All the News That's Fit to be Tied

I have an axe to grind, but unlike the New York Times, I freely admit it.

Saturday, August 23, 2008

Joe Biden Passes Bayh

You won't hear it anywhere else, but Indiana Senator Evan (Birch Evans) Bayh was Obama's real first choice. His mistake was to assume Bayh would serve. As a result he, once again, spoke too soon and announced his plans to name his VP choice. When Bayh turned him down, Obama had to punt and picked US Senator Joe Biden (Delaware-D). His other choices (Tim Kaine or Chet Edwards) would have never cut the mustard with the voting public. When this news came it was just another rumor, but the passing of time has given credence to this chain of events. The night prior to the announcement news crew's had staked out the homes of the two most obvious candidates, Biden and Bayh. In the early evening Joe Biden told a news crew that he was not the nominee and it sounded pretty final. The camera out front showed there were lights on and some activity inside. In contrast Bayh's house was dark. Only the entrance lights were on. He is not a stupid man. He knew he was in the VP mix and like Joe Biden he would have been home waiting for the call if he did not know he had been picked. However, Barack's self-assuredness about a November victory can be downright scary to some people and Evan Bayh probably started looking for the door when he found himself in the same room alone with the man. Obama really believes he was chosen and that was enough of a reason for Bayh to pass. He'll wait until 2012 when he can team up with Hilary or run himself. Biden, being the faithful Democrat that he is, stepped into the breach like a good soldier should and saved Barack from an embarrassment that would have meant the end of his campaign. If it became known that his personal choice for VP refused to serve with him, the super-delegates at the convention would not be very far behind and Obama could lose the nomination to the only other candidate entered in the convention; Hilary Clinton. Most people don't expect this can happen, but there is little doubt that such an event would create plenty of buzz and excitement for the Democratic Party. The coverage would be 24/7 until the election and the cable industry would start new shows just to cover the story. There are many in the “big tent” that want a Democratic sweep no matter who is at the top and there is a bad feeling that Barack may not be able to get them there. How long will it remain a secret?

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Insults Among Friends Go Unnoticed

If there was ever any doubt about the slant of taxpayer financed National Public Radio news it was clarified earlier this week when Democratic Party Chairman Howard Dean dropped the race card in an interview on NPR. When talking about the alleged advantage minorities have in the Democratic Party he said "women and minorities do better in the Democratic Party than they do in the white, I mean Republican party." Is there anyone besides other Democrats that think this was a mistake? It is not very likely. The Democrats have been playing the race card since Obama has become a serious player in the run-up to the election. As the veneer cracks on the thin Obama topcoat his policy weaknesses and political naiveté become more obvious. Convincing America that not voting for Obama is racist, which is being done by the candidate, his supporters and the mainstream media, is the only way Obama wins the November election. His only real policy is everything President Bush supports he opposes. It is the stock Democratic Party position for the last eight years. The polls, for the little they are worth, show the race between Obama and McCain to be very close. Much closer than it should be, if past history is any guide. That’s why Dean resorted to the race card. That is why he made a “staged” mistake that only a moron could miss. It was not an accident, a slip of the tongue, Freudian or otherwise, or an attempt to be clever. It was racist pure and simple, and as is typically the case, not one major news source asked Mr. Dean why he said it or held him to account for doing so. In the event there are people who don't know. NPR is broadcast on more radio stations nationwide than Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity combined. What's more is that you pay for it even if you don't listen.

Sunday, August 17, 2008

Picken up the Pieces

When Boone Pickens first aired his wind plan he was applauded as an oil man who had seen the light. However, as we learned more about his plan we discovered that Mr. Pickens has invested 40 billion in windmill power and wants the American people to bail him out via the government subsidy route. As the truth emerges about the not so pure motives of Boone Pickens other truths also emerge. Until now wind power has been considered an inferior form of power generation because there is no wind (on average across the planet) 65-percent of the time. Comparatively speaking the output of wind is incredibly inferior to oil, natural gas, coal and nuclear power. Providing wind-power generated electric for Washington D.C. would require covering the entire state of Delaware with windmills as well as a fossil fuel backup system. And that of course, is the other dirty little secret. Every currently proposed alternative energy plan uses a fossil-fuel based backup system in the event the alternative fails. (See The New Narrative, July 16, Hot Air from Boone Pickens.) There is also another dirty little secret. Speaker of The House Nancy Pelosi (D-California) recently invested a hefty amount of money in the stock of Clean Energy Fuels Corporation, a company formerly called Pickens Fuel and specializing in the development of natural gas as a fuel for cars. It is plain that people like Boone Pickens and Nancy Pelosi both rely on the mainstream press to overlook these "inconvenient" facts so the public will assume their motives to be for the public good when in fact they are for personal gain first and the public good second.

Monday, August 11, 2008

Buyers Remorse at the Democratic Convention

There's a whispering campaign in the inner sanctum of the Democratic Party. There are those that think that Obama is going down in flames and there is very little the party apparatus can do to save him. He has committed the mortal sin of politics; believing your own press. He has acted as if he was chosen by a higher power. He has already begun renovating the White House. He is already planning policy for his second term. However, there are those who are planning to derail his first term, among them Hilary Rodham Clinton. She hasn't lost track of the true delegate count, even if Obama still takes politicians at their word. In real terms Barack is only 69 committed delegates ahead of Hilary. He has 1661 and she has 1592. These are the only real votes that have been cast. Every other vote for either candidate is either projected or promised and will not occur until the convention. Since 2,118 delegates are currently needed to win the nomination neither can really be declared the winner at this point. As Ralph Carpenter once said "The opera ain't over 'til the fat lady sings." The Clinton campaign has already begun preparations for contesting the nomination. They have declared that Clinton delegates must be counted. To count them her name must be offered in nomination. She has declared that the party will be more united if this takes place. And, she is right. The U.S. Presidency is won in the Electoral College and by every analysis of the electoral map she starts and ends the election with more electoral votes than Obama. (see TheNewNarrative, June 4, May 27 and May 25). For almost a year the mainstream media has been selling the idea that 2008 will be a Democratic year. Democrats will win the Presidency, gain seats in the House, have a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate and generally run the Republican Party out of Washington. They have tried hard to convince Americans that if they want to be with the winner they might as well vote for Obama. To date they have failed. All the influence peddling by the liberal media has failed put Obama in the position to win. Hilary knows it and there’s blood in the water.

Tuesday, August 5, 2008

It's Gonna Take a Miracle

What most Americans want now is another choice. As John McCain senior moments his way toward the election and Obama flames out like a meteor meeting the force of the atmosphere, we are all hoping that by virtue of some miracle we may have better candidates to vote for in November. Republicans can't really be happy voting for a man who seems a better fit for the Bluedog Democrats than the Republican Party, and Democrats, even Progressive ones, can't be happy with a guy whose best friends seem to hate America, but is the obvious choice if you want to push the country further to the left. As we approach the party conventions we are, as usual, hoping for miracles. Republican voters would like another shot at picking a standard bearer for the Party. Many feel that cross-party primary voters had a huge effect on the nomination process giving McCain victories in some states he did not deserve. Even when Romney dropped out of the race he was less than 100 delegates behind McCain. In Romney's case he reduced that margin right out of the box by beating McCain in primaries in which he was no longer a candidate. Some think he will inevitably get the VP slot or a shot at the Presidency in 2012 whether McCain wins this time or not. Be that as it may, many would like a better option. There are some Democrats who would like to see a rebellion at the Democratic Convention. While the nomination of Obama steam rolls its way forward and he behaves as if he has already won, if you discount the votes of the super-delegates neither Clinton nor Obama have enough elected delegates to win the nomination outright. Even though Obama can claim victory based on those who have publicly voiced their support, the actual votes have not been cast. There are some who believe that Obama's presumptuousness may be his downfall. His Messiah-like comments, along with his claim to be a citizen of the world, and the obviously transparent attempts at fooling the public are common knowledge in the electorate at large. Even Obama's supporters are not fooled. A shift in 15% of the super delegates could throw the nomination to Hilary Clinton, however unlikely that seems. It would certainly dampen the hopes of Obama’s magic circus. America needs a miracle to be saved from the new Messiah and the Old Man and the Sea.