Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Selective Memory

Befuddled, impotent, and left seemingly catatonic by the elections, Obama and the Democrats have nothing to offer but excuses.  They still have their majorities mind you, in both houses of Congress, but their message to everyone is they just can't do it alone.  They passed the stimulus alone, Obamacare without any help, and their version of Wall Street reform all by their lonesome, but apparently tax policy and the extension of unemployment benefits are just too heavy a burden to withstand all by themselves.

Aren't we all just a wee bit tired of this selective memory that the Democrats and the media are trying to pass off on the American public.  Blaming the Republicans time and again for any stalemate, on any issue important to the left, would be laughable if it weren't so darned insulting.  Really Mr. President, Mr. Reid, Ms. Pelosi, you can't find enough Democrat votes to extend unemployment benefits even with Christmas less then a month away.  Can't seem to muster enough votes from defeated members of Congress to lift the the tax cuts on people making over a million dollars per year?  While both of these policies may be wrong for the economy, and are mostly opposed by the Republicans, these should be bread and butter issues for you progressives.  If you can't get these things done then shame on you.

Stop complaining.  Stop your whining.  Either act or get the hell out of the way.  In any case, the public has lost interest in your historic victories of '08.  We are beyond the story line of the transformational presidency of Barack Obama.  What we have learned over the last two years, at a very great cost, is that the emperor has no clothes and that progressives are bereft of useful and constructive ideas to sustain the American way of life.  We have also been reminded that experience counts, and that community organizers with too few years of any practical legislative accomplishments, or without a shred of executive experience, can or should lead a free nation.  Those are lessons we cannot afford to forget any time soon.    
          

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Happy Thanksgiving 2010

Happy Thanksgiving to all!  Hope your travels, and those of your loved ones, are safe and happy until your/their return home.  

Regime Change

Last Monday night, the Saginaw County Republican Party held their post election county convention to elect a new executive committee and officers for the next two years.  Having been elected as a county commissioner earlier this month, and having served our party as chairman for the last four years, I chose not to run for a third term.  Helene Wiltse, who had been our vice chair, was elected as our new chairwoman.  Greg Ostrom, was elected as vice chair, Randall Norton remains the treasurer, and Catherine Zemanek was elected as secretary.  Congratulations to all!

Since Citizen Leader's subtitle was "Thoughts, ideas, and reflections from the Chairman of the Saginaw County Republican Party," it has been changed to "Thoughts, ideas, and reflections from a Saginaw County Commissioner."  I hope that this change of status won't deter you from checking in from time to time.  Nevertheless, I will try to be more prolific with new posts.  There will be lots to share.

Friday, November 19, 2010

Memory Lapse

Nothing like a mid-term shellacking to improve one's memory.  This morning on MSNBC's Morning Joe, Vice President Joe Biden said that America needs to "remember who we are."  This was in response to a question about how we regain our competitiveness in the world market.  Forget for a moment that for the last twenty-two months his boss has tried in vain to erase our collective memories and diffuse our status as a superpower all around the globe.  Over the course of the last two years, Barack Obama has told the world that we are not a Christian nation, that we are no more exceptional than anyone else, and most recently that the U. S. was no longer in a position to "meet the rest of the world economically on our terms."

I agree with Mr. Biden that, we, as a country, should remember who we are and return to the policies and practices that have sustained us, and can continue to sustain our power and influence around the globe.  And for the most part, that would mean an abject rejection of the Obama policies.  Which again, for the most part, were rejected by the American electorate earlier this month.  So Mr. Vice President, instead of reminding us who we are, remind Mr. Obama.  Tell him to stop the apology tours and stop  the reordering of the world's dominant players.  Tell him to stop punishing our producers and stop rewarding our failures.  Tell him to listen to the American people and to stop ignoring us because we don't know what's good for us.  And finally, tell him that American's are comfortable with leading, even if he's not.              

Monday, November 15, 2010

Catching Up

It's been entirely too long since my last post so I will ease in gradually.  Lots to talk about.

Obviously this month's election was huge on many fronts.  I just hope that Republicans across the country will heed the message of the electorate and govern responsibly.  I think they will.

What was the message of November 2nd?  That America wants an end to big government enterprise at the expense of the private sector and capitalism.  We reject the progressive drive to be more like Europe.  We believe in the equality of opportunity, but not the equality of outcome.  Suck on that President Obama.

My first reaction to the initial report from the co-chairs of the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform is that both parties should adopt and pass their recommendations entirely.
Stop the demoguoging!

I share my brother's reaction to the onset of cold weather; I hate having to wear a coat too.