You may have a fresh start any moment you choose,
for this thing that we call 'failure'
is not the falling down,
but the staying down.
Mary Pickford
Follow-Up Odds and Ends
In yesterday's commentary on Obama's decision to support gay marriage, I pointed out that I didn't believe for a second that VP Joe Biden's MTP announcement of his support for gay marriage was a one-off event.
I wasn't quite sure when or where. You could make a cogent argument that Obama didn't want to give Blue Collar/Reagan Democrats in battleground states another reason to vote against him on culturally conservative grounds. But in hindsight it's obvious: yesterday there was a high-profile vote on North Carolina's vote on making the state's traditional marriage law judge-proof. Obama wasn't about to announce before the election, which would make the election a proxy on Obama himself--and a political defeat.Why did Obama come in support yesterday?
He knew it was going to be an issue with his supporters, he's trying to motivate the base, it's better to get it out there sooner than later: he's got 6 months to win back any supporters upset at his decision.The White House political spin was continuing; Politico last night was reporting this White House story that intentionally used Biden's reputation as a gaffe machine to suggest that it forced Obama's hand to reveal his support earlier than he intended. (And if you believe that, you also believe that Obama will fulfill his promise to cut the budget deficit in half...)
It was no accident that it came yesterday. Richard Benedetto fills in the gap with a well-written commentary on Fox News. The 20-odd point victory of the traditional marriage side in a key swing state was devastating to the "gay marriage" movement. Obama, by announcing his support, completely sucked the oxygen out of the room on the election loss and simultaneously boosted the spirit of pro-"gay marriage" forces. Benedetto also notes two other stories on Monday (from the White House and the Obama campaign) which built on Sunday's Biden "leak".
[The Obama team's] strategy clearly was to make the controversial decision early in the campaign, giving the inevitable dust kicked up plenty of time to settle.I don't go around looking for other commentators whom agree with me, but in this case, it's a relief knowing that others independently have read through the spin and come to the same conclusions.
The Romney/Obama Kerfuffle Over the Auto Bankruptcies:
Who Really "Saved" GM and Chrysler?
This shouldn't even be open for discussion: Romney is absolutely right: he pushed for a managed bankruptcy far before Obama, without putting the taxpayer at undue risk. Companies have emerged from bankruptcy in the past. GM and Chrysler had unsustainable business models, and much of it had to do with high labor costs. The federal loans Obama and the Democrats gave the company did little more than defer the day of reckoning. If and when Obama did go through the managed process, he had exposed the American taxpayer to risk for all interim loans, and he was able to use the federal loans to impose settlement terms, including subordinating other stakeholder interests (e.g., bondholders) to his crony union interests. A managed bankruptcy works on the basis of intrinsic business and economics factors, not on some politician's megalomaniac, delusional belief that he can micromanage a market sector in which he has absolutely no background
Obama calls Romney's claim an Etch-a-Sketch moment (referencing a Romney campaign adviser's reference to how Romney would put out a more moderate, centrist look to his campaign to draw moderates and independents after obtaining the nomination).
Of course, Obama has his own Etch a Switch moments: Like his 2008 campaign promises, his plans to cut the deficit in half, and his proof of Fermat's last theorem.
Political Potpourri
Dick Morris has an interesting column out, suggesting that Romney is headed towards a landslide victory. He interestingly claims that Obama's net favorable ratings, usually well north of his approval rating, have actually collapsed. to his approval ratings, settling back down to the mid 40's after flirting with 50. [In the meanwhile, Romney has gone from a net-negative favorable rating to a positive one, just a few weeks of informally clinching the nomination.] Morris notes that Obama's 50-plus approvals hold only in 10 states plus DC and suggests that undecided voters during second-term elections almost always (except in the case of George W. Bush) break for the challenger. I find this fascinating, because I have predicted that any kind of a negative campaign against Romney will backfire against Obama. I think Morris is being overoptimistic, but I have a distinct feeling that the pundits are overestimating Obama's strength.
I think that Obama is overestimating his political skills, just like he did in 2010; he is focusing on coalition politics (minority groups, gays, feminists, labor, environmentalists, etc.) and political sniper operations. I don't think class warfare is a winning issue, either. When all is said and done, the 53% he got in 2008 was based on a number of factors among independents and moderates: economic security, the first African American president, a change election, etc. Obama, for instance, sees that young people tend to approve of gay marriage and his pursuit of that policy will help him capture the youth vote again. I think he's dead wrong. I think they're more worried about finding stable, secure work. They know unemployed people, including among their friends and family. I think even Democrats are troubled by mounting deficits and the unsustainable national debt, and they know they can't expect anything better from Obama in the future. I believe that they are tired of constant fights between the White House and the Congress, I don't think they see the situation improving if Obama is reelected. Moreover, I think Obama and the Democrats are going to pay a steep price for the 111th Congress. The American people gave Obama strong majorities in both the House and Senate, and the Democrats didn't produce on issues like the economy. To Latinos who care about immigration, Obama didn't deliver and won't in the future.
This could all be "wishful thinking" on my part, but I don't think so. But the Obama campaign is already showing stunningly bad judgment, e.g., the last story that Romney was allegedly a 'bully' in high school. NOTE TO ROMNEY CAMPAIGN: give the Obama campaign all the rope they need to hang themselves.
Classical Liberalism: Dr. Ashford's Series #1
I've often described myself as a classical liberal; a classical liberal is distinguished from what most people today call a liberal, i.e., a social liberal, whom adds social justice and an expanded role and agenda for government. "Classical liberalism is the philosophy committed to the ideal of limited government, constitutionalism, rule of law, due process, and liberty of individuals including freedom of religion, speech, press, assembly, and free markets."
Dr. Ashford in this series describes a taxonomy of different schools of thought under the umbrella of classical liberalism. I've made numerous references to Milton Friedman and also the Austrian School. I have made occasional references to others.
Political Humor
"President Obama officially announced he is in favor of gay marriage. Of course, this is a monumental event. This is the first time Joe Biden said something Obama didn't have to apologize for." - Jay Leno
[Well, they didn't show the earlier part of the interview when Biden leaned over to the President just before the announcement and said, "This is a big effing deal!"]
"Soon we may live in a world where the only people opposed to gay marriage will be gay people who are married. " - Craig Ferguson
[Except the single gays whom don't want to get tied down--unless it's with a rope and ball gag.]
"Tomorrow Obama happens to have a fundraising dinner at George Clooney's house. Very interesting. I think they are getting married!" - Jimmy Kimmel
[George Clooney: "Thanks a lot, Barack! I told my last girlfriend that we couldn't get married because I'm gay; she heard you say that gay people can get married, called me up and told me that I have no more excuses!"]
Mitt Romney responded today by restating his own views on marriage. He said marriage should only take place between two consenting rich people. - Craig Ferguson
[Obama then went on to clarify his other evolving thoughts on marriage: since corporations are people, Obama declared Big Business and Big Government married, with Government entitled to half of what Business makes and owns...]
"President Obama came out with approval of same-sex marriage. He said that over the years, he has been going through an evolution on the issue. That makes opponents on the far right doubly angry. They don't believe in gay marriage OR evolution." - Jimmy Kimmel
[It's Obama's way of coming out and admitting that he believes in social Darwinism...
I think that gay men also believe in survival of the fittest...]
"Hillary Clinton is making headlines now for nonpolitical reasons. She attended a number of public events without makeup on. Is that a big deal? I'm pretty sure Colin Powell went without makeup a lot." - Jimmy Kimmel
[It's bad enough her boss goes around topless; Russian President Vladimir Putin does, too.]
Musical Interlude: My Favorite Groups
The Rolling Stones, "Happy"
