The Reagan Administration
Welcome to Superbowl Sunday and yet another great edition of The BoBo Carnival of Politics. You will notice we have some new submitters as well as some of the regulars. Please do stop by and let these bloggers know your thoughts regarding their posts.
lsm presents Obama?s New Constitution. posted at awaken the elephants blog.
Kinda scary, isn’t it LSM? Spot on analysis of his speech there. But, I’m not surprised. Michelle Obama herself said it last summer when she was on The View – she said Obama wants to remake this country and to change our culture. The problem is that too many people just glossed it over and didn’t really pay attention to that statement. Likewise, other than your analysis – I really haven’t heard anybody else pointing it out as poignantly as you have. Keep up the great fight!
Nayano Taylor-Neumann presents End racist violence -ban Australia Day? posted at A possie in Aussie.
Wow! I didn’t realize you guys had such troubles going on down under. None of that was reported over here. Seems a shame that a group of racists have hijacked a national holiday. Seems to me that banning Australia Day would be equivalent to banning our Independence Day. Do you think that would happen?
Conservative
seth1492 presents Republican Future posted at Wait Wait… Do Tell Me!.
A post I can agree with. However, don’t mistake Republicans for Conservatives – two different things. What you detailed as a plan of action are Conservative principles. Unfortunately, we have too many RINO’s in the party that are liberal or moderate-left. In addition to Republicans returning to Conservative principles – we need to get the RINO’s out of he party since they are diluting it.
Michael Haltman presents Barack Obama: The Great American Apologist [del.icio.us] posted at The Political and Financial Markets Commentator, saying, “Al-Arabiya Gets The First T.V. Interview With President Obama”
Michael – excellent analysis on that interview – a must see by all my readers in case they did not see/hear the interview themselves. When I first heard it I just hung my head. This guy just does not get the full grasp of his position and what it means in the world. The rest of the world, and especially the muslims, will interpret his words just as you and I have. America is bad and everything is our fault. This just gives those islamofascists more ammunition for recruiting more jihadists to do more damage to Americans and American interests. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again – Obama is an idiot and he is too inexperienced to be our President.
Steve Simbeck presents A definitive work on the state of current affairs posted at No Mato mi Pavo, saying, “The slant of this blog is not hard to define.”
Hey, Steve – welcome back. I’m glad you posted this up. I first heard about this last month, just before Christmas, and had intended on doing a post about it – but completely forgot about it. After reading the deleted words – it all came rushing back again. I think you are absolutely correct – there is a definite agenda there and you don’t need to be a rocket surgeon to recognize it.
Steve Simbeck presents 4 out of 5 experts agree that 4 out of 5 experts are experts posted at No Mato mi Pavo, saying, “Written just before the inauguration but I think it still resonates.”
Hmmm…very interesting. I guess I would have to say I’m an expert on superheroes since I watch cartoons! Silly ain’t it?
Liberal
Madeleine Begun Kane presents No Quid? No Quo! posted at Mad Kane’s Political Madness.
Hi MadKane – welcome back. Sure – there were concessions – but – this is a bloated spending bill and has absolutely nothing to do with stimulating the economy. It will only increase the size of government. This bill could be widdled down to $80Billion if it were truly just an economic stimulus bill. I stand firm with those who opposed it – including the smart 11 Democrats who opposed it. Not all the Dems were on “Stretch” Pelosi’s side on it either.
News
seth1492 presents Gaza Conflict: Tunneling to Egypt posted at Wait Wait… Do Tell Me!.
Hey Seth – I like the visuals. Good discussion regarding the tunnels and the bombing of them. Let’s hope Israel gets them shut down completely!
Silicon Valley Blogger presents No 2009 Economic Stimulus Check? How Obama’s Stimulus Plan Affects The Middle Class posted at The Digerati Life, saying, “Thanks!”
Nice summary of the stimulus plan – if you can actually call it that. I’ll be posting up a detailed look at it here shortly. One other thing you might point out regarding that $500 tax credit – other than you are correct – it’s not much – is that the $500 credit will be broken up incrementally over multiple paychecks – and therefore will have very little effect at all. I don’t think those boneheads up in D.C. ever took a economics class or ever ran their own businesses. If they did, they wouldn’t be putting stupid crap like what you pointed out in this plan.
Politics
Josh presents Government Reform: Oxymoron or Can It Happen? posted at Inside Government.
A great post looking at reform in Indiana. This could possibly be a microcosmic look at how we can reshape the Federal government. Great post, Josh.
Greg presents TNMilitant.com » Blog Archive » Terror shouldn’t be treated like other crimes. posted at TNMilitant.com.
Right on, Greg! Those idiots on the left who want to treat terrorists like regular criminals just don’t get it. These guys are considered enemy combatants when captured outside of U.S. territory – so – therefore – they should have not access to our courts as our constitution does not pertain to them. The article you linked to is very eye-opening. This is exactly what happens when you treat a terrorist like a regular criminal.
seth1492 presents Livni (Israel) says Bad Idea Barack posted at Wait Wait… Do Tell Me!.
Sorry, Seth – gonna have to agree with Livni on this one. No head of any state should have open dialogue with rogue and terrorist leaders without preconditions. Obama is drafting a letter in order to open up direct dialogue with Iran. This goes against decades of foreign policy. Not even past Democrat Presidents have ever dealt directly with rogue heads of states without preconditions. What Obama is doing is very dangerous, and as Livni pointed out, shows weakness in the minds of the Arab world. Your examples are incomplete. Reagan never had direct conversations with Gorbachev until all the preconditions were met and only after other delegate teams met with the Russians first. Obama needs to do the same thing. Send Shillary or some other delegates first with the preconditions that have to be met first before we open dialogue. Obama’s letter to Imanutjob will mean that Iran will surely see this as an opening to attack Israel openly.
Buck Says presents Pelosi In Charge: How can That Happen in a Sane World? posted at Buck Says, saying, “Nancy Pilosi and Harry Reed in charge?–We are in real trouble now.”
Hey Buck – I don’t know if you heard the interview with Virginia Congressman Eric Cantor – but – apparently, Obama pretty much said the same thing to him. When Cantor pointed out to Mr. Obama that the people elected him because he promised change in government and to help the economy they needed tax cuts – Obama told him “I won. I will trump you on that.” Obama and Pelosi are on the same page there. I don’t think we will see any real change in government other than to see it get bigger.
Alexander Woods presents Rod Blagojevich: Crooked Politician or Machiavellian Hero? posted at The Daily Destiny.
Howdy Alexander – I guess it depends on how one looks at Machiavelli. I personally did not see Machiavelli as a hero – I saw him as a crook who would say anything to get what he wants – a smooth talker. For me – crooked politician and Machiavellian are one and the same. But, you do justice by pointing out Blago’s absurdity. Great post!
Allen Scott presents Give me, Give me, and then give me Some More posted at Journey Across the Sky.
Excellent use of scripture for backing up your points there Allen. I would just change one thing – you say “We do not need bailouts or handouts. We need repentence.” Based on what you have written, I can see why you might say we need repentence. However, I would say we need to take responsibility for our actions and to fix what we screwed up. Sure, it might be Wall Street’s fault, in concert with our Fed, for the huge economic mess – but – each and every one of us have some responsibility for that downfall as well (part of which you point out.) Rather than blame government and Wall Street – we need to accept the part we played in it and do what we need to do to fix it so that we can be responsible “parents” and not leave this burden to our children and their children.
Allen Scott presents Inauguration Day posted at Journey Across the Sky.
I actually read this after I responded to your previous submission. An excellent discussion on taking responsibility rather than looking for that hand out! Yes we can! LOL.
That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of The BoBo Carnival of Politics using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.
Technorati tags: the bobo carnival of politics, blog carnival.
Again! I have the great pleasure of hosting some really great posts from this past week from some really great bloggers. Bet you can’t figure what a lot of them are about?
Conservative
ChristianPF presents McCain/Obama – Who is better for your money? posted at Money in the Bible | Christian Personal Finance Blog, saying, “A debate over which candidate is better for your wallet”
Actually – that’s the question posed over at this blog. It’s up to you as the commenters to debate the issue.
Hairy Swede presents Doing My Civic Duty in Sweden posted at A Swedish American in Sweden, saying, “An American abroad votes conservative. From a very non-conservative country.”
Having grown up in the military and serving myself – I found myself abroad on two occasions in which I had to vote absentee as well. I commend you for doing your civic duty – and from so far away at that! When I was reading your first paragraph – I had to chuckle – as that was NEVER my experience when I was in Europe! Then I got to your follow-up – good one!
Steve Parry presents Congratulations To Barack Obama posted at The Axis, saying, “Setting the record straight.”
Excellent post, Steve. While I am not predicting doom and gloom myself – I will agree that Obama will most definitely weaken the U.S. The Republicans lost this election because a.) McCain was a very poor choice of candidate, and b.) The Republicans forgot who they were and lost their way. They kinda forgot they were supposed to be AGAINST big government, didn’t they? This is an excellent call to conservatives and to D.C. Republicans to return to their roots.
Curry Kenworthy presents Conservatives don’t really understand elections posted at Curry Kenworthy, saying, “Conservatives are brilliant on the issues, but liberals know how to get out the vote–and change the culture.”
Eh! I sorta agree. There was a huge turnout during the Reagan years to get people involved. However, for the most part, I would agree with a lot of the rest of what you have to say. In fact, Obama used technology brilliantly as compared to the McCain campaign. You wouldn’t believe how many “MyObamaSpace” pages I came across. Apparently, they set up their own Obama campaign social network. Additionally, they collected millions of cell phone numbers and were sending out texts messages regularly on election day to get those young’ns out there to vote. The turnout was the same as in 2004 – but – they pulled the youth vote in that wasn’t there before. I think a lot of Republicans and Conservatives stayed home this year.
Democrats
The Hip Hop Democrat presents Jay-Z running for Mayor of New York City in 2009? posted at The Hip Hop DEMOCRAT.
Now that is funny! But, let me also remind you of a few other celebrity politicians – mostly from the past: Ronald Reagan, Sonny Bono, Al Franken, Fred Grandy, P.T. Barnum (yes, THAT P.T. Barnum), Bill Bradley (former basketball player), Clint Eastwood (I lived in Monterey when he was the Mayor of Carmel), and John Glenn (former astronaut) just to name a few. The most recent ones we have are Al Franken and Jerry Springer. But, you’re right – I can’t see Jay-Z being the Mayor of NYC either. I can’t see him filling the same shoes as Bloomberg, Giuliani, Koch, and LaGuardia, just to name a few of the great ones!
Miscellaneous
Sarah Scrafford presents Obama vs. McCain: What the Next President Will Mean for Day Traders posted at Currency Trading.net.
Well, I personally don’t know much about day trading. I’m in it for the long haul. But – if I have any day traders who read this blog – there is some good info over there. While this is initially a comparison of both candidates – now that Obama has been elected – this is a good primer to follow up and see how Obama fares in the economy and what happens with the market.
TheMoneyHawk presents Reality Check: The President Can’t Save Us, Nor Should He posted at The Money Hawk, saying, “Everyone in the country needs to read this article, period.”
Ahh, yes! A financial blogger after my own heart! I’m a firm believer in personal responsibility! Most excellent post – a good read for everyone!
Madeleine Begun Kane presents Celebratory Limerick posted at Mad Kane’s Political Madness.
We’ll see! This freakin’ two year election cycle put a world of hurt on this country!
News
Sam Douglas presents Mandatory Internet Censorship and our Right to Choose posted at Philosophy Hurts Your Head.
You know, I read about this and heard about this on the news. I sure as hell hope they don’t try to pull this kinda shit here in the U.S. I feel bad for you Aussies. You’d think your government was being led by the Chinese or something!
Hortois presents Pumpkin for President posted at The Compost Heap, saying, “light hearted”
Um – okay – we’ll let it slide by THIS time! If it weren’t for that little pun at the end there – I probably would have nixed this one. And..considering Thanksgiving is up next here in the U.S. – and – I just LOVE pumpkin pi
– these are good tips for pumpkin growers and gardners.
Ron McKie presents Hide the children posted at Phuck Politics.
OMG! Too funny – and yet – at the same time – so sad! Is this the next generation to lead our country! Lord help us.
GrrlScientist presents Living the Scientific Life (Scientist, Interrupted): Election Eve 2008 Celebration in NYC’s Times Square posted at Living the Scientific Life, saying, “One of the nice things about living in NYC is the fact that there are often fun things happening that are both spontaneous and free-of-charge. One of those events occurred last evening and continued through the wee hours of today, when I spent election eve in NYC’s Times Square, along with half a million other people.”
You know – when I first read this – the first thing that came to mind was the last South Park episode with half the town celebrating, getting drunk, tipping cars, and puking everywhere (especially after seeing the picture of the guy hanging on the streetlight – that’s EXACTLY what Stan’s dad did, LOL) – while the other half of the town were either hiding in bunkers or killing themselves.
Those are some great pix you have up there. My favorite is the close-up of the police officer. Excellent blend of pix to illustrate your content. I enjoyed your journey!
John Kaduk presents Russia Starts Taking Advantage Of Obama posted at The Right Wing.
THIS must be what Biden was talking about! We’ll see, John! I see the cold war starting all over again under an Obama Presidency. I’m sure his weak ass will back off. After all, he’d rather TALK – which won’t mean shit to Putin!
Ron McKie presents Fuck this day posted at Phuck Politics.
Had a bad day did we Ron? I wish I had done as you and watched some movies instead of torturing myself through the evening watching all of that. My sentiments exactly!
Politics
David Lamb presents Riding the Wave of Recession: A history of economic depression in presidential politics posted at Killer Buffalo, saying, “I didn’t realize you did the carnival so often. I’m glad I didn’t miss my chance!”
One of my fellow bloggers from Inside Government! But – oh, David – how dare you try to tell us that Clinton left Bush with a higher debt than he started with! Don’t you know that he left office with a surplus! Rubbish! I guess all those I.O.U.’s in the Social Security till didn’t count! But, with hindsight being 20/20 – I would say that you were spot on with regards to the economic downturn being blamed on Bush as the primary reason McCain lost. Personally, I see Obama doing the same thing as Carter. While he is surrounding himself with Clinton era staff – we already know how that turned out – I think he’s going to make even worse mistakes than Clinton did. I still don’t see how those libs are able to seriously say that we had prosperity during Clinton’s reign. I guess they will always re-write history to slant their way.
Joe Hayes presents Political Jokes posted at Restoring Your Finances and Your Faith, saying, “Some really funny politically oriented jokes, just in time for the Election! Includes Barack Obama and John McCain related humor, and quotes from famous people too.”
I‘ve seen some of these before – others are new! Good one!
PicktheBrain presents Obama, McCain Education Plans Compared posted at Ace Online Schools.
Well – since we don’t really have to worry about McCain’s plans – we’ll just have to see what kind of damage Obama can do to our education system. Personally, the first thing I would do is get rid of that No Child Left Behind crap! The fact of the matter is – that program is designed to leave kids behind. They force low performing kids to drop out of high school and encourage them to go for their G.E.D.s instead which gets those from bringing their scores down. Not only that – but rather than teach the kids the basics – the schools are teaching to the test instead.
I think his most dangerous plan is to force ALL student loans through the government – just growing Government again! We know what his unflinching support for Fannie & Freddie did.
Raymond presents My Vote Does Not Matter Because I Do Not Live In A Swing State posted at Money Blue Book.
Personally, I think every vote counts. However, I do agree with you that our Electoral College system of voting needs to either be changed or completely eradicated. But – while you might think your vote doesn’t matter nationally – it DOES matter locally – and – does have an impact nationally when voting for your Representatives and Senators!
GrrlScientist presents Sarah Palin: In her own words posted at Living the Scientific Life, saying, “Sarah Palin’s greatest hits: Proof that all a woman needs to succeed in America is a pretty face and a tight ass.”
I think you guys are being WAAY to hard on Sarah. She’s a lot more intelligent than you guys realize. The problem is that the McCain camp scripted her. I’ve seen her in action prior to her being selected as VEEP. When she’s not scripted – she comes off real classy. There’s a reason why she has a 90% approval rating in her state – and it’s not because she’s hot!
What you may not know is that during the entire election cycle – she held a security clearance higher than both Obama and McCain. She’s briefed daily on the National Security Intelligence because of Alaska’s proximity to Russia. She had inside knowledge that neither Obama or McCain had. Obama is just now getting those daily briefings that she receives every day as the Alaskan governor. The Alaskan National Guard and the U.S. Air Force in Alaska are on 24/7 alert because of Russia. She knows the compliment and capabilities of the entire military forces at her disposal. Russia is a real threat – and – she’s 100% correct when she was talking about Russia in American/Alaskan air space every time the take off. (I have inside knowledge on that as well).
Regarding her comments regarding the job of the VP – according to the U.S. Constitution – she’s 100% correct about that as well! You might want to go back and read that document.
Her biggest problem regarding all those other interviews was that she got caught up in the talking points that she was required to stay on. I hope one day you get an opportunity to see her in action without the cue cards. You might change your opinion about her.
Alli presents Rahm Emanuel Advocates Compulsory Civil Service posted at The Smoking Argus, saying, “As previously reported, then Democratic Presidential candidate, Barack Obama while speaking in Colorado this past July, stated:
“We cannot continue to rely only on our military in order to achieve the national security objective that we’ve set. We’ve gotta have a “Civilian National Security Force” that’s just as powerful, just as strong, just as well funded.””
Excellent post Alli. I’ve lived overseas where military service is compulsory. I would hate to see this happen in this country – even in a Civilian National Security Force. Sounds kinda like Hitler’s Brown Shirts to me. Also – wasn’t it JFK that instituted the draft? It seems to me those loony liberals who are supposed to be all about civil liberties and freedom are the first ones to push FORCED service to the country.
Steve Faber presents How Will President Barack Obama Change What You Drive? posted at super gas saver, saying, “One thing about Obama, he has ambition. He also has an agenda to go along with it. A part of that will definitely have an impact on your choice of vehicle in the future.”
Bwahahaha! That’s some pretty funny shit! Oh – wait – you were serious! Hey, I’m all for getting better mileage to the gallon and all – but – not at the expense of our economy. These are some pretty lofty plans that you have outlined over at your place. But, I don’t see it happening – especially the plug-in hybrids. We are sooooo far away from having an efficient fuel-cell battery that 2015 is not even foreseeable. We could have more oil and natural gas in production to fuel this country economically before that would ever happen.
Also – that use it or lose it lease program – in case you aren’t aware – the oil companies would LOVE to lose those leases they have. There’s no oil in them – but – the government forces them to continue to hold on to them and pay them for these bad leases. They’ve been explored and have been found to be empty. The problem is – the government won’t lease the areas that HAVE the oil in them because they don’t want the oil companies drilling. As a consumer – I would LOVE for those oil companies to lose those bad leases as well – it would help to bring down the price of gas.
Anyway – for those of you who don’t know Obama’s plans – this is a great place to find out! See if you agree with it.
DWSUWF presents President Barack Obama – Let the healing begin. posted at Divided We Stand United We Fall, saying, “Barack Obama will indeed unify the left with the far left, pull in the moderate left, and be the President that speaks clearly for the entire sweeping 52% mandate they represent. Congratulations to the moderate, centrist, libertarian, and conservative blogging brethren who embraced Obama’s rhetoric of change and hope. You got what you hoped for!”
Oh how correct you are! BTW – I watched that South Park episode the other night. If you haven’t seen the whole thing – it’s freakin hilarious! Now – back to the regularly schedule program. Don’t you just love the way the left is throwing out their olive branches and embracing EVERYONE in this country! You have some great examples there of just how much love the left has and how they will do what they need to do to help unify and bring everyone together for the good of this country! Oh, I sure HOPE when they realize the CHANGE Obama has in mind is not the CHANGE they HOPED for – they don’t start blaming it on we Conservatives – considering we’re the minority now and have absolutely no power in D.C.!
U.S. Common Sense presents Open letter to Barack Obama posted at U.S. Common Sense, saying, “This one has already been picked up by Reuters and Palm Beach Post. It is a letter welcoming and warning Obama on his entrance into the White House.”
Excellent letter! How the heck do you get picked up by Reuters? This is a great read for all.
Kevin presents How to Deal With Election Withdrawal posted at The Red Stapler Chronicles.
Funny stuff – I’d like to add lucky #13 here – Start off everyone one of your statements to your co-workers with “My friend,” and then make sure to reference all other co-workers as “that one.”
That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of the bobo carnival of politics using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.
Technorati tags: the bobo carnival of politics, blog carnival.
In an increasingly demanding and competitive global economy that requires knowledge
acquisition and information processing, such traits are anathema to success. And, where technology develops at a fast pace, the inability to cope, adapt, and use its benefits to create cutting edge advantages is critical to sustaining a lead in the global marketplace. The downward spiral in education has been going on for 40 years. The Reagan Administration documented the deterioration of public education in 1984 (A Nation At Risk), and crafted a 25 year plan to arrest it. Billions were allocated for the project, and at the end of its term, what surfaced was not only further decline but also fraud committed by school authorities to pad up the percentages of high school graduates. This is what the students obtained from the institutions of learning. Practically every state cheated to meet the legal requirements of rising academic proficiency.
Several research studies and recent surveys have attempted to unravel the cause, from teaching methods and skills, inadequate teachers, low pay, safety and security, invasive digital media, preference for visual feeding rather than reading printed material to discern concepts, among others. But it is the values of getting a good education that seems to be missing from the students, values that have been obliterated by too much sense of entitlement without the corresponding effort, sense of duty and responsibility. The youth, with their keen sense of spotting inconsistencies, if not hypocrisy, are acute readers of the social signals that radiate from the society which they belong to and will struggle to survive in. These signals built their perceptions.
They see that making a fortune is the most important basis of respect, regardless of how it was made. They know youth is marketable and would want to use it while they can to make a career in music, film, modeling, advertising, or any other shortcut that would lead to wealth in a short span – without the need for education nor schooling. They scoff at hard work, in school or elsewhere, and are focused on instant gratification. Nobility and patriotism, if ever considered, are secondary to wealth and fame. The framers of the constitution and creators of the Bill of Rights owned slaves; native Americans were pushed by droves of immigrants and were practically wiped out in a “pacification campaign”; America stands for Democracy but supported despots and dictators; these are some inconsistencies that are opposed to the values taught in the academe.
Furthermore, parents have given them up to the schools to be taught values and cared for, which the schools were ill-equipped to handle; the schools had been used to commit fraud to make city officials look good, and abandoned actual improvement mandated; the federal government had provided funds but abandoned its duty to provide safeguards in the use of funds for the intended purposes and results. Has America given up on the public schools?

If America has given up on the public school system, it is only because it has given up on the kids, perhaps unconsciously; without realizing that in the process it has given up on the future or is in denial about its bleak consequence. And if the resignation about the future or the denial of its consequence continues, America may be giving up on democracy. There will be no democracy if there are no schools that would mold civic identity and democratic responsibility, it has to come first on America’s agenda.
Who would care about the deficit if the future is finished before it begins? What purpose would a defense budget serve if without democracy, no liberties will be left to defend? What truly public issues or public goods would be advanced, if without public education there can be no public? After all passionate arguments have been exhausted and all sectors have exhaled all anxieties about the crisis in education, what America undertakes to address the crisis will determine how serious it is to regain its competitive edge and strengthen its democratic foundations. Or, the world will witness the end of the American Empire.
Haarwwwwk…Twoooooph…Ting!
References:
Patrick Buchanan, Dumbing Down Of America
Susan Jacoby, The Age of American Unreason
Susan Jacoby, The Dumbing of America
John Cochran, Failing Reports on US Schools
Christopher B. Swanson, PhD, Cities in Crisis
Peterson Institute for International Economics, The Accelerating Decline in America’s High Skilled Work Force

























