The American Spectator

Reader Mail

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Did anyone have any doubt that it would turn out this way?

Obama chose Joseph Biden as a running mate. This selection did not conjure premonitions of "change."

In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king. I saw his cabinet post selections from afar with my blind eye!
-- Kane
Greenville, South Carolina

LAWLER'S LAMENT
Re: Joseph Lawler's Civically Illiterate:

Voter ignorance is not only a fact, it's depressing for those of us who take the time to stay informed. Here in my home state of Connecticut a question was asked of the voters this past election; Question 1 on the ballot: "Shall there be a Constitutional Convention to amend or revise the Constitution of the State?" Here was a golden opportunity for Connecticut voters to take back some power over their government. A government with an entrenched liberal Democrat legislature completely beholden to special interest groups, that could write a book on "A Trillion Ways To Tax The People," a judicial system that legislates from the bench forcing gay marriage on us and jeopardizing our property rights with the infamous "eminent domain" ruling, a chance to stop our run-away government, a chance that only comes every 22 years -- it did not pass! Thanks to huge special interest campaign money from the ACLU, Planned Parenthood, Gay & Lesbian Advocate and Defenders and the like, a majority of voters were lead to believe that a Constitutional Convention was a bad thing to my utter shock and disbelief.

As much as we'd like to think we are educated and know what's best as a voting public, we are in fact sheep and the "movers and shakers" know very well that they don't have to fool all of us, just most of us. And controlling the media, our education centers and the courts allows them to do that and more.
-- John Nelson
Hebron, Connecticut 

Mr. Lawler brings up a good point. If elected officials are the least informed on American Civics, Free Enterprise, etc., one is immediately led to consider Barack Obama's grasp of these concepts. During his campaign he seemed blithely unaware that cutting capital gains taxes produced more government revenue. He consistently talked about an income tax cut for 95% of Americans; an impossibility unless "tax cut" is completely redefined as a welfare check. He seemed utterly confused at the confusion over his pronouncements, and kept hammering away at a statement that was mathematically impossible. His "spread the wealth" comment to Joe the Plumber evinced a complete lack of awareness of a Free Enterprise system. Indeed, his unscripted comments reflect a vague Marxist/Collectivist bias with little awareness of market economics. His famous gaffe noting that he had visited "57" states was chalked up as simply a gaffe. What if it was far more than that? What if, as George Bush is linguistically challenged (indeed, some of his comments strongly suggest that he is dyslexic), Barack Obama is dysnumeric, numerically challenged? The evidence so far is that he is. He seems to have no grasp of numbers at all. He makes a public statement that he is going to create 2.5 million jobs by 2011, as if it were a daunting challenge that only a heroic effort and great leadership could effect. Yet it is a piddling number, something that routinely happens going from recession to expansion. Does he not get it? This latter statement was chalked up as a "pragmatic" or modest, and reasonable goal, and he is credited with "pragmatism." Given Obama's campaign rhetoric, pragmatic, modest, or small goals seem completely out of character for someone whose vision is nothing less than to "heal the planet." Did he think his job growth number was a world-shaking statement, a goal as lofty as sending a man to the moon? It is not clear. The silence greeting his goal for job growth is deafening.

I am strongly suspicious that we have someone who is more dysnumeric, leading the nation in the worst financial crisis in a hundred years, than George Bush is dyslexic (Take George Bush's rhetoric and compare it to Obama's, and then consider the opposite in terms of numbers). He appears economically illiterate as well. Wall Street also seems to be convinced of my fears. Wait until we get the details on his cap-and-trade proposals. I think they will be stunningly impossible, as they already sound, unless someone reworks them completely. Obama has no idea of the potential economic impact of those proposals (a complete collapse of the American economy), and seems blithely unaware and unconcerned, a sort of Alfred E. Newman position. But then, that seems to be the main characteristic of the American electorate, so it's a good fit. Blithe ignorance. Bliss personified. America has the leader it deserves. Hopefully, the Forest Gump version of American exceptionalism will hold during an Obama administration, and it will all work out in the end, regardless. So far it always has. As they say, God protects idiots, and the United States of America. God help us again.
-- Kent Lyon
College Station, Texas

Joseph Lawler laments -- "How is democracy to succeed?" -- and rightfully so. The best example of where our nation is heading can be found in the UK. There, society has passed the tipping point where a majority of voting citizens rely on government benefits and vote accordingly. Pulling back from the precipice will require statesmen of the highest caliber who, sadly, are in short supply right now. The end of freedom in America is just around the corner. The masses of ignorant and indolent voters will barely notice its passing.
-- Peter R. McGrath

ADD TO THE PILE
Re: David N. Bass's The GOP Pile On:

This article confirms what I have been saying for the last two years. Conservatives of all stripes need to leave the Republican Party to the East Coast and D.C. elites and form a third party. The Republicans will continue to mouth conservative platitudes prior to their election campaigns and abandon them as soon as the election is over. 

I would also ask what type of party would select a political hack like John McCain as their standard bearer. I know "he's a war hero." Well I served in Vietnam with the First Air Cavalry Division and I don't believe a person's military service gives them an automatic pass on the issues. John McCain is a liberal with a liberal voting record on all the issues that matter to conservative.
-- Paul Martell

I think we lost because we nominated an old, left leaning Republican who stated no message beyond "I was a POW." He may have had more and better ideas than BObama, as he herked and jerked across the stage screaming I will fight for you!, but they were very difficult to discern. Besides, Democrats fight, Republicans govern and we do it well if we have good Conservative leaders who stand by their principles.
 
Evangelicals had nothing to do with his loss, except for the fact that many probably refused to vote for the old codger and Republicans do not win without them. McCain was not the one. He was too old and too far left.
-- Judy Beumler
Louisville, Kentucky

HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF
Re: Christopher Holland's letter (under "Doomsday Curses") in Reader Mail's Scurvy Knaves:

Christopher Holland wrote a diabolically whimsical letter about the diabolically whimsical economic policies of Gordon Brown.