THOMAS JEFFERSON

It's amazing how well the wisdom of our Founding Fathers has held up over the years. I was just reading some quotes by Thomas Jefferson. It is no coincidence that the Tea Party Movement harkens back to revolutionary days. Thomas Jefferson's words are just as relevant today as they were when he was standing up against the tyranny of government.

Here are few.....

Regarding the free market, fiscal restraint, and tax policies,

"A wise and frugal government, which shall leave men free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned - this is the sum of good government."

Regarding the silent majority getting off of their couches and into the streets to protest and make their voices and concerns heard,

"All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent."

Regarding the reckless effort to jam through health care reform asap,

"Delay is preferable to error."

In regards to our cherished freedoms giving way to increased government,

"Experience hath shewn, that even under the best forms of government those entrusted with power have, in time, and by slow operations perverted it into tyranny."

In regards to the "every day" American having more sense than the educated elite,

"He who knows nothing is closer to the truth than he whose mind is filled with falsehoods and errors."

In regards to allowing for differences of opinion, but also humbling oneself to listen and relent to reason,

"Errors of opinion may be tolerated where reason is left free to combat it."

And finally, in regards to learning from the failed systems of governing, such as socialism and communism,

"History, in general, only informs us of what bad government is."

His words were true then, and they're true now. Our Constitution drafted by our Founding Fathers has endured for 211 years. It's time again for the people to pull the reigns on the government that is drifting toward strangling our freedoms and treating us as subjects to be taken care of, rather than a free people to serve.

YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING

Just when you thought you'd seen it all.....

From Instapundit.com...

PRIORITY-SETTING: Justice Dept.: Obama administration may take action on BCS. “The Obama administration is considering several steps that would review the legality of the controversial Bowl Championship Series, the Justice Department said in a letter Friday to a senator who had asked for an antitrust review.”

Reader John Lucas writes:

Here are two (related) questions some reporter should ask Robert Gibbs at the next press briefing: “Is there any aspect of our lives that the President will say is off-limits to federal regulation? Is there anything that he will unequivocally promise not to try to control?”

If they try to control how much sugar I drink in sodas and how college football is played, I can’t think of anything they would not try to control.

And, Orrin Hatch is equally to blame. His role lends credence to the idea that the “old guard” Republicans are equally unprincipled.

Indeed.

Posted at 2:17 pm by Glenn Reynolds

REAL COMPETITION

My comments in this post stem from thoughts stirred in me by reading an article linked by instatpundit.

For the first time, I've now seen a real threat to Obama in the 2012 Primary. It's Senator Jim Webb. He seems to have sensed the pulse of the temperament in the nation right now, and sounds willing to lead from the center, instead of a the radical left. Senator Webb said in a pre-State of the Union remark that:

The overriding objective of the President and the Congress over the next year must be to offer the kind of leadership that regains the confidence of the American people in our system, in our deliberative process, and above all in our leaders. With that in mind, my colleagues on both sides of the aisle should work ever harder to approach the issues that face us with less partisan maneuvering and a more genuine commitment to resolving the truly daunting challenges that now face working Americans.

That is the type of language people want to hear right now. Frankly, it's the type of language that got Obama elected in the first place. People of most stripes are very tired of the demonizing of the opposite party and unwillingness to give credit to either party for a good idea. For instance, I sensed that the democrats wanted to actually lose in Iraq, just to prove they were right and make Bush look bad. Another quote that will resonate with the Tea Party types is:

"To the American voters, I would offer this small piece of advice: Be just as shrewd and ruthless in your demands on our leaders as the political wizards who are running these campaigns are in their strategies designed to get your vote," Webb wrote in his 2008 book, "A Time to Fight: Reclaiming a Fair and Just America."

The fact that he wrote these words before the Tea Party movement really got its legs makes his words believable as his true sentiment rather than a tailored message aimed to target popularity among the rising Tea Partiers.

Lately, I'm becoming more aware that even the democrats are split into 2 idealogies right now. There are the leftist progressives and the left-of-center democrats. You find similar splits in the GOP, but with public opinion shifting to a place right of Obama's radical agenda, a center democrat could really make an interesting race in 2012, first for the primary and then the presidency. If he won the primary, and upon scrutiny of his words we find that they match up with his votes in the next potentially very contentious year (even among the democrats), I think he could be a very attractive candidate in 2012, pulling support from both disenchanted Dems, Independents, and Tea Party supporters. I would go as far as to say that if a democratic primary were to happen tomorrow, Webb would beat Obama.

Even I would take a close look just because balance of power among the branches of government is often the best way to really address concerns in a way that doesn't divide the country. Everyone seems to think that the Tea Party movement will either end up being a party unto itself or hook itself up to the Republican party in an election. A slightly left of center democrat for president and a Republican majority in Congress could be the most healing and appealing thing for the country right now.

The Tea Party stands for a common sense approach to solving our problems. If my impression of Webb gleaned from the article sited above holds up over the next few years, he might just fit the bill. I will at least look at him more closely.

WHOAH

I guess I shouldn't be surprised, but SEIU and others are creating a movement/organization called "The Tea Party Is Over." Even their website looks sinister. A Tea Party website would be red, white, and blue. This one is black and brown and has a look of wanting to break things apart.

I got the heads-up on this from a link on Instapundit which shows who the donors are to the effort to destroy the Tea Party movement from making a difference in legislation.

I guess they're feeling a bit threatened.....

WRONG TALKING POINTS

Tonight is President Obama's first State of the Union Address. He comes to it not at all in the position he imagined a year ago. He can't claim that his ambitious agenda has born any fruit. His first declaration that Gitmo would be closed in a year didn't happen and the health care bill, which was supposed to be signed in August is in shambles. He did not handle the 3:00 a.m. phone call very well. His promise of transparency and bipartisanship is a joke.

Below is a copy of the talking point for tonight's address. I'm copying the whole thing, but will put my comments in [bold]

Anyway, here it is:

Rescue, Rebuild and Restore

· President Obama took office a year ago amid an array of challenges unparalleled in our lifetime.

o Our economy was in freefall - gripped by the deepest downturn since the Great Depression and teetering on the edge of an even greater collapse.

o Job losses of more than 700,000-a-month compounded an ongoing assault on the Middle Class: a decade of stagnant wages, the impact of plummeting home values and the ever-rising costs of health insurance and educating their kids.

o A $1.3 trillion budget deficit, two wars and badly frayed global alliances also greeted the President at the door. [We knew he wouldn't be able to resist that one.]

· Faced with daunting challenges, Obama took strong and politically-difficult steps to rescue the country from a potential Second Great Depression; to rebuild the economy for the long-term, so businesses are thriving, the Middle Class is growing and all our families are more secure; and to restore America's leadership in the world, as we wrestle with the global challenges of the 21st Century. [well, I suppose he took steps, but I wouldn't say he achieved his goal.]

Rescue
Economic Issues

· Within one month of his inaugural, President Obama had shepherded the most far-reaching economic recovery plan in American history. It has brought our economy back from the brink of a second Great Depression and, one year later, we are beginning to see signs of progress. [I sure hope we'd be seeing some signs of recovery. The sad thing, however, is that even the White House economists forecasted that doing nothing would have brought us further along into a recovery by now. And, from my own POV, I see things getting worse and not better as people not only continue to lose jobs, but also remain unemployed for so long]

o Job losses, while still too high have fallen to a tenth of where they were a year ago and the economy is growing for the first time in two years. ["a tenth of where they were a year ago"? I guess that means we're only losing 70,000 jobs a month instead of 700,000. I suppose that is a positive direction, but the one-tenth line sounds like they can trick us into thinking things are better than they are. He can't trick us, though, because one in 10 people are still unemployed. It may be that less people are being added monthly to the ranks of the unemployed than a year ago, but the travesty is that many of those people are still unemployed. Their savings and house is gone. For many, if they have a job, they are either underemployed or working part time]

· The President also began the work to rebuild the economy for the long-term by laying a New Foundation for growth and prosperity - a prosperity that is focused on working families, small business owners and the economic competitiveness of our nation. [I noticed the "New Foundation" is capitalized. Is this like the "New Deal" or something?]

Rebuild
Domestic Agenda

· Under President Obama's leadership, we have begun to confront challenges that Washington has ignored for decades and enact reforms meant to strengthen families, small businesses, and American economic competitiveness that lobbyists and special interests have worked to prevent time and again. [ I like the "meant to" line, because his "reforms" did not do what they were theoretically meant to do.]

o We are closer than ever on real health reform, we're moving toward a clean energy economy, we've taken on the big banks and special interests to reform outdated and lax financial rules, and we've initiated far-reaching education reforms to demand excellence in K-12 and make college more accessible and affordable. [Those just seem like bad things to bring up that way. Close isn't close enough for those who expected it to happen months ago. And, for those who feel that it was a close call that it only came close to passing just want to hear him say that they'll start over. The whole "clean energy economy" harkens to the lack of progress in Copenhagen for those who want to see Climate Change addressed, and to the bogus global warming scandal and other ways they're getting their hands all over the auto industry and cap and trade taxes for those who don't.]

· President Obama has also signed historic legislation - from extending unemployment benefits to expanding health insurance for children to ensuring that women receive equal pay for equal work - that, for decades to come, will improve and strengthen the lives of everyday Americans and working families throughout the country.

· On issues large and small, the President has worked to rebuild the economy on a New Foundation so that middle class families, and those who aspire to the middle class, can enjoy the prosperity and economic well-being enjoyed by the special interests, the very wealthy and the well-connected. [Okay, this one reveals the heart of his convictions. (Hence the larger print for emphasis) There's that "New Foundation" again. It reminds me of his promise to "transform this country." Also, in this statement, you see his belief in a socialist state where the wealth is shared. So much of the angst out there (me included) is that the progressives are indeed aspiring to a "New Foundation." They want to erase the foundation of our Founding Fathers and the principals that made this country great. This country's foundation was strong - the Rock of Faith in God, the belief in the individual's rights and the promotion free enterprise. They don't want any of that.]

· He's matched this leadership and advocacy for the American people by standing up to those very special interests and by beginning to change the way business is done in Washington by making government more accountable, accessible and transparent to all Americans. [okay, if he wants any credibility whatsoever, don't bring that one up!!!! There is no one left outside his own administration that believes that government is "more accountable, accessible, and transparent to all Americans."]

o For the first time ever, every visitor to the White House - what they're doing and who they're meeting with - will be made public [Does that say, "will be made" public? I thought they were already supposed to be. At least there is an admission there that it hasn't entirely been that way.]

o And we've limited the influence of lobbyists in government by preventing executive branch employees from receiving gifts from lobbyists, by prohibiting administration officials from lobbying the government for two years after they leave public service, and by removing lobbyists from government boards and commissions.

Restore
Global Relationships

· As he's worked to rescue the economy and rebuild it on a new foundation that will promote growth and prosperity for all Americans, President Obama has begun the hard work required to restore America's standing and leadership in the world.

o He's enhanced American safety and security by beginning the responsible drawdown of American combat troops in Iraq. Working with our allies, he's refocused the fight against Al Qaeda in Afghanistan while bolstering our relationship with Pakistan.

o He's also engaged our partners throughout the world to combat extremism, begun to rebuild frayed alliances, and reasserted American leadership on issues like climate and energy, financial recovery, public health and hunger [I'm sure he's talked about it. I haven't seen any positive results that have come from his "engagement."]

· After one momentous year in office, President Obama has governed as he said he would, making tough decisions instead of deferring them, thinking about the long-term well-being of the country and not just his own, short-term politics. [well being? He may think so, but to me he's thinking about the long-term weakening and transforming of our country into something we don't recognize as America.]

· On a whole range of issues, President Obama has remained faithful to the central commitments of his campaign and he has begun to deliver changes that the American people expect and deserve. [I guess I did expect some of the things he's done, but I don't feel I deserve them. And for those who's he is really addressing, I don't think they'd agree that he has "remained faithful to the central commitments of his campaign". Talk to the gay right activists, the Gitmo haters, the war haters, the public option wanters, the bipartisan hopefuls......]

This seems to me a pretty comprehensive compendium of Obama administration stretchers and prevarications, but it is probably a reliable preview of what the president has in store tonight.

PRETTY AMAZING

This article reveals some stats that are pretty amazing.
The headline is:

3 in 10 Californians identify with the Tea Party; a third still don't believe Obama's birth certificate

Will California pull an upset like in Massachusetts?

MORE DISCONNECT

I read the following article and just crinkled my face with a "I can't believe what I just read" type of feeling. I'm copying the entire article, but I'll put the parts that really may me say, "huh?" in bold italics.

Newly inaugurated Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell will deliver the Republican response to President Obama's State of the Union address on Wednesday.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Minority Leader John Boehner announced the selection Thursday, with Boehner saying McDonnell was the choice because of his solutions-oriented approach to putting Virginians back to work.

"As the American people continue to ask, 'where are the jobs,' Gov. McDonnell has offered common-sense economic policies in stark contrast to Washington Democrats' job-killing agenda," Boehner said in a written statement. "We don't need a government takeover of health care or a 'cap-and-trade' national energy tax -- we need a common-sense plan to help middle-class families and small businesses and allow them to keep more of what they earn so they can save, invest and hire."

The choice to deliver the GOP response is typically reserved for rising stars who are offered the precarious platform that allows them to show their chops or break their momentum. The individual chosen to follow the president's address doesn't benefit from a live audience of lawmakers, Supreme Court justices and Cabinet officials nor does he enjoy the grandeur of the Capitol dome as a backdrop.

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal was panned for his Republican address after Obama's first joint session to Congress following his inauguration last year.

McDonnell was inaugurated as the 71st governor of Virginia last Saturday. He is one of three Republicans to win statewide election since President Obama came to office, defeating Creigh Deeds in the November gubernatorial election.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Massachusetts Sen.-elect Scott Brown are the other recent victors.

Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said he was anticipating the response since McDonnell's gubernatorial campaign last year resembled the president's.

"A lot of themes look similar to what the president ran on. We certainly look forward to what he has to say, Gibbs said."

I just don't get it. Do they live in an alternate universe? And, if Gibbs believes "a lot of themes look similar to what the president ran on," then my only conclusion is that they knew full well that they did not plan to deliver on any of the campaign promises, i.e., Gibbs is admitting that they ran on a platform completely opposite that of what they're now pursuing. It also demonstrates that Gibbs thinks that, even after a year, the country is in no better or different place than it was when Obama took office.

All I can do is shake my head. I guess the less cynical and half full way to look at it is that all Americans want the same thing; they are just diametrically opposed as to the path to get there. While I think that might be true for the moderate democrats, i don't buy that for the leftist radical progressives. Again, the lessons of history are there. The blueprint to success and recovery is there. The blueprint for disaster is there, too. If Obama's IQ is as high as they say, then why won't he heed the lessons of history?