Riehl World View

Would You Buy A Used Car From This Man?

Obama seems to have lost some of his glow in the eyes of many. Many might expect Michelle Malkin to be unimpressed with Obama's latest response to the Wright issue.

But looking at Memeorandum, the disenchantment seems to be spread around.

Honestly, this just doesn't add up for Obama. His connection with Wright was either very close, or he's the kind of individual who doesn't care about who baptizes his children, marries him, etc. And that would fly in the face of the image he's created -, of a man who cares about everything, all creatures great and small.

The O-gasm might have been nice while it lasted for some on the Left. But the parties over. The lights came up. They're now finding themselves in bed with just another coyote ugly politician. And there's another one with much more experience in the wings that's been around seemingly forever: Hillary Clinton.

Only people as deranged as Andrew Sullivan, or Glenn Greenwald are buying his nosense.

I'll hold off predicting which dog the Dems go home with for now. But I suspect either way, they end up screwed in November.

Also, assuming some libs will respond to this post with the poll of the day showing Obama and or Clinton as a likely winner in the General - give me a break. Those polls aren't worth the paper they are printed on, or the HTML it took to code the web page they're on.

The Democrat's chickens have come home to roost.

Wright's Saddest Truth Overlooked

Everyone has noted and commented upon some of Reverend Wright's worst, most recent rhetoric. Even Sullivan has seen enough. I may have missed it being dealt with directly, as it should be - but the saddest and perhaps most revealing truth of all for Wright and likely some in the Black community is buried within it. It's the last portion of this phrase.

"Louis Farrakhan is not my enemy. He did not put me in chains, he did not put me in slavery, and he didn't make me this color."

Think about what that really means. Those aren't the words of a proud Black individual. They are the words of someone who is angry, primarily, ... because they are Black. They are the words of a racist - of the anti-Black variety; of someone who has come to view the Black race as inferior somehow.

Has Wright internalized White racism so deeply? Perhaps that explains his recent real estate choice, to retire in a gated, predominately White community.

I realize it may sound absurd and certainly isn't politically correct to point it out. But words mean things, as they say. And Wright's own words are revealing of a personal psychology as troubled as any of Obama's current political woes.

Jeremiah Wright simply doesn't like Black people. Why else would he be looking for someone to blame, or holding a grudge simply because he is Black?

What a shame Wright has apparently never come to face his own truth. Perhaps his ministry would have been that much more effective had he focused his career on truly lifting up other Black individuals who feel the same way, as opposed to looking for someone to blame for what amounts to an act of God, or genes, however you want to slice it.

Yawner Of The Day

Drudge has a link that says "Dukakis Speaks." It's an Observer link - down right now.

Other than once again confirming that dwarfs can talk, I'm uncertain of the significance of him claiming Obama will likely get the nod, or claiming anything else, for that matter.

He once claimed he was going to President. I heard he was turned back at the door by a mark on the wall for not meeting the height requirements.

The Big O And The Big D

While the Big D has come to mean playing defense for Obama. I saw this that warrants a comment. Apparently Bill Kristol mentioned Allahpundit from Hot Air in the New York Times regarding discussion around Obama's refusal to debate Hillary before North Carolina.

It's great to see Kristol mention a blog, but the entire criticism of Obama as tribute to Hillary as a candidate - putting Obama on the spot over the debate - is a bit over done; more partisan, than punditry.

It's Conventional Wisdom that the front runner (Obama is leading in NC) not want to debate. The same "I want more debates" vs. "We've debated enough already" back and forth is a staple of almost every major campaign with a clear front runner.

Giving Hillary credit and Obama criticism over it strikes me as a bit of a reach if you're trying to be at all objective.

Poll leaders always try to avoid debates, as they have little to gain and everything to lose.

Still, as going after Obama understandably seems to be the obsession of the Right these days ... I guess it's all in the game.

But if it were McCain ducking a debate and holding a lead in the polls, I doubt Kristol or AP would be seeing it the same way.

The Bonfire Of Liberal Vanities

Liberal pundits are in a full blown meltdown mode over Jeremiah Wright. You have Joe Klein claiming Wright isn't representative of the Black Church. Yet, Wright claims the attacks on him are, in fact, an attack on the Black Church.

Gee, both can't be true. It appears that without Dem politics focusing around all things Clinton, there's no one around to circulate the proverbial memo designed to get everyone on the same page.

What a wonderful state of affairs for liberal Democrats, heading into a presidential election divided and fighting amongst themselves.

Conservatives may not be enthralled with John McCain. But for the most part, they have enough sense to hold their most damaging fire, realizing there are larger issues in play when it comes to running the country.

Maybe that's it - liberal Democrats simply aren't mature enough to run things and they always end up shooting themselves in the foot.

Whatever it is, it is kind of fun to watch.

Fifth Annual Horrible College-Student Poetry Competition

The Crack Young Staff is holding its annual Horrible College-Student Poetry Contest - always a hoot.

Despite all our differences—black and white; young and old; Obama-supporting and sane—one thing binds us together: We all despise college students. And rightfully so, we must add. After all, is anything more annoying than the appalling illiteracy of these self-indulgent, lazy proto-drunkards? We, the crack young staff of “The Hatemonger’s Quarterly,” collectively think not.

But there is one way you can get back at these obnoxious upper-middle-class acquaintance rapists. You can tease them ceaselessly by composing your own execrable verse in the style of inept collegiate balladry. That is to say, dear reader, you can write a poem in the pathetic manner of today’s self-important college student.

You Don't Screw With "The Man"

In a case that's more instructive in government power and control than most anything a liberal, or civil libertarian might opine upon, Wesley Snipes received the maximum sentence, 36 months in prison for not paying his taxes.

While I personally believe too much is made of alleged civil liberty encroachments under Bush and in the so-called war on terror - there is no greater threat to freedom in a capitalist society than that of the government to tax and regulate activity.

I'm not suggesting Snipes isn't guilty, or shouldn't go to jail, but you never hear a peep from the supposed freedom loving liberals when it comes to how government taxes and spends, thereby controlling our lives, as well as our livelihoods.

You can peace march all you want, try to persecute telco's for providing information to the government, and stage all the faux torture events you want in protest of government actions.

But what's perfectly clear in America today is one thing - you don't screw with the tax man. Never let it be said that our government doesn't know from whence its power springs.

It would be wise to consider that when debating hyper-regulative responses to issues like global warming and supporting politicians who love big government. It always comes with a price. And ultimately that price is freedom, just as much as it is dollars.

In relative terms, there will be little or no liberal hand-wringing over the Snipes conviction, which causes one to wonder if they really understand freedom at all. Snipes appears to be guilty, but he WAS striking Big Brother at its heart in a way few if any anti-war protesters ever do.

And the message is clear - Big Brother knows how to deal with threats to its collective heart when they really matter.

Issues like the above are why I genuinely question the motivations of liberals today. They claim to be championing liberty. Yet nearly everything they champion calls for more taxation and regulation. One can't do both and be intellectually consistent, or honest.

Democrats, Just Not So Democratic

One really must stop and appreciate this bit of irony, especially with Reid, Pelosi and Dean threatening to weigh in on the candidate selection. I should say: light-weight in. But I digress.

No matter how you slice it, what is now a fact, is that, the party that calls itself the "Democratic" party is going to nominate a candidate this year through a very "undemocratic" process. No other solution is possible. The so-called Super Delegates get to pick the Dem's candidate, thereby telling the great unwashed (IE: liberals) who to support.

Neither candidate can win through the primary process. And Hillary may even win the popular vote. Gee, according to "We want Gore rules," doesn't that mean she gets the nod? After all, this delegate business is very much like an electoral college.

Nothing could be more telling as regards the Democrat Party today, as well as the contemporary liberal's mindset, than that some central committee gets to tell the happy hamsters that make up the rank and file who wins.

LOL All the more reason to label it the Democrat Party, as opposed to the misnomer they prefer.

Actually, they should place a "U" by their names this year for "undemocratic." They designed this silly process. Or maybe the U just stands for Unfit to govern America as a President.

The Negatives And Alleged Positives Tell The Tale

If you want to know if the Democrats have a real problem as regards their nominating process this year, all you have to do is stop and think in terms of Negatives and Positives as regards candidate ratings.

Hillary came out of the box with higher negatives than any other recent prospective candidate I can recall. At the same time, if you buy the media narrative, Obama is and has been nothing but a big positive.

But a funny thing happened on the way to the Presidential debate forum - Obama lost Pennsylvania to Hillary by ten points.

We can speculate all we want as to why - Race, organization, a lack of experience on his part. But the reasons really don't matter when it comes to picking a President. All that matters is who wins. And the Democrats are desperate to regain the Presidency in a year when everything says they should.

So, why isn't this All Star, Barack Obama putting away a female candidate with such large negatives? He should be cleaning her clock, assuming he is everything the media would have you believe.

I'll leave it to readers to hash out the details, but the fact is, Obama's star had to have lost a large amount of glow in the eyes that matter, those of the Super Delegates, with his big loss in PA.

They can, as I said previously, bow to political correctness and nominate a sure loser. Or, they can at least hope to have a shot with Hilary. But for now, at least, the Dems look headed for another full blown meltdown when they lose the Presidential race in November, something no political pundit thought they could do this time around.

And ultimately the blame lies squarely on the very type of divisive politics they've been playing for years - pitting one interest group against another. Serves them right, as far as I'm concerned.

And party that would select that buffoon Dean can't really be all that much to begin with. The Democrat Party of today is sad, just really pathetically sad.

It's Official: Dems Face A Calamity

All one need do is scan Memeorandum, or visit most any political blog to confirm it - with Obama losing PA, a Dem must win state, to HIllary by ten points makes this year's Democrat nominating process a full-blown calamity.

McCain plays too well in Blue states like PA, mostly comprised of traditional Democrats, not firely liberals, for the Dems to ignore the outcome. If Hillary can beat Obama in PA, so can McCain.

And it's hard to see a state where Obama can make up such a crucial turn of events.