Tuesday, November 04, 2008

Let The Recriminations Begin!

With the apparent election of Barack Obama as Dear Glorious Leader and Furher of the Fourth Reich of the Soviet Socialist States of AmeriKKKa, there is plenty of time for post-mortems, backbiting and second-guessing. I'll toss something up eventually, but this post on The Corner already has a hefty chunk of my thinking:

1) We got this the old-fashioned way: we earned it. The other side took the fight to us, and we never took the fight to the other side, except coyly and obliquely. That's not a mistake we should make the next time. "Honorable campaigns" are for losers. Next time, call 'em as they really are, not as you wish to see 'em.

2) Where was Bush? Once again, and right to the bitter end, he let his passion for "loyalty" supersede what was stragetically right for the party, not to mention what was best for the country. I think his reputation has nowhere to go but down; yes, he got one big thing right, but he got everything else wrong. Enough of this family in our country's politics!

3) Good riddance to Liddy Dole, the woman who gave us the national drinking age of 21 and a host of sozzled underage college students. She won't be missed.

4) Hillary comes out smelling like a rose, plus unbloodied. She and Bill are already scoping out 2012.

5) Time to clean house. McCain should have been president in 2000, not in 2008. No more "it's my turn" for the last loser. We need to be looking for our candidates in the ranks of returning war vets — think Eisenhower in '52 as the model — and let the Dem's shifty lawyers run the country for a couple of years. Then hit them across the board with people who know how to lead. Gen. Petraeus might be a good place to start. Lots of junior officers, too.

6) You know what? McCain never did sell himself as a leader. He sold himself as a maverick.

7) One upside: McCain/Feingold is now dead, as is public financing. Talk about being hoist with your own petard!

8) That Gang of 14 thing really worked out well, didn't it? Say good-bye to the courts. And we were so close...

9) Joe Lieberman was worse than useless. When he could have made a difference, he didn't cross the aisle to caucus with the Republicans. Now, it doesn't matter. Thanks, Joe.

10) Age matters. McCain ran an "honorable campaign" because he never really understood in his heart that the other guy had no intention of doing so; he didn't "get" Obama's generation, or Axelrod's.. Obama would lie about public financing, "oppose" gay marriage but also oppose Prop. 8 and never see it as morally contradictory. The world that McCain understood and operated in is vanishing, and tonight is visible evidence.

11) Unlike the Democrats, let's show some class in defeat. That doesn't mean lie down and roll over: it means fighting for what we believe in, doubly so now. But their sneering childishness is not for us; and now that they've won, they won't be able to control it even in victory. This is an unlovely party filled with unlovely people, as America's about to find out once the Obama pixie dust wears off.

12) Understand, once and for all, that the old media is part of the Democratic Party now. Ignore it. Never send Michele Bachmann onto Hardball again. Never send Sarah to play nice with Katie. We need to develop and create our own work-arounds — Fox, talk radio, NRO, etc. — and use them. Don't play by their rules: make our own.
Yep. Sounds right and saved me some typing.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

your a fucking nutcase. Read a little too much into everything that comes by you? This isn't about politics but about pulling together. And I as an Obama supporter would have done that for McCain. I actually woke up prepared to do that. But you and people like you are not about America but about parties and people. You are the person Washington warned against. And I think Obama's election shows how outdated you are.

Explain my comments away all you want but your immediate attack of OUR new president shows just how un-American and antiquated you are. It's people like you that got a candidate like Obama elected. So when you talk shit look in the mirror and take some time to blame yourself. But that would be much harder than blaming anyone else.

We tried it your way and it honestly did not work. But we should really plug away some more? At least when you write on your blog, you should try your hardest to be original and not xerox Fox News. But I strongly doubt you could after reading the thing.

Dirk Belligerent said...

Yawn....

I'm not a Republican. I didn't vote for McCain in the primary. I wasn't happy with him as a candidate. I wasn't happy with the Stupid Party. (That I call the GOP the "Stupid Party" should be a hint.) I didn't vote for Dubya in 2004 and only voted for him in 2000 because he wasn't Gore.

That you can call me some sort of divisive partisan is a laugh on a sad day for a formerly great nation that has succumbed to the soothing voice of a charismatic demagogue. Thanks, Bub.

Anonymous said...

doesn't matter who you voted for. Matters what you say, think, write and you apparently are not very great at any of the above. Calling this a formerly great country before the person you talk shit about has done one single thing is both unrealistic and and shows a lack of intelligent maturity on your part. I've read through your site and you are are both highly contradictory and full of your self. The former and latter being a huge fault of most websites written by people without editors. Thinking before typing is key especially when comparing to other things you have written such as the above comment. Otherwise what is the point of someone reading this thing unless they know you and like you? I don't really care who you voted for because your thoughtlessness and cluelessness is apparent. Sometimes, and call me an elitist, it comes down to how much you think people care about what you have to say. If your writing for yourself, keep it up. If your writing for people like you keep it up. If your writing to change minds or influence anyone other than the above, get a new hobby. I'll right back again but you need to come up with something different then the schwah on your site.

Dirk Belligerent said...

A country that reflexively votes for an unknown stranger out of fear cannot be considered great. If the voters knew what they were buying, then I'd feel differently, but he is an empty facade - much like his ego-tripping Greek columns - upon which voters childishly projected their hopes. They don't know who the real Obama is. Buyer's remorse is a terrible thing and their disappointment could tear this country apart. Not that you care.

Anonymous said...

Sometimes you have to hedge your bets. From what we do know of Obama - that he listens to as many different faceted sides of an argument as possible, that he has good instinct, judgment, - adds up to making him a better President (in my mind and the country's than McCain)- with no disrespect for McCain. When electing a president we can never really be sure of what we are getting as there is no real barometer for how someone will do the job since it is such a singularly odd experience so any time you elect someone you are taking a gamble. And we did that with GWB and it really didn't work out well for us. But you seem to think (and I could be wrong) that McCain would be different and perhaps he would be but the signs of this campaign didnt point in that direction. His staff would have been largely the same, his aversion to reading official documents and dislike for a hands on approach would have been the same as Bush's and I think many feel that politics and issue outcome aside that was Bush's downfall and we didn't want to repeat it. Change in a democracy every 4, 8, 12 years is necessary which is a huge reason the constitution requires change. But to immediately disagree with an election's outcome and slight the man before the guy has been President elect for even one hour shows a complete lack of recognition for how this country was set up or where it could go. I really don't mean to be a jerk (though I did last night) but some people can never be open to anything but what is already in their mind and that is sad. Ever listen to an album, or even a genre of music and just dislike it? But you sometimes come back to something and it grows on you? I know that must have happened to you at least once and that is so minor compared to what we are talking about. You need an open mind in this country. A year or two form now you think Obama sucks - fine you may be right but give the guy a shot. Not just for him but for us, me and you and your neighbors and everyone else in this country that needs relief from the way things have been and needs something better. If he provides something better for us, actually makes good on all those promises, then sometime you should do a mea culpa on this site. If your right then write up the "I told you so" and flog him but wait a little while. He is our president just like Reagan was and just like both Bushes were. You owe only that and it is nothing more than being open.

Dirk Belligerent said...

Obama is credited for being thoughtful when all he actually does is sit back and do nothing. If a Repub sat back and chin-stroked and voted "present", he'd be attacked for trying to slide by without doing anything.

Obama has reportedly chosen Rahm Emmanuel as his Chief of Staff. Emmanuel is a vicious partisan warrior and he will make sure Obama takes the hardest left tack at all times. Bill Bennett was burbling the pseudo-con mantra that Obama may rule from the center. Within a couple of hours, Obama showed he won't.

Russia is also placing missiles near Poland. Joe Biden said Barry would be tested in six months. More like 6 hours and he's not even on the clock.

When hiring someone for a job, you look at their resume. If a cook has done nothing but roadhouse chow and BBQ, you won't expect him to excel at delicate French pastries, would you? When you look at what little of a resume Barry O has, you can see that he is an extreme radical leftist, ranked to the left of the actual Socialist Party Senator in Congress. To anticipate a moderate-centrist Clintonesque triangulation move is delusional bordering on psychotic.

Pelosi and Reid are extreme hard-left liberals. Obama is an extreme hard-left liberal. Based on those factors, to anticipate an extreme hard-left liberal agenda to be pursued is as much a no-brainer as wondering if Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie's kids are going to turn out frighteningly beautiful.

Anonymous said...

You write as if the republicans are less divisive than the Dems. First, the Republicans have had control of the Leg. excl. the last 2 years for a very long time and got nothing done. second with democratic control the republicans, and democrats refused to compromise but more importantly the republican president did nothing to compromise. Your logic is off. You think McCain based on resume would be better but all signs showed he really would be about as thoughtless as Bush. Again, your comments are speculation and perhaps you will be proven correct but for now its pure speculation and you come off as grumpy. I don't know a thing about you except for your website and these comments and your obviously a bright guy with a nuanced point of view but you also seem to be representative of many of the problems with our system. Obama's election is a start. Let's see what he does now. The Republicans had a chance and blew it and this isnt about parties. If they didn't fuck up as much as they did and weren't so devisive they wouldn't have lost last night. Listen, I apologize for my profanity last night but my theme here is the same. Stop holding out, you don't have to drink the kool-aid but give the guy a chance. He is the U.S. president after all. Stop being devisive. It doesn't work and it's bad for all of us. The more you write back to me throwing more speculative shit on the fire makes me feel like you just don't get it. You are the same person that would have trashed Lincoln, Roosevelt, etc in their time. Lets see what Obama is made of and then trash him.

Dirk Belligerent said...

You know, paragraph breaks are no extra charge. Try a few. :)

The Stupid Party has been progressively (almost pun intended) more worthless since about 1998 and this was their final failure. Moderation and "me too!" liberal-ish wannabeism is a proven loser and if the GOP is to return to relevance, they purge of these pseudo-con squishes must be swift and brutal. They want to be Dems, they can go play with the Dems.

Dems blocked many Dubya initiatives and Dubya was a prison yard punk bitch to them and all he got to show for it was a sore bunghole and being called a war criminal by his friends across the aisle. Limbaugh is declaring the end of the "New Tone" right now, but I knew this was gonna end up badly in 2001. I thought at first Dubya was being a poker sharp, but he proceeded to bend over and grab his ankles for Ted Kennedy and anyone else who wanted to roger him.

Please quit assuming that I thought McCain was going to be great shakes; I didn't. He was a shamnesty advocate; he restricted free speech with the assistance of Dubya and the Supreme Court; he was hostile to conservatives and a punk for his "friends" across the aisle who spent the whole campaign stabbing him in the face.

The GOP didn't lose because they were divisive - they lost because they blew off conservatives and pandered to groups that weren't going to support them. Faced with an economic meltdown created by the Dems, the crippling inarticulateness of Dubya and McCain allowed the Treason Media to spin it and with Barack the Magic Negro's rock star power beguiling the weak-willed with Jedi mind trick skill, the frightened and ignorant voters sent Barney Frank and Chris Dodd even more playmates.

Obama broke his promise to take Federal campaign money, secretly paid ACORN $800,000 to run a vote fraud scam, and took the address checks off his web site to allow illegal contributions to fuel his war chest and buy up all the airtime he wanted; never mind the in-kind propaganda contributions of the Treason Media. While these crimes, scams, and broken promises weren't the margin of victory, they saddle him with the burden of being corrupt before he even gets in. When he fires Patrick Fitzgerald to stop the investigation into Chicago sleaze, will anyone squawk? When ACORN's shens get swept under the honeymoon rug, will anyone care?

Nancy Pelosi promised a transparent system and then harbors multiple criminals like Charles Rangel and William Jefferson on prime committee slots. Chris Dodd got a sweetheart mortgage deal from Countrywide and more campaign $$$ than everyone. (Obama was #2 in Freddy cash in only 3 years.) With all those crooks, why should I even entertain "giving him a chance"?

If you've got young children and a pedophile comes over, are you going to "give him a chance" or are you going to maintain a hawk's eye on him and view him with extreme suspicion based on his record? Exactly.

See? Paragraph breaks are good food!

Anonymous said...

ok ok i see your point about the para breaks. I'll do it too. I also see we are making headway. Tell me if I have this right: you aren't just upset about Obama's win but that the system and the people running it, don't work?

If that's at least part of it, then i 100% agree regarding the system and people. I am optimistic that Obama can bridge ideological divides and get some necessary things accomplished. Will he? I don't know because the way the government is set up, he needs support from the legislature who have been near impossible in fulfilling their role. Both Republicans and Democrats.

What a successful president has to do in our time is work for common god with both sides and compromise as well as achieve compromise from the Leg. This hasn't really happened in recent years past.

To your point about Obama's defaults. Find me a candidate without default. No one pure will run b/c it is too tough. Also, there just aren't that many pure people once you get to the level of being a serious contender for President.

You don't have to give him or anyone a fair shot but you have to run the gauntlet of being extremely disenchanted and dissatisfied with your country. But you must be able to understand why so many people are into this guy even if you yourself are not.

I feel better about our conversation(s) now. Paras included.

Dirk Belligerent said...

One thing that Obama has in his favor is that the Repubs won't be actively trying to sabotage him in order to cripple his presidency. They know that a failed Administration would be very bad for the country and they're too patriotic to punish the country for payback.

They might oppose him (doubtful, since their cowed punk bitches), but they won't be seeking to castrate him out of partisan spite like the Dems did to Dubya. Dubya reached out and bent over only to get his hand slapped, his colon perforated, and to be accused of being the cause of all the polarization.

The Dems were so enraged by Gore's loss, they set out to destroy Dubya for eight solid years. (They wanted a failed Admin because they're about vengeance first, country last.) Now that The One is coming it, the GOP is being warned to not get in his way or else they'll be labeled RAAAAAAAAACISTS!!! Like obedient puppies, they'll do as they're told and be run over roughshod. Punks.

People who felt disenchanted felt that way because they were told to feel that way by the media. If someone recites a litany of woe, misery, and sorrow 24/7, you're gonna start riding a bummer and be looking for someone to give you a cookie. Along comes the Anointed One and he promises the impossible - like 95% of people getting tax cuts when only 60% pay taxes; that 135% total must include his extra 7 states he thinks there are - and appeals to their sense of envy, and they fall for it.

As for Obama's "faults", Bub, they're more than faults. His being a secret smoker who lies about it is a petty nothing; taking $100+ million in illegal campaign cash from ineligible sources in a scheme to evade the law is a CRIME and the perp is a CRIMINAL! Capice?

Thanks for the line breaks. So much easier to follow the arguments.