I don't know whether to laugh or cry

In the aftermath of the election, not enough has been made of the piss poor job the press did in covering all of the candidates with the same fervor and fairness. You might think the job the press does is not really important. Well - it had an impact.

Zogby did a poll that showed how much negative people absorbed from the press about Republicans, and how little that knew at all about any Democrats. It is anecdotal I agree, but it does show the power of the press - especially when it is mis-used.

Here are some results of the survey (with a tip of the hat to Scott at Conservatism Today).

• 57.4 could NOT correctly say which party controls congress (50/50 shot just by guessing)
  
• 81.8 could NOT correctly say Joe Biden quit a previous campaign because of plagiarism (25% chance by guessing)
  
• 82.6 could NOT correctly say that Obama won his first election by getting opponents kicked off the ballot (25% chance by guessing)
  
• 88.4% could NOT correctly say that Obama said his policies would likely bankrupt the coal industry and make energy rates skyrocket (25% chance by guessing)
  
• 56.1 % could NOT correctly say Obama started his political career at the home of two former members of the Weather Underground (25% chance by guessing).
  

But, these people did get some info from the press.

• Only 13.7% failed to identify Palin as the person their party spent $150,000 in clothes on
  
• Only 6.2% failed to identify Palin as the one with a pregnant teenage daughter
  
• And 86.9 % thought that Palin said that she could see Russia from her “house,” even though that was Tina Fey who said that!!
  

Net result? Well, the Washington Post finally did admit that they were in the tank for Dear Leader, Obama, the Healer. And by seeing all of the layoffs happening in the print media, it seems that the public is figuring out the scam. And that is fine.

But, the damage is done. People were very badly misinformed prior to the election. It appears to have been a deliberate dis-information campaign on the part of the press - and it worked.

Now, that is not to say it is the reason that the Dear Leader won. The Republican incompetence cannot be over-stated. Plus, the appeal of electing a 'new' kind of politician may still have proven overwhelming.

But, having said that, shame on the MSM for the one-sided, slanted job they did in covering the election. Shame on you and a pox upon all your houses.

Failing to learn the lessons of History

In my timely and insightful post right after the election, I posited that we needed to rebuild the Republican party as a Conservative party once again.

Sadly, according to this article, the leadership of the House Republicans do not agree. Not that this is particularly shocking - just disheartening.

The House caucus re-elected Boehner as their leader. Oh boy. Boehner has never been a conservative. He was in the House leadership in the run-up to losing the majority in the House in 2006. He was the leader of the House Republicans the last 2 years.

What has he learned? Not much it seems. Those of us conservatives realize that we, as Republicans, have lost our way. We became that which we complained about. Our 'leaders'?. They lost control of spending, they signed on to the Medicare Prescription drug plan, they went wobbly on the border, the appeared to buy into the man-made global warming farce. In short, they have acted as though they were ashamed of the Conservative label. As Dr. Phil says, 'How is that working out for you?' They became more liberal - and they are now out of power.

And now, you hear chirping that we need to 'move to the middle'. Or 'find common ground', or become more 'bi-partisan'. What the hell?? That is exactly how we got here.

And now when asked if he saw a trend towards conservatism in his conference? Boehner's response (sadly)

“I think our members are trying to avoid that.”

. Oh splendid! So what, more of the same? Yah - that should work. It worked so well that last two election cycles.

Folks, some simple truths are at work here.

• We will NEVER be able to 'out-nice' the Liberals. We will never co-opt them on 'caring' more - never.
  
  
• We will never be rewarded for our efforts in trying to 'be nice'.
  
  
• Liberals will not like us more, be nicer to us, or stop lying about us.
  
  
• Bi-partisanship is a loser for us. Because it only means we give up something - and get nothing in return. The Liberals get part of what they want now, the rest they will get later.
  
  
• We look weak and un-principled. Why? Because we are. What are, raging Moderates?
  

Look - we need to define what, exactly, we stand for. The Liberals know precisely what they stand for. Lately, we have been 'liberal-lite'. This is a loser for us. We need to re-identify what makes us Conservatives.

• Lower Taxes - both personal and business. We need to educate the public on why this is SUCH a good idea. High taxes rob people of the motivation needed to be productive.
  
  
• SMALLER Government. We need to point out the ever increasing size and scope of Government, why it is bad, and how it erodes our freedoms
  
  
• Secure our borders and protect our sovereignty
  
  
• Reject Man-made global warming. It is a farce and we need to be clear about it. We must avoid putting BAD policies (like Cap and Trade) in place because we will not reject the junk science of global warming.
  
  
• Increase Domestic oil and gas production
  
  
• Support our military. And not this crap of 'I support the troops, but not the mission'. That is Horse-shite. We need to REVERE our military.
  
  
• Reject political correctness and affirmative action. But instead, push the ideas of personal initiative, hard work, a level playing field, and letting people benefit from their hard work.

And we need to purge the RINOS from our midst - and damned soon. Until we embrace Conservatism once again - and get rid of the liberals in our party - we will be doomed to continue our current walk in the wilderness.

US Auto Companies - Let them go to Chapter 11

The Big 3 are in trouble. Of that there is no doubt. Should be bail them out - HELL NO. They got here through their own decisions. They entered into stupid union contracts. My favorite concession is the jobs bank. This is where you pay thousands of workers to sit all day and do NOTHING.

It is by design - you pay them to do nothing. It has its roots in the days when the company was automating jobs once done by humans. As a sop to the unions, they company agreed to keep people on the payroll, just in case they were needed. They are never needed. My best friend is losing his job at the end of November as a contract engineer for GM. He works at the GM Technical Center - this is a one-mile square collection of GM buildings. In one of the buildings, 150 union 'workers' show up everyday - and do nothing. Apparently, they used to be janitorial workers - but GM outsourced that function years ago. While these guys sit and do nothing, my friend is losing his job - at which he has worked hard for 15+ years. Great system.

So, I say - let them go into Chapter 11. It will give the companies a chance to re-organize and re-emerge with a competitive cost structure. Giving them a $25Billion bale-out does nothing to fix the fundamental problem. It simply prolongs the agony. Companies in Chapter 11 keep on running, people keep going to work, products keep being built.

But, the Democrats in congress are crying for a bailout. Why? Because, in Chapter 11, the courts will impose new contract terms with the union. That is the big rub for the Democrats. The unions HATE that. The court will simply remove ridiculous provisions like the jobs bank, having your birthday as a paid holiday, and not allowing an electrician to sweep a floor. In my mind, if the unions hate it - it must be a good thing.

Let the tyranny begin - Here comes The Fairness Doctrine

Well - it did not take long. Our Dear Leader, even though he has not taken office yet (though he did 'create' the 'Office of the President Elect' - speaking of hubris) he has announced an appointment. It is Henry Rivera...yikes. A little background and history - Rivera is an ardent supporter of the Fairness Doctrine. He served on the FCC Commissioner board from 81-85. It was his leaving, and being replaced by a Republican, that finally allowed the Fairness Doctrine to die a much needed death.

But, in politics, as in theology, dead does not really mean dead. Once he regains his seat in the spring of 2009, you can expect quick re-animation of the Fairness Doctrine.

What will this mean? It will force broadcast radio outlets to provide 'balanced' coverage of issues. Simply, if you have 3 hours of Rush - you will need 3 hours of a Liberal counterpoint. Several problems immediately confront the thoughtful reader concerning this:

1) What business does the Government have in regulating the political content of commercial speech (apart from say, obscenity)? There are plenty of opportunity for people to get diverse views in the media already. Radio is dominated by conservatives, Cable TV by Liberals.

2) Who will decide what is 'balance'? The FCC, of course. Now, Liberals think NBC, ABC, CBS, MSNBC, the NYT, etc are 'middle of the road'. So much for 'Fairness'.

3) Who wants to deal with the fact that Liberal talk radio (Air America) has failed every time it has been tried. Liberals just do not get talk radio. They do not get the entertainment aspect of it. They certainly don't get the humour aspect of (they are just too mad all the time). Air America had audiences numbering in the dozens.

4) Could mean a boom for satellite radio. A lot harder to control something that is beamed in from space. Might want to get some stock in satellite radio related companies now. Let's stick it to The One and make some money.

So, what will the net result be? It will be just the opposite of the 'stated' intention. It will be exactly the 'actual' intent. Stations, under threat of license forfeiture, will be required to provide 'balance'. Since there are few, if any, financially viable models that include Liberal talk - they will do the only thing that they can --- LIMIT Conservative talk. Because, you see, there are two ways to achieve balance. Either have more of one thing - or less of the other.

It is clear the Liberals HATE talk radio. It is because it is an effective voice of opposition. So, rather than try to expand the audience for THEIR ideas - they will simply silence OUR ideas.

This is what you can expect from the Dear Leader. Forget the bullshit you hear from him about 'coming together', 'healing division', and 'listening to you'. He will move aggressively to silence the opposition.

This is but the first shot of the war to do so.

Not quite Mr. Fusion - but getting there. Our energy troubles solved?

Remember the movie 'Back to the Future'? Doc Brown comes back from the future to get Marty. For fuel to generate the 1.21 GigaWatts he needs - he dumps a bunch of garbage into a Mr. Fusion atomic generator mounted on the back of the DeLorean.

Well - we are not there yet, but, according to this article in the UK Guardian, we are getting closer.

The article describes a 'shed-size' nuclear reactor - that puts out enough electricity to power 20,000 homes. The article says the investment is $250/house. (I think that is an error - if my math is right (and it usually is), it would be $2,500 per house.) The total cost of the power is said to be $0.10 per KwHour. I am paying about $0.12 now. Also, in another article, Toshiba is developing an even smaller scale model - that could do it for $0.05/KwHour. They both use molten Lithium-6 as a coolant, which makes them extremely safe.

Now, you would think that this would be exciting, fantastic news!!! Just imagine - a power source that emits ZERO pollutants. A ZERO carbon footprint. Nothing to cap and trade. You would think that the environmentalists would have an eco-orgasim.

But - you know better. They will complain about the nuclear waste. Yes, a problem, but one we can solve, if we will only let ourselves. They will complain about environmental impact (even though the reactors take up the space of a garage - UNDERGROUND). They will fret that the Silver-Breasted Nut Scratcher will lose its habitat. The will raise the horror of 'The China Syndrome. All bullshit.

What they really don't like, what they really fear, is the specter of clean and essentially unlimited energy! It would completely unshackle the industrial economy in the US. It would make us even more of world dominating powerhouse!! This is the nightmare scenario to the socialist driven environmentalists. Because, never (actually - never, ever) forget, the hard core enviro-whackjobs are, at the core, anti-industrialists and anti-capitalists. They hide behind 'mother-earth' like a child behind his mother's skirt.

They cooked up the cock and bull global warming crisis to scare little children. They will not let it go, despite the fact that the globe has actually cooled the last 10 years. Scientists will continue to be ostracized for daring to publicly acknowledge the utter falsehood of man-made global warming. This has been, and will continue to be ignored by the MSM. To do otherwise would piss off the left.

The Messiah, when be takes office, has promised all kinds of nefarious regulations (the worst of the worst is Cap and Trade). This will be a powerful club to wield against the evil corporations. It will be a source of tremendous revenue to the government, and a source of nearly endless Federal power to meddle in private industry.

So, you will NEVER see these mini-reactors in use in the US -- NEVER. We will hear all manner of nonsense excuses and diversionary 'reasons' as to why. Just remember - the WHY is the power of the environmental movement, its incestuous relationship to the Left, and the issue's ability to allow the Left to control YOUR life.

Project Phoenix - We Rise from the Ashes

It is sad to me that it has come this. But, America has spoken. A majority of your fellow citizens decided this is the direction they wanted. The young, especially, are clueless as to what they have actually done. But, what is done is done.

So, no whining
Sure, there was voter fraud. But, be honest, it did NOT cost us the election. The margins were too big. We lost - the Dems won. Whining only cheapens us.

Deal with your grieve - and get past it quick
I suggest we share grieving process with like-minded individuals. Your liberal friends will gloat, the trolls will stop by your blogs. Let that kind of thing roll off your back. Just grin and bear it - it will be short lived.

We need to look to the future
As Conservatives and Patriots, we need to deal with it and get moving on planning our path forward.

Work towards 2010
BHO is a fact of life until 2012. We have another round of elections in 2 years. We need to work like hell to improve our position in that cycle.

We need to stand against any and all BAD ideas
We need to minimize the coming damage. To do to this, we need to help our weak-kneed, moderate, and 'bi-partisan' Senators grow a spine and a set. (And, yes, I include McCain in this group). The Senate is the only firewall standing between us and a complete train-wreck. So, let us take a while to settle ourselves. I a couple weeks, let's start planning a communication strategy to solidify our Conservative network. Then, let's start using the our network to influence our Senators.

On the, slightly, good news front - we will have at least 43 (probably 44) Senate seats. OOPS --- UPDATE... We are down do 42 at most. Run-off in GA, and Franken in Minn. If (big if) the Republican Senators hang together, the can stop a LOT of the Liberal agenda.

- They need to filibuster the Fairness Doctrine. (Oops - I was wrong here. The Fairness Doctrine can be re-imposed by a rule change at the FCC. The FCC will have a 3-2 balance of Democrats sometime in the first quarter 2009).
- They need to filibuster the Employee Free Choice act
- They need to filibuster the 'Cap and Trade' scheme gets stopped.
- They need to filibuster any new Gun Control measures
- They need to filibuster any attempt to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act
- They need to filibuster the Freedom of Choice Act.
- Be willing to filibuster judicial appointments. And be willing to stick too it.

Work like hell to completely overhaul the Republican Party
We nee a Conservative republican party. The RINOs had their chance. Bush was never a big C Conservative. The RINOS maimed us 2006. They killed us in 2008. Watching McCain should clarify it: we will never win by moving to the center. We won't win by trying to 'out-nice' the Liberals. We need to help the public understand what conservatism REALLY is

We need to identify and start grooming a Conservative leader. We need a focal point for re-building the Conservative movement. Jindal? Palin? Someone new? Let us not underestimate the size of this task. Look at the Electoral Map. It is truly sickening. Get ready for a long haul, it may well be 2016 before we will re-take the White House. It may take that long before the people really figure BHO out.

Last gasp of freedom

Well - this is my last post prior to the election. Just a couple of thoughts.

BHO has said recently that he wants to put policies in place that will, in effect, bankrupt the coal power plants in this country!! You may not be shocked to think of this - but we produce 1/2 of our electricity. AND he wants to make us free of dependence on foreign oil in 10 years. Give me a break.

He also wants a civilian security corp. From last Wednesday:

“We cannot continue to rely only on our military in order to achieve the national security objectives that we’ve set,”... “We’ve got to have a civilian national security force that’s just as powerful, just as strong, just as well funded.”

Can you say 'Brown Shirt'? This would be the group that would seek out dissenters, intimidate the opposing voices, and probably work with the ATF to accomplish firearm confiscation. It will start nicely enough, but these things never finish that way.

Last week Obama made a crack about McCain calling him a Communist. He had a pretty funny crack about sharing his toys and his peanut butter sandwich. He wondered whether that makes him a Communist. He, of course, misses the point. When he shared HIS sandwich - that was CHARITY. As President, he would make everyone ELSE share THEIR toys. And THAT makes him at least a Socialist.

In closing: I do fear for tomorrow. In looking at the polls, I seem some hope of a McCain victory. Though, to be honest, I give him a 3 in 7 chance.

I will be hugely disappointed if BHO wins. I will be most disappointed because it will confirm my fear the people actually bought into this guy. That the American people finally said 'we want a nanny-state'. We WANT the government to be responsible for our lives, like the very pitiful woman after a BHO rally who said she would no longer have to worry about filling her gas tank or paying her mortgage.

This, ladies and gents, represents the end of America that I was raised in. An America where YOUR life, and that of your children, was ultimately YOUR responsibility. Charity thrived because people care deeply about others. But, in the new America - that will be dead. We will become Europe. It will be the governments job to take of you.

Should Barack Hussein Obama be elected President--It will be a sad, sad day.