Sword and Sextant

So Gallup has a poll showing something quite different than the frenzy of positive spin that we get from the mainstream media.

Here you go.

Here’s a quote from the WashTimes:

According to Gallup’s April survey, Americans have a lower approval of Mr. Obama at this point than all but one president since Gallup began tracking this in 1969. The only new president less popular was Bill Clinton, who got off to a notoriously bad start after trying to force homosexuals on the military and a federal raid in Waco, Texas, that killed 86. Mr. Obama’s current approval rating of 56 percent is only one tick higher than the 55-percent approval Mr. Clinton had during those crises.

Needlessly digging up Clinton’s ghosts aside, this is a pretty interesting result. I have heard that Obama’s approval remains very strong despite what is a bad economy, and laggy stimulus response, and other rotgut. I thought everyone loved the guy? I figured I was alone, shouting at a hurricane of political capital?

Let me be clear, I don’t view his popularity as any direct measure of his lawmaking. I’m only bringing this up because it makes every argument that is used in Obama’s favor that enlists his approval rating stink like shit. His actual approval rating is fair at the most optimistic viewing, and has fallen a ton since entering office. I’ll save further analysis for other posts.

One more thing: Hand-in-hand with the overinflation of prObama views, is the necessary marginalization of the resistance. The facts are building, though. Ayn Rand’s “Atlas Shrugged” is back in the top 50 on Amazon, Mark Levin’s “Liberty and Tyranny: A Conservative Manifesto” has enjoyed a huge run of months atop the NYT and Amazon lists, despite never being reviewed by the Old Gray Lady, the infamous tea party movement coalescing from nothing, and Rush Limbaugh enjoying the greatest ratings of his radio career. FNC is still kicking the hell out of the other cable networks, but that’s nothing new, although their market share has increased since January 20. Specter being forced to the Dems just to have a better shot against Toomey and a new challenger for McCain is just more smoke from the fire that’s building. Obama would do very well to quash this tide with simple lip service acts, but I doubt he considers it a threat to his greatness.

Update I was totally right about him running scared from Pat Toomey. What a knobjob. Don’t think you have the votes on the right, Arlen?

“I have decided to run for re-election in 2010 in the Democratic primary,” said Specter in a statement. “I am ready, willing and anxious to take on all comers and have my candidacy for re-election determined in a general election.”

Good. There’s one malignant tumor off our asses and onto the DNC. I would warn the Dems that he’s more trouble than he’s worth. The man simply has no political compass to speak of. He’s not driven by any core principles other than the need to go against his own party.

I’ll be interested to see if this is similar to the Liebermann fiasco, in that he stays a GOP voter but basks in the media glow for awhile, or if he just chucks his principles overboard and becomes a Dem voter with similar but inverted idiosyncrasies.

It also bears mentioning that Specter is the victim of a huge GOP backlash after his stimulus bill vote and record of total bullshit. He’s up against the head of the Club for Growth in a primary challenge next election cycle, that is unless he switches parties…

I think I see where the true motivations are suddenly. Run, rabbit, run, but your conservative masters are coming for you, and your job is in jeopardy. What a man who can alter his party affiliation so quickly just for a better chance to stay in power. Men like Arlen Specter are the problem in our Guvamint today. They are there for power and to stay in power far ahead of any other reason. Disgusting.

No, no. This is not me bitching about how Memphis, Kansas, Kentucky, and UCLA are successfully cheating their way to Final Fours and titles, but it could have been, I guess. For someone that watches as many sports as I do, this is the first sports ref I’ve made. I’d like to thank the audience, first.

Anywho, here’s a blog that is finally noticing that Joe Biden is VP because he agreed to shut up and eat ice cream while the President-Guy does all the fancy lawstuff. For all the Darth Vader references made about my boy Cheney, at least people agreed that he had a job and that he did it. I bet he killed at least 1000 men while in office with his demeanor alone. Like a swine flu of badassery (I feel like I can use that without reservation because its eventually gonna kill all of us or something. How anticlimactic is that, by the way? The fucking flu? How about asteroid or alien invasion or tons of volcanoes. What about a robot overthrow? Time traveling babes with bodies so hot they kill off human procreation in the most orgasmic extinction in history? Put me down as voting for the last one.)

Anyhow, these apparently gay dudes/ladies who love HillDog are a bit disappointed in the President Pro-Tempore of the Senate. So far he’s nailed the ice cream part of his advocacy agenda. I won’t make any references to how he’s pounding it like the superbabes are coming through the time vortex in 30 min. Fuck, I guess I’ll have to settle for one.

Face it, he’s got a job where he not only does nothing, but he gets paid for it. Frankly, Biden keeping his mouth shut clearly does require effort on his part, and he deserves pay for it. From Obama’s standpoint, he’s the only man capable of worse gaffes than himself, so keeping him silent is really worthwhile for him, too. As long as his mouth is at least as blocked up as John Candy’s arteries, he’s harmless. Talk about dumbing the VP down to the lowest form of public service. He should think about unionizing just to feel more at home doing the nothing he’s being paid to accomplish day in, day out.

I want President Obama to hold trials of the Bush people over torture. I really do. I want him to pursue “justice” for those lawyers who advised what is now considered torture as defined by the New Left in America.

Number One, it will be another spectacle fashioned from a broken promise given by Barry himself. After promising profusely to look forward and not back, this could only be seen as a departure from that line of action.

Number Two, when its revealed that nearly every member of Congress currently grousing over this memo-deal was complicit in allowing and abetting these practices, I will enjoy the show as the focus of these witchtrials lurches upon them. Miss Pelosi, what do you mean you said “okay” to this hundreds of times?

Number Three, its another way to stir up the increasingly focused resistance. The other day the resurrection occurred with the Tea Parties, and now a fresh batch of outrage can only harden the resolve of the newly minted conservative coalition.

Number Four, it will dually distract Obama from his agenda of mass social destruction. The Fearministration will be paralyzed by answering constant questions on the investigations, and Congress’ valuable 8 hours/week of total work time will be taken by reverse McCarthyism, as the defenders of freedom answer to the revisionist fools.

Number Five, it will write out an easy talking point for our next Presidential Race. “Excuse me, Mr. President, while you were trying to throw heroes in jail, I was working on this tax policy…” The possibilities are endless here, and fruitful.

So get in there, Barry! Your destiny awaits, and Eric Holder is ready to rock. Whatever he lacks in defending our own citizens from pirates, he’s got putting past grudges on the main stage in spades! Let’s see some Lefty justice.

Oh my God, this is unbelievable. Even having predicted it, I’m fucking stunned that this could occur. Color me flabbergasted. “Spread the wealth,” really meant it in a textbook definition.

Here’s a quote if you don’t want to read the whole thing.

President Obama showed his hand this week when The New York Times wrote that he is considering converting the stock the government owns in our country’s banks from preferred stock, which it now holds, to common stock.

Alright, preferred to common, no big deal, right? Think again.

“Preferred” means that these stockholders get the first crack at dividends, but only common stockholders can actually vote on company management or policy. Now, by changing this fundamental element of the TARP plan, Obama will give Washington a voting majority among the common stockholders of these banks and other financial institutions. The almost 500 companies receiving TARP money will be, in effect, run by Washington.

So yeah, that’s brutal. Our Guvamint is taking measured steps towards running our economy. As with every socialist takeover in history, its framed as being for the good of the nation, even though several banks are asking to be let out from under the TARP umbrella that now resembles a shackle. Its now more possible than ever that our President is blocking this move so he has a bigger piece of the pie when the Guv’t Goons show up.

Remember, this is a body that ran Social Security into the ground, messed up a war in Vietnam, couldn’t help Katrina victims, and forced banks into so many bad mortgages, they caused the whole damn crisis they’re now using to usurp the balance of power in this nation. Anyone thinking this might work out for our benefit is in for a big fucking dystopian surprise.

Just like Rome, we’ll rot from the inside before any enemy will be strong enough to fell us. Nerobama? Any takers?

Valuable information was obtained.

One of the biggest bugbears of the Left over the waterboarding program is that it supposedly doesn’t work. Well, Admiral Blair tends to disagree with that. Here’s a shot of molten truth:

“High value information came from interrogations in which those methods were used and provided a deeper understanding of the al Qa’ida organization that was attacking this country,” Adm. Dennis C. Blair, the intelligence director, wrote in a memo to his staff last Thursday.

There is a real debate out there as to whether we should do anything like this to anyone to save American lives. However, when the Guvamint is saying that it was successful whilst using such methods, we can hopefully at least put this to bed. Those enhanced techniques worked, according to those at the top.

Maybe now we can debate (calmly) the choice to do this rather than the fantasy that they don’t work anyhow.

Is there a point at which Obama is going to snap out of his Teen-Wolf-turns-Marxist, federal-government-is-your-master mode? Doesn’t he get that he’s enraged nearly every McCain voter, dumb as they are (guilty here), and even the Blue Dogs in his own party? He’s aligning the stars against himself simply by shoving too much change down our throats at once, which leads me to an observation I’ve made of the President.

Based on his ample apologies for American acts, policies, and deeds on his whirlwind make-nice tour, his sprint toward massive government input in all facets, and his continual sermons to his own people where he strives simply to get us to grasp his genius and plan for this nation, its clear to me that we elected a President that dislikes the country he runs. He flat dislikes us. When he apologizes for the Bay of Pigs (a noble endeavor with horrid execution), he never finds time to mention that our nation has taken out every major threat to worldwide freedom since the founding of our country. By my scorecard, that includes Austria/Germany, the Nazis/Hirohito/Il Duce, and Stalin/USSR. We are the Tiger Woods of freedom fighters, but Obama can only find faults to apologize for. I don’t expect gratitude from other nations, but I do expect OUR leader to find some positives in OUR history.

This country has a proud history, and has existed long before the One was born, as he loves to remind us, even though he’s apparently not sure when in history that was, as he’s thrice now suggested he either alive or not quite yet in several speeches, when the other was true. This country may well exist after he’s finished dousing it in gasoline, as well. Obama should recognize that while he’s currently the man, there are great ones behind, and hopefully great ones to follow.

Oh boy…

This is dumb as hell. Has the President considered that retirement accounts, everyday working stiffs, and pretty much everyone has a hat in the stock game, and millions still have Chrysler? Why give favorable treatment to UAW? Here’s what I mean:

The Treasury has an agreement in principle with the United Automobile Workers union, whose members’ pensions and retiree health care benefits would be protected as a condition of the bankruptcy filing, said these people, who asked for anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the case.

The pensions and retiree benefits are the crux of the whole problem, Barack. You are not solving much of anything. Fiat will merely inherit this albatross and be forced under eventually as well, unless they spike Chrysler, which kills a real American company and real American jobs. (By the way, where’s all the outrage over outsourcing the company to Italy?) Its why the first bailout didn’t work, and any future bailouts won’t work. Its like building a new bedroom onto a burning house because the old bedroom is engulfed in flames. The flames are coming eventually. (Sidenote: whoever is leaking these stories needs to be jailed. Why is this such a problem?)

So, bankruptcy is going to happen, but Obama changed the rules so the union can keep on murdering business. What a country. Why, do you think, he has shielded the UAW so? Oh, I bet its the billions of dollars they’ve spent to elect Democrats, who are now willingly injuring a business to keep a body that bankrolls them in power. Honestly, this always was a union bailout. Its clear its not about the companies or the shareholders.

The ultimate losers here are the shareholders, of course. 22 cents on the dollar is a catastrophe for any person/entity holding the bag. Real people are going to get smoked by this deal, but its okay guys, the unions are fine. Once more, real people are getting a falconpunch from the administration that is changing the way America works, for worse or for way worse.

Its difficult to explain the recoil I feel from this idea.

I hate to get all revolutionary, but the line has to be drawn somewhere. This party has to stop at some point. Guvamint intervention and regulation of anything it can get its hands on is bad enough, but we’d still survive because our people are the most industrious and ingenious on this planet, and we’ve proven it very clearly in a short historical period.

This is also the first policy that directly threatens my future dreams, which include biotech startup companies and the thrill of selling ideas to those very firms. Our President is a truly foolish man if he believes that startup companies and venture capital firms are anything but the one shining light in this country that he’s so far failed to stamp out.

As Keith Olbermann would say, “Shame on you, Mr. President.”

You’re a joke and an idiot. You have no idea how to run an economy, a business, or even a community (how did the Chicago Annenberg Challenge go, by the way?), and now you blindly read the liberal orthodoxy as if its new in any respect. As you forage ahead, full of distrust for earned capital and deserved success, you ride the coattails of a “historic election” while your beaming smile is fawned over by a failed press corps that cannot find any fault with your sinister ways.

You are a novice at everything because your handlers have always done it for you. Now you’re the man, and you’ve got nothing. You aren’t even good at smearing Bush, the easiest target in over 100 years. Nice work on what is now the torture memos fiasco, moron. The only remaining hope is that your ineffectual ideals and dumbass policies will scare even your fellow Dems so badly that when you flush your own party down the toilet, you’ll leave no shit stains on the bowl for the American people to clean up.

/rant over for now

Good move. There’s not much doubt we can do anything we want with the special forces we have. Now, lets kill all these assholes and extinguish the threat once and for all.