It's Report Card Day .......

I held a revealing telephone conversation yesterday evening. Actually three, but one sticks in my head. With Obama supporters, it takes a certain amount of temerity, stupidity or alcohol to broach the subject but, broach it I did.

So, employing my most engaging interviewing technique, I asked how the person felt that Obama was doing and I was not surprised by the reaction which was, “I think he’s doing great”. But I’m not a quitter and I so I went on to wonder if the person could be a little more specific such as telling me what he’d actually done. Again, not surprisingly, there was a brief moment and then I heard a reiteration that overall, he was doing very well.

Is that a fact? Last weekend, Obama was asked to grade himself on his first 10 months in the job. Now, a normal person would have deferred the question and would have protested that it was too early, ask me again a couple of years from now, etc .. etc .. etc. But not Obama.

The very next day, yesterday to be precise, a major news outlet in this country polled 100,000 voters and asked them to fill out Obama’s report card and they went further by making the process more granular. Here are the results and, Oh by the way, the choices were A, B, C, D and I ( for incomplete). In deference to the office there was no F.

Handling the Economy 73% D

Domestic & Social Issues 80% D

Foreign Affairs 79% D

Afghan & Iraq Wars 63% D

Leadership 80% D

National Security 82% D

Management Style 81% D

It doesn’t take an Einstein to work out the Grade Point Average but actually it was an 85% D. And bear in mind, there was no F.

Of course, by now, you’re all on the edge of your seats as you wait to learn Obama’s answer on TV. Well, he awarded himself, and I quote, “ A solid B+”.

Has anyone ever explained to that man the difference between self-confidence and self-aggrandizement? Or how about the difference between realism and fantasy?

So, Obama believes he is the cats meow and so does one Arizonan. Somehow I doubt that will be enough to carry the day for his party in 2010 nor for he and his party in 2012.

Even including Chicago ballot practices

Dateline: Copenhagen, Denmark; December 14, 2009

Tony Blair, the ex-Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and the aspiring first President of the European Union said today at the, now notorious, Copenhagen Conference.

“We must take action on the issue of climate change even if the science is not correct.”.

Now his opponents in the UK will not be surprised with this revelation but maybe you will. And this was in the wake of the disappearance of the University of East Anglia’s web site and the resignation of the illustrious head of their “Climate Research” facility and the destruction of all their raw data. But yet, politicians can strut out and lie through their teeth?

Is it any wonder then, that the polls in this country reflect these truths and Obama is no longer immune.

Today Rasmussen reports that the margin of likely voters who favor Obama is at a minus 18%. And, for those from Lake Havasu City, that means that while only 44% “Strongly Approve, there's a helluva' lot more that don't and that gap keeps on widening. Now, also keep in mind that we're talking about likely voters here because, in the cold light of day, the rest don’t really matter.. Brutal perhaps but it’s politics and it is life,.

Either lead or follow or get the heck out of the way.

I love numbers. So, here’s a few more!

Now most of them track with the statistic detailed above and you can make up your own mind anyway about those and the ones that follow.

For a start, 40% of Americans describe themselves as conservative, 36% as independents and only 20% as liberal. The strange thing is that only one quarter of the latter describe themselves as such. It seems they would much prefer to be known as “Progressives”. Odd that liberals want to run away from their flag while conservatives are proud to display ours,

Old Glory!!

But I digress, because I have yet to mention the Gallop Generic poll which gives the edge to Republicans over Democrats by 18 points. Amazing how that tracks with this weeks Rasmussen isn’t it?

And, were I the type to drive in the knife, I would also point out that, even in the post-George Bush era, as of this weekend, only 50% like the idea of Obama in the Oval Office while 44% would prefer Bush.. Do you remember how reviled he was? And as for the missing 6%, they're waiting for Elvis to return.

Is that an indictment or what?

Finally, I do not personally endorse this, but 20% of independents support the idea of impeaching Obama. Then ,of course, they always will until Ron Paul or Dennis Kucinich is sworn in.

I’ll will leave you today with a this thought:-

Obama was on Wall Street today. Or perhaps Wall Street was summoned unto the” Great One”. Anyway, as we saw on the Sunday talk shows, he is angry with the “Fat Cats”


When was the last time you were offered a job by a poor man?

Happy Hanukah

Just as long as there is an occupant of the Oval Office who prides himself on his ecumenism, well for 2 out of the 3 major monotheistic faiths anyway, while totally ignoring the Daddy of them all because, to recognize it might irk his other allegiances especially Jeremiah Wright.

So, on this first full day of Hanukah, I decided to borrow a few ideas from elsewhere and come up with a list of songs. And here they are. Please feel free to sing along and/or add your own.


Oy to the World

Silent Night? I should be so lucky ….

All I want for Christmas is for my son to call me every once in a while. Once a week would be better.

Enough of the Jingle Bells already.

Hark, the Herald Tribune ……

I’ll be home for Christmas; if my mother can nag my father into sending me an airline ticket.

God rest ye, Merry Gentlemen. And tell your father to lay of the schnapps next year.

I saw someone kissing Santa Claus but I suspect it was your worthless, slutty wife with Tiger Woods. And don't say I didn't warn you ......

Hey, “Little Drummer Boy”? When you’re old enough, I’m going to send crayons to your firstborn.

Grandma got run over by a reindeer. Did we send the check for last year’s insurance premium?


After all, “White Christmas” was written by Irving Berlin.


And, before you ask, I’m not going to attempt anything for Kwanzaa. I’ll let the White House do that.

Hand over Fist ...........

It is the season when families and friends get together for the purpose, it seems, for eating too much, drinking too much, spending too much or to remind themselves why once a year is enough. One of the associated rituals is to play party games. The one I hated most was “Charades” and I usually feigned severe intestinal distress so I could avoid the embarrassment. I would emerge for “Trivial Pursuit”, however, and it is in that latter spirit that I pose the following question.

What do these past-Presidents have in common?

Harry Truman
Dwight Eisenhower
John Kennedy
Lyndon Johnson
Richard Nixon
Gerald Ford
James Carter
Ronald Reagan
George H.W. Bush
William Clinton
George W. Bush

And the answer is that, at this stage in each of their first or only terms, their approval rating was higher than Obama’s is now. And that, for good or for ill, must stick in a narcissist’s craw.

However, is it any surprise when one realizes that the man has done nothing. And choose your theater; Domestic or International?

And, is it any wonder when you analyze his agenda? Or is it that his agenda is so out of step with American thinking perhaps because he gets advice from people who are out of step with American thinking?

Well he’s the “smartest man in the World,” or so we were assured by most of the drive-by media during the campaign. Then they were quick to add that he would surround himself with the best minds available. One of ‘em was a man called Kevin Jennings who now holds the exalted title of Assistant Deputy Secretary for the Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools, which you can think of as the “School Czar” if you will.

Now, for the next part of this post, I need to be very careful. For a start I want to ensure that I don’t contravene one of the rules of my hosting site. Secondly, I know that this Blog is linked to other sites and I don’t want to offend them either. But, most of all, I don’t wish to disturb you, my dear reader.

Perhaps the best way would be to refer you to today’s “Drudge Report” and the subject is “Fisting” . And then to leave it at that except, for those who choose not go further into the details, Mr. Jennings, your School Czar not too many years ago was advocating the practice and handing out kits at Gay Lesbian events aimed at teenagers. I wonder if Mr. Jennings would be welcome at the school of Obama’s children in order to promote his beliefs?

Or, try this? Earlier this week, a conference was held in the White House on the subject of “government transparency”. Do you remember that campaign pledge?

Well this conference was closed to the public.

We're almost 11 months into this administration and if Obama is clinging onto precedent in order to bring up his approval numbers, that would indeed make records.

Because, that was not the way the way it worked out for the last eleven.

Or, putting it another way for those from Lake Havasu.

This is as good as it gets!

I went to bed as normal and woke as a racist ..........

It was only about 18 months ago that Obama revealed to the audience at his fund-raising event in San Francisco that I and people like me were going to “cling to G-d and Guns”.

Now it seems that I’m also a racist as well.

Not too long ago, Jimmy Carter announced, with all the wisdom that stems from a presidency of doing nothing in particular except for creating long gas lines, sky-high interest rates, and wearing ugly sweaters, that anyone who opposes Obamacare is racist. And yesterday Harry Reid jumped onto the racism bandwagon.

Now add Guns and G-d and I can expect another Waco or Ruby Ridge any day now. Is that the growl of my garbage truck or the grumble of a tank with Janet Reno peeping out? Or maybe they’ll ask Mike Dukakis to revive his tank driving prowess.

As you know, the Senate version of Obamacare is on the floor as we speak and the more I hear about it, the more I know I don’t want it . And every poll confirms that most people feel the same way. In fact, the pro number is now down to 35% and, actually, less than in 1 in 16 think they’ll be better off.

Nobody loves to play with numbers more than politicians and sometimes the Congressional Budget Office plays ball but more likely it doesn’t unlike the Office of Management and Budget which is staffed with people who always toe the party line. In this case, the Obama line.

Anyway the difference this time was stark indeed and given my ‘druthers I’d opt for the CBO because their own rules are supposed to preclude political shenanigans. As far as we know, if we attempt to meld the two versions and assume best case in both House and Senate bills, the cost will be in excess of 1.2 Trillion over 10 plus years.

The reason you’re not hearing that number is that the dominant liberal media don’t what you to know. Instead, they harp on the $800 billion figure much beloved of Obama, Pelosi and Reid.

And the sad thing is that the GOP isn’t even trying to stop this abomination but instead are trying to water it down. Fat chance!

I heard William Shatner on TV earlier this week as he huffed and puffed his protestation that the very rich in this country do not have to settle for the same level of healthcare that the less wealthy get to experience. No kidding! And, I’m sure it’ll come as a shock to the portly Mr. Shatner that not everyone gets to fly in Gulfstream Vs or winter in Antibes.

And before the proponents of so-called “single-payer” schemes unload all over me about the egalitarianism of the British or Canadian models, let me say that I’m darned sure that Prince Charles of Windsor does not receive the same care as a Charlie Prince from Windermere or wherever. It’s simply a fact of life. Live with it.

Like many others, I’ve had it with the “country-club Republicans” who still run the GOP and who are doing their best to run it into the ground. So, I’m changing my official party affiliation to Independent however I’ll continue to work for those causes and candidates closest to my conservative beliefs.

So, I’ve swapped the “R” as in Republican after my name. But now on my business card it’ll stand for “Racist” according to Harry Reid and Jimmy Carter.

Coming from them, I regard it as a badge of honor!

Tiger, Tiger Burning Bright in the Forest of The Night ..

Since the drive-by news outlets have been obsessed this past week with the revelations of one Mr. Woods, I was not going to be outdone but the only tiger I'm going to mention is the real one and you will find a factoid at the very end of this post.

In the meantime, though, I concerned myself with other matters because I have little interest in the game of golf and even less in the evasions of a spoiled little boy. We've got quite enough of that with the current occupant of the Oval Office and with this in mind I was intrigued to learn of someone who actually has a picture of Obama in their kitchen.

Now that alone scares me to death. Just the idea that any one external influence, especially a mortal one, can make a difference in a life is surely doomed to failure. Someone once advised against falling in love with any politician. They will break your heart every time. A much better idea is to look at a face before you ever get to the kitchen namely your bathroom mirror. Because inside your head is the source of happiness. Yes, even at 5 in the morning..

A few weeks ago, I told you a story of a little town in Texas and now I’m going to write one about another little town called St Francis, Wisconsin who received a grant from Obama’s Congress to the tune of $1 million. And that’s a lot of money, unless you’re inside the Beltway, and the city did not know how to spend it but, the conditions were clear, it must create jobs.

Eventually someone decided that the best idea was to widen the main street. And, ever eager to comply, they drew up plans, they scrubbed out all the existing lane markings and they laid out new ones. And all that activity provided temporary jobs for a few people for a week or so. And that has to be a start at least, Right?

Before the widening project, there was on-street parking on both sides and now there isn’t because that’s how the extra traffic lanes were created.

But in the middle of that street there was a bar and restaurant called Carlton Grange but now that’s gone as, without parking, the owner was forced to close and lay off his permanent employees. So $1 million bought a few jobs for a few days and closed a business which had been there for years and lost permanent jobs.

Well done Obama.

Perhaps he tested out of the class on unintended consequences or more likely he flunked it.

No wonder that today’s unemployment numbers ring hollow with me.

So, we’re down to 10% which the New York Times heralded as good news because, according to them, it means we are not shedding. Now, we’re not creating but what the heck? As long as they can spin the numbers, they will. Of course, what the NYT did not print was the fact that the sector with the biggest increase was in “Temporary Help” presumably for the Holiday shopping season. Was there ever a year when that number didn't increase to a greater or lesser extent?

The more important question becomes, why do employers hire temps in the first place? Because it’s cheaper than to hire permanent employees and then lay them off. And the reason that companies are not hiring is simple. They are scared.

At Obama’s much vaunted “Job Summit” at the White House yesterday he dared to ask the question about what could be done. One CEO there, and he must have snuck in under the Secret Service screen, dared to respond. His company is a medical systems manufacturing company from Utah but he dared to tug on the anointed one’s gown and tell the truth. “You Sir. And your policies are the problem”. And he went on as he explained his inability to care for his company and his stockholders when he was unable to plan 2 or 3 years out.

Somehow, I don’t think he’ll be invited back. And so Obama went on the road again today. But, as he wasn’t abroad, he only groveled a bit. And this time the theme was if you have ideas, please send ‘em in because I and my naïve team are all out.

Obama and his cohorts ran out of ideas when they realized that governments federal/, state and local can only create just so many jobs. And our tax dollars have to pick up their paychecks and their benefits.

I will sign off with a few thoughts

You do not create more wealth tomorrow by dividing up what exists today.

Go, check the records. The lowest unemployment numbers this nation has ever seen were during a World War or under a Republican Administration or when the taxation rates were at their lowest.

Which would you like to sign up for?

Or try this. Everybody knows that tigers have striped fur but did you know that beneath all that lovely fur, they also have striped skin.

The things you learn from reading this Blog.

We have met the enemy and he is us ...........

Tuesday evening was embarrassing. Even for me.

If a Commander-in Chief cannot generate enthusiasm from an audience at West Point, there is something wrong.

What’s wrong was everything.

On the stage was the teleprompter, actually two because we’ve learned how bad the presidential image can be when one fails. I swear that the man would be a twittering mass of incoherent protoplasm were they both to fail. On the other hand he would blame President Bush just as soon as he was resuscitated and Biden would blame Vice-President Cheney and on and on …

One of the basics of presentations is to understand the audience. This one was comprised of gung-ho Army cadets and it shouldn’t have been hard but Obama found it to be impossible to raise an ounce of even lackluster enthusiasm. Some of ‘em were reading books and some were asleep. And the rest were just glad to be out of class for a while.

With all that said, the most effective word a presenter can use is “You” and the ones to avoid like the plague are “I”, and “My”, but Obama managed both of the latter more than 60 times.

One of the things those cadets have been taught is obedience to a legitimate order from a superior officer. And they complied by showing up but that was as far as they were prepared to go.

Here are the facts as I know them to be. The original request from the general officers in that theater was for 80,000 more troops. Like most political appointees, McCrystal strove to do his sponsor’s bidding and opted for 40,000 instead. Then Obama, who sees himself as a modern-day Solomon, chose to split the baby in half and authorized just 30,000, - eventually.

Now some of the 30,000 were in that audience and knew only too well that some of them would not be coming home again in one piece, if at all..

So this “genius” of military strategy then chose to announce when he plans to withdraw from the battlefield which will be great news to the Taliban and he also spoke about America’s constrained resources. In other words, the Commander-in-Chief said to the enemy, except he never used that word, “Please give up before we run out of money.

Contrary to leftist propaganda, soldiers do not go into harm’s way just for the heck of it. They go because it’s their duty and it’s their job. But they are entitled to be led by commanders who believe in their mission and clearly Obama does not. And they should never be prevented from doing their job by fatuous “Rules of Engagement” such as these:-

No night or surprise searches.

Do not fire unless the enemy is preparing to fire.

Do not fire if there are civilians present.

It’s OK to apprehend a terrorist who is in the act of planting an IED but not OK if the terrorist is leaving the scene.

No wonder those cadets looked the way they did. And no wonder that little Chrissy Matthews of “Hardball” infamy described the setting as “The Enemy Camp”.

For the first time ever I agreed with little Chrissy but the Commander-in-Chief had brought it on himself as he tried to thread the needle for the benefit of his left-wing base and at the expense of his military which he clearly despises.