Be Careful Conservatives

Judging by Memeorandum today there are some memes taking hold that I hope won't distract the Right from the big picture. If one looks immediately ahead and connects the dots as Obama likely will, the Right risks giving Obama a card to play in the much more important health care debate.

The MSM mostly ignored Van Jones. I don't want to give Obama the opportunity to stand before America and Congress Wednesday night and claim that, while he's working hard to improve health care for all Americans, the same old suspects on the Right are engaging in poisonous witch hunts against low level employees for nothing more than short term political gain.

At least think about it and go forward prudently. There are, at some point, bigger questions around the whole czar concept. Is Obama truly end-running Congress, or is he not? These could be rather typical jobs that just happen to pick up the name of Czar to appease the media memes. And there's plenty of time to look over the lot of them.

As for what comes next, remember that it's the health care debate that must come first. It's also what matters more to us and all of America in the end. So, don't get lost in what one Fox personality is picking up on that's going to boost his ratings. And don't get so giddy over one in the win column that you take your eyes off the ball.

I suspect Obama would appreciate nothing more right now. Hitting a home run in a losing game isn't cause for too much celebration, after all. And the big game - health care reform - is far from won as things stand today. Celebrate the Van Jones story, sure. But come out tomorrow with your game faces on. You might need them before this week is done.

Comments

[smitty]

Don't underplay Van Jones, either.
He isn't just a dude with an interesting approach to 1st Amendment usage.
He's symptomatic of a much bigger piece of intellectual rot.

[Peach]

Dan

Your last 10 or so posts are on the Van Jones story.

[rg]

Barry Soetoro is the radical, anti-American, with communist leanings. Jones, Ayers, Jarrett, Wright, etc. are all his underlings. Obama is the radical who is unfit to the US President.

He is an economic illiterate, with racist, Islamic and Marxist sympathies. He needs to be pushed from office.

[Dan Tana]

Can someone please shoot the word 'meme' in the head and bury it?

[syn]

For what it is worth, I doubt the formerly apolitical sleeping giants who awoke one morning to find an over-reaching Federal government intruding at an alarming pace into very aspect of their personal lives really care about right and left politics or, politics in general.

There is a whole-wide American world from sea to shining sea who did not vote and who don't care about politics; all they see and know is that the President is doing things which are scaring them.

[Akatsukami]

I disagree, rg. Barry Dunham Soetero is an empty suit, a shallow narcissist who can say and do nothing without a hand up his ass to make his arms wave and his voice squeak.

It is the possessors of those hands -- the Wrights, the Ayers, the Daleys -- who must be driven from office and whose access to power must be cut off.

[Dan Riehl]

"Your last 10 or so posts are on the Van Jones story"

Peach, I didn't say don't have fun with Jones, Hell yes I am. All I said was let's keep our eye on the ball before we start chasing czars. There's time for that after this week when the health care debate is critical, that's all. I aloso said have our game faces on tomorrow. That has nothing to do with the weekend's fun I'm enjoying right along with everyone else.

[Donald Sensing]

Hmm, I posted to the Republicans "Don't get cocky," on Aug. 17. The Reps must not make the mistake of thinking that tea party and town hall rebellions against Democrats is a fundamental shift in support of the Reps.

We want the government to stop gouging out the raw flesh of our freedom. And we know that the Republican party has gouged us just as surely, though perhaps not quite as deeply, as the Democrats.

The Reps will have to come up with something more compelling than not being Dems if they want to make a significant comeback. Frankly, I am doubtful that they can.

[Big Picture]

While I agree with your point, I'd say that Big Government is the real issue. Government with it's tentacles into peoples lives way past what the Constitution allows. The health care debate is just one of many symptoms of the disease. As is Van Jones and all the rest.

The sleeping giant is waking up and the free-loaders had better take notice and clean up their act. Or their act will be cleaned up for them.

[Michael in MI]

I think you have it backwards, Dan. Obama is counting on Conservatives determining that we can't possibly fight him on all fronts, so we'll give him a radical appointment here, a radical socialist bill there, and we'll back down on this or that based on fear of the media or Obama's Teleprompter-Fu or whatever.

This "pick our battles" stuff is not good enough anymore. This was the same attitude many took on the Sonia Sotomayor issue. "Oh, she's a racist and not one we should have on the Supreme Court, but let's just allow her, because we don't want to make ourselves look bad". This attitude after all during the 2008 campaign conservatives were saying that one of the biggest reasons to support a Republican over a radical Democrat was due to the US Supreme Court. Then, come 2009, the US Supreme Court nomination all of a sudden became non-important, not a battle we should choose to fight.

This attitude needs to end. Just as hitting a home run in a losing cause is no victory, winning a few battles and losing the overall war is no victory either.

The rules of the political battlefield have changed. All battles are equally important. There is no reason we can't fight all the battles and use the victories as a domino effect to defeat Obama's entire radical agenda.

[Dan Riehl]

Wise advice, as always, Donald.

[Dan Riehl]

"This "pick our battles" stuff is not good enough anymore."

Michael - if one reads my post carefully I didn't suggest not attacking on all fronts. I said there was time to get into the czars. All I advocated for was acute focus on health care this week. For the record, I agree we should attack on all prudent fronts. And extremist appointments is certainly one.

[rg]

Akatsukami - Ayers, Wright and company ARE NOT IN OFFICE! Surely you realize this?

Likewise, Axelrod and Rahm and Eziekiel can not easily or can not at all be driven from office - they are merely "advisors" who serve at the president's desires.

Hussein Obama is the elected one, the one the public can give a thumbs up or down to.

[TC@LeatherPenguin]

What smitty said.

Van Jones represents the thinking of, I believe, an overwhelming number of the current administration's membership.

I'm expecting Barry's man at the FCC, "Diversity Czar" Mark Lloyd, to take what happened to Van Jones as a direct threat to his political existence, and jack up his anti-First Amendment rhetoric to an even higher level... which also will be largely ignored by the MSM until the New Media coverage will make it damn near impossible for the dinosaurs to ignore.

[Barry Krakow, MD]

Dan,

I prefer a major golf tournament analogy. We're barely on the back nine of the first day of the US Open. Van Jones resig wasn't even a birdie; it was a scramble to save par. Long way to go to the back nine of the 4th round (2012) and lots of sand traps, water hazards and very tricky putting surfaces ahead, not to mention unplayable lies, out of bounds, and the worst, disqualification for playing the wrong ball!

[Dan Riehl]

Amen Corner, Barry. heh!

[mad-as-H]

We conservatives have just begun to fight and we don't mean responding to trolls on the net.

OBAMA: Ask not what you can do for your country, but what you can do for ME.

PATRIOTS: FREEDOM FOR ALL, FREELOADING FOR NONE!

[Bob]

"The Reps will have to come up with something more compelling than not being Dems if they want to make a significant comeback. Frankly, I am doubtful that they can."

That's right. I have yet to see the Republicans make any good-faith effort to be partners in trying to solve this country's problems. They've done nothing but stand on the sidelines and shout "Marxist! Communist!" while throwing teabags on the astroturf. They're used the dishonest excuse that Obama is an illegitimate extremist and has to be opposed no matter what he proposes. The Republicans' secret agenda is that government is only there to protect the interests of big business; they'll do nothing to help regular people. They hide this agenda behind jingoistic slogans and hate-mongering. It's amazing that there are enough middle-class rubes who still keep falling for it. Aside from spending trillions of your tax dollars to fight wars they started by lying to you, what HAVE the Republicans done for you lately?

[syn]

"The Reps will have to come up with something more compelling than not being Dems"

I believe many have been saying this for quite some time particularly during Sen McCain's campaign or when Newt joined Madam Pelosi's Climate-Change Fraud, unfortunately too many Republican politicians and deep-thinkers keep telling Conservatives to shut, sit down or LEAVE THE ROOM.

Marco Rubio, in a speech I heard, made the same observation; as a principled Conservative running against well-tanned Republican Charlie Crist (endorsed by the GOP, beloved by McCain and Graham and who is a supporter of Stimulus rip-off and Climate-change fraud) he found it strange to be treated as an insurgent candidate in the Republican Party.

One thing Rubio has in common with Palin...both are treated horridly by both the Establishment GOP and deep-thinking Beltway babbling Ivy-league brainiacs.

No doubt Beltway's babbling brainiacs won't really go after Bobby Jindel until after their friends high places first define who he is for them; at such point they'll know which side to take.

[bertie]

It's like those who suggested that the "Tea Party" leaders should not get sidetracked or taken off message with the Whole Foods Buy-cott.

Some simply responded, "We can chew gum and walk at the same time."

I'll suggest, again. Different issues attract different people's interest. There are actually people who don't see a problem with the 1,000+ healthcare bill. Hopefully they just haven't paid attention. But if something, anything, gets their attention, (Van Jones saying white environmentalists divert poison to communities of color, Czars, the Whole Foods story, Glenn Beck's antics, Tea Parties, whatever) it is possible their interest may be maintained, broadened.

But then I think the left and the press pecked at W like a bunch of ducks to destroy his approval numbers.

[Meadow]

I've said it before, and I'll say it again..."Watch the 'other' hand."

Beck did a great thing, but it put a bullseye on his back. There are too many of us who remember the antics of the communists and just knew in our hearts 'they would be back'.

Americans need to stand up and show some spine. We, the collective 'we', don't say things for fear of being branded racist or otherwise politically incorrect.

The tenant of the WH should be challanged on EVERY broken promise from his campaign. He should be especially challanged on his specifically pertaining to 'czars':

"The biggest problems that we're facing right now have to do with George Bush trying to bring more and more power into the executive branch and not go through Congress at all. And that's what I intend to reverse when I'm president of the United States."

-Sen. Barack Obama, March 31, 2008
h/t Tammy in a comment over at http://wisdomofsoloman.blogspot.com/2009/09/special-thank-you-to-van-jones-and.html

We should also remember 2010 will be major in regaining seats in Congress. Up to that time, we all need to be super-vigilent that the tenant of the WH does not negate the role of Congress in order to not only do an end run, but steam roller over our Constitution by neutering those we hired to represent us, the US.

[syn]

"They've done nothing but stand on the sidelines and shout "Marxist! Communist!" while throwing teabags on the astroturf."

Bob, the problem with this observation is that you think all those people showing up to townhalls to question Obamacare are Republican without any regard to the possibility that many of those people are apolitical, or rather, have never in their lives picked up a protest sign, attended a townhall meeting or even care about Democrat-Republican-Independent anything.

[Dred Scott]

I prefer the Super Bowl analogy -- where the wide receiver celebrates his touchdown in the final minutes of the game while an opposing team player calmly turns him around, points up at the scoreboard to remind him that his team is being blown out...

[Dan Friedman]

Being afraid of your own shadow is not the way to play, or win, the game. It's a good thing "conservatives" are not as monolithic as you suggest, capable of being aimed in one direction like the turret gun on a tank. What we're engaged in now is a process of erosion, wearing away Obama's thin, MSM-induced veneer. Luckily, Obama himself is providing us the grist and we should make full use of it because no one else will. Let a thousand flowers - and a million angry voices - bloom!

[Bob]

"But then I think the left and the press pecked at W like a bunch of ducks to destroy his approval numbers."

The Bush administration ruined its own credibility by proving themselves to have been dishonest/incompetent/fiscally reckless over Iraq, and by their callous mishandling of Hurricane Katrina. Bush staked his entire presidency on the success or failure of Iraq. In retrospect, I doubt that even a majority of Republicans would advise going into that pointless quagmire if they had it to do all over again.

[Bill Quick]

"Aside from spending trillions of your tax dollars to fight wars they started by lying to you, what HAVE the Republicans done for you lately?"

Screwed things up so badly they paved the way for Obama and the Democrats to spend considerably more trillions of our tax dollars on their cronies and their efforts to turn American into a fully socialist nation?

Oh, and emboldened lefty trolls on the internet, of course.

[Bert Gibson]

RULE 12: Pick the target, freeze it, personalize it, and polarize it." Cut off the support network and isolate the target from sympathy. Go after people and not institutions; people hurt faster than institutions.

RULE 8: "Keep the pressure on. Never let up."

RULE 5: "Ridicule is man's most potent weapon."

RULE 1: "Power is not only what you have, but what the enemy thinks you have."

[rrpjr]

It may have been better if Jones had stuck around for ahwile, drawing out the story. The greater purpose in exposing him is to point out Obama's own intentions, and the depth and breadth of subversives within Obama's administration. That is to say: the danger that still exists, the work yet to be done.

[syn]

"Screwed things up so badly they paved the way for Obama and the Democrats to spend considerably more trillions of our tax dollars on their cronies and their efforts to turn American into a fully socialist nation?"

Yea, so screwed up were the Bush years that $600 Billion deficit and 5.6% unemployment was so awful that we needed to spend $3 to $11 Trillion (who knows the number anymore) and reach 9.7% unemployment to help us feel better about ourselves.

[syn]

Time for me to go out and play, I think I commented to the point where I've over-extended my stay at the home of a most gracious host who has already endured so many of my rants.

Cheers everyone!

[Carol]

Dan, I have been thinking the same thing, even as I have gloried this weekend in Obama's cowardly (no firing, no comment) ejection of Van Jones. Here is my Stay-Sharp watchlist:

1. No doubt about it, this health care reform beast must die. KILL THAT BILL.
2. How to blunt the dangerous aims of Obama's UN plans that will empower Iran's nuclear mojo, well-described by Anne Bayefsky in NRO: http://tinyurl.com/los92j
3. Hmmm, wasn't Jones' exit just a little TOO easy? Makes me wonder what we have missed. What really dreadful, dangerous agendas are lurking among the Czars that Obama's henchmen hope we will be too drunk on this win to notice?

Plus my prayers, for this important week:
On this Labor Day, thanksgiving and blessings for the productivity and ingenuity in every soul of this nation of pioneers.
On 9/11, that while we may tack a zig zag line, our long-term course stays true: "Americans, to the thousandth generation, I salute you."
On 9/12, Taxpayer Day, a prayer for all of our nation's leaders -- all persuasions and positions, from school board to president, from Oregon City to Afghanistan -- that they be guided rightly by the highest good.

A blessed week for you and yours.

[Smacklin]

Since I am fond of poker to politics analogies, it's like playing a hand of Texas Hold'em and getting so focused on that straight you just filled you don't see the possibility that the guy betting against you probably has a flush.

[teabagger]

"I don't want to give Obama the opportunity to stand before America and Congress Wednesday night and claim that ... the same old suspects on the Right are engaging in poisonous witch hunts."

Obama doesn't need you to give him that opportunity. He's going to say that shit whether it's true or not because the ends justify the means for the Democrats.

Don't. Puss. Out.

The moment you begin to worry what they're going to say about you the battle is lost.

RULE 12: Pick the target, freeze it, personalize it, and polarize it."

Van Jones is a communist. But Average Joe American didn't know him until he was picked as a target and personalized. The enemy had to spend precious time figuring out how to deal with their problem instead of working on their agenda.

RULE 8: "Keep the pressure on. NEVER LET UP."

Teams should be working on Targets 3, 4 and 5 while Target 2 is teed up. Starting bright and early Tuesday morning ... say at the 8:45 A.M. conference call.

What? Our side doesn't have an 8:45 am conference call? Why not? They have one.

RULE 5: "Ridicule is man's most potent weapon."

The Obama Administration is a target rich environment when it comes to morons who can be ridiculed for their past statements and affiliations. They're going to accuse us of being obstructionists whether we are or not. So, might as well get in a few punches. They own the institutions; so we have to personalize it for the American people ... to show them that while they weren't looking, Obama went an installed a bunch of non-elected communist czars that have no Senate approval.

RULE 1: "Power is not only what you have, but what the enemy thinks you have."

If we aren't having an 8:45 a.m. meeting, we damn well better make them THINK we're having one.

This is how they TOOK POWER. They are organized and ruthless.

This is how we're going to take it back from them.

[leishman]

"That's right. I have yet to see the Republicans make any good-faith effort to be partners in trying to solve this country's problems....[rant]...[string of cliches]... Aside from spending trillions of your tax dollars to fight wars they started by lying to you, what HAVE the Republicans done for you lately?" Posted by: Bob | Monday, September 07, 2009 at 01:04 PM

Bob, amigo, even MSNBC discussed the Republican health care plan here: http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2009/06/17/1968492.aspx.

And what have the Republicans done lately? Why, they "created or saved" 300,000,000 Americans from a Democrat abomination-of-a-health-plan by preparing to oppose it because they, our Elected representatives, think the plan sucks.

[Bob]

"Screwed things up so badly they paved the way for Obama and the Democrats to spend considerably more trillions of our tax dollars on their cronies and their efforts to turn American into a fully socialist nation?"

But, Bill, the facts show that the current deficits are 90% due to Bush's policies.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/10/business/economy/10leonhardt.html

The current economic crisis is not Obama's fault and the economic stimulus strategy he's trying to use is one that's considered legitimate by the mainstream of economists. The fact that it didn't work overnight is a testament to what deep trouble we've been in. And the critics fail to note that the economy could have collapsed completely if nothing had been done.

[Peg C.]

I think we need a full-court press from now until the 2010 election, then the 2012 election, using Alinsky rules. It's giving the left fits having their tactics used against them. We need to keep up exactly what we are doing.

As for the GOP, they seem utterly clueless and even self-destructive, still. We can't take any lead from them, not that they're capable of giving it. 2012 depends on a decent candidate on our side, but 2010 does not. We can own 2010 without the GOP doing anything. Just dog the Democrat liars and thieves continuously and expose their corruptions. But we have to keep the pressure on full-blast.

[rg]

Bob - what have you done for yourself? You are an adult man and you actually think government does things for you? Geeez.......

If you think this big eared chimp is going to "fix" the economy then you must also think Bush "screwed up the economy, right? That's high school thinking Bob, grow up.

Bush and establishment repubs and dems have been bad over the past few decades. Hussein Obama is a joke - a racist, anti-American lawyer with zero experience and a borderline Marxist.

You think times are bad now? Just wait another 6-12 months and watch unemployment hit 11% or 12% Why? The Big Eared is anti-business, anti-capitalist, anti-growth and laughingly promotes windmills and solar panels! What a hoot!

Barry the one term wonder.

[Reaganite Republican]

Like Bear Bryant said-

"When you get to the end zone, act like you've been there before"-

IMO you are right-on Dan- Obama needs to feel a FULL COURT PRESS not just through
the stopping-cold of his outrageous HC scheme...but all the way until Nov 2010. We can get into some
of this other stuff once Cap-n-Tax and Obamacare have been reduced to little smoldering bits. It's going to be hard to get either of them passed in anything like their current form with Obama's approval ratings in the low 40's for even 30's.

Then, a 50-100 seat loss ought knock him down a couple pegs- and put an end to his
idiotic spending orgy once and for all.

All that would be left for him to screw up is foreign policy and judges... good grief, I never thought I'd live to see such a Twilight Zone episode like this- unreal.

[mark l.]

"...and the economic stimulus strategy he's trying to use is one that's considered legitimate by the mainstream of economists."

what?

"Barack Obama accused of making 'Depression' mistakes"
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/economics/6147211/Barack-Obama-accused-of-making-Depression-mistakes.html

you could offer paul krugman supporting(?) obama...but there were at least 4 nobel laureates who also opposed the 787 billion dollar stimulus.

wasn't unemployment projected to peak at 8%? is this a "legitmate" success?

[William Teach]

The thing we all need to remember about all of Obama's czars is, are they actually doing anything? Or, are they simply cronies of Obama's and political payback? Searching the news, these czars seem to be doing little to nothing. So, it is best not to get caught up in trying to "out" worthless Obama minions.

[newscaper]

"The Reps will have to come up with something more compelling than not being Dems if they want to make a significant comeback. Frankly, I am doubtful that they can."

DOnald is absolutely right.

I got a fund raising call form the RNC a week ago.

Told 'em I wasn't giving 'em another dime until the Republican establishment figured out what they stood for, rather than just hoping on Obama screwing up.

[Anna]

If you are speaking of Glenn Beck--I doubt that he is "vetting" the likes of Van Jones just for ratings. He seems to be a real person to me. I think he and anyone else should OUT whomever they find doing the things Jones was! I think Republicans/conservatives/angry Americans should note every scary thing this administration is up to!

[Bob]

"you could offer paul krugman supporting(?) obama...but there were at least 4 nobel laureates who also opposed the 787 billion dollar stimulus."

Krugman and another Nobel Prize economist, Joseph Stiglitz, generally support the approach of economic stimulus spending, and if anything, criticize Obama for not having spent even more. But in any case, a majority of mainstream economists favor stimulus:

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/227/story/60859.html

"However, most leading economists who are experienced in public policy generally favor the stimulus plan that the House is considering because through it the government will step up spending at a time when private-sector spending has fallen off sharply.

Some economists are ideologically opposed to any such massive government plan. The Cato Institute, a libertarian research center, has organized a list of dozens of academic economists who oppose the plan, urging instead tax cuts and smaller government, in favor of free markets and lower taxes over big government activities. Cato will advertise its list in coming days. However, that isn't where the balance of expert opinion comes down today."

But the point is not even to insist that economists who disagree with Obama's approach aren't entitled to their opinions. The point is to say that Obama's approach is far from being radical. It's supported by the mainstream of economists and would be faulted by them -- if anything -- for not being more ambitious. Obama won the election; the Republicans didn't. It's Obama's call.

[Bob]

"If you think this big eared chimp is going to "fix" the economy then you must also think Bush "screwed up the economy, right?"

Sorry, rg, but rhetoric like yours doesn't deserve to be taken seriously.

[RMT]

If someone wants to keep the issue alive but in a different way, FOIA Van Jones' records, emails and phone calls to see if he co-ordinated in any way with Color of Change (which he co-founded( to advance the advertiser boycott of Beck?

If a govenrment official was involved in intinidating a reporter and violating the First Amendment it would certainly end this administration's desired goal of playing games with the fairness dcotrine.

[teabagger]

FOIA his FBI interview in which he made false statements under oath to get his position in the first place.

Lying to the FBI is a felony.

[Ran]

Dan,
Great post, thanks. I'm with Smitty: VJ was a symptom, and not the entire cancer.

Someone tell Bob that a consensus of mainstream priests once thought the Inquisition sound practice. He's right, though, some things ought not be taken seriously.

[the bishop]

The czars are the instruments by which policy is carried out, that's why it's important

[democratsarefascists]

Right.

Because being careful has worked so well for us in the past.

Hit them. Hit them hard and hit them again.

If they get up, make sure they never get up again.

That's the way to win.

They're communists. Van Jones is proof of that.

If the RNC had any brains, they'd be trumpeting that fact around the clock.

[Moneyrunner]

Dan

Who is this "we" you are talking about? Unless you have a bunch of cronies making that 8:30 conference call referenced above, "we" are an unaffiliated group of bloggers (and radio personalities) who coalesce around issues and personalities that present themselves. "We" can't be directed, but, like a hive of bees or nest of ants have a high level of group intelligence. The next target in "Team Obama" may surprise you ... and me. No one directed that guy on FreeRepublic to expose Dan Rather’s Bush documents as fakes.

The fact is “we” can’t fight Team Obama like an army under a General as if there were some kind of unified command structure. Our side is waging guerrilla warfare because that’s the nature of our army. But guerrillas can destroy an organized army with death from a thousand cuts.

The focus should be on taking out the stragglers, the weakest members of the herd. That will give pause to the merely venal parts of this administration; the committed ideologues will have to be stopped by a more cautious congress.

In the meantime, Sarah Palin is getting some licks in.