Is America ready for a political swing to the Left? Probably so. Even with the failure of the Liberal Democrat Congress, (approval ratings in single digits), the people seem undeterred in their desire for “something different” from the status quo. “Change,” whether for good or for ill, is most definitely in the air.
Unfortunately, that’s the historical trend following periods of war that challenge the public’s resolve. It happens for whatever party’s in power. Even the conservative icon Winston Churchill, after leading the British people through their “finest hour” in WWII, met defeat at the ballot box in a landslide election that swept the Labor party into the Majority for the first time ever. The new Prime Minister, Clement Attlee, initiated a bold program of change consisting of: Full Employment, Tax-funded Universal National Health Service and a “cradle to grave” Welfare State!
Sound familiar?
As a general rule: a wartime era is followed by a domestic era with new inward focus for internal improvements. This swing of the political pendulum favors the Liberal Democrats in this year’s upcoming elections.
In this drift Leftward, there are a couple of things concerning the campaign rhetoric one should keep in mind:
First: The Economy.
We are not in a recession yet! Technically, a recession is two consecutive quarters of negative growth. Yes, the fourth quarter of last year was abysmal, (.6% growth), but it was positive, not negative.
One should remember that we’ve been on a war footing since 9/11/2001. It’s amazing that we’ve had an expansion at all, much less, a record 52 consecutive months of job creation! Since 2001, our average GDP growth has been a healthy 2.8% per year with low inflation and relatively low unemployment. The Bush tax cuts have been an economic stimulus, reducing taxes for everyone who pays them, while simultaneously yielding the highest amount of tax revenues in history- proving, once again, that “Supplyside” works.
Our deficits point to another misconception. The current rate is 1.2% of GDP, or 50% below the 40-year average. Our deficits have grown the national debt during the Bush years at a rate of 8.4% per year since 2002. This is similar to the 10.5% annual rate from 1990 to ‘94. What’s interesting, is that in the intervening years, 1994 to 2001, we had an overall 3% reduction in the overall deficit. This was the period of the much-maligned, “spend-thrift” Republican Congress. The substantial difference between these two most recent periods of deficit increases can be reduced to two factors: War and a unified, Liberal-Democrat government. For further perspective, consider the fact that growth in this decade’s spending is at 1/4th the rate of the 1970s. It has gone up, when compared to the 90s, but only by 23%. The increase in the deficits this decade is actually 2/3rd below the average rate per decade since the 1970s. That’s not much considering the huge expense of this war.
By that way, it’s a war not of our choosing. It’s impossible to believe the claims of the Democrat candidates who say they will single-handedly “end the war” when they should realize the conflict necessarily involves the active will and participation of our enemies! Do they have some secret power to nullify the motivation embodied by Islamic jihad?
Second: John McCain.
Does John McCain have any worthwhile conservative credentials, if he does happen to be the Republican nominee?
There’s a rebellion brewing now on the Right that is rejecting the notion of supporting John McCain. McCain has stabbed conservatives in the back repeatedly over a multitude of issues, from Amnesty to Campaign Finance Reform to Bush’s Tax Cuts. It’s a long, annoying record and one conservatives find very hard to support.
Some conservatives have gone so far as to claim that Hillary Clinton would be MORE conservative than John McCain. As they say down in Arkansas, “that’s Hogwash!”
Given this cultural swing to the Left, conservatives may just have to swallow hard and accept the consequences of a more moderate alternative.
How moderate is McCain? Is he really that close to Hillary or Obama? McCain has a lifetime conservative voting record of 82.3, (as compiled by the American Conservative Union). That is just two points below the GOP average. By contrast, the Democrat average is 13.8. Hillary and Obama share the exact same lifetime average of 8.0. That is a dramatic difference in the parties and significant evidence for establishing a real choice this November. But, what exactly are these differences?
Looking on a vote by vote basis used by the ACU, the discrepancy involves five main categories that all voters should be aware of: Tax and Spend policies, Iraq and the War on Terror, Market vs. Government solutions, the appointment of Judges and Abortion. It may not be enough for some conservatives to get excited about, but it is a very real difference that will manifest itself in the governing actions of these prospective administrations. Finally, one can’t forget that McCain did support the Surge at its critical, introductory stage when others were wavering.
As the political winds blow Left, conservatives may want to start thinking more clearly about the “lesser of two evils.” It doesn’t have to be forever. Remember, Churchill did make a come back! Maybe for conservatives, it’s time to “punt and play field position” for a while, at least until more favorable winds come along. (send comments to WFC83197@aol.com, or mail to POB 114, Jacksboro, TN 37757)
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Playing Politics with Race
It’s been said, “the greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he doesn’t exist.” The truth behind that statement lies in the power to deceptively trap your opponent by framing the debate around pre-cooked assumptions.
Liberals have been operating this Orwellian Magic for years, suggesting, for instance, that the only political choices we have across the spectrum are Socialist-communism on the Left, or Socialist-fascism on the Right. Either way, the choice is Socialism. Pretty nifty, huh?
Hillary Clinton’s latest controversy involves comments she made about Lyndon Johnson and civil rights. It’s another case in point for this political trickery. The deception here involves the Democrat party’s exclusive claim to be the only ones who care about African Americans.
Hillary said, “it took a president to get it done,” suggesting- in that annoying self-serving manner of hers- that presidential leadership, (ostensibly the kind she would provide), is a better qualification than the “I Have a Dream,” hopeful work of such folks as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. or Barack Obama!
Of course, it was wrong for Hillary to discount the more important work of Dr. King- as Obama correctly pointed out it was “ill-advised and unfortunate.” But, even more interesting, is the convenient omission of Sen. Everett Dirksen and the Republicans in Congress who voted, in greater numbers, (80 to 60 percent), to get the bill passed over Southern Democrat objections.
Johnson gets credit for signing the bill, but that shouldn’t excuse his well-known hostility towards African Americans. As a senator, his record was perfect. He voted against EVERY civil rights bill that came before him, even anti-lynching legislation!
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was JFK’s weaker version of an earlier GOP bill. As senator in 1957, he voted against civil rights. This bill of 1964 was modeled after the Republican Civil Rights Act of 1875. The old Act contained almost identical language, but was made ineffective due to the lack of enforcement in the Democrat South.
The 1964 bill was necessary to reverse the government prejudice first practiced by Democrat President Woodrow Wilson. Wilson, whose favorite film was the racist “Birth of a Nation,” removed African Americans from Federal positions and appointed KKK member Hugo Black to the Supreme Court over Republican objections.
The 1964 bill was filibustered by Dem. Sen. Robert Byrd for 14 hours. “Grand Kleagle” Byrd had been an official recruiter for the Ku Klux Klan. He also lobbied against military integration, calling African Americans “race mongrels.”
By contrast, Sen. Dirksen, a Republican who helped draft the 1964 legislation, fought consistently for civil rights beginning in the 1950s. It’s fair to say, that without his help, the bill would have never passed. Johnson reportedly told Hubert Humphrey, “you know this bill can’t pass unless you get Ev Dirksen.”
It’s fascinating how successful the Left has been over the years in painting Republicans as racists, while simultaneously ignoring their own blatant record of slavery, Klan terrorism, bigotry and segregation.
Bill Clinton’s political mentor was segregationist Sen. J. William Fulbright. Sen. Al Gore, Sr. not only voted against the Civil Rights Act of 1964, but tried to sabotage it behind the scenes!
This week we are celebrating the life and work of Martin Luther King, Jr.- a Republican who fought for Equal Rights based upon the concept of judging, not by the “color of one’s skin but by the content of one’s character,” (i.e. a difference between individual behavior that is chosen versus circumstances of birth which are not). The King Holiday was signed into law by President Reagan in 1983.
It’s interesting to note that JFK was opposed to Dr. King’s 1963 “March on Washington” that was initiated to promote civil rights legislation. The event, organized by black Republican Phillip Randolph, was thought to be harmful to Kennedy’s 1964 re-election prospects.
One shouldn’t forget that it was Kennedy who authorized wire-tapping on Dr. King. King once referred to JFK as “schizophrenic on civil rights.”
Other prominent African American Republicans, in addition to MLK, include:
Frederick Douglas, Harriet Tubman, Booker T. Washington, George Washington Carver, Hiram Revels (first black senator), Joseph Rainey (first black congressman), Ida Wells, Carter Woodson, Jackie Robinson, Colin Powell, Rod Paige, Clarence Thomas, Alphonso Jackson, Lynn Swann, Thomas Sowell, Denzel Washington, Condoleezza Rice and Dr. Alveda King, the niece of Dr. King and founder of King for America, Inc.
Liberal Democrats continue to enjoy nearly 90% African American support by propagating the myth that their party is the sole friend of civil rights. They have been running our inner-cities for decades, and yet there has been no significant improvement. The so-called “War on Poverty,” begun by LBJ’s Great Society, has managed to spend $7 trillion over the years without diminishing the poverty rate. What they have created since the Sixties, is a cycle of government-dependency that has decimated the once strong African American family. This is the very opposite of Individual Empowerment.
Liberal welfare policies, in effect, actually have more in common with the paternalistic plantations of old. In the words of Don Henley, “you can check out, but you can never leave!”
Someday, all the lies of the Devil will be exposed for what they are, and with That Truth, all will be set free. Until that day, I guess we can still Dream! (send comments to WFC83197@aol.com, or mail to P.O.B. 114, Jacksboro, TN 37757)
Liberals have been operating this Orwellian Magic for years, suggesting, for instance, that the only political choices we have across the spectrum are Socialist-communism on the Left, or Socialist-fascism on the Right. Either way, the choice is Socialism. Pretty nifty, huh?
Hillary Clinton’s latest controversy involves comments she made about Lyndon Johnson and civil rights. It’s another case in point for this political trickery. The deception here involves the Democrat party’s exclusive claim to be the only ones who care about African Americans.
Hillary said, “it took a president to get it done,” suggesting- in that annoying self-serving manner of hers- that presidential leadership, (ostensibly the kind she would provide), is a better qualification than the “I Have a Dream,” hopeful work of such folks as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. or Barack Obama!
Of course, it was wrong for Hillary to discount the more important work of Dr. King- as Obama correctly pointed out it was “ill-advised and unfortunate.” But, even more interesting, is the convenient omission of Sen. Everett Dirksen and the Republicans in Congress who voted, in greater numbers, (80 to 60 percent), to get the bill passed over Southern Democrat objections.
Johnson gets credit for signing the bill, but that shouldn’t excuse his well-known hostility towards African Americans. As a senator, his record was perfect. He voted against EVERY civil rights bill that came before him, even anti-lynching legislation!
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was JFK’s weaker version of an earlier GOP bill. As senator in 1957, he voted against civil rights. This bill of 1964 was modeled after the Republican Civil Rights Act of 1875. The old Act contained almost identical language, but was made ineffective due to the lack of enforcement in the Democrat South.
The 1964 bill was necessary to reverse the government prejudice first practiced by Democrat President Woodrow Wilson. Wilson, whose favorite film was the racist “Birth of a Nation,” removed African Americans from Federal positions and appointed KKK member Hugo Black to the Supreme Court over Republican objections.
The 1964 bill was filibustered by Dem. Sen. Robert Byrd for 14 hours. “Grand Kleagle” Byrd had been an official recruiter for the Ku Klux Klan. He also lobbied against military integration, calling African Americans “race mongrels.”
By contrast, Sen. Dirksen, a Republican who helped draft the 1964 legislation, fought consistently for civil rights beginning in the 1950s. It’s fair to say, that without his help, the bill would have never passed. Johnson reportedly told Hubert Humphrey, “you know this bill can’t pass unless you get Ev Dirksen.”
It’s fascinating how successful the Left has been over the years in painting Republicans as racists, while simultaneously ignoring their own blatant record of slavery, Klan terrorism, bigotry and segregation.
Bill Clinton’s political mentor was segregationist Sen. J. William Fulbright. Sen. Al Gore, Sr. not only voted against the Civil Rights Act of 1964, but tried to sabotage it behind the scenes!
This week we are celebrating the life and work of Martin Luther King, Jr.- a Republican who fought for Equal Rights based upon the concept of judging, not by the “color of one’s skin but by the content of one’s character,” (i.e. a difference between individual behavior that is chosen versus circumstances of birth which are not). The King Holiday was signed into law by President Reagan in 1983.
It’s interesting to note that JFK was opposed to Dr. King’s 1963 “March on Washington” that was initiated to promote civil rights legislation. The event, organized by black Republican Phillip Randolph, was thought to be harmful to Kennedy’s 1964 re-election prospects.
One shouldn’t forget that it was Kennedy who authorized wire-tapping on Dr. King. King once referred to JFK as “schizophrenic on civil rights.”
Other prominent African American Republicans, in addition to MLK, include:
Frederick Douglas, Harriet Tubman, Booker T. Washington, George Washington Carver, Hiram Revels (first black senator), Joseph Rainey (first black congressman), Ida Wells, Carter Woodson, Jackie Robinson, Colin Powell, Rod Paige, Clarence Thomas, Alphonso Jackson, Lynn Swann, Thomas Sowell, Denzel Washington, Condoleezza Rice and Dr. Alveda King, the niece of Dr. King and founder of King for America, Inc.
Liberal Democrats continue to enjoy nearly 90% African American support by propagating the myth that their party is the sole friend of civil rights. They have been running our inner-cities for decades, and yet there has been no significant improvement. The so-called “War on Poverty,” begun by LBJ’s Great Society, has managed to spend $7 trillion over the years without diminishing the poverty rate. What they have created since the Sixties, is a cycle of government-dependency that has decimated the once strong African American family. This is the very opposite of Individual Empowerment.
Liberal welfare policies, in effect, actually have more in common with the paternalistic plantations of old. In the words of Don Henley, “you can check out, but you can never leave!”
Someday, all the lies of the Devil will be exposed for what they are, and with That Truth, all will be set free. Until that day, I guess we can still Dream! (send comments to WFC83197@aol.com, or mail to P.O.B. 114, Jacksboro, TN 37757)
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