If You Can't Beat 'em, Bully 'em

"I need you to go out and talk to your friends and talk to your neighbors. I want you to talk to them whether they are independent or whether they are Republican. I want you to argue with them and get in their face."

-- Barack Obama, Elko, NV, September 16, 2008

Alrighty, then. (Note: I've not linked to the points below because there are copious reports that support them that have been clicked on to death.)

First, the DNC tried to bully Hillary Rodham Clinton out of the primary.

Then, the MSM, mesmerized by The One, tried to bully primary voters into snubbing HRC by accusing ordinary citizens of racism.

Next, the DNC Rules Committee strong-armed the Democratic electorate in Florida and Michigan to give The Big O delegates conjured from thin air.

Then, the Unholy Trinity of Pelosi, Dean, and Reid conspired to buy superdelegate support by pouring cash into campaign coffers, causing a stampede of shameless political hacks to The One and finally shoving the people's choice out of the primary.

Next, the DNC and The One, he of the hopey/changey/post-partisan/post-racial/new politics kumbaya campaign, harangued national delegates into abandoning their states' voters to support the worst sham election since Syria's.

But, it hasn't worked. The McCain-Palin ticket is tied with The Eared and Plugged Ones. M-P is ahead in key battle grounds, like Florida, and competitive in Michigan. (Go figure. Those Dems didn't like all the maneuvering at their expense.)

So, the Unholy Trinity and the Chicago Cabal are panicked. The country just doesn't seem to like this guy and no amount of shilling from SNL and Bill Maher seems to help. What's a dirty Daley machine pol to do? Bully the electorate.

For all I know, the American people can be humbled and despirited enough to grudgingly vote for the Ear-Plugs ticket. Who knows? Stranger things have happened. (See Bush 2000 and Bush 2004.) But, color me skeptical, if I'm allowed to be without that being misconstrued as a racial taunt.

Here's what I see as the DNC/Ear-Plugs strategy.

1. Inspire its minions to harass their friends, neighbors and coworkers.

2. Call the American people racists by making bogus claims about The One's inherent electability were he not (b)-(l)-(a)-(c)-(k). I said, were he not BLACK. BLACK! Can't you people see there's a BLACK man running for president? There was a poll telling you what a racist sack of pig excrement you are! (lipstick optional)

3. Threaten us with THE CHRISTIANS.

4. Scare us that the old man may not make it to January, leaving us with - a sitting governor!

5. Scream about leaving the economy to A CHRISTIAN and and an old guy who can't even send an e-mail (because the Viet Cong broke his arms in multiple places but he can't tell you that because that's "playing the POW card").

So much for the politics of hope and change. Let's examine these tactics.

1. - Great way to get fired/dumped/shunned/disinvited to your mother-in-law's annual New Year's bunko blowout. Seriously, The One did this in the primaries and a quarter of HRC's voters are so mad they're either voting for the other guy or undecided. In fact, Ear-Plugs is so not worried about HRC's supporters that it's formed an outreach group (read gang) called "Hillary Sent Me." Good plan. Not. (I love you, Hill, but I don't worship you. Thanks but no thanks.)

2. - Great way to get Americans to lie to pollsters because they're afraid of looking bad. Not a great way to get votes. I expect most M-P voters to harden out of disgust and most independents will feel slighted. Americans like to feel good about themselves, not scolded for feelings few have.

3. - Most Americans are Christians who live in small towns and like their guns. See 2. Since Palin is drawing huge crowds, my guess is this isn't working.

4. - Way to insult 50% of the population! So, a female governor with the highest approval rating of any current sitting governor is a worse option than a freshman senator who's spent his ENTIRE tenure in the senate running for president. (And, he's being propped up by the star-struck Unholy Trinity and their Horse Faces of the Apocalypse, Kerry, Kennedy, and Clyburn.)

5. - And, Senators, your economic plan would be ... Yeah, that's why a prominent Democratic strategist urged you to come up with one plan, one, just one, because voters can't name any.

Well, as the old saying goes, if you can't beat 'em, bully the shit out of 'em. At least, that seems to be the Chicago version. Luckily, The One isn't in Chicago anymore. If Governor Palin clicks her heels just right, he'll be back there soon enough.

Stuck in the Seventies: How the Left Is Out of Step on Abortion

The valiant fight for abortion rights was won in the most unlikeliest of places: The Buckle of the Bible Belt.

Sarah Weddington sued infamous, long-serving Dallas County DA Henry Wade on behalf of serial baby factory, Norma McCorvey, better known as Jane Roe. Weddingon went on to the history books, Wade continued his reign on minority defendant rights (currently being undone by Democrat Craig Watkins) and abortion became legal in the US. (Ms. McCorvey had her baby, since her case was heard by The Supremes years too late, and gave the child up for adoption.) It was 1973.

To hear the Democrats, it still is.

But, now, the fight for abortion rights might be undone by another Sarah.

Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin is the living, breathing repudiation of every old abortion canard trotted out by the Left. And, she is two months away from being elected as the first woman Vice President of the United States, giving her the perfect platform to show the country just how out of step the Democrats and their liberal benefactors have become on this emotional issue. Ironically, they have themselves to blame. Had they nominated popular-vote winner Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, the Dems would not have Gov. Palin as Exhibit A in the Case Against the Left's Abortion Arguments. (An eloquent post by riverdaughter at The Confluence gives reasons for voting against the 2008 Democratic ticket.)

So, let's see how Gov. Palin proves the Dems wrong:

1. The Costs of Having a Disabled Baby are Too High

Gov. Palin gave birth this April to a "beautiful baby boy" she declared "perfect." He has Downs Syndrome, a diagnosis the governor and her husband learned after prenatal testing. They declined to abort even though about 90% of parents faced with this decision end their pregnancies. (sources: wiki, NYT)

2. We Shouldn't Burden Women With Babies They Can't Care For

Gov. Palin is a mother of 5, including newborn son Trig. She started her political career as a mother of three, had a daughter while mayor, and a son while governor. If Governor Palin and her husband can juggle 5 children and her duties as Vice President of the United States (she's currently a sitting governor), then few women can claim a baby will push them over the edge.

Now, there are some left-wing heavy hitters defending this fragile argument. Barabra Ehrenreich famously pontificated about her two abortions of convenience in the New York Times. She hypocritically claimed, "And when it comes to my children - the actual extrauterine ones, that is - I was, and remain, a lioness." But, clearly not for the two most defenseless cubs who had poorly timed their conceptions.

3. Women Deserve the Right To Choose Their Reproductive Destiny

Yes, they do. That is why we have condoms, The Pill, the IUD, the female condom, various hormone patches, the sponge, the cervical cap, tubal ligation and vasectomies (willing partners, only, please) and a clever invention called the calendar. None but the last were widely available to women who came of reproductive age during the Sixties and Seventies. But, they are now. (One fact conveniently left out of the Dems narrative on "choice" and "destiny" is the right to keep the baby, also a choice, as the staunchly anti-abortion Gov. Palin believes and exercised.)

There is a glaring reason young women aren't fired up about abortion rights. Few need them. These women grew up with the benefits of Roe and its associated battles - sex ed, condoms in high school bathrooms, and open lectures about STDs. They know how and why they can get pregnant and they realize that there are few excuses for it accidentally happening. All US women have access to contraception, even teens who can demand their boyfriends spend a few bucks at CVS. (Hey, Playa, it's half yours, remember.)

While women forty years ago had to use abortion as birth control, had the real fear of losing their jobs/diplomas/degrees if they got pregnant, or faced the prospect of a loveless shotgun marriage, today's women don't. Girls and women who find themselves with an oops have options their mothers couldn't have dreamed of. Pregnant teens can attend special high schools with daycare and career counsellors and there are colleges with on site childcare. All pregnant women have job protections, not just the married ones. And, in 2008, we have a legal system happy to slap delinquent dads with child support.

Simply put, we aren't living in the Sixties. We aren't Norma McCorvey. Today's accidentally pregnant face not the shame of illicit sex but the stain of ignorance. In short, we are expected to own our own destinies.

For the record, I am pro-choice and do not want to see Roe reversed. It is the lesser of two evils. No, birth control isn't infallible and mistakes do happen, sometimes in the heat of passion. But, as a mother, I can't sign up for abortion on demand, anytime, anywhere. Nope. While I certainly agree that a mother has more rights than a potential being, I believe a fetus past 22 weeks is its own separate being. There, I said it. Late-term abortions should only be done because of the health of the mother or in compassionate cases like anencephalic babies. Period.

But, what about rape and incest? If you waited later than 22 weeks, you can wait a few weeks more. Sorry. See the above paragraph.

The Democrats have arguments they lack the courage to make. It should be mandatory for hospitals to offer rape victims the morning after pill. It should be mandatory for pharmacies to honor prescriptions as written, not push their religious beliefs on their customers and undercut a doctor's treatment. And, we need to get rid of parental notification laws. These are fights worth having.

Alas, the Democrats are still mired in a pre-1973 world. They want to fight for rights women already have and for choices we can already make. Who, I wonder, can't surrender control of women's bodies?

The Genie is Out of the Bottle and Out of Wishes

Lo! In the twentieth year after the world was supposed to end, according to the Prophet Orwell, a Star rose over the oldest lands of the New World. And, the New Orwellians rejoiced for, surely, their two-term lefty savior had arrived to become king.

Hence, as the Star sparkled in the prime time sky, did a wondrous event occur. Reverend Dean and Kerry, the king-in-waiting, did kiss the ring of Prince Kennedy and rub the feet of Daley, Overlord of Darkness. And, yea verily, on the vast temple before the assembled New Orwellians, the spell was broken. From the very toenails of the Overlord did rise a tall and handsome genie with a radiant smile and photogenic cheekbones.

And, the genie did gently circle his manicured hands and did speak to the New Orwellians. "People of the New World Order," said the genie. "We are not Earthlings or Starlight, Orwellians or Rovians. Nay, we are all Obamacons. And, yea verily, we will unite this planet in Boston and Seattle, in the City of Angels and the City of Wind, in Berlin and Paris, and in Ames and in Washington! Yes, we can! We will work together. You must wish it so. You must have hope!"

Yea, and the crowd roared its approval for it comprised the Creative Class and they were averse to work but they could dream and wish and hope.

But, the genie needed sustenance so he retreated to a dark doorway to smoke, leaving the New Orwellians to ponder his wisdom.

"My lord, how can thou unite the planet?" asked the Reverend Dean, verily enjoying the burning incense from the land of Marlboro.

"Ah, but I cannot," replied the genie.

"What?" screamed the Reverend. For he was known far and wide for his screams.

"But, you told the New Orwellians ..."

"My good reverend," said the genie, "I am a genie. I grant wishes. I do not work."

"Wishes?"

The genie did verily wave his elegant hands. "I am The One and I am here to grant three wishes to the man who broke the spell."

And, the Reverend Dean did let out his scream and jump up and down and pump his fists in the air. "He's not here. But, I know what he wants. I'll do it for him. I wish for John Kerry to win the election!"

"Well, uh, see, Reverend, we could get into the specificity of the paranormal vs. the audacious, and we could talk about this all day, about the ramifications, of, uh, wishes and their consequences," said the genie and Dean was verily entranced by the beauteous words and the dazzling smile and the wafting incense from the land of Marlboro. "But, see, when we get down to the, to the, look, I can only grant three wishes a year and between my wife and, anyway, no can do until 2005."

So, the Rovian King Dubya was not deposed and the New Orwellians would have to wait another four years for the calendar to turn, as was the custom in the New World.

But, lo, in that instant, a partnership was birthed. And, the genie's fame grew far and wide to Sin City and the New Sodom and promises were made and deals were hatched so that four years later the genie might become king-in-waiting. Soon, it became known among the New Orwellians that the genie would rule over them in 2008. For, it was inscribed in the NYT and WaPo, on dKos and Huff&Puff.

Hence, the 24th year after the Prophet Orwell had forecast the end of the world, the New Orwellians cheered as the genie became their king-in-waiting. But, the Rovians were not so taken with the genie and they bore false witness against him and circulated true stories about his lack of experience as a real king. And, the residents of the New World were curious.

Now, the genie had been forced to use all of his three wishes warding off Empress Hillary of Clintonia, sworn enemy of the Reverend Dean, Prince Kennedy and then former king-in-waiting Kerry. The Empress was the champion of the People of the Working Class and she beat the genie, only to be cast aside at the end by his last wish. But, lo, the genie was out of wishes and could not make himself king.

So, the New Orwellians faced life for four years under Lt. McCain, a Rovian that many liked more than the genie. And, the genie's fortunes looked dim. Lo, their last chance came upon them, a final pitched battle between the Empress and the genie. If the Empress won, she would click her red shoes, vanquish Lt. McCain, and return peace and prosperity to the New World.

But, alas, the Clintonistas, after a valiant fight, were unable to put the genie back in the bottle until the dark of winter descended on the lands and Lt. McCain had assumed the throne. The New Orwellians were split between the Rovians and the Clintonistas, and the rest were driven into exile to the very edges of the New World, the Blue Coasts.

Lo, it came to pass, in the 28th year after the Prophet Orwell had scheduled the end of the world, that Empress Hillary smote King McCain and became the rightful ruler of the New World, bringing peace, prosperity, and gender equality to all. It is whispered in these parts and others far and wide that the Empress Hillary kept on her desk a box from the land of Marlboro sealed tightly in a glass case and that on starry nights, a beauteous voice would bespeak the words "audacity" and "bitch".

Hey, NYT and WaPo, Are You Protecting Obaby, Too?

After months of dogged reporting by America's premier investigative news outlet, The National Enquirer, the truth has come out about John Edwards. I wish I were joking about NE being our best source but I'm not.

It turns out that the major national media players have been sitting on the Edwards affair story for, oh, almost a year. Yeah, not a few days to give the former senator and his family time to regroup and formulate a strategy. No, 9 FREAKING MONTHS. That must be a helluva strategy there, Johnny.

See, the MSM didn't think it was a major story - even though Edwards had been heavily touted to be a VP contender, Attorney General possibility, or Supreme Court candidate - and they didn't want to hurt Elizabeth's feelings - like she hadn't been hurt by the affair while she waits to die from stage 4 cancer - and they doubted the veracity of the source - which is fair, considering Edwards paramour was the inspiration for an unhinged coke head in a novel written by an ex-boyfriend. Still, two things bother me. One, if NE could find the dirt, surely our best journalists could have unearthed a few spadefuls. Second, even after finding the truth, our most trusted news sources sat on the story. For months.

Tragic.

And I don't mean the affair.

Here's the important question: are the MSM going to make amends by investigating The One?

You know the drill, Rezko, Wright, Ayers, his campaign tactics in Chicago, the birth certificate questions, etc. I'm looking forward to some kick-ass articles about all of this, now that the MSM has decided not to protect its Democratic favorites. (By the way, it was pretty clear to anyone with more than two brain cells that HRC was not an MSM fave. Can you imagine the uproar if she'd lied about speaking a foreign language? Yeah, exactly.)

Now, there are some gold stars to be handed out. The Boston Globe did an excellent series on The One's district. The Weekly Standard had an superb piece examining His Loftiness' writings for his local paper. There was a so-so article in The New Yorker about Chicago's influence on The Community Obamanizer by a reporter who has since been banned from The CO's sight. And the blogosphere has been on these stories from day one.

I understand being cautious. I understand checking sources. I even understand protecting friends or respected members of the community, especially if a story is highly personal and innocent bystanders, like spouses and children, will be hurt. But, I don't understand protecting candidates when the nation's interests are at stake.

I think it's time we stopped calling the New York Times our paper of record when it seems to have a pattern of keeping important stories off the record. And The Washington Post sure has fallen since it's heyday during the Watergate scandal. But the worst offenders are our major networks. Surely between updates on Britney's custody drama and the latest on the Brangelina twins' photo saga they could have squeezed in this little tidbit.

Because the nation cares.

Because Americans want to know who our politicians are as people and what their true values are. And, nothing exposes your true values like trotting out your family at campaign stops while you're betraying your dying wife.

But here's what has really stuck in my craw. Many of these same "journalists" who sat on the Edwards story were Bill Clinton's loudest critics. They tried their damnedest to bury the Clintons over Bill's one-night indiscretion (as opposed to an affair and yes there is a difference!). Yet, they held tight to their keyboards when the Edwards story was burning up cyberspace - likewise with many Obama stories.

So, let's see if we have this straight.

• Bill Clinton - fair game
• Hillary Clinton - fair game
• John Edwards - golden boy
• Barack Obama - The One They Desperately Want to Elect

We need the Fourth Estate. It's vital to our democracy, what's left of it. Isn't it about time the MSM reported on the story and stopped being the story?

Race, Hypocrisy & Bottle Blondes

Subliminal miscegenation! Racist! Sinister overtones!

Yes, I'm sure Barack Obama is horrified, HORRIFIED, at the thought of a black man and two white women being pictured together. But not together. In an ad.

Pass the smelling salts, Minerva! A black man and a white woman togetha?

Oh, yeah, That's how we ended up blessed with The Blessed One.

Is it me or does the MSM suffer from a wee bit of hypocrisy? How can a biracial man, one who blathers on and on and on annnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnddddddddddd ooooooooooooonnnnnnnnnnnnnn about being the son of a " typical white woman from Kansas" and an "African man black as pitch," honestly get riled up about being in an ad showing the candidate with two "typical white women?"

What am I missing?

John McCain's campaign, making light of Obama's celebrity persona, made a G-rated ad showing brief glimpses of blondes Britney Spears and Paris Hilton. It was an amusing commercial but nothing like the infamous Ford/Corker "Harold, call me" debacle. There were no sexual or racial overtones, undertones, or Coppertones. Simply a white face, a brown face, then another white face. And some music.

All those colors! Minerva, those smelling salts!

What are we becoming as a nation? First, Hillary Clinton is raked over the coals for having the temerity to suggest President Johnson had anything to do with Civil Rights and now this crap. A benign ad starring two of our most vacuous celebrities is branded "racist" and "sinister" because their race only half-matches the candidate's.

If it's racist to feature a half-white candidate in the same ad as two white women, is it equally racist to feature a half-black man with two African American starlets? Would the ad have passed muster with nervous netroots nellies if it had depicted Omarosa and Crystle Stewart (our most recent Miss USA Winner to fall on her world stage)? Perhaps McCain's campaign could have gotten away with mixed-race celebrities like Halle Berry and Mariah Carey, except both are accomplished women and the meme of this ad was a lack of experience.

Wait! If there are other mixed-race people in our country, Obama isn't the only biracial American, is he? He just thinks he is because it's always about him. Just like this story wasn't about race but hypocrisy and double standards.

Simply put, because he is half-white himself, a half-white-half-black candidate cannot cast sinister aspersions on an ad's white celebrity faces. Does the good senator have a problem with inter-racial dating? Wouldn't that make him a hypocrite? Or, even a self-loathing hypocrite?

It wasn't just the race card that got played this week. It was the hypocrisy card. It was played by the Obama campaign and the jokers were the liberal MSM.

Minerva, a case of smelling salts for MSNBC and HuffPo ASAP!