Views on the News - 7/5/2008

Carolyn Hileman - The Voice* | July 6, 2008

The Mainstream Media continues to only report negative news, whether in the Middle East or on the economy, and they don’t understand why their readership and viewership continues to decline. The longer the Mainstream Media are wrong about an impending recession, the more the MSM are convinced that the economy will “crash and burn” and they were right all along. No amount of conflicting data can dissuade the MSM from embracing their preconceived agenda of an impending Great Depression which coincidently supports their liberal talking points. Apparently the MSM believes if they can drive consumer confidence low enough that voters will ignore all past damage Democrat policies have done to return another liberal to the White House. Mainstream Media can not see the big picture on America where even our “poor” are doing much better than the rest of the world which explains why immigration continues unabated.

Let us not forget that Nancy Pelosi promised energy independence by July 4, 2007 when the Democrats were swept into power in the mid term elections, but ever since they have only made matters only worse. Congress continues to deny their role in raising energy process, and refuse to remove restrictions on nuclear plants, oil and gas drilling, and building of refineries. Our Senate has become dysfunctional with partisan games obstructing progress on many critical issues: judicial nominations, out of control earmarks, immigration, and military funding. Congress is now adding insult to injury by suspending solar power projects on federal lands while radical environmentalists continue their crusade against any building anywhere. Not satisfied with increasing energy prices, Harry Reid is now attempting to use guilt by claiming health issues to deflect any new energy development. American voters see the Democrats in Congress as the problem since their policies caused the energy price increases and obstructing further drilling only makes the problem worse.

Obama has built his campaign on a “house of cards” made up of empty rhetoric, baseless optimism, and a mantra of “Hope and Change” unsupported by realistic actionable plans. With a shallow record of achievement, voters will be forced to rely on Obama’s associates to judge his trustworthiness, which reveals a cabal of leftists, failed socialists and ex-communists. After complaining about personal smear, Obama has loosed his surrogates to attack McCain: Wesley Clark to attack his military record and Rand Peers to attack his national security experience. Meanwhile Obama is beginning a campaign of “restating his positions” to appear to hold both sides of many issues, which he Hopes you won’t notice as he Changes positions. After all is said and done, Obama is revealed as an ultra liberal politician whose goal is to redistribute wealth domestically while pandering for “love” by foreign leaders. Do not forget that Obama has already stated he will let the tax cuts expire which is effectively a tax hike, before he begins to raise taxes to support his many unfunded campaign promises. Obama displays a “particularism” approach to foreign policy that does not recognize threats to the U.S. and endorses international cooperation as a means to maintain stability in the world. Obama refuses to Change his views on Iraq or acknowledge any progress, so he continues to endorse “cut and run” as his best response since he Hopes that America will be defeated. Obama is shaping up to be the worst combination of President Carter’s foreign policy naivete and leftist tendencies, and President Clinton’s slick delivery and victim-based domestic policy.

The biggest advantage McCain has in this election is the liberal progressive promises that Obama continues to make that are unaffordable, unworkable, and bad for the country’s future. Recent 5-4 decisions on the Supreme Court highlight the slim margin today and it is imperative that our next President must select “originalists” as our next SCOTUS nominees. Energy is the number one issue that McCain will use to separate himself from Obama since energy demand will not affect near term energy prices and new drilling is seen as an answer. McCain has matured his comprehensive immigration reform to implement in phases: first enforce immigration laws, then legislation to legalize illegals, then authorize guest workers. McCain displays a “universalism” approach to foreign policy that endorses an active spread of American values and institutions across the globe to cause the need for conflicts to fade away. The Global War on Terror is a real threat, reiterated by Islamic extremists themselves periodically, so only a President who recognizes this reality can be allowed to lead this country.

If you are sick and tired of government and politics as usual, read my web site with its individual issue analysis and recommendations at: http://www.returntocommonsensesite.com Remember this site is updated every Saturday. Individual issue updates this week include:

Bibliography at http://www.returntocommonsensesite.com/top/bibliography.html
Budget at http://www.returntocommonsensesite.com/dp/budget.html
Europe at http://www.returntocommonsensesite.com/fp/europe.html

This Week’s Best Articles:

· “How to Kill Cap-and-Trade” by Robert Tracinski dated June 28, 2008 published by Real Clear Politics at http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2008/06/how_to_kill_capandtr ade.html .

· “Our Broken Senate” by Norman Ornstein dated March/April 2008 published by The American Magazine at http://www.american.com/archive/2008/march-april-magazine-contents/our -broken-senate .

· Liars’ Round-Up” by Ralph Peters dated June 28, 2008 published by New York Post at http://www.nypost.com/seven/06282008/postopinion/opedcolumnists/liars_ round_up_117549.htm .

· “We Need a Wartime President” by Fareed Zakaria dated June 28, 2008 published by Newsweek at http://www.newsweek.com/id/143747 .

· “Political Wisdom: Yes, Obama Can Lose; Here’s How” by Gerald F. Seib and Sara Murray dated June 28, 2008 published by The Wall Street Journal at http://blogs.wsj.com/politicalperceptions/2008/06/28/political-wisdom- yes-obama-can-lose-heres%e2%80%99-how/ .

· “Hope Is Not The Answer” by Steven D. Laib dated June 29, 2008 published by Intellectual Conservative at http://www.intellectualconservative.com/2008/06/29/hope-is-not-the-ans wer/ .

· “Obama’s Boys of Summer” by Daniel Flynn dated June 29, 2008 published by City Journal at http://www.city-journal.org/2008/eon0629df.html .

· “Dreams From His Grandmother” by Victor Davis Hanson dated June 30, 2008 published by National Review Online at http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=NjBhOTJlZDBkMjlhOTQ3MjU3NTJiOTg4N TY2NjFjMmM= .

· “What Happened to the ‘Conservative Court’?” by Jonathon H. Adler dated June 30, 2008 published by National Review Online at http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=YTM3OGI1MzNmMDJkOTdhM2QzZjU2NjBiM jFiMmRhNTM= .

· “McCain’s Universalism vs. Obama’s Particularism” by Gregory Scoblete dated June 30, 2008 published by Real Clear Politics at http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2008/06/mccains_univeralism_ vs_obamas.html .

· “No Sun Intended” dated June 30, 2008 published by Investor’s Business Daily at http://www.ibdeditorials.com/IBDArticles.aspx?id=299717243722155 .

· “Freedom and Economic Optimism in the U.S.” by Brian S. Wesbury dated June 30, 2008 published by First Trust at http://www.ibdeditorials.com/IBDArticles.aspx?id=299717243722155 .

· “Politically Responsible Americans” by John A. Ross dated June 30, 2008 published by American Daily at http://www.americandaily.com/article/22508 .

· “Michelle Obama’s Inferiority Complex” by Dinesh D’Souza dated June 30, 2008 published by Town Hall at http://www.townhall.com/columnists/DineshDSouza/2008/06/30/michelle_ob amas_inferiority_complex .

· “Obama At Twelve O’Clock Low” dated June 30, 2008 published by Investor’s Business Daily at http://www.ibdeditorials.com/IBDArticles.aspx?id=299718721719512 .

· “How Obama can avoid the Carter trap” by Gideon Rachman dated June 30, 2008 published by Financial Times at http://www.ft.com/cms/s/67c8a9d8-46b4-11dd-876a-0000779fd2ac,dwp_uuid= cc90227a-20ae-11db-8b3e-0000779e2340,print=yes.html# .

· “Why I Support John McCain” by Dennis Prager dated July 1, 2008 published by Town Hall at http://www.townhall.com/columnists/DennisPrager/2008/07/01/why_i_suppo rt_john_mccain .

· “Stuck at the Border” dated July 1, 2008 published by National Review Online at http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=ZTk1ZjE5N2Q2MzQ2MTNiMTZlNzViNGQ5N DUyYTI0ZTQ= .

· “A Judgment Issue” by Orson Swindle dated July 1, 2008 published by National Review Online at http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=YjUwNzk2ZTliY2VhMWZlYzM4OWI5YThkM zdhOTYwZjI= .

· “Who’s smearing whom?” by James Kirchick dated July 1, 2008 published by Politico at http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0708/11463.html .

· “The Obamas are Just the Ghosts of Clintons Past” by James Lewis dated July 1, 2008 published by American Thinker at http://www.americanthinker.com/2008/07/the_obamas_are_just_the_ghosts. html .

· “Leftists Eyeing the Obama Prize” by David Limbaugh dated July 1, 2008 published by News Max at http://www.newsmax.com/limbaugh/barack_obama/2008/07/01/108862.html .

· “McCain game plan worries insiders” by David Paul Kuhn dated July 1, 2008 published by Politico at http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0708/11474.html .

· “Fossil Fool” dated July 1, 2008 published by Investor’s Business Daily at http://www.ibdeditorials.com/IBDArticles.aspx?id=299804021452063 .

· “The (Down) Best Goes on In the Media” dated July 2, 2008 published by Investor’s Business Daily at http://www.ibdeditorials.com/IBDArticles.aspx?id=299891663599364 .

· “Congress = OPEC?” dated July 2, 2008 published by Investor’s Business Daily at http://www.ibdeditorials.com/IBDArticles.aspx?id=299891086404614 .

· “A Few to Support the Many” dated July 2, 2008 published by Investor’s Business Daily at http://www.ibdeditorials.com/IBDArticles.aspx?id=299891352619860 .

· “’Energy Independence Day’: Take Two” by Nathan Burchfiel” dated July 2, 2008 published by Business and Media Institute at http://www.businessandmedia.org/articles/2008/20080702115635.aspx .

· “Dire News from My Colleagues” by John Stossel dated July 2, 2008 published by Real Clear Politics at http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2008/07/dire_news_from_my_co lleagues.html .

· “Why America is the Greatest County on Earth” by Ben Shapiro dated July 2, 2008 published by Town Hall at http://www.townhall.com/Columnists/BenShapiro/2008/07/02/why_america_i s_the_greatest_country_on_earth .

· “Obama’s Not Triangulating; He ‘Post Partisan’” by Mark Finkelstein date July 2, 2008 published by News Busters at http://newsbusters.org/blogs/mark-finkelstein/2008/07/02/obamas-not-tr iangulating-hes-post-partisan .

· “Marxists/Socialists/Communists for Obama?” by JB Williams dated July 2, 2008 published by American Daily at http://www.americandaily.com/article/22520 .

· “The Meta-Messages in Obama’s Patriotism Speech” by Lee Cary dated July 2, 2008 published by American Thinker at http://www.americanthinker.com/2008/07/the_metamessages_in_obamas_pat. html .

· “Bush’s Third Term” dated July 2, 2008 published by The Wall Street Journal at http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121495450490321133.html?mod=opinion_ma in_review_and_outlooks .

· “The War and the House Divided” by Andrew C. McCarthy dated July 2, 2008 published by National Review Online at http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=ZTc5NDJkNmVmZDMwNDc0NTY3ODcyY2FhN GI0ZjQxMDI= .

· “An America First Energy Plan” by Larry Kudlow dated July 2, 2008 published by National Review Online at http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=YWMwZWZiYjg0NDkwYmM0OTQwM2Y2ZGU0N zNhMWU2ZDY= .

· “Layoffs and Closings Help Explain Why Media See ‘Depression’ as Real” by Dan Gainor dated July 3, 2008 published by Investor’s Business Daily at http://www.ibdeditorials.com/IBDArticles.aspx?id=299972638233093 .

· “It’s Time for Rage” by Michael Reagan dated July 3, 2008 published by Town Hall at http://www.townhall.com/Columnists/MichaelReagan/2008/07/03/its_time_f or_rage .

· “Communist Party Backs Obama” by Cliff Kincaid dated July 3, 2008 published by Accuracy in Media at http://www.aim.org/aim-column/communist-party-backs-obama/ .

· “Wedding Belle” by George Neumayr dated July 3, 2008 published by The American Spectator at http://www.spectator.org/dsp_article.asp?art_id=13473 .

· “Mr. Obama: Don’t Betray My People” by Amil Imani dated July 3, 2008 published by American Thinker at http://www.americanthinker.com/2008/07/mr_obama_dont_betray_my_people. html .

· “Sept. 10th Democrats” by Peter Hoekstra dated July 3, 2008 published by Human Events Online at http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=27324&s=rcmp .

· “Once Again, It’s About Associations an Judgment” by Frank Salvato date July 4, 2008 published by American Daily at http://www.americandaily.com/article/22539 .

· “Obama’s Jimmy Carter Disaster” by Samuel Slater Bakhtavar dated July 4, 2008 published by American Daily at http://www.americandaily.com/article/22541 .

· “A Heaping Bowl of Mush” by Philip Terzian dated July 7, 2008 published by The Weekly Standard at http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/015/278t hfgs.asp .

· “Obama’s Iraq Problem” by George Packer dated July 7, 2008 published by The New Yorker at http://www.newyorker.com/talk/comment/2008/07/07/080707taco_talk_packe r .

· “How Are We Doing?” by W. Michael Cox and Richard Alm date July/August 2008 published by The American Magazine at http://www.american.com/archive/2008/july-august-magazine-contents/how -are-we-doing .

David Coughlin

Hawthorne, NY

Contributor's website: http://thevoice.name

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