THOUSAND CUTS (Letter to Independent Coast Observer)

Many Americans have come to believe that President Obama is in over his head. It’s not just the results of the November 2 Congressional election in which the President’s Party received a “shellacking.” The party in power often loses seats in a mid-term election. However, the scope and depth of the losses were of historical proportions and reflected a deep unease with the President’s leadership in a number of areas. These include his decision making (or lack thereof), his inability to match deeds with words, his arrogance in dealing with the opposition, and his increasingly shrill and un-presidential rhetoric directed at various individuals and organizations. Such self-inflicted wounds are a thousand cuts on his Presidency. When combined with one misstep after another on highly important matters, they have ripped apart the fabric of confidence required for an effective leader.

The President’s flamboyant signing of an Executive Order to close the Guantanamo detention facility within one year and his subsequent failure to do so was just the first of many errors brought on by his lack of experience and gravitas. Another was his light-hearted “shout out” to a conference attendee just before announcing the terrible tragedy of the Ft. Hood massacre; this faux pas was compounded by his reading details of the disaster in an emotionless monotone as if it were a weather forecast. A long list of poor decisions followed: the health care debacle, the failed stimulus package, the mishandling of the BP oil spill, and his more recent characterization of Republicans as “hostage takers,” to name a few.

It must be a sad spectacle for his supporters to watch their “Man of the Left” being forced now to tack to the middle on many issues, but that may be his only path to reelection in 2012.

Jim Littlejohn

CARIBBEAN CRUISING (Letter to the Independent Coast Observer)

During November 14-21, Karel and I boarded the ship, Nieuw Amsterdam, for a Post-Election cruise sponsored by the good folks who publish The National Review magazine. The trip was relaxing and entertaining (think turquoise-blue waters, endless sandy beaches, snorkeling at Grand Turk and climbing a Mayan temple near Cozumel). It was also an intellectual treat of interacting with bright, articulate people with well-grounded conservative views of history, government, and politics, points of view not often presented in our local and national liberal media.

The food was delicious, but came in second to the intellectual feast of conservative philosophy and ideas served up by panels of brilliant individuals. The panels included such scholars as:  Rich Lowry, Editor of National Review, Bernard Lewis (world-renowned Islam scholar), Victor Davis Hanson (writer and classical scholar), Senator-elect Pat Toomey (Pennsylvania), Karl Rove (political architect), Andrew McCarthy (writer and former DOJ attorney who helped convict the Blind Sheik), Jonah Goldberg and Cal Thomas, (nationally syndicated columnists), Scott Rasmussen (national pollster) and Andrew Breitbart (BigGovernment.com), to name a few. Panel topics ran the gamut of current issues of interest to conservatives (and presumably others) such as:  “The Elections: What Happened and Why; America versus Radical Islam; Trillions?: America, Debt, and the Economy; The Elections: Is the MSM (Mainstream Media) a Big Loser?; The State of U.S.-Euro Relations and, The State of Liberalism.” 

At one dinner, Karel and I sat next to Senator-elect Toomey, a thoughtful, intelligent person and great conversationalist, possibly Presidential material. He had spoken to the large group earlier, holding everyone’s interest for almost an hour - - without notes, without repeating himself, and without using teleprompters! There must have been some Tea Party folks there, too. If so, they had disguised themselves as intelligent, knowledgeable conservatives. They were decent folks. 

Imagine that!

Jim Littlejohn

CALIFORNIA DREAMIN' (Letter to the Independent Coast Observer)

President Obama and his minions attribute their historic losses in the November 2 elections to a variety of factors, none of which have to do with the Administration’s unpopular policies. We are bombarded with excuses such as, “the failure to communicate effectively” or “the people just don’t get how wonderful we are.” Personally, I like the following:

“I understand that you think I don't understand what the people said yesterday, but please understand that the people didn't understand what I have been saying for two years, which is understandable because it's hard to understand things when you're scared and confused, capiche?”(William A. Jacobson, Associate Clinical Professor, Cornell Law School)

Let’s assume the Administration’s explanations somehow account for those millions of “yokels” (a.k.a. Republicans, Independents and Democrats) who voted from office many supporters of ObamaCare, Cap and Trade, the Stimulus Package, etc. But how does one explain the majority of California voters who went the other way by electing Boxer and Brown? Do the voters of this State seriously believe these re-treads will fix the problems? Unless these two career politicians spend a few weeks at the Governor Christie School of Management, the economic conditions in California will do nothing but get worse.

Consider these facts:  2.3 million Californians are out of work, for a 12.4% unemployment rate; from 2001 to 2010, the State lost from 1.87 million to 1.23 million factory jobs, or 34% of its industrial base; with only 12% of the U.S. population, California has almost a third of the nation’s welfare recipients; 15.3% of all Californians live in poverty; and, the current state budget gap is $45 billion, or 53% of total state spending - - the largest in any state’s history. (IBD Editorial, 11/04/2010) Let’s hope things get better, not worse, but jeez, Boxer and Brown?

Jim Littlejohn