Tonight, more than 200 years after a former colony won the right to determine its own destiny, the task of perfecting our union moves forward.I'm reading Obama's victory speech this morning, and, though I voted against him, I feel uplifted. I get a chill. Just as the writer of those words intended. Rereading them, my critical mind clicks in. A former colony won the right to determine its own destiny...? A colony? There were 13 colonies! Won the right? I read the Declaration of Independence to say that we had the right already, and we were entitled to throw off the power that oppressed us. The next phrase "perfecting our union" evokes the first sentence of the Constitution — "We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union...."— and ties it to his campaign slogan "forward" and to "you," who voted for him, propelling him forward. I've got to wonder if the idea is to move forward past the lesser perfection of the Constitution, into a system in which individuals merge into one nation, one people, one family. But you can still pursue your own individual dreams. Go ahead! Pursue them! If you can
It moves forward because of you. It moves forward because you reaffirmed the spirit that has triumphed over war and depression, the spirit that has lifted this country from the depths of despair to the great heights of hope, the belief that while each of us will pursue our own individual dreams, we are an American family and we rise or fall together as one nation and as one people.
I know some of you are thinking: If we can in this supposedly more perfect but actually terrifying system of socialism The One will move us forward into. Here are 2 expressions of that fear that went up last night on Instapundit and that struck me as excessive and over-scared. At 10:41, Sarah Hoyt wrote:
I HAVE QUESTIONS: We’re not a country of land or blood. We’re a country of beliefs. If we’ve lost that, who are we? Who am I? And where do I go?And at 11:00, Glenn Reynolds put up the text of an email from a reader named Zach White:
If Obama is reelected, good hardworking people should give up and go Galt. The tipping point is the 2012 election. Will the makers finally succumb to the takers? It’s pointless to think that if America reelects the most unqualified disastrous president in recent memory, we should stand our ground and continue fighting. it’s a signal that marxist free-lunchism and free birth control for everyone trump economic well-being and prosperity in the minds of the masses. Give up. Go Galt. Protect what few assets you have left, and start to hunker down for the coming storm. America is beyond screwed, well past the fiscal insanity of a number of EU countries. Think of it this way – we sit and watch California destroy itself and wonder who could be so foolish as to remain there and dedicate himself to indentured servitude in a state headed for disaster. Why don’t those fools just leave!! Same for Venezuela. as they descend into chaos and totalitarianism, do they reject Chavez more? The answer is plainly no. The spiral down the drain is irreversible and obvious. The more the government creates misery, the more they create programs to help people cope with the misery they’ve created, and we achieve a perpetual negative feedback loop. My advice is simple – if Obama is reelected, get a lawyer and a financial advisor, cash out as much of your assets as you can, and prepare yourself for a nosedive off a cliff. anything else would be imprudent and irresponsible to yourself and your dependents. Who wants to be a Dagny Taggart dedicating themselves to a life of indentured servitude trying to correct the wrongs of a heavy handed government? i will not be volunteering. I didn’t give up on America, America gave up on me.I read that this morning and pictured the young man in his 30s or early 40s, a man with a wife and children, reading that anything else would be imprudent and irresponsible to yourself and your dependents and actually spending money on a lawyer and a financial advisor, extracting all his cash from his retirement accounts, quickly selling the home they live in, and heading for the hinterlands to hunker down for the nose dive. The wife is distraught, the kids freak out. Dad's gone nuts. No, I'm not nuts, children. I am Galt! And I'm doing the only thing that is not imprudent!
Talk about nosedives. Get a grip, those of you who didn't get what you wanted for Electionmas. It's Obama's Second Term America, and you'll need to make the best of it. I think you've got some better ideas than cashing out and hunkering down. I know I do.
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306 comments:
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"a system in which individuals merge into one nation, one people, one family"
Ein Volk, ein Reich, ein Führer!
I'm counting on Republican obstructionism....but we legalized marijuana, and same-sex marriage.
So, I've got that working for me!!
I wonder about the male vs female results. Those are the two cultures.
They didn't let women vote because the economy has to work.
Women think he means well, men think he doesn't.
Foolishness today is winning over skepticism.
I, too, saw Zach's message. He is on target. The spiral down the drain IS irreversible and obvious. The only question is, do we go down with it or do we do what we can to delay or prevent it for us as individuals? FWIW, I am a Ph.D.-holding, (as of now) middle class, married, white woman.
I'm bummed, but optimistic. People I vote for never got elected when I lived in PA. I feel like I'm 21 again :)
Plus, I'm Great now, thanks to a newcomer to the world.
I hope the Republicans of this state are kicking themselves in the shins for nominating that dinosaur Tommy.
I feel fine. I don't invest myself personally in any politician. Did when I was younger. Don't do that any more.
Democrats are overestimating what they've won. Republicans are getting too excited about their loss. The demise of the loser is predicted after every election and that never happens.
I'm happy that divided government is still the status quo. Republicans should continue to oppose with all their might. That keeps the Democrats from doing stupid things.
There will be another election in a couple of years, and a different result.
Don't let politics rule your life. It would be nice now to talk about something else.
Price charts for silver and gold.
What's notable to me about those charts is that people are fleeing to gold and silver even though we haven't had bad inflation. It's risen because of fear of inflation. and our debt load, and the rise in asset prices. Here is a Forbes guy who thinks inflation isn't a problem over the next couple of years. The fed has been flooding the market with money (QE 1 and 2 and now 3) but nobody is borrowing money so the banks are sitting on it. We can expect to see a rise in asset prices across the board, I think. Basic things like oil and food will continue to get more expensive. Indeed, Obama wants energy to be more expensive so we will use less of it. He will continue to regulate oil/gas/coal to make all of those things more expensive. Rise in energy prices will cause inflation in everything else.
If we go over "financial cliff," taxes go up, automatic spending cuts take effect. That could be a brutal shock on the market as it will be apparent that we are heading into another recession. Another fight over the debt ceiling takes place in February. If the two sides reach any sort of bipartisan consensus, it's good in the short term but bad in the long term. The "consensus" has been to add more debt, so if they reach a consensus that is what they will do. They won't raise taxes, they won't cut spending, and we'll borrow (or print) more money. I expect Obama to add another $4-6 trillion in debt over the next four years, taking us to $20-22 trillion.
Here's a chart showing our debt relative to gdp. We are not as high as we were in World War II. But of course that was a one-time debt. And at the end of WWII, the manufacturing base in Europe and Asia was destroyed. So we had massive growth after WWII and we were able to pay our debts. Our current debt is peacetime debt, socialist debt, Medicare and Social Security debt. Our debt has gone from 50% of gdp in Obama's first year to 100% of gdp.
We can expect our debt to continue to increase relative to gdp. Obamacare hasn't really started yet, but there will be major shocks to our healthcare system and to the public as a whole. I expect a lot of people to lose their health insurance over the next few years. Companies will stop providing health insurance because it's gotten too expensive. Again, this is part of Obama's plan. Raise the price of health insurance, destroy private health insurance. In both energy and health care Obama is intentionally raising prices.
On the bullish side, as Europe implodes from Greece, Spain, Ireland etc., that money may flee into dollars, stocks, or gold and silver.
I think people should stay invested in stocks, but think more about commodity investing. Oil stocks, food stocks, mining stocks. You want to raise cash. And you should have some money invested in precious metals, which is the ultimate hedge against bad economies. I prefer silver to gold.
In a generally clean and well run election the only major blot was the attempt by some to politicize the death of our ambassador to Libya. As part of pulling together after the election let's hope that this does not continue, because it was disgraceful. A very short sighted attempt at political gain to the long term detriment of the country's best interests.
The country has some big issues to deal with, most notably the debt and the explosion in the disparity of wealth. Both factors are hurting the economy and need to be dealt with in a comprehensive fashion.
Good flow chart of financial cliff from Goldman Sachs.
I fear for the economy - and I fear for the country which has re-elcted the most inept and unqualified president maybe of all time.
2008
Ozero = 69,498,215 Total votes
McCain = 59,948,240
2012 (as of 04:30 today)
Ozero = 58,720,700
Romney = 56,145,950
Are you kidding me?
The policies of Obama and the Democrats caused the weakest recovery in decades and he wins re-election. Now I see the US becoming California. Not the California of Ronald Reagan, but the California of Jerry Brown redux, massive public labor union power and an increasing underclass sucking the marrow out of the producers, and govt regulation strangulation. Maybe there is a silver lining somewhere, but I am not seeing it.
I think you've got some better ideas than cashing out and hunkering down. I know I do.
I agree. I'm a '56 model and as long as I can remember there have been those warning and preparing for the imminent fall of the world as we know it. Sooner or later they will be right, but most likely for unexpected reasons.
BTW, why's does Morley Safer have an ad here exhorting us to hoard 37 things? I always thought it was 38.
It would be nice now to talk about something else.
Let's talk about my new grand-niece. She is the cutest thing in the world!
When she goes to College -- if she does -- Obama will be almost ancient history. What Kennedy was to me when I started College. What Truman was to my sister when she started College.
Time marches on.
I am just profoundly disappointed that our corrupt media won and that they can continue to do what they have been with more impunity.
Wisconsin.
Walker gets elected, then survives the recall, purportedly because he's fiscally responsible.
Then we turn around and re-elect his polar opposite for President.
And we send Tammy Baldwin to the Senate to help him out.
I don't get my fellow Wisconsinites.
The debt crisis is misguided on the Republican's part, a bad hill to fight for.
The debt increases as long as the budget isn't balanced, so is going to rise no matter what they do.
Getting the budget under control is the right hill.
"We are greater than the sum of our individual ambitions"...
I believe that as a nation, we will survive a second term of Obama. I also believe that America will be weaker for the effort. I can not understand how anyone that has been paying any attention to what has been going on with this country for the last 4 years could stand in that voting booth and pull the lever for more of that.
I hope that all those that voted for more of this, get exactly what they want and voted for, they deserve it. I also hope that all those that voted for more of this have to stand in front of their children and grand-children one day and explain why they supported this man not once but twice. Why they ignored the needs of the country and the future in order to try and get more for themselves now. Why they ignored reality and instead went with what "felt good".
As an adult, you should have the self respect to honor your commitments to your family, children and country to do the hard things now so that those coming later do not have to do the impossible things. This election has show that a majority of the voting public (adults(?)) don't care. That is a hell of a thing to see laid out in front of you like it was last night.
I didn't listen to either candidates' speech last night, and didn't know until your analysis if you were quoting the victory speech or the concession speech. So I wouldn't invest too much in parsing the particulars there.
As for hunkering down and going Galt, advocates of serious disaster preparation always sound crazy until it's too late. (I'm not heading out to the country to learn how to raise chickens either, but can imagine too easily in the next 10 years wishing that I had moved into an alternative to a currency-based income.)
What a great night last night!
This is a hard loss and we have a hard row to hoe. I'm not cashing out of the world though. We move on, life moves on and we try again tomorrow. That's all you can do.
Going Galt, like cries of an impending Second Civil War, are nuts.
I didn't listen to either candidates' speech last night, and didn't know until your analysis if you were quoting the victory speech or the concession speech. So I wouldn't invest too much in parsing the particulars there.
As for hunkering down and going Galt, advocates of serious disaster preparation always sound crazy until it's too late. (I'm not heading out to the country to learn how to raise chickens either, but can imagine too easily in the next 10 years or less wishing that I had moved into an alternative to a currency-based income.)
I think last night's result is terrible, pretty much all the way around. But I won't ever give up on this country.
Have at me, lefties - enjoy your victory. Garage, PHX, Freder, et al. - I know it's fun when your side wins an election. But remember that the consequences of your policies are not always seen. You see the handouts, but the lost opportunity and dependence is not that obvious.
I'm not going away. I believe my principles are correct, and I will continue to spout them off at every opportunity. I won't be silent when people assume I'm a lefty. I'm going to heal my wounds (licking my wounds sounds too gross) and I will be back. I will remain free to choose, and I will constantly remind people that when you focus on the battle solely for equality, you will lose your freedom and not get equality. I will remind people that pencils can only be made by people voluntarily choosing to work together, even people who hate each other.
God Bless America.
To me it's telling how in conceding the brilliance of Bill Clinton many on this blog seem to say Clinton helped Obama (so excellently) only for the cause of Hilary in four years who will be 70 or pretty close to it. Are the ears here really that tin?
Bill Clinton is the last great Democratic politician. Barack Obama is not a good politician. For me his star peeked around June 2008, and has kind of been fading ever since. I don't think he speaks that well either.
But I voted for him - this time. Health care and no more wars, and still some hope. I like what he is trying to do though there's not much pull I feel towards him personally, nothing like I did for Bill Clinton.
Hilary will not run in the next four years. She is too old now and will be then.
Many of us who voted Democratic (Republicans would be well advised to drop "Democrat Party.") who are over 40, and there are a LOT of US too!, are worried. We are worried about the fiscal cliff, we are worried about the still disastrous pick of Biden. We are worried that our man still does not seem to have a feel for how to lead the Congress or give great persuasive speeches to fire up even his BASE. We are worried about a lot of things. We voted for Obama with NO ILLUSIONS.
Many of us who voted for Obama also realize what a decent man in the end Romney turned out to be, or at least the face he presented to us. I thought his speech was very good. As were his speeches towards the end of the campaign. They did get better and better, he became more human. And he did leave it all on the field. That is very admirable.
Romney was as good a candidate as could be had, I have to admit in the end. The primaries were an unmitigated disaster. There is no way Santorum would have done nearly as well as Romney, nor the Texas governor. He was the best candidate.
For a greater voice in national politics, conservatives should consider joining the Democratic Party.
Nice recovery Ann. It would be nice if later today you explore more of the ODS over at Pajamas and Instapundit. Were they partially responsible for your crazy spin out over the last week?
It also would be nice if you gave some acknowledgement to Nate Silver for his almost perfect call and maybe share with us why you so unswervingly touted Rassmussen and belittled Silver.
Oh yeah, and buy gold.
Dick Morris certainly lived up to his first name.
And Peggy Noonan was predictably not prescient.
And the polls were right.
When will you all stop listening to your guts and accept reality.
The country voted for more real U-3 unemployment of over ten percent. (The drop has been due totally to people dropping out of the workforce. The real UE is about 10%.)
Let me repeat that: The country voted for four more years of unemployment over ten percent.
As someone who's been out of work for years, how am I supposed to NOT be scared by that?
Going Galt?
Unfortunately most of us have become so comfortable in our lives of relative luxury that such an extreme outcome is unlikely. I am looking forward to finishing my remote survival shelter in the woods.
What do I expect? A lot less generosity from from all the angry white guys who have all the money. The increasing numbers of people living in poverty who are thrilled with Obama will find in a kind of self fulfilling prophecy that government is in fact their only hope. It's difficult to feel compassionate for people who spit in your eye.
Will B0 and Reid learn to compromise with the GOP or will they continue their "my way or the highway" attitude. They really have never tried compromise.
To explain why Republicans thought the polls were wrong: They knew that Democrat votes would be down (Obama lost a huge amount of his 2008 numbers.) No one expected Republican enthusiasm to not translate to votes. Yet, for some reason, Romney could not match McCain's totals.
We ran a $192 billion deficit just for the month of October. In August, Obama asked for and received $2 trillion more. What happend to that money? Does anyone think that this spending is going to end anytime soon? How about a show of hands of people who don't think that this matters.
Polk County WI went for Romney.
Fleet: They have no reason to try compromise. Non-compromise worked just fine. You get more of the behavior you reward.
As to what I'm going to do - the same thing I always do: love my wife, raise my kids, work hard and try to make some money, try to have a few laughs. And hope to God Obama doesn't dig us into a deeper hole in the Middle East, and pray that we don't start seeing massive inflation. Pretty much the same as the last four years.
The thing that really concerns me is that for two elections running we've rejected the bipartisan moderate in favor of the left-wing partisan. Moderates apparently can't win the presidency. That's a little scary, not only because we've got Obama now, but because we're bound to see his right-wing counterpart in the White House in 2016.
When GWB ran in 2004, the focus of the campain was on the most significant thing he had done: Take us to war. And he won (like every president since WWII) by more than in his first election.
In this one, Obama ran on distractions: Binders, bayonettes, birth control and big bird. It ought to have been a referendum on his big "accomplishment" Obamacare.
Had it been about that, I think he would have lost. It says much about the American people, not in a good way, that we allowed ourselves to be distracted....squirrel!
Nevermind, forgot what I was getting at.
Had a wonderful rehearsal last night with my cherished friends, the Old Dawgz!
We sound so great! We struggle and fight and chide one another, and nothing can pull us apart.
Today, I have a long day ahead of my of playing music, cleaning up my yard and house, doing my yoga and enjoying life.
Life is good. Politics is not that important.
Things will probably look pretty good for the Dems four years from now given that we our coming out of the recession full speed ahead now. This will also help to bring down the deficit. President Obama will get full credit for this.
I also predict Republicans will the next four years pulling themselves apart.
Zach White has it exactly right. He is not so much John Galt as Noah, trying to get his family out of the way of the flood.
What would you do if you were a Roman citizen in the fifth century and could see where things were headed? Perhaps you would want to liquidate your investments and move to a place where the ripples from the crash will be less severe.
Go Galt?
~~Some people thinking the end is close by
'Stead of learnin' to live they are learnin' to die~~
I'm reading Obama's victory speech this morning, and, though I voted against him, I feel uplifted. I get a chill.
It really doesn't take much for you does it?
$16 trillion in debt and growing with no plan other than tax the 1% which won't put a dent in the deficit. So we are headed into fiscal oblivian and the country voted on Big Bird and vaginas. A perfect image to where we are headed.
I'm Catholic, so my role models are Saints. Unfortunately many were martyred by their own governmental authorities.
Otherwise, it is a Democracy and this is what the majority wants. I've done my part in voting and I still do works of charity.
Romney will use his talents for his Church, just as I will use my talents for mine. Even if I have to do such actions not in public, and in secret.
Life goes on, but we're a different America and some of us are in denial of that.
Does Big Bird have a vagina? Is Big Bird even a lady?
dpd, I see what you are saying. But I think two things: one, more people than you realize actually WANT affordable health care - isn't it possible that that's why they were voting? That's why I did. Two, Romney was kind of hamstrung on the issue, in any case, wouldn't you say?
I've been up all night making "The End Is Near" signs.
Other than that, I've been thinking about the century old "class-conscious worker" cartoon you published which has the caption below it, "How little things have changed..."
The class-conscious worker is much more threatened by non-workers and the federal government, who both want to take his money for their own pleasures than by any rich person. Rich people need and want good workers to help them build wealth and commerce. The federal government is interested in power, over you. Non-workers want an easy ride on your dollar.
Sorry for the typos. Last night was a little crazy!
The country voted for more real U-3 unemployment of over ten percent.
This is what I find insane. That an incumbent was re-elected in this economy. I wouldn't expect anyone to re-elect a republican under these circumstances either.
And yet.
I really believed Romney was going to pull it out. I am deflated. It’s so disappointing that masses of people are so ill informed and turning a blind eye to the economy and unemployment in lieu of free birth control. I sure hope the price tag is worth it for them because I the debt will top 20 Trillion in the next 4 years, higher unemployment, higher taxes, a reduced military and Iran with an itchy trigger finger. But Planned Parenthood will get federal funding and we all get Obamacare. Hope it’s worth borrowing money for that and every other entitlement plan that gets dreamed up in the next 4 years. Lock up the kids. Clip Coupons and batten down the 401k. I for one will be hanging onto my money…a shoebox under the bed seem like a good idea. And if that wasn’t bad enough we now have Tammy Baldwin who makes Obama look conservative.
I found nothing inspiring about Obama’s speech. And honestly. I’m tired of speeches. I want actions. Do something. Move the needle. Romney was not always the most eloquent speaker but I believed in him as a leader. His ability to deliver a smooth speech is not top of mind for me. But his ability to lead was.
I have only lost hope there will be no change. Only more of everything this country doesn’t need.
I love this country and will keep fighting the good fight even if it is an uphill battle.
End of rant.
Jay Retread said... What a great night last night!
Did you finally get it up for a few minutes without pharmacological assistance?
It's Mourning in America
Let's talk about my new grand-niece. She is the cutest thing in the world!
And she's already 200k in debt.
Yeah. Hope. I don't think Obama's nice words offer any real hope. I see only economic despair in our future.
Economic illiteracy coupled with tired leftwing ideas are not a recipe for economic prosperity.
"Let's talk about my new grand-niece. She is the cutest thing in the world!"
Congratulations, MadisonMan. May we all live long and see our grand-children living fruitfully and free.
Obamacare isn't going to make healthcare more affordable. It will do two things though:
1. It will make healthcare more scarce.
2. It will increase the extent to which peter is paying for paul's healthcare expenses.
If it was such a winning issue, why wasn't it the focus of the Obama campain?
No one expected Republican enthusiasm to not translate to votes. Yet, for some reason, Romney could not match McCain's totals.
Thank you. Yes, that's what's wrong here. I can only suppose that some of the people fired up by Sarah Palin (because they sure weren't by McCain) were not as enthusiastic about Mitt. Now I guess we have to figure out why.
Jay Retread said... Sorry for the typos. Last night was a little crazy!
Your typing hand get rubbed a little raw?
Inflation! It's going to be the new black.
It'll be cool and hip and make that $16T debt start to look slimmer as everything else explodes.
Let's talk about my new grand-niece. She is the cutest thing in the world!
Congratulations!
God, please start delivering more grandkids! Old Dawgz need grandkids! I'm ready for an entire litter!
You can con America but not reality.
We are in deep trouble. Dangerously deep trouble. Is it too late? Maybe. I'm going to live like it's not. Because there is no "B".
But yep, we are in trouble. Being a "winner" last night will not make you immune.
I've been up all night making "The End Is Near" signs.
When will I see the first Don't Blame Me, I voted for Romney bumper sticker?
dpd, I do not know why the Obama team did not play up health care. I am not familiar or that enamored with them. I can say how I and others like me voted, and you better believe health care was a factor. But I guess it will shake out more in the exit poll data. I could be wrong.
I don't intend to pull together. I am sick of this. This election clearly puts us on the road to communism from which we can not return without revolution. I want my state to secede. If you ever wondered what the civil war was about and want to know why we in the South fought, look at the last 4 years (it had nothing to do with slavery). I have some influence and will begin to push for independence.
AA
I'm reading Obama's victory speech this morning, and, though I voted against him, I feel uplifted. I get a chill.
The perfect mark.
What's under the Electionmas Tree? Pretty speeches from a teleprompter. Other than that, mostly lumps of coal.
this election was just one big vote for national assisted suicide. america was great once. that america is over now. the virtues and tough minded spirit that allowed America to get through its roughest times is gone. in its place - a victim mentality and a hand out.
ricpic said...
Looking forward to a death panel just for li'l ol' me.
If we're lucky all the leftists will achieve full consciousness on their deathbed, so they'll have that going for them.
I do not think there has been any "recovery." The job gains have not matched the population growth, and the increases in gdp have been less than the inflation rate.
I expect this to generally continue with perhaps another sharp drop or two as mmore "unexpected" developments occur.
Electionmas
No mas...
This is what I find insane. That an incumbent was re-elected in this economy.
Yes. But, there's an increasingly large number of non-workers for whom the economy matters little. They live the same lifestyle either way, subsidized housing, sleeping late, food stamps, welfare TVs, etc.
They don't vote the economy. They vote whomever promises the best free ride. Trouble is, sooner or later, it all falls down because the economy gets too weak to support all the freebies.
Going Galt is unrealistic.
HT, you are right to worry. Many Hillary Democrats worried in 2008 and more than half their worries came to pass and now the rest will perhaps come true. If you didn't see the incompetence (even with the healthcare thingy you tout) in the last four years, you will see it in the next four, some may even turn out to be disastrous. But don't worry, the media will never tell you. They will play Baghdad Bobs so you can vote for an Obama third term of incompetence if that is possible. Romney would have got a handle on the fiscal issues that you are worrying now. But of course you are happy enough to vote for Obama with healthcare for ladyparts.
{BTW, that wretch could not even muster enough class to mention Bill Clinton to thank in his acceptance speech last night.}
Suicide and self immolation never solved anything.
The perfect mark.
@Tank: Exactly. Somebody else wrote that speech.
Obama has shown us who he is. Speeches mean nothing.
"given that we our coming out of the recession full speed ahead now."
Evidence?
When Ronald Reagan was re-elected in 1984 unemployment was still over 7% but the GDP growth rate was also over 7%. At this point unemployment is near 8% and the GDP growth rate is around or under 2%. Where is this speedy recovery (after four full years of recoery summers)?
"We are greater than the sum of our individual ambitions"...
-Barack Obama
Scary.
Sounds a lot like Karl Marx.
"From each according to his ability, to each according to his need."
I. Nothing in society will belong to anyone, either as a personal possession or as capital goods, except the things for which the person has immediate use, for either his needs, his pleasures, or his daily work.
II. Every citizen will be a public man, sustained by, supported by, and occupied at the public expense.
III. Every citizen will make his particular contribution to the activities of the community according to his capacity, his talent and his age; it is on this basis that his duties will be determined, in conformity with the distributive laws
Here is a scary essay about the hyperinflation of the Weimar republic. And this isn't Zimbabwe. This is responsible, hard-working Germany, and the utter economic disaster they had after World War I.
Not saying this will happen here. But could it? Yes. Reckless debts, and a political shock or two, and you get real economic chaos.
I read that this morning and pictured the young man...extracting all his cash from his retirement accounts, quickly selling the home they live in, and heading for the hinterlands to hunker down for the nose dive.
Yeah, that's pretty much a straw man. Hunker down and John Galt are economic metaphors. Go ahead and keep investing in stocks (we are) but you should also have cash on hand. And you should be investing in commodities and precious metals.
I don't intend to pull together. I am sick of this. This election clearly puts us on the road to communism
Can't imagine how your side managed to lose moderates and independents.
I will be working harder to make ends meet. I will either die a financial death or I will literally die from the hard work. I'm getting too old to work 24/7.
But, I am also going to ignore politics from now on. I am going to concentrate just on my own little world. If I lose my practice to government regulations or interference, I will just move to Canada.
Tell us please Mrs. Althouse, what are your better ideas?
We are greater than the sum of our individual ambitions
We have also nationalized individual problems.
Regardless of who occupies the White House, this is the biggest problem facing our society.
We now HAVE TO ban 32-oz sodas because we now ALL pay into a health system for everyone, rather than each of us individually dealing with our own health care costs. I have to pay for someone else's diabetes care. As a result, I can no longer enjoy a large soda because people who cannot take care of themselves drink too many large sodas.
We've done this to ourselves over years and years and years of the abdication of personal responsibility.
Our collective obsession with engineering social justice via fiscal policy has set us onto a road of irrecoverable debt that burdens us all.
pm, thanks for worrying about me big brother, not being able to find out the truth on my own. Thanks for the heads up that the MSM won't tell me. Clinton was the first call Obama made, post victory, last night.
Good enough.
S. "I love this country and will keep fighting the good fight even if it is an uphill battle."
Yesterday's results convince me that the country I loved is gone and what is left is like something from "The Walking Dead" that looks like what I loved but that no longer is.
I am trying to adjust to not caring about this new America but old habits are hard to break.
self immolation never solved anything.
I read last week that the iconic image of the buddhist Vietnamese monk self-immolating had been colorized. And that surprised me because in my mind, it was always in color. But there it was, back from the early 60s, all black and white. So now I wonder: How many other images have I added color to in my brain?
You guys need to tell some good jokes. I'm a musician, so I like musician jokes. Frank Sinatra jokes are always good.
Anybody got any good jokes?
I find myself wondering if the MSM had contingency plans to become relevant again in case Romney had actually won? To put it anther way, now that Obama's 2nd term is no longer in jeopardy will they make any substantial attempt to become objective and treat him like they've treated every other president?
look at the last 4 years (it had nothing to do with slavery).
Sadly, your southern economy would have been total shit without slavery, so yes, had everything to do with slavery.
david7134 said...
I don't intend to pull together. I am sick of this. This election clearly puts us on the road to communism from which we can not return without revolution. I want my state to secede. If you ever wondered what the civil war was about and want to know why we in the South fought, look at the last 4 years (it had nothing to do with slavery). I have some influence and will begin to push for independence.
LOL. Thank you - I needed a good laugh this morning.
DADvocate said...
This is what I find insane. That an incumbent was re-elected in this economy.
Yes. But, there's an increasingly large number of non-workers for whom the economy matters little. They live the same lifestyle either way, subsidized housing, sleeping late, food stamps, welfare TVs, etc.
They don't vote the economy. They vote whomever promises the best free ride. Trouble is, sooner or later, it all falls down because the economy gets too weak to support all the freebies.
There is no evidence at all that there's a large number of those people.
Obama won because people feel like the economy is coming around. Whether that's the case or not, it's that simple. He didn't win because people want free stuff. If you really think half the country thinks that way, you're out of your tree.
How many other images have I added color to in my brain?
Ted Turner is hacking into your subconscious!
Typical of the fear mongering on the right. Jobs will be added and the recovery will continue upward-- slowly. CEOs will continue to make millions and the stock market will not drop, and maybe a few more folks will realize the echo chamber of Rush and Fox is no more accurate that Karl Rove's predictions.
"The perfect mark."
Yes, it really is mind-boggling how silly and shallow and lacking in rigor some educated adults can be. Like a few lines in a speech cancels out the actual reality of the last four years. I guess there are "low information" voters but there also seem to be "I can't remember anything that happened before yesterday" voters. It seems we have a plentiful supply of both.
The world is such that you can always, always accept the personal responsibility for yourself. When you do this, life is amazing and full of joy. It doesn't matter who wins the elections.
But when you try to translate that into expectations that everyone else will accept the responsibility for themselves, you find despair and loss.
No, I'm not nuts, children. I am Galt! And I'm doing the only thing that is not imprudent!
The prudent thing to do is join the parasites. Find a government job where you can best shelter your family from the slow but inexorable economic slide, and where you can make the government contacts to ensure your family is in the elitist line when it comes to things like medical rationing. Try to be an administrator though, not a service provider. Service providers are expenses, administrators are heroes. Compensation will recognize this.
Yes, it will hasten the slide, but there's nothing you can do to stop it anyway. The alternative is working until you die so public employees can live better than you during your careers and then retire two decades before you on a pension you pay.
I don't see why cashing out and hunkering down and taking your money out of the system is somehow a bad thing - for people that can do it (many can;t). It's no different than tuning in and dropping out, or frankly, retiring.
Besides, work is hard work. If you can retire and not deal with the rat race, why not?
Note, going Galt will not work for your average everyday person that needs a salary.
Fantasyland has a sad....
Math & Science rule!
I'm going to put off major decisions for a week. I was already pretty well into gold, commodity and mining stocks, and had been trying with some success to move my children there too. That will help. I have enough disaster provisioning for a month and ammo for a decade. As long as the income streams continue I will use Obama Dollars to pay down the mortgages; well before his term is out I will be paying those mortgages with dross.
What I'm disinclined to do any more is provide jobs, financial counsel and assistance for Obama voters. They need to get used to receiving that from the government they chose. For this I have the loftiest of warrants: "Elections have consequences."
Stepping back a bit, this looks to me like a forceful, widespread repudiation of local community and personal volunteerism, in favor of the Big Rock Candy Mountain. Our locality went about 77% Obama. Since some of the things I had been doing for my local community were not intrinsically very satisfying and some were dangerous, continuing that seems as unwelcome to them as to me.
Shouldn't have lied about those Jeeps..
Now it's time for Obama and Michelle to party with the wealthy fancy Hollywood people on the tax payer dime.
This election wasn't about America. It is about this one man.
Here is a scary essay about the hyperinflation of the Weimar republic. And this isn't Zimbabwe. This is responsible, hard-working Germany, and the utter economic disaster they had after World War I.
There is a book I bought on that on kindle a while back. They keep citing the prices for everything as they went up up up into insane places. People were eventually carting around money in wheelbarrows to try to buy things. It is a scary, scary thing. Everyone should read it.
Obama won because people feel like the economy is coming around.
Not entirely true. Wrong track #s still eclipse right track.
What most people didn't do is blame Obama for the economy. They still blame Bush.
Sad, but true.
Obama has about a good 12-15 months to see things improve, or he will rightly receive the brunt of the blame.
1. Anything Obama says about not being a Red State/Blue State country is BS. Anything he says about working together is BS. Now that he has a record over four years I can say that with confidence.
2. He understands little to nothing about economics but quite a bit about buying votes. His auto bailout bought him MI and OH. Cash for Clunkers (Econ 101 Supply and demand) still continues to hurt the poor. I was offered $2000 the other day for a 1995 Chevy Corsica with over 100,000 miles on it.
3. The next three Supremes will be liberal politicos in the mold of Kagan. The constitution is screwed.
4. The MSM still has control of the story and the information to a large extent. It must die and the quicker the death the better.
5. We are becoming and may have already become a nation of "Takers" and not "Makers". It may be irreversible after four more years.
6. While racism is a thing of the past, and it is, it has under Obama gained status as a political weapon of great efficacy. We need to dismantle the weapon somehow.
7. There needs to be a "Night of the Long Knives" in the Republican Party. We must stop rewarding incompetence and Beltway experience. The present leadership thinks too small and doesn't get or doesn't care about the big picture that so many of us outside the Beltway see.If we "go Galt" it is the Republicans that will suffer not the Dems.
8. As ACE HQ likes to say, "Shit just got real." All deference to our hostess, and I sincerely mean that for I esteem her highly, maybe the time for an online "salon" is gone and the time for something more substantive is here. Frankly, Scarlett, I don't give a damn," about what Robin Givhan thinks about anything. These are serious times and liberty is at stake. The very nature of the internet is again on the line now. These people DO NOT STOP. They never go away. Sadly, our vigilance must be eternal to preserve our liberties. For the foreseeable future the internet is our means of communication, education and mobilization.
I must now get on with life.
This is the book:
When Money Dies: The Nightmare of Deficit Spending, Devaluation, and Hyperinflation in Weimar Germany
By Adam Fergusson.
Scary, scary stuff.
I'm depressed just because I am afraid that democratic leaders will once again act more like dictators than leaders. I saw Bob Woodward on the CBS Morning News and he summed it up when he said it would turn on whether Obama wanted to make friends this time--and Woodward said he means Democrat and Republican friends. Woodward mentioned that Paul Ryan told him that he had only talked to Nancy Polosi for 30 seconds and that he had never even met Harry Reid--as Woodward said, these these guys need to work together and Paul Ryan wasn't the one who didn't want to work together. Obama had said that he would see a victory as a mandate to continue to force his agenda on America, but I hope that he realizes what that attitude would do to his legacy. I see huge military cuts looming, big tax increases coming, a continued coarsening of American culture, businesses that were trying to hang on until the election deciding to give up, and a much smaller pool of people to pay taxes to support the expanded welfare state that is coming. But it is the cuts to the military that scare me the most when they are combined with the leadership that we saw at Benghazi. A second term for Obama will not make the world a safer place.
Obama wins, and GOP Senate candidates like Akin, Mourdock and Allen lose. Quite a preference cascade!
For so many people who scorned the so-called emotionalism of others and trumpeted the strength of their rationalism and reason, it sure seems like the outcome of the election caught you by surprise.
That's what the young kids call a reality check I think.
And now we get the wildly irrational Go Galt movement - from some of the same people!
And you were astonished, and apparently still are, that we didn't buy into your "rationality."
Obama won because people feel like the economy is coming around.
No. A significant number don't care because they live off of government hand-outs. Libs are in love with the idea of Obama and the limousine liberals are doing fine economically. 30% vote Democratic no matter what.
I'd be hesitant to crow about a recovering economy now that Obama can do more harm with fewer consequences.
Carrie - You just described what 4 more years will look like:
"I see huge military cuts looming, big tax increases coming, a continued coarsening of American culture, businesses that were trying to hang on until the election deciding to give up, and a much smaller pool of people to pay taxes to support the expanded welfare state that is coming."
Democrats will never understand how this will destroy our nation.
In fact, now that I think about it, "going galt" is the last thing I will do. I will in fact double down, and work even harder to separate myself from the "takers" but I will do it within, not outside of the system. I had already seen future retirement to be a long shot. Now that I realize retirement might mean opening up a position that would be taken by a younger Obama supporter, it's simply out of the question. Now I'm just working for spite.
Big question:
Will there be a budget passed in the next four years?
What most people didn't do is blame Obama for the economy. They still blame Bush.
Truth. Heard the same thing at work yesterday.
The clue is in the demographics.
The younger you were, the less education you had (except post-grad), the less income you had, the more likely you were to vote for Obama.
In other words, Sandra Fluke and the rest of the 47% won a huge victory.
http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/177597801.html
1. Democrats are just like Republicans, but without reason and accountability.
2. No more "middle." It isn't working, and it's tarnishing the R image. Rs need to quite hoping for a quick fix, and keep up the drum-beat about spending our children's future out for D votes today. If that means obamaphone videos, so be it. After all, what's worse, being perceived as Racist, or actually selling our kids into slavery?
And now we get the wildly irrational Go Galt movement - from some of the same people!
I don't get this. I couldn't imagine not working. I'd be bored stiff.
I guess too many people have jobs and not careers.
What most people didn't do is blame Obama for the economy. They still blame Bush.
Truth. Heard the same thing at work yesterday.
They're basically giving Obama a mulligan.
Soft bigotry of low expectations, I guess. ; )
"it sure seems like the outcome of the election caught you by surprise"
The outcome of the election says nothing about the outcome of the economy. The fiscal cliff is still looming. Exactly what happened during the election that changed the path we're on? Thelma and Louise had a lot of fun stomping on the accelerator, too. For awhile.
Take a tip from a libtard, you wingers need to sober up and listen to the wise words of a New Yorker cartoon executive:
"And so, while the end-of-the-world scenario will be rife with unimaginable horrors, we believe that the pre-end period will be filled with unprecedented opportunities for profit."
Honest? "perfecting our union" by reelecting Obama is just... creepy.
Can you imagine Romney, or Bush, saying that electing or reelecting one of them was continuing to perfect our union?
Ick.
No more "middle." It isn't working, and it's tarnishing the R image
It's really hard to sell personal responsibility and hard work in a culture that has become alarmist about constant injustice.
The general demonization of success is a very bad thing.
What made me feel really good yesterday was reading about Louisville basketball player Peyton Siva, Jr. Here' his story in YouTube form. The story I read was in Sports Illustrated. Great read, and more uplifting than any speech.
Economic illiteracy and a corrupt media = Obama's second term.
I predict an extremely high probability of a double dip recession. Tax hikes will only make the situation worse.
HT, I'm curious. What is it that you like about Obamacare? More specifically, how will it affect you? All I know is that while you say that we get Obamacare, I will only get to pay for it.
I didn't think much of Sarah Hoyt's postings. Recently she called the president a coward. That sort of nastiness is unnecessary. Zach needs to take a couple of deep breaths and calm down. Americans don't do pessimism. We find a way out of the messes we create and we are better for it.
Mitt Romney is an accomplished and decent guy who had to sail too close to the Right in order to get the nomination. The Republicans must realize they need to stay the hell out of Americans' personal lives and concentrate on the most important issues facing our nation.
What about all of our forgotten men and women in Afghanistan?
I see nothing in the media about Obama's lost war.
"now that Obama's 2nd term is no longer in jeopardy will they make any substantial attempt to become objective and treat him like they've treated every other president?"
I was wondering the exact same thing.
Some of you are going to be here all day doing nothing but listing reasons why America is doomed, aren't you?
Don't you have anything better to do?
For starters, the pre-existing condition requirement. For another, allowing adult children to stay on parents' plans a bit longer.
I also like what Mitt liked and eventually decided on: the individual mandate. In the long run, I think it puts everyone in a better position to manage their own health, and to be BE MORE AWARE OF IT.
Nicely said.
The country made a choice. The majority of folks don't agree with me, and that's fine. We're still a country and we still have many ways of moving forward.
Obama gets his chance to leave Bush behind. He has a chance to help shape the nation in the way the nation is okay with. Here in California, we see what that shape is like, but--again--its how things are and there still are a lot of great things about this state and this country.
The president doesn't define us and I hope this gives each side a chance to play the game differently over the next years.
EMD said...
Obama won because people feel like the economy is coming around.
The economy will recover from the current business cycle trough, but the long-term trend will be negative as more and more of the economy comes under government control. Government control hampers the economy and delivers reduced service levels. The lesson we just learned is that the left can successfully blame these effects on insufficient government control and the combined result is a reinforcing feedback loop. More government control => more complaints => more government control.
We'll have single payer and explicit medical rationing in my lifetime, and the leftists in charge will justify them by saying anything else will result in throwing everyone off the cliff instead of just grandma. And Robert Cook will clap with joy, because actual dead people don't matter much as long as the best care goes to government bureaucrats rather than the extremely wealthy.
EMD said...
Obama won because people feel like the economy is coming around.
I didn't say this.
"The Republicans must realize they need to stay the hell out of Americans' personal lives and concentrate on the most important issues facing our nation."
Seriously? Romney and Ryan talked about the debt, the coming fiscal crisis, the ongoing employment crisis and other big issues. Huge issues. Obama talked about Big Bird, free contraceptives, dogs on top of cars and Romnesia. He avoided the economy, Libya, ObamaCare and anything else of substance. How does your comment make any sense? When is the last time Obama submitted a serious budget? When is the last time the Democratic Senate passed any budget? When was the last time Obama put pressure on them to do so? Where is his leadership on big issues?
phx said...
"And so, while the end-of-the-world scenario will be rife with unimaginable horrors, we believe that the pre-end period will be filled with unprecedented opportunities for profit."
This is a bit like the defense of Bush's economic policies. The first six years were great, shame about the financial meltdown.
Bush, Greenspan and the Republican's deserve to be blamed for the economy. You cannot run an economy based solely on outmoded and rigid economic policies. A bit of humility and pragmatism would go a long way towards understanding why Bush and the Republicans remains electoral poison.
I hate it when they paste someone else's quote with yours and say you said them both.
What is down with the stock market???
http://money.cnn.com/data/markets/
I know 200 points down is a small percentage, but not a good way to start off this new term.
Maybe it was Warren's win, not Obama's.
http://www.americanbanker.com/issues/177_215/warren-wins-senate-seat-likely-to-play-key-role-on-banking-issues-1054188-1.html
For those who say we'll get 'em next time I ask who is we? Those who approve, seek, or depend on government largesse are now apparently in the majority. Their numbers will only increase in the next four years. Liberty over security folks are the new minority and shrinking. "We" don't have the troops to march to the polls anymore. The tipping point towards Euro-socialism that seemed to be in the future has been passed.
Go Galt? Not me. I'll be dead in 15-20 years. I intend to be of good cheer and love up my family and neighbors until my heavenly reward no matter what. But I am stocking up on tools (in 5.56 & .22 mostly) that may be more precious than gold for my heirs in their dystopian future. The takers are not known behave civilly after they have killed the golden goose. Think Greece without the E.U. to bail them out.
P.S. For you who think gold the ultimate hedge. How much change do you think you will get from a Krugerrand for a loaf of bread when you are starving? Warm clothes or ammo is much better coinage when the SHTF.
going galt isn't a 1 or 0 decision. people will go shades of galt because of incentives. obama's base is largely made up of people who have already made the decision to go galt, the definition of going galt meaning not pulling the wagon.
Government control and regulationsWe can look forward to
Those with means and those solidly in the middle class will be fine. Such people will bump along comfortably and some, if not most, will do quite well.
Obamacare and the looming tax hikes will build an iron wall between those people and those in lower middle class and underclasses. People don't realize what those factors will change with regard to employment.
This nation won't generate the full-time jobs it needs to lift those people. They will scramble in part-time jobs and gov't assistance. The path to the middle class will be gated and America will continue to fossilize into distinct class structures as people's ability to move from one to the other is substantially diminished.
EMD said...
And now we get the wildly irrational Go Galt movement - from some of the same people!
I don't get this. I couldn't imagine not working. I'd be bored stiff.
I guess too many people have jobs and not careers.
Going Galt can only be understood as a metaphor. Economic changes drive change over decades. Very few people with current jobs are going to change. The effects, as others have pointed out, will be people choosing a less burdensome lifestlye. Having a family takes incredible sacrifice, as does saving for retirement. With fewer economic opportunities to reach what each individual accepts as a satisfactory outcome, fewer and fewer people are going to accept that risk. The result will be fewer people making the sacrifices up front that result in success.
Some of you are going to be here all day doing nothing but listing reasons why America is doomed, aren't you?
Don't you have anything better to do?
Yes, but I'm avoiding it, because it's that thing called work! (Cue Maynard G. Krebs)
I just wish you guys would employ a little more humor in your presentation. I could use a few laughs.
I hope Republicans stop catering to independents and just slander Obama and the entire Democratic Party.
I'm also getting what money I have out of this country and into hard assets ASAP.
Another fight over the debt ceiling takes place in February. If the two sides reach any sort of bipartisan consensus, it's good in the short term but bad in the long term. The "consensus" has been to add more debt, so if they reach a consensus that is what they will do.
GOP should only agree to small increases and extract massive cuts to offset all of them. Never more than a quarter trillion ever. Obama got a gift with the last excessive increase.
If we're lucky, Obama will be disabled and unable to serve. Let Biden REALLY flush crap down the drain.
As for me? I'm going to advocate every person I know to get on a govt aid program. Burn the system to the ground.
phx said...
Some of you are going to be here all day doing nothing but listing reasons why America is doomed, aren't you?
Don't you have anything better to do?
And some of you are so small you're going to be here all day gloating. But at least we know you don't have anything better to do.
AprilApple said...
Economic illiteracy and a corrupt media
This is a little rich.
There is no media more corrupt than the Limbaugh/FOX/Instapundit guys. Absolutely obsessed with lining their own pockets at the expense of everything and everyone else.
And, there have been no greater economic illiterates than the Bush/Cheney (deficits don't matter)/Greenspan axis. Fools blinded even further by rigid ideologies.
Unhappy as I am about the outcome of the election I have been trying (with some confusion) to establish some historical perspective about where we are as a country.
Are we like Britain between the wars: dancing as fast as we can and unwilling to see what really was happening in Germany?
Are we like ourselves in the 20's: happy, carefree and only concerned about what happens to ME just before we reach the edge of the cliff??
Or are we, as some have said, like Weimar; headed for the apocalypse?
Certainly the Republicans are paying a steep price for alienating Latinos; a natural constituency.
To re-elect a president whose performance has been as slipshod as Obama's, with the economy in the mess it is in, is impossible to explain - but we did it. The social issues apparently overwhelmed the economic - and that includes race.
I have no feeling for what comes next. There will have to be some cooperation between the parties because the fiscal problems are going to run them both over. Unfortunately I don't have an inkling of how that might work out.
And some of you are so small you're going to be here all day gloating
True, true, true. Gloating isn't our best feature, or mine.
But between gloating a little for the winners of an election and having a Veterans Day funeral for my blessed, struggling America, well...the GOP might be better off without some of you.
For another, allowing adult children
Says it all.
How far below 13000 is the market going to go?
phx said...
Gloating isn't our best feature, or mine.
I rather suspect it is. Outside the Democratic Party economic illiteracy isn't considered a virtue.
Unprecedented public debt, long term unemployment, and anemic economic growth and America votes for sex drugs and rock and roll. What could go wrong? Rock on!
Seriously? Romney and Ryan talked about the debt, the coming fiscal crisis, the ongoing employment crisis and other big issues. Huge issues. Obama talked about Big Bird, free contraceptives, dogs on top of cars and Romnesia. He avoided the economy, Libya, ObamaCare and anything else of substance. How does your comment make any sense? When is the last time Obama submitted a serious budget? When is the last time the Democratic Senate passed any budget? When was the last time Obama put pressure on them to do so? Where is his leadership on big issues?
This is the head scratcher. Like I said before, I think a lot of the electorate was more forgiving of Obama than of a Carter-type. Make of that what you will.
AReasonableMan said...
AprilApple said...
Economic illiteracy and a corrupt media
This is a little rich.
There is no media more corrupt than the Limbaugh/FOX/Instapundit guys. Absolutely obsessed with lining their own pockets at the expense of everything and everyone else.
And, there have been no greater economic illiterates than the Bush/Cheney (deficits don't matter)/Greenspan axis. Fools blinded even further by rigid ideologies.
No Really. Quit digging.
Dow down -239. ouch.
Yes, Shanna, in a superficial world such as yours, maybe it does.
But khesanh0, what your scenario does not include are, as just one example, students who are in tens of thousands of dollars in debt. Ask them where we are! There are people who are struggling and who are not loafers. Who are doing every damn thing they can.
I mean come on! Not every voter is a suburban Wisconsinite or one living on a large tract of land with their dog, comfortably retired and discussing what booze they are going to drink. LOOK AROUND YOU! Or maybe leave the state and then have a look around.
DADvocate said...
Obama won because people feel like the economy is coming around.
No. A significant number don't care because they live off of government hand-outs. Libs are in love with the idea of Obama and the limousine liberals are doing fine economically. 30% vote Democratic no matter what.
Your confusing your feelings with reality.
I'd be hesitant to crow about a recovering economy now that Obama can do more harm with fewer consequences.
I would too. You not read too good.
There is no media more corrupt than the Limbaugh/FOX/Instapundit guys. Absolutely obsessed with lining their own pockets at the expense of everything and everyone else.
Only one of those is really a news organization, you know?
"This is the head scratcher. Like I said before, I think a lot of the electorate was more forgiving of Obama than of a Carter-type. Make of that what you will."
Agreed!
So gloating's one of our best features, as you say.
Believing in the United States, regardless of who is president, is a better quality of mine nevertheless.
At least if you ask me.
No. A significant number don't care because they live off of government hand-outs. Libs are in love with the idea of Obama and the limousine liberals are doing fine economically. 30% vote Democratic no matter what.
You're confusing your feelings with reality.
I'd be hesitant to crow about a recovering economy now that Obama can do more harm with fewer consequences.
I would too. You not read too good.
There are people who are struggling and who are not loafers. Who are doing every damn thing they can.
A lot of those students want college debt FORGIVEN. Or absolved. As if they didn't pay for anything?
Why should I forgive debt that someone takes on VOLUNTARILY?
I think a lot of the electorate was more forgiving of Obama than of a Carter-type
Maybe Mitt Romney isn't the Reagan people were looking for.
ARM said--
"There is no media more corrupt than the Limbaugh/FOX/Instapundit guys. Absolutely obsessed with lining their own pockets at the expense of everything and everyone else."
Do you think the MSM operates without making a profit?
You showcase the economic illiteracy I'm talking about.
Just because you disagree with Fox doesn't make it "corrupt".
The MSM shows no intellectual curiosity and they hide all news that doesn't bode well for the president. That is corruption.
Maybe Mitt Romney isn't the Reagan people were looking for.
Certainly. Romney ran a good campaign, but never coalesced his message into simple, memorable lines.
Believe in America was too generic.
EMD said...
There is no media more corrupt than the Limbaugh/FOX/Instapundit guys. Absolutely obsessed with lining their own pockets at the expense of everything and everyone else.
Only one of those is really a news organization, you know?
It is pretty clear that a lot of the people that post here get most of their 'news' from Limbaugh/Instapundit, as evidenced by their complete divorce from reality.
Your confusing your feelings with reality.
Here we go again, a content-free post from the farmer.
What do you find as feelings and what as fact from this post?
Don't give up all hope yet. If we start acting like the America we know is going to end and just sit on our hands and do nothing, then yeah, it most likely WILL end. We only have to struggle through four more years of this guy, and if we block and repeal enough, he won't be able to do half as much damage as he could if we did absolutely nothing. We currently have control of the governorships and the House of Reps - and more than that, we have our own voices.
And also, don't write off the people of the nation so quickly either. It was nothing like last time's win. McCain lost by 200 votes and was soundly beaten in the popular vote by 10 points. This time, Obama won the electoral by 97 votes (and Florida has yet to come in), and won the popular by a mere two points. That's not exactly an overwhelming landslide. So let's hold out hope that the government dependents are not as plentiful as we would think.
Don't let them win so easily. This was nowhere near close to a landslide victory, not by a long shot. And more than anything, I think THAT says more about where the American people are than the 2 million+ that voted for Obama. Don't let this depress you, discourage you, defeat you. That's what the proponents of radical liberalism would want. We still have voices. Don't give up.
Let's give Willard's campaign credit for not lying about one item.
"They" were totally truthful when they said they would not be ruled by accurate fact checking.
Indeed, Romney did not care about telling the truth re: anything, bless his little heart. In fact, he doubled down in Ohio.
Oops!
phx said...
So gloating's one of our best features, as you say.
Believing in the United States, regardless of who is president, is a better quality of mine nevertheless.
Blather. What makes America great is the combination of people and freedom. We're eliminating economic freedom step by step and we're subordinating the people to faceless bureaucrats fronted by the most useless group of our population, politicians. Cheering that process on isn't positive.
AprilApple said..
Do you think the MSM operates without making a profit?
You showcase the economic illiteracy I'm talking about.
Clearly they have to make a profit, which is why all the conspiracy theories about the prejudiced MSM are so crazy.
Niche operations like FOX and Limbaugh, however, can cater to the prejudices and unchallenged assumptions of a relatively small group of people. Like the worst of the religious hucksters, they are smart enough to know better but are only in it to make a quick buck. They are the living embodiment of intellectual and moral corruption.
It's Obama's Second Term Administration, you'll need to make the best of it.
So will you. And get this, hyper-inflation is coming. Let's see how cavalier you'll be when that hits. And get this, the dollar will soon lose its reserve currency status. That means we ALL take a standard of living hit. But all that economics stuff is so dull, so squaresville. Except...except NO ONE is exempt when economic reality hits. Two years. Tops. Then the house of cards falls. And even the nicest noblest people won't be exempt.
For me, I'm not as shocked as I was in 08, more resigned I guess. For my husband, this is the first election he followed really closely, so he is pretty devastated. He's a guy that is 60 percent disabled through the VA, retired from the military, yet he worked 70 hours of ovettime (you read that correctly, 70 hours of OVERTIME) in his last pay check and will,have another 70 in the next one, and he doesn't understand why some don't do the same.
With other military related health problems that have cropped up, he could easily go for 100 percent disabled and has hinted about doing it.. After all, money grows on the tree lined blvd's of DC, right?
ARM - so it's OK for some people (the right people) to make a profit, but it's not ok for others to make a profit?
Got it.
Cheering that process on isn't positive.
I understand. You're here for the funeral.
Jay Retread said...
Things will probably look pretty good for the Dems four years from now given that we our coming out of the recession full speed ahead now. This will also help to bring down the deficit. President Obama will get full credit for this.
Sad to say a .7 drop in unemployment isn't a recovery. The next four years will continue to stagnate with employment around 7.5 -8.5. Worse if the proposed massive tax hikes are allowed to take effect. The indicator will be when small capital starts to look for stable investment outside the United States. Once the small makers decide their futures look better elsewhere, it's over.
I also predict Republicans will the next four years pulling themselves apart.
That's already happened.
Ann Althouse said . . .
How are you feeling? If you didn't get what you wanted for Electionmas, how are you dealing with your disappointment?
I'm trying to console myself with what positives there are.
I made some money in a wager with a Republican family member about the outcome of the election. My emotions didn't overrule my judgment as in her case, so there's that.
Now that the election is over, some in the media who protected Obama will feel free to challenge him again. They will do this in an effort to regain credibility and self respect, and that is a good for as far as it goes.
Obama will find it harder to use the excuse that Bush wrecked the economy in his second term. 2014 will undoubtedly be a good, rebuilding year for Republicans.
I think a not small part of Obama didn't want to win. Although Obama will continue golfing and hosting celebrities at the White House, to some degree he will reap what he has sown over the next four years.
So yeah, pretty thin gruel.
"Ein Volk, ein Reich, ein Führer!"
Exactly what I was thinking when I wrote that. Considered providing the relevant link to the clip from "Triumph of the Will," but thought it would be excessive.
AprilApple said...
ARM - so it's OK for some people (the right people) to make a profit, but it's not ok for others to make a profit?
No. The MSM is strongly constrained by the fact that in most cases they have to appeal to a broad audience. To make a profit they do not have the option of pandering solely to the prejudices of any single group.
Niche marketers like Limbaugh/Drudge/Instapundit make their money pandering to a relatively small fraction of the country resulting in increasing isolation from reality. This is a great money making scheme. It is bad both for conservatism and for the country.
Our problems are not due to either party, or even politics. They are 100% our own doing, and entirely in our own hands to fix.
The American people have exactly the government and economy they deserve. The Election was essentially a decision to kick the can down the road again.
The recession was caused by the signing of millions of loan documents for overpriced homes that people could not afford. In addition to the policies that encouraged that, we have passed thousands of other laws weakening ourselves as a nation in the same way with debt, overspending, and overpromising. Nobody was forced to sign those loans or vote for the people who created those polices. As a group, we did this to ourselves through sloth, lazy thinking and greed. As long as we don't get better as individuals, our nation and our individual fortunes will not either.
I'm optimistic for my own situation because I never signed one of those loans, and I am very conservative with my finances and take care of myself and those close to me. We'll always be fine, but I'm not optimistic for those not so fortunate, those who have yet to make their way and realize their potential. They have been robbed and will continue to be of much of their potential until we stop kicking that can. One good thing is they probably won't even realize what they lost.
The only way out of this for a free people is to learn the lessons. We can do it the easy way or the hard way.
"a system in which individuals merge into one nation, one people, one family"
Again - is that Karl Marx or Barack Obama?
bagoh,
When a friend asked on Facebook, what is American's biggest problem, I answered with "Narcissism".
"it would be excessive."
Don't be so modest Althouse as your daily political hyperbole flows freely at this blog.
Romney trouncing Obama in Ohio.
So far.
"Are the Democrats trying to steal Pennsylvania?"
"harrogate said...
Wow. Are you not at all interested in authenticity at this point?"
11/6/12 9:31 AM
Indeed! Alhouse m.o. ever since I've been surfing this blog.
Again, it's part of her charm.
Niche operations like FOX and Limbaugh, however, can cater to the prejudices and unchallenged assumptions of a relatively small group of people.
What's FOX's ratings vs. CNN?
O'Reilly gets 3.0m viewers. The top-rated show on CNN nets about 540k.
What's Limbaugh's circulation vs. the NYT?
Limbaugh averages 2m listeners per day. The New York Times circulation is 1.6m daily.
You're full of shit.
considering the way Ann has been consistently wrong about everything in this election, maybe she needs a new gig.
Or maybe we can just read what she says and bet the opposite.
a system in which individuals merge into one nation, one people, one family"
I don't want to be related to you!
I have enough of a stupid family to deal with!
Bagoh again proves his worth.
"We are the ones we've been hating for."
I don't want to be related to you!
I have enough of a stupid family to deal with!
Oh, come on. Give us a kiss.
Knowing that the professor can sometimes be a hard grader when you don't answer the question as asked, let me clarify that my posting at 8:46 was in fact my therapy. It helped my mental state to put it down in writing. That was my way of coping with the coal in my Electionmas stocking.
As of last look, the market is off 225 and that pretty much says it.
I feel sorry for people like The Blonde's nephews and nieces, in their 20s and 30s, and her great-nephews and great-niece, all under 10.
Like many here, I've had my life, but they'll be saddled with this their entire lives.
PS The denial among the trolls is incredible.
A clean campaign?
Well, remember denial is full of crocodiles and bilharzia.
It is pretty clear that a lot of the people that post here get most of their 'news' from Limbaugh/Instapundit, as evidenced by their complete divorce from reality.
Look at the NYT map again and tell me what all those little red arrows mean, mastermind.
"relatively small group of people."
(3) million is relatively small politically when you consider fixed is preachin' to the choir and WWE RAW usually gets (4) million plus.
As always, one must cater to their audience.
btw, liberals like to be entertained so they read a good book or watch American Idol, etc.
blessings
Bagoh – I wish I shared your optimism.
At this point we are too far gone. Lessons cannot be learned when economic illiteracy is institutionalized by the government, the media, academia and Hollywood. The only answer will be "another government program", punitive regulations, and high punitive tax rates on a shrinking percentage, etc.. I hate to be so pessimistic, but the lessons that -- this will not work-- should be learned by now.
Oh, come on. Give us a kiss.
I have a cold sore. Bring it on!
"Now that the election is over, some in the media who protected Obama will feel free to challenge him again. They will do this in an effort to regain credibility and self respect, and that is a good for as far as it goes."
Nonsense. They're in love with the guy. Lefties love them some dear leader. If they were worried about credibility or profit they would never have behaved like star struck teenagers in the first place. They will continue to cover his ass and do everything possible to protect him politically.
Is it in remission?
And, there have been no greater economic illiterates than the Bush/Cheney (deficits don't matter)/Greenspan axis. Fools blinded even further by rigid ideologies.
You support Obama? Have you no self-awareness?
(deficits don't matter)/
Make it a trillion then!
It is telling to me that Obama wrote an acceptance and a concession speech, but Romney only wrote an acceptance speech. Romney believed that America would vote for him; Obama thought maybe they wouldn't. Obama knows what he has done, and understands that even with all the media help that has distracted everyone from the truth, enough people could see through his record and lies to not re-elect him. So he wrote a concession speech. If he really had done something good for this country he would have had more confidence and wouldn't have thought to write a concession speech.
I hold media accountable. (I didn't just say 'the media', I said media; it only has an influence because people let it.) Turn off your TVs people! Spend some time with people (away from the screen); work to help others yourself. Help them see that you and they can do something about life.
Don't be a lemming.
It is telling to me that Obama wrote an acceptance and a concession speech, but Romney only wrote an acceptance speech. Romney believed that America would vote for him; Obama thought maybe they wouldn't. Obama knows what he has done, and understands that even with all the media help that has distracted everyone from the truth, enough people could see through his record and lies to not re-elect him. So he wrote a concession speech. If he really had done something good for this country he would have had more confidence and wouldn't have thought to write a concession speech.
It never ceases to amaze me the fantasies that get spun here around Obama and his motivations.
But Obama's a narcissus they say!
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