Tag: Barack Obama

Contributor Post Created with Sketch. Fascism from Me, but Not from Thee!

 

Last week, RealClearPolitics posted an editorial written by a renowned authority ensconced at a prominent Washington think tank. Without question, this organization should be proud to host a thinker whose credentials burst from his resume like tiny explosions of profundity, blinding innocent readers with his brilliance, and numbing them into unquestioned acceptance of whatever words spill from his mouth. Indeed, the breadth, insight, passion, and, above all, balance of this little gem merit citing a few dollops of its wisdom to whet our appetites for more. Consider these measured phrases:

His incoherent and contradictory utterances have one thing in common: They provoke and play on feelings of resentment and disdain, intermingled with bits of fear, hatred and anger…

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The NY Times publishes a letter suggesting that Barack Obama should run for Mayor of Chicago.  The Obamas could help transform Chicago from a divided to a unified city, a model for other American and global cities and unified in a way that the Obama administration had hoped to achieve for the nation. It would […]

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Contributor Post Created with Sketch. Trust Trump?

 

donald-trumpShortly before the Indiana primary, The Wall Street Journal’s “Notable and Quotable” published a brief squib lifted from the Mayo Clinic’s online entry regarding narcissistic personality disorder:

If you have narcissistic personality disorder, you may come across as conceited, boastful or pretentious. You often monopolize conversations. You may belittle or look down on people you perceive as inferior. You may feel a sense of entitlement—and when you don’t receive special treatment, you may become impatient or angry. You may insist on having “the best” of everything—for instance, the best car, athletic club or medical care.

At the same time, you have trouble handling anything that may be perceived as criticism. You may have secret feelings of insecurity, shame, vulnerability and humiliation. To feel better, you may react with rage or contempt and try to belittle the other person to make yourself appear superior. Or you may feel depressed and moody because you fall short of perfection. . . .

Contributor Post Created with Sketch. Member Post

 

So I read this on the Weekly Standard, an excerpt from the president’s recent address at Howard University: First of all — and this should not be a problem for this group — be confident in your heritage. (Applause.) Be confident in your blackness. One of the great changes that’s occurred in our country since I […]

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I’m surprised no one here has written about Ben Rhodes, “The Aspiring Novelist Who Became Obama’s Foreign-Policy Guru,” and his startling profile in the New York Times Magazine. (By “startling,” I mean, “Sadly, not the least bit surprising.”) I’d love to write a searing piece about he, Jonathan “stupidity of the American people” Gruber, and the […]

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Contributor Post Created with Sketch. Run Against Obama

 

Obama-Umpquah-ShootingWhen a Republican has been in the presidency for eight years, as George W. Bush was, Democrats run against the Republicans. When a Democrat has been in office for eight years, as Barack Obama will soon have been, Republicans run against Republicans.

This is a year in which the multiple failures of the Obama years should be irresistible for Republican presidential candidates. Democrats, correspondingly, should be awkwardly sidestepping and tightrope walking to avoid a too close association. Instead, partly due to the eccentric obsessions of Donald Trump, we’ve seen Republicans reprising debates about the wisdom of the Iraq War while ignoring the greatest foreign policy debacles of the Obama years. If the Iraq War was a mistake of over-engagement (and there is a good case that it wasn’t), Syria illustrates the perils of under-engagement – hundreds of thousands killed, a region destabilized, the metastasis of ISIS, and the worst refugee crisis since World War II.

While Senator Ted Cruz has spoken of “ripping up” the Iran agreement, repealing Obamacare, and repairing our relations with Israel, it feels as if Mr. Obama’s domestic record is getting short shrift.

Contributor Post Created with Sketch. Obama’s SecDefs Offer Brutal Assessment of the Administration

 

Bret Baier of Fox News interviewed each of President Obama’s former Secretaries of Defense. All three were brutal in their assessment of the administration’s micromanaging, poor leadership, and lack of experience.

Contributor Post Created with Sketch. Not Just a War on Tax Inversions, but also a War on the Middle Class

 

shutterstock_374291029Does the US government want to help American business or not? Does the administration want to help middle-income wage earners or not? Does Team Obama want to grow the American economy at its historic 3.5 percent long-term trend or not? Apparently, President Obama’s answer to all three questions is “no.”

Those are the real issues behind the Treasury’s latest militant attack on so-called tax inversions, where a US company merges with a foreign firm in order to take advantage of the foreign firm’s lower corporate tax rate. In this case, the attack is aimed at Pfizer, pending the $160 billion takeover of Allergan. Allergan is based in Ireland, which has a 12.5 percent corporate tax rate. Pfizer is based in New York. So the new combined entity will pay the Irish corporate rate, which is nearly three times less than the 35 percent US federal corporate rate. Obviously, a huge savings.

The answer here is simple: Slash the US corporate tax rate and then the problem goes away. It’s by far the highest of the major countries worldwide. We are not competitive. Canada is 15 percent, China is 25 percent and Europe averages 25 percent. These companies owe it to their shareholders and their work forces to act in a fiduciarily responsible manner. But no, Team Obama wants to wage war against them.

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I was a comic book store in Fort Mill, SC, and saw this exciting comic book display on the bottom shelf where children could easily reach them: I’m sure Bo in Puppy Power gives Wolverine in X-Men a run for his money. On an upper shelf, I saw these more pricey comics: Preview Open

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Contributor Post Created with Sketch. Terrorism and Political Gamesmanship from Brussels to Havana

 

Obama-CheEvery once in a while we end up with what should be called a perfect storm in politics, which is precisely what has happened today. As authorities in Brussels race to assess the damage and catch terrorists, back here in the US, it is politics mostly as usual on the road to the November election. Because our President was in Cuba, the stage was already set for vitriol on foreign matters, so there was just a slight shift in gears.

However, it’s fair to guess that very few people are connecting dots between Brussels and Havana, via the campaign trail — including the candidates. Yes, there will be a fresh crop of comments about the evils of terrorism, and claims that the current administration is utterly incompetent. There might even be a random statement attacking the fact that the Obama Express is not changing course or agenda because of the bombings. I think we can set that aside on the basis of the logistical nightmare Obama’s presence in Belgium would cause, so let’s move on, shall we?

Havana is going to be an historical moment for Obama, and while it’s fine to say he’s simply attempting to build his legacy, the fact is that this administration decided to follow a very old adage on this one. Our country has been insane when it comes to Cuba, because we have stuck with the same policy for so long, while simultaneously expecting a different result. Hate what Obama is doing as much as you may like, but the facts on the ground include direct cash flow to at least some residents of Cuba, and a slow step into the present when it comes to technology as cellular service is slowly reaching the masses there. Of course, it is primarily for the benefit of tourists now, but Pandora’s box has been opened at least a crack. No matter what, the stage has been set for significant change in Cuba, thanks to Airbnb and mobile communications. While trade will be a primary topic of conversation in dealing with the regime, the big deal is the exportation of lifestyle to the citizens — something that they will probably decide to fight to keep if the regime attempts to yank it away from them.

Contributor Post Created with Sketch. In Cuba, More US Tourists Can Now Sightsee a Repressive Dictatorship. Enjoy!

 

Obama-CubaThe headline from a new IHS Global report on US-Cuba relations sums things up pretty well: “Deeper US engagement with Cuba to increase trade and investment, especially in the tourism sector, but democratic political reform unlikely.” And from the report itself (bold is mine):

The changes represent the most significant shift since President Obama and Cuban president Raúl Castro restored relations in December 2014. In particular, removing the threat to foreign banks of being fined in the US for conducting dollar transactions with Cuba is likely to provide a boost to FDI particularly in the tourism and telecoms sectors. In addition, the shipping reform will permit ferries and cruise vessels to visit Cuban ports. This, alongside the easing of the travel permit, will further extend the Cuban travel boom. Thus, with US companies now being able to manufacture in Cuba, commercial flights about to begin in 2016, and US key hoteliers being given approval to manage hotels in Cuba, the way is open for continuing economic growth in Cuba and a concomitant increase in living standards. Allowing Cubans to earn US salaries removes a key obstacle though it is still pending how this will be implemented in practice. …

Despite the advances proposed by the US, the response from the Cuban government to implement clarifying policy changes has been relatively modest. Thus, while it is increasingly possible for US firms to conduct business in Cuba from the US under the terms allowed by the US Treasury and the Department of Commerce, businesses separately aiming to engage directly with the island authorities on Cuban soil have not been given any clarity. A key issue to take into account are the still-existing sanctions derived from the embargo which will imply higher costs for businesses operating in Cuba in terms of compliance and regulatory risks to avoid them.

Contributor Post Created with Sketch. Merrick Garland: Political Pawn

 

Caplan-Merrick-Garland2-1200The single most important phrase that changed the politics of Supreme Court nominations was Senator Edward Kennedy’s famous and shameful denunciation of “Robert Bork’s America,” with its back alley abortions, segregated lunch counters, and rogue police. From that point on, Supreme Court nominees of either party, and even potential nominees, have risked being attacked in a similar manner. The nomination process of Clarence Thomas was, of course, quite ugly—and there were major tussles during the deliberations over John Roberts and Samuel Alito (who then Senator Obama wanted to filibuster). Now, the Republican opposition is coalescing against Judge Merrick Garland, the Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, who at age 63 is Barack Obama’s nominee to the Supreme Court.

The resistance to Garland may prove to be misguided from a political perspective, even if permissible as a constitutional matter. But the Republicans have just doubled down in their game of political chicken by announcing that they will not give Garland a hearing either before or after the election. Whether they have enough ammunition to succeed politically is a complex question.

To help cut through the morass, it is useful, I think, to separate the politics from the man. The opposition to Garland has nothing to do with Garland himself, who is a distinguished public servant and an excellent federal judge. If he were filling a seat vacated by a liberal Democrat, there would not be much fuss. But this appointment involves a shift in control on the Supreme Court. Republicans fear that even the most reasonable liberal Democrat will tip the balance of the Court away from the conservative wing. If Hillary Clinton becomes president, she will doubtless make two or three appointments to the Court, at which point the Democrats will have a complete ideological lock on the Court for at least a generation.

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“Again, no one is sitting in a room plotting Trump’s death, but – let’s be honest – at least half of the media believes Trump is the next Hitler, and a Hitler assassination would be morally justified. Also great for ratings. The media would not be charged with any crime for triggering some nut to […]

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Promoted from the Ricochet Member Feed by Editors Created with Sketch. Black-ish and the “Hope” Episode

 
Black-ish_intertitle
Blackish by Source. Fair use.

For those who have not seen it, Black-ish is an ABC sitcom about a middle class black family in suburban Los Angeles where the father is an ad exec and the mother a physician. They have two teenaged children — an awkward son and stylish daughter — and pre-teen fraternal twins. The father’s divorced parents also live with the family. Last night, the show gave its take on the Black Lives Matter movement without specifically mentioning it.

Promoted from the Ricochet Member Feed by Editors Created with Sketch. Game Theory Time: SCOTUS Edition

 
1200px-Brian_Sandoval_at_Lomie_Heard_Elementary_School
Brian Sandoval, by U.S. Air Force Photo by Airman 1st Class Jason Couillard. Public Domain.

Apparently, Obama is thinking of nominating a Republican:

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Earlier today, I published what I believe to be an ironclad argument as to why I should be the next associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. The argument can be summarized thusly: 1. There are no real requirements for the Court, and so I am not disqualified. And I am, in […]

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Before Obama was elected President, relations between various whites and minorities were probably as good as they have ever been since the 1960s. Morgan Freeman hadn’t yet embarrassed himself by voting for an empty suit, but instead offered this gem during a conversation with Mike Wallace on 60 Minutes:  FREEMAN: What do you do with yours? […]

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Promoted from the Ricochet Member Feed by Editors Created with Sketch. This Is a Test

 

shutterstock_95619505Were Justice Scalia to have died earlier, our case for having the next president select the his replacement would have been much more difficult; the longer the seat remains vacant, the more time the Left has to use its influence and muscle to pressure the Senate to do its bidding. But were he to have died later, our case would have been strengthened; the shorter the length of the vacancy, the more plausible our arguments in favor of waiting would appear to the general public.

Regardless, he was taken from us when he was taken. We have a winnable fight on our hands, but it will still be a fight. The obstacles in our path are formidable, but not insurmountable. With conviction, shrewdness, and fortitude, we can win this battle; without them, the last fragile barrier shielding us from despotism may well disintegrate before us.

Thus, I can’t help but suspect that the Almighty called His servant home when He did to see if we have the strength and conviction to preserve what remains of our republic. For our leaders in Washington who always seem content to postpone the battle until some magical future day, the fight is now and we must fight hard now.

Contributor Post Created with Sketch. SCOTUS Smackdown of EPA: Top Takeaways

 

Stroke of the pen. Law of the land ... (record screech!)The U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS) did something remarkable on Tuesday: It momentarily respected the separation of powers and finally shouted “Enough!” to the lawless rule of the Environmental Protection Agency. SCOTUS issued a stay on Obama’s “Clean Power Plan,” which is a radical, law-by-decree scheme to do nothing less than put this nation’s enormously complex energy-delivery system into the hands of central planners on the Potomac.

It was Clinton advisor Paul Begala who once said: “Stroke of the pen. Law of the land. Kinda cool.” Not any more … at least for now in this case.

Here are the top three take-aways of this historic moment in SCOTUS history.

Contributor Post Created with Sketch. Do We Finally Give Obama a Pass?

 

Obama_lame_duck3Recently I wrote a post about Obama’s visiting a mosque affiliated with terrorist groups; it was his first visit to a mosque in the U.S. I was thinking it over, wondering if I’d seen any other recent posts about Obama, and I couldn’t think of any. Then it hit me. We’ve all checked out on Obama.

Here’s my thinking: Obama is now old news. He’s betrayed the Constitution and our allies, our citizens, and our mission in the world. He’s violated the presidential office and run circles around Congress by legislating through executive orders. And it seems that there’s nothing anyone can do about it. We just have to muddle through the next nine months. No point in beating a dead horse, right?

Really?