re in trouble. And those currently charged with resolving the trouble do not ease the associated concern on the future of these United States.

The purpose of this post was to share a little political humor and then present the question of how did we get here and what are we going to do about it?

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

C’mon, “that is just Joe being Joe”. And that’s the problem.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

‘ What is legal, what is authorized, may not be a good thing to do.’ This is your Vice-President speaking. A departure from the gaffe-meister’s typical foot chewing that may still draw ire from the nation’s chief executive. Thank Mr Biden for telling it like it is. The ‘porkulus’ bill is legal, maybe, authorized, by some and is certainly ‘not a good thing to do.’

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

Biden to local officials: Don’t use stimulus money on stupid ideas
Posted by: David Alexander
March 18th, 2009

Vice President Joe Biden had some pointed advice Wednesday for state, county and city officials seeking guidance on spending the $787 billion in economic stimulus money approved by the U.S. Congress — don’t use it on stupid ideas.

“What is legal, what is authorized, may not be a good thing to do,” the vice president told dozens of local officials gathered for a White House conference.

‘Rahmbo’ Emanuel, where to start?  His nickname is attributed to his aggressive and abusive style highlighted in most accounts by sending a rotting fish to a pollster who disappointed him and said the Republicans could go f— themselves.  In term of high level politics some of this seems a bit meaningless but the idea that his tactics are less than reasonable would be generous.  When working with the Clinton Administration he reportedly told British PM Tony Blair before an appearance with Clinton after the Lewinsky scandal, ‘don’t f— it up’.  Yes, that’s what you want in a Chief of Staff at the White House.

More problematic is the link between his past campaigns and his roots like so many other Obama associates with the Chicago political machine.  Leaders in Chicago’s Water Dept were guilty of bribes and forcing employees to campaign for Mayor Daley and Emanuel.  It is a small world for associates of Obama.  Not only do Obama and Emanuel share connections to Chicago politics and corruption but their early career choices are comparable.  Could it be that Emanuel’s aggressive and intimidating tactics are from the same source as Obama’s?  He began his political career with the public interest and consumer rights organization Illinois Public Action.  Say it isn’t so, Emanuel and Obama were organizers.

It appear that as alleged on other occasions, Wikipedia, has altered the Rahm Emanuel documentation as well.  Upon referring to it today, the account of his father’s association with a radical group in Israel is no longer described as a terrorist group.  Not that whether it was or was not, is or is not, is relevant here.  But certainly having resources of newsworthy subjects altered as they become topical current events is disturbing.  There is a lot about Rahm Emanuel that displays trends in the Obama rise to power that may betray the Messiah’s presentation of transformational change in the way most people would interpret such a claim.

For all the Democratic party claims and those of their supporters that Wall Street and the Bush Administration as well as Congressional Republicans are the bad guys in the current economic troubles, Rahm Emanuel made $18 million dollars as an investment banker, takes contributions from similar sources and is a long time and notable fund raiser and finance man for the DNC.  Does this hint of more involvement in the so-called financial crisis and subprime mortgage mess for Emanuel as has been the case with Barney Frank, Chris Dodd and others on the left?

The early moves by Barack Obama from his revealing statements in his acceptance speech to the early moves of his transition team demonstrate within days of the election that this administration may not be what was claimed in the campaign.  As vague as the promises or pledge may have been this does not look like the middle ground or bipartisan stance suggested earlier.  It looks much more like the far left partisan agenda suggested by those opposing Obama’s election during the campaign.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

An earlier post related to Rahm Emanuel involves a cover up of Tim Mahoney’s payoff to his love interest published here on Oct 14, 2008.  Yes, that’s right, a cover up and an ethical lapse by Mahoney, Emanuel and the DNC.  So much for Pelosi’s sunshine and the most effective ethics legislation in decades.

Who will fill Senator Barack Obama’s (pardon me, President-elect Obama’s) US Senate seat for the remainder of the term? There was some noise that Valerie Jarrett would be the President-elect’s choice. Rather than a special election most reports indicate the Illinois governor will appoint someone to fill the seat. With Obama’s connection to the Chicago political machine and the same connection for many in or close to his campaign the person filling the vacancy will be someone favored by Chicago politicians.

This may be one of the earliest decisions as a result of the election of Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States. Some speculation suggests the Illinois governor will fill the vacancy with a woman or an African American to shore up support for his re-election in 2010. Another suggestion was Jesse Jackson, Jr., and that would vacate his seat in the House, providing another vacancy to be filled and perhaps providing another golden opportunity for the Democratic party.

Of course the Obama transition team, high level posts in his administration, cabinet selections and the political maneuvers of Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi will provide some insight to what may occur or be planned for the first one hundred days and beyond in this historic election’s aftermath. The victory speech of Barack Obama and the concession speech of John McCain while eloquent were predictable and will have little impact on what really happens from this point forward.

An item at the Politico described the narrow re-election of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell as positioning him to be the most powerful Republican in the country. That distinction would normally be attached to the Republican Commander-in-Chief, President George W. Bush. With the short time left in office to pursue any agenda items, President Bush may be reasonably viewed as relinquishing that role to McConnell. While the DNC was not successful in winning a 60 seat majority in the Senate it is safe to say with a Democratic party President and Congressional majority the GOP has their work cut out for them. However, the Congressional majority since the 2006 midterms can be defined as ineffective or impotent.

To be fair, the change that would have come from a McCain administration was no more guaranteed than will be change from the Obama administration. The type of change that will be pursued can be guaranteed with a Democratic party President and majority in Congress. Beyond legislative and executive agendas we come full circle to the matters of foreign policy and national security. How long before the big test for President-elect Barack Obama and VP-elect Joe Biden. Since polls have been cited indicating most Americans view Joe Biden as the superior candidate on foreign policy and the crutch for Barack Obama’s inexperience in such matters any test from sources outside the US may come sooner than expected.

Can the criticism during the campaign regarding Barack Obama become water under the bridge and have no lasting impact on the future of the United States? Or will his past choices, judgments and associations come back to haunt his administration?. Will they be rendered meaningless footnotes from a long contested Presidential campaign or will they have the influence over governing from the Oval Office about which opponents were concerned? This is one occasion the author of this log hopes to be proven wrong.

Nothing would be more rewarding than to have what may be the most historic Presidential election in US history result in equally historic advancements in political, economic, social and other measures of national success being achieved from this point forward. But to assume these things will happen after witnessing the feel good reaction by supporters of Barack Obama for President after his successful election would at best be premature and naive.

Good luck Mr President-elect. Now is the time where all the campaign rhetoric must be converted into action and results for which the American people can express their approval. Certainly you cannot please all the people all the time. No one can. But somewhere between that an a dismal failure is where you must land. The closer to the former the better. Along with an historic moment in US Presidential politics you may have inherited larger than normal expectations partly due to your eloquent oratory. You have talked the talk and you know what is required after that to achieve any measure of success. Not success for what you believe is right but success as measured by your constituents, all 300 million or more of them.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

Trackposted to The Pink Flamingo, Leaning Straight Up, Rosemary’s Thoughts, third world county, and The World According to Carl, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.