Battle of the Axioms

In politics some things are so consistently true they become axiomatic. In the coming election two axioms are going to be tested and one won't win out.

First axiom: In a down economy the candidate from the party of the President loses. Sure, it isn't fair, especially in that Congress has a much greater effect on the economy than does the President. It's interesting that the economy of the supposedly booming '90s was a result of Congressional fiscal policies beginning in 1994-when the Republicans took over. Also interesting is the fact that the current downturn occurred after 2006 when the Democrats took over Congress. In neither case was the President a driving factor. Still, the American psyche holds the President responsible for anything bad that happens, as though he has a magic wand he stubbornly refuses to wave. Therefore, John McCain has the burden of battling an axiomatic reality-something akin to swimming in glue.

Second axiom: America won't send an extremist to the White House. Lyndon Johnson successfully labeled Barry Goldwater an extremist and crushed him in the popular vote. Four years later Hubert Humphrey, who actually was an extremist, lost to Richard Nixon. In 1972 perhaps the most extreme leftists ever to run, George McGovern, suffered the most embarrassing electoral defeat in history (sort of sad to think how unnecessary the whole Watergate thing was). Ronald Reagan exposed the extremism of Walter Mondale. George H W Bush beat extremist Michael Dukakis handily.

Barack Obama is easily the most extreme leftist ever to be nominated by a major party. It's not easy to stand to the left of men like Walter Mondale and George McGovern but Obama manages it. In a normal election he gets crushed.

But this isn't a normal election. The economy is trending down, due primarily to a mortgage/credit crisis (thanks mainly to Republicans in Congress) and high fuel costs (thanks completely to Democrats). So, an extremist willing to say and do anything to get elected just might have a chance. Remember, in 1976 liberal Jimmy Carter used the tepid economy to hide his extremism and eked out a victory. He was so liberal even the Democratic Congress wouldn't follow his lead and his Presidency ended in failure and a near catastrophe for America.

Barack Obama is even more liberal than Carter and Congress is led by left wing extremists Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid. If Axiom #1 wins out over Axiom #2 we could be in for a world of hurt.


Today

Another Obamanation

I heard our good friend Barack today, explaining why he won't be keeping his promise to abide by the campaign rules set in place thirty years ago and followed by every presidential candidate since-even the infamous Sick Willie (hide your daughters and silverware) Clinton.

It seems Barack is sure that John Mccain will do what Obama is already doing, use third party PACs and interest groups to smear and lie. I say Obama's already doing it because he is. Even now MoveOn.Org is airing anti McCain ads in selected states. The AFL-CIO has pledged 57 million dollars to help in the effort to smear John McCain. NARAL is flooding the internet with propaganda.

Typically liberal, Barack Obama accuses others of wanting to do what he's doing-and condemns them for it. So far, experience shows the only thing we can count on Barack Obama to do is whatever he thinks is in his own best interest today.

Confounded

Barack Obama is going to solve the 4 dollar gas problem, but I'm a little bit confounded by his proposals to do that. First off, he's going to levy a whopping huge tax on the oil companies. Sounds good, but companies-all of them, pay taxes out of their revenues, which means any tax increase gets paid by you and me through higher gas prices at the pump. Oh yeah, the tax Obama is talking about is a windfall profits tax. I remember now, that's exactly what Jimmy Carter did in the '70s. It was a catastrophe. When the government tells companies they can't keep their profits the companies just stop trying to make any. And that's what happened in the '70s. Oil companies put a limit on how much they were willing to sell and we had two block long gas lines all over America. I guess Obama is too young to remember that.