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The Emperor’s New Clothes — 53 Comments

  1. Can’t celebrate yet. The same liberal trolls said the same about the legal defense of Obamacare yet look at the final result there.

  2. Maybe some of the liberals are FINALLY seeing that they elected an empty suit in 2008.

  3. Well, at least this is clear –

    The court eunuchs really do/did believe in the Legend of Barky. I was always on the fence about that, but no longer. Their shock is genuine – just revisit, as a case-in-point, Chrissy M. last night looking like he swallowed a fifth of rubbing alcohol and then peed into a lit Zippo, frying the tingle right off of his leg. His agony and disgust and disappointment were palpable.

    Question, though: Is it scarier if the eunuchs really did believe or were rather just cynically pushing a narrative to serve their master?

    My vote, FWIW – True Believer-ism is scarier. Pure cynicism has never really achieved the level of horror and evil of True Belief.

    Romney did so much good for this country last night… (even if he goes on to lose anyway). 90 minutes of exposing Barry for the pedestrian socialist he is constitutes a greater contribution to the public good than any piece of signature legislation Obama has put forth and passed in four years.

    Last night was Romney’s introduction of the “Smashing True Belief in the One with a Thor-hammer” Bill.

    November, it gets ratified.

  4. Those who have, from the very beginning, seen, understood, and made their calculations of an incalculable persona — Obama, have this to look forward to — pure unadulterated, unmitigated SCHADENFREUDE.

    For whatever good there is in ridding this country of Obama at its helm, the unmitigated joy in the disillusionment of those who have been made moist by the eye candy, marveled at his super-intelligence, and basked in his moral aura will be greater. After all, the problem of the last four years has not been Obama, but those who created, abetted, covered, and lied, for him.

  5. Kolnai, Its all about what you base your reality on, and THAT’s why the left and ‘cargo cultists’ are always surprised and fall apart when the curtains are drawn back and they see reality.

    In fact, a huge part of their whole being is that they did not learn in school, they don’t know how things work, they have no way to navigate, and so they have to lash themselves to the mast of the ship they think will carry them.

    but this ship has been sailing a long way. the book i linked to in a prior post that was free, detailed that history from the late 1800s (post its birth), to all the history all the way to SDS! and it is all FABIAN…

    imagine that a condensed history that covers everything, including the small books published that the public never got to see, and the linkages between Wilson, FDR, Kennedy being made, etc.

    If it wasn’t history it would be a top selling history horror, but its real.

    Fabian Freeway
    http://library.mises.org/books/Rose%20Martin/Fabian%20Freeway.pdf

    if you cant get through it from the start, at least skip to part 2, the united states, and skip to parts 20 and 21…

    With his family and religious background, who would ever believe John F. Kennedy was committed before his nomination to carrying out a Fabian Socialist program? Even Left liberals were incredulous. Did not Pope Pius XI declare in 1931: “No man can be at the same time a sincere Catholic and a true Socialist?”

    Eleanor Roosevelt was his biggest opposition because she held a grudge against his father, and because of Joe McCarthy… His crusade scared the bejesus out of the Fabians who thought they would be next!

    Exploiting the natural grief of JFK’s widow and relatives, as well as the emotions of a shocked American public, the same Left liberal clique that helped put Kennedy in the White House endowed him ,vith a halo of martyrdom. F’or month after month leading to the national elections of 1964, every form of heart-appeal that could be devised by Fabian experts in mass psychology was utilized to keep sorrowing voters faithful to the Party of JFK. The same elite corps of Left liberal intellectuals, who had surrounded him as President, now sought to perpetuate themselves or their alternates in power by perpetuating the memory of John K. Kennedy-not quite as he was, but as a golden memory. De mortuis nil nisi bonum.

    During the last years of his short but crowded lifetime, John F. Kennedy was sometimes compared by informed observers to Britain’s
    leading Catholic Fabian, Lord Francis Pakenham.

    never let a crisis go to waste?

    there are even chapters to show that Keynesianism was intended to soft collapse into a socialist communist society…

    the BEST as always are the PREDICTIONS…
    which have to do with the year 2000… 🙂

    In March, 1963, a twenty-three man “research team” employed by an organization called Resources for the Future released a 987-page report. It described the material wonders that the common man in America would enjoy in the year 2000. Assuming, of course, that the Keynesian poliCies adopted by the Kennedy-Johnson Administration were continued indefinitely! Financial support for the “study” was supplied by the Ford Foundation at the expense of the American taxpayer.

    By combining Keynesian theory with production and population statistics, and feeding the mixture into electronic computers, the young researchers came up with precise figures on what the year 2000 would hold. Any possibility of war, pestilence or bankruptcy was omitted from their calculations. Economic scarcity would no longer exist in that future America, where atomic reactors would supply only peaceful power, automobiles with wings would outnumber adult citizens, and the average family income would be $11,000 per year (without reference to purchasing power).

    It was based upon the latest post-Keynesian mystery: the Gross
    National Product, officially adopted as an index of prosperity by the Kennedy-Johnson Administration. Just how the Gross National Product itself is computed has never been clearly explained to the public.

    So the Government can increase the Gross National Product at will, by the simple device of hiring more and more public servants thereby increasing the ranks of an ADA-educated and chosen bureaucracy.

    A variation of this method of improving the nation’s prosperity image is to give frequent and substantial pay raises to government and state employees, especially in the higher brackets.

    Two assumptions dangerous to the future of constitutional government in America are concealed in the tricky concept of the Gross National Product.

    First, the notion that government is entitled to take a fixed percentage of the rising national income each year, irrespective of national necessities.

    And second, that a government has the right to base its budget estimates on the private resources of individuals and companies.

    Recalling that the original purpose of Keynesian economics was to provide a method for a peaceful transition to Socialism in the United States, it becomes apparent that the economic policy adopted under ADA tutelage by the Kennedy-Johnson Administration, in effect, gives a green light to Socialism on the high speed Fabian Freeway.

    Now that all was published in 1966… anyone waking up now… is doing so more than 46 years late… (which came 30-40 years after they had so much power they remolded education, and media, etc… )

    how different debates would be if we knew all this, then the labels of what something IS would make a difference… but they don’t really. he ones that do know are in such small numbers and skewed by class scapegoating.
    [edited for length by n-n]

  6. Romney was debating the ’empty chair.’ Obama has a record now. There is no way for him to BS the way he used to do.

  7. How bad did Obama lose?

    If this fight would have had 3 knock down rule … it would have been stopped!

  8. Rats… that was way too long… da*n…

    regardless of last nights debate, this is where we still find ourselves…

    In spite of outward semblances of prosperity and freedom, the America we have known and think we still possess lies gasping-its constitutional separation of powers blurred; its wealth expended in the vain hope of nourishing a largely hostile world; its military security endangered by invisible civilian planners and irresponsible brokers of disarmament; its union, which was its strength, crumbled into a powder of racial minorities and special interest groups. Altogether this no longer spells creeping Socialism but onrushing Socialism, of which Communism is merely the final stage. Incredible?

    Not to those who have kept their eyes open and their senses alert, instead of being anesthetized by slogans or lulled by promises of perpetual affluence.
    Rose L. Martin Los Angeles, 1966

  9. Is Socialism the United Order?
    by Marion G. Romney

    i am providing the link to show what i HOPE is in play here… whether we want to admit it or not, the US was born in christian faith, and Judaic ideas. it borrowed from others later, but thats its roots.

    we forget that the reason that the whole of the west became free is because of the teachings in the bible, and the morality and ideas that come from it.

    someone put it nice last night that the information int he bible may not be historically correct, but its about living and how things work and about what cant be proved about that (and that wisdom is all you have even if you have no reason to logically derive that wisdom. one does not need to know the formulas of gravity to know to get out of the way of falling bodies that can kill you)

    and the above writing is about these differences…

    now. most of us may or may not be religious. and even if we are, we may or may not know our own doctrines in that regard. but you CAN be sure that people of certain faiths and such over others, will operate from a different rule book than a neo socialist fabian… no?

    No man can serve two masters. For either he
    will hate the one, and love the other, or he will
    sustain the one, and despise the other.”
    Matthew 6:24

    I picked this article because its in reference to Mormonism. but note, the truths that the Mormons are reinforcing, are just that, reinforcing.

    http://www.latterdayconservative.com/articles/is-socialism-the-united-order/

    “We’re going to take all the money we think is unnecessarily being spent and take it from the ‘haves’ and give it to the ‘have nots.’” (1964 Congressional Record, p. 6142, Remarks of the President to a Group of Leaders of Organizations of Senior Citizens in the Fish Room, March 24, 1964.)

    the idea here is to get a peek into the other worlds than your own that people live in and make choices from…

    another phrase to look out for beyond the emperors new clothes is “When the wicked rule the people mourn.” (in terms of Mormonism)

    there is a BIG reason why judaic faith is again on the chopping block and christianity too… its because its an alternative set of teachings and a way to look at the world, and its the way that denies so much of what without cant be denied…

    The Doctrine and Covenants/Section 98
    http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Doctrine_and_Covenants/Section_98

    “The ultimate test of a moral society is the kind of world that it leaves to its children.”
    ― Dietrich Bonhoeffer

    “I discovered later, and I’m still discovering right up to this moment, that is it only by living completely in this world that one learns to have faith. By this-worldliness I mean living unreservedly in life’s duties, problems, successes and failures. In so doing we throw ourselves completely into the arms of God, taking seriously, not our own sufferings, but those of God in the world. That, I think, is faith.”
    ― Dietrich Bonhoeffer

    and a special addition for hitchens:

    “A God who let us prove his existence would be an idol”

    “To understand reality is not the same as to know about outward events. It is to perceive the essential nature of things. The best-informed man is not necessarily the wisest. Indeed there is a danger that precisely in the multiplicity of his knowledge he will lose sight of what is essential. But on the other hand, knowledge of an apparently trivial detail quite often makes it possible to see into the depths of things. And so the wise man will seek to acquire the best possible knowledge about events, but always without becoming dependent upon this knowledge. To recognize the significant in the factual is wisdom.”
    ― Dietrich Bonhoeffer
    ― Dietrich Bonhoeffer

  10. Frankly, I think Obama did what he could. It ain’t easy to defend the indefensible.

    The problem with the left is that they always agitate and postulate based on broad theories which are impractical and which are rarely effective in real life.

    Last night we saw a sample of precisely what happens when real life and impractical theory collide. Like gravity, real life wins every time.

    I read through comments at HuffPo. it’s interesting and a real eye-opener. Even though the various commentors admitted Romney’s win, they focused on how Mitt won on style, how Romney lied through the entire debate and how Romney presented false information without ever being challenged.

    They really think there was a way to challenge facts? It seems that they simply listen to the opinions within their own bubble (“What Romney is saying is a lie”) and run with that as a correct assessment of the situation, i.e., no evidence of what the lie really was and no counter argument as to what their “truth” was; just a blanket “he lied the whole time” statement which was enough to make Romney’s “lie” a reality for them. It’s like arguing with a 9 year old, and who, I ask, would really want people like that in charge of the country? Unfortunately, there are already too many of that like mind in important positions in all levels of govt.

    Once again, I note that we owe Obama a great debt for the service he has done this country. Over the past four years he has forced the reveal of the unintellectual, vapid and unrealistic theories that progressives have foisted on this country for 80 years. I am optimistic about our future.

  11. “I keep reading this morning about the questions from the fans of President Obama…”Where was the president last night?” “What happened to him last night?” – Folks, that WAS the president last night. That’s your man. That’s the guy you elected 4 years ago. Today, when faced with the first real combative arena where this elected leader had to answer to the people who put him there, he choked. Faced with outlining his vision, his beliefs, his principles for leading our nation, this man was caught stammering and defocused. Not because he was unprepared or incapable. It was because this man was finally put in the place where he had to define his vision for America, or be left silenced for fear of being discovered as a man who dismisses our basic principles. Against Romney, who clearly focused on the individual and our founding principles, Obama’s vision becomes ugly. And that contrast made for the clear choice of last night’s debate. We could not have had a better debate.” ~ Comment by Gary Thorkelson on a Powerline post today entitled “Rocky.” Kudos.

  12. oh wow the quotes are a flying!!!

    “I don’t think he explained himself very well on the economy. I think he was off his game. I was absolutely stunned tonight,” Ed Schultz said.

    Matthews said Romney addressed Obama “like the prey. He did it just right. I’m coming at an incumbent. I’ve got to beat him. You gotta beat the champ, and I’m gonna beat him tonight. And I don’t care what this guy moderator, whatever he thinks he is, because I’m going to ignore him. What was Romney doing? He was winning.”

    “It does remind you that the last debate Mitt Romney had was seven months ago and the last debate that Barack Obama had was four years ago,” said Maddow.

    Andrew Sullivan:

    Look: you know how much I love the guy, and you know how much of a high information viewer I am, and I can see the logic of some of Obama’s meandering, weak, professorial arguments. But this was a disaster for the president for the key people he needs to reach, and his effete, wonkish lectures may have jolted a lot of independents into giving Romney a second look.

    Obama looked tired, even bored; he kept looking down; he had no crisp statements of passion or argument; he wasn’t there. He was entirely defensive, which may have been the strategy. But it was the wrong strategy. At the wrong moment.

    The person with authority on that stage was Romney – offered it by one of the lamest moderators ever, and seized with relish. This was Romney the salesman. And my gut tells me he sold a few voters on a change tonight. It’s beyond depressing. But it’s true.

    and my FAVorite…
    Ed Kilgore:

    A lot of progressives are beside themselves that Obama didn’t mention Bain Capital, didn’t mention the 47%, didn’t mention the Ryan Budget (except indirectly), didn’t mention inequality, didn’t mention abortion/contraception, didn’t mention immigration. Very heavy emphasis, as I noted, on Mitt’s “vagueness.”

    of course not… Bain was a dead horse, they kicked it way too much to use it… the 47% opens the door to why he didnt lower the 47%, and Ryan budget would be covered by – at least ryan has one wheres yours… abortion would wake up the puirile feminists idea of the impoverished sex fiend, and immigration was handled in a EO so mentioning that would have opened the door to using EO’s…

    ie… each play that they would have loved to use was already played, or would open the can o worms to something else that was worse than the examples.

  13. Artfldgr,

    One of you best posts!

    The Bonhoffer quote “. . . knowledge of an apparently trivial detail quite often makes it possible to see into the depths of things. . . ,” puts me to mind of an Isaac Asimov quote. When asked what he believed were the most important words ever uttered in science, Asimov responsed, the most important words ever uttered in science are “Hmmmm. That’s interesting.”

  14. Capn Rusty quoted:

    [Obama] was finally put in the place where he had to define his vision for America, or be left silenced for fear of being discovered as a man who dismisses our basic principles. Against Romney, who clearly focused on the individual and our founding principles, Obama’s vision becomes ugly.–Gary Thorkelson

    Thank you for sharing that. I don’t think it can be stated any more succinctly.

  15. T –

    Also the famous Burke quote about the law: it “broadens the mind by narrowing it.”

    And you’re right about the vapid echo chamber. It’s like there’s no actual people speaking, just these disconnected sound bytes bouncing off the walls endlessly (*surrealism alert*).

    I also find it kind of funny how un-self-aware these lefties can be. All Romney does is “flip-flop,” “say anything,” “lie,” “pander,” and offer “style over substance.”

    Ehem. Pot, kettle, black. (Ah, racist!)

  16. Worth repeating:

    Hong Says:
    October 4th, 2012 at 8:56 am
    Can’t celebrate yet. The same liberal trolls said the same about the legal defense of Obamacare yet look at the final result there.

    I, believing that Romney would be a much, much better president than Obama, judged the debate a draw.

  17. The liberals finally got a taste of the real Romney. Not the wooden, stammering caricature of SNL skits, not the Scrooge McDuck of their attack ads, not the doormat moderate of their fantasies. Mitt Romney is smart, determines — and he genuinely loves America. He isn’t doing this to get rich, or prove a point (he’s not out to be “the first Mormon President”). He’s running for President because he has children and grandchildren and wants to preserve America for them.

    Liberals can’t understand this. They are so wrapped up in their political identity as a source of personal worth that they simply cannot comprehend that someone who doesn’t share their opinions can be smart and good.

    Two predictions:

    First, at the next debate the gloves will be off. Expect blatant favoritism by the “moderator” and blatantly slanted questions to favor Obama. There won’t be any more split screen of the two men. Expect at least one “gotcha” question.

    Second, from now until the election expect the entertainment media to roll out a brand-new Romney strawman: the Evil Genius. It’ll combine the previous “callous rich guy” template with the old “Darth Cheney” crap.

    I also hope the Romney campaign has very good security — security apart from the Secret Service. Not to sound paranoid, but Obama’s supporters may find Romney so threatening that one of them might decide to do a little “direct action.”

  18. George,

    Steven Hayward at Powerline coined a new German word to describe the feeling following last night’s debate:

    Matthewsmaddowschultzenfreude

  19. I heard a laughable new line of defending Obama from one of my Kool-Aid drinking Obama-voting colleagues this morning. She said, she just thought Obama was letting Romney look good last night because “no one pays attention to the first debate anyway,” and by the time of the third debate, Obama will come out “looking like a rock star.” Yeah, keep telling yourself that. The last time I checked, the third debate is the one about foreign policy. I guess my colleague hasn’t been following what has been happening in the middle east.

  20. The good guys won? And that’s what the Left is saying?

    Sumbitch.

    I …sumbitch.

    Look! A snowflake. In hell.

  21. Congrat to neoneocon. She has been a solid Romney supporter, and Romney has been validating her choice.

  22. Can’t celebrate yet.

    Sure we can. Like we scored a touchdown, but the game is still going on.

    The same liberal trolls said the same about the legal defense of Obamacare yet look at the final result there.

    But that’s different. It came down to one specific vote. If the outcome hinged on Stevens the deebate might not matter, but in this case the debate helps the GOP turn out the base, independents move towards Romney, and Democrats stay home. Yes, it isn’t in the bag yet, but it’s a step in the right direction. Or a touchdown in a football game, or at least a few yards gained.

  23. I too found Cap’t Rusty’s quote insightful;
    [Obama] was finally put in the place where he had to define his vision for America, or be left silenced for fear of being discovered as a man who dismisses our basic principles.—Gary Thorkelson

    People, especially liberal pundits keep asking where was Obama? Yes, that was Obama but Obama stumbling was due to is having to defend principles he doesn’t believe in, as well as a record of complete failure.

    As Thorkelson points out, what Obama must not reveal is what he actually believes, which he hinted at with his verbal gaffe in his closing statements, “everyone gets their fair share” that’s communism folks and he dare not reveal it.

    Debating a man who is at ease and unapologetic with what he believes while having to cover up what you actually believe is a huge hurdle.

  24. Obama voters are a lot like battered wives. Regardless of the reality, they will stay with him because they love him.

  25. Not ready for a victory dance yet, but:

    Obama and the DNC have spent tens of millions of dollars attempting to define Romney as an unthinking, unfeeling Fat Cat. That narrative has been largely destroyed.

    Given an opportunity to articulate conservative values in an unfiltered venue; Romney perrformed brilliantly.

    The attempts by the Obama campaign to spin the result make them look even more pathetic.

    I wonder what part of Chris Matthews is tingling now?

  26. Kaba asked: I wonder what part of Chris Matthews is tingling now? If you haven’t yet seen the video of Chris Matthews’ meltdown after last night’s debate, I highly recommend it. It is good for more than a few giggles. Matthews is whining, but his voice sounds almost like he was crying earlier. Matthews also believes that Obama’s problem was that he didn’t watch enough MSNBC. You can find a clip of Matthews’ comments here.

  27. Continuing the naked emperor theme, I follow Iowahawk on Twitter, and one of his posts was this:

    In my specially selected focus group, 100% of swing voters said, “holy crap, that guy is the president of United States?”

  28. The next debate is a “town hall” format. There will not be one gotcha question, there will be between 3 and 5 each asked more than once in a slightly different way. Each subsequent asking will be tailored to make Romney’s earlier answer appear insufficient and/or invalid.

    It is going to be very ugly. Romney will have his work cutout for him.

  29. Artfldgr @12:34,

    I think that is your “shortistist” post ever at this blog.

    Kolnai @11:30: “All Romney does is “flip-flop,” “say anything . . . ,”

    Or as psychologists call it, “projection.” The easiest way to find out what a progressive is thinking is to allow them to criticize you. Then, you have a game plan.

  30. @artfldgr I’ve had shorter…

    LOL.

    …only the neoneocon weenies will get that, artfl’

  31. Neo, I bow to your superior judgment. Romney was better than I imagined he could be. A bold, articulate, smiling assassin.
    Favorite line: “I’ve been in business 25 years, and I have no idea what you are talking about”
    But something was really odd about Obama – while not out of character to be unprepared or overestimate his own abilities, I can’t help thinking something is not what it seems. He’s generally not that detached — I’m not the least bit surprised he had no idea what he was talking about, but something about his demeanor made me think he was trying to APPEAR preoccupied. The lack of focus and engagment at times almost seemed too good to be true.
    It’s a crazy thought, but I would not be surprised if these guys have something up their sleeve. Like leaking a story to the MSM about a matter of great national concern which had been dropped on our hero at the last minute. Then the story would immediately go from a stunningly stupid performance to immediately understandble. From from dunce to concerned and committed president, who did his best to forge ahead under difficult circumstances, out of selfless concern for his country.
    Yeah, I know it’s paranoid as hell and far-fetched, but I wouldn’t put anything past these guys, and it’s story the media would love to tell.

  32. Obama’s intellect and maturity stopped at his sophomore year of college due to massive chiba consumption. The problem is his warmed over dorm room liberalism didn’t work then and it won’t work now.

  33. Favorite line: “I’ve been in business 25 years, and I have no idea what you are talking about”

    Best line was ‘The President doesn’t pick winners and losers he just picks losers.’

  34. southpaw: well, that possibility has already been floated by Obama’s supporters as a possible explanation—that he may have been preoccupied by a matter of grave national concern. I can’t remember who said it, but I definitely read it.

  35. well, that possibility has already been floated by Obama’s supporters as a possible explanation–that he may have been preoccupied by a matter of grave national concern. I can’t remember who said it, but I definitely read it.

    That was Bob Woodward.

    As if Barry gives a rat’s ass about this country. He was rattled because he’s not qualified to pack Romney’s lunch, and he knows it. Probably a lot of liberals sense this also, but try to push it out of their minds.

  36. Occam’s Beard: I’m not sure Obama wasn’t rattled by something prior to the debate, although I doubt it was a matter of grave national concern. At the end of my post about the release of the 2007 Obama Hampton tape I speculated, “It’s an interesting prelude to the debate tonight, though. Perhaps the biggest effect it might have would be to rattle Obama and put him a bit off his game. We’ll see.”

    Now, do I really think that happened? It certainly wasn’t the only factor or even perhaps a major one, but it might have been something that did put him a bit off his game to start with, and then the surprisingly cogent and articulate Romney may have rattled him still further. When I thought about the Hampton tape before the debate, and why they released it at exactly and precisely that time, it occurred to me that it was because of the debate. It’s not that the tape itself was so very damaging, but that it exposed Obama in a way he hasn’t been exposed so far. Even all the ribbing he got for the phony accent could have upset a man who is dedicated to preserving his personal privacy and his facade.

    It does seem a little farfetched, and I don’t want to overemphasize it, but it might be in there as an element of what upset him right from the outset.

  37. Neo,

    If true that The Daily Caller waited for an opportune moment to release the tape, then I say “Kudos to them.” It’s using Alinsky on the Alinskyites, something Breitbart excelled at. Perhaps Breitbart even inspired this with his strategic ACORN tape releases.

    If true, the first criticism will be that it’s not pretty, but one can’t successfully fight those in the gutter without getting dirty one’s self.

  38. Neo, I concur. I didn’t mean to imply that Obama only became rattled on the night. Instead, he (and/or his handlers) probably grasped in the run-up to the debate that he was in deep trouble. That would, of course, explain their lame attempts to lower expectations about Obama’s performance.

    Picture the scene at Obama’s debate prep…

    Prep guy: “No, goddamnit, for the thousandth time, it’s 50 states and 57 varieties!”

    Turning to PR flack: “Better start talking down his chances.”

  39. In this case its not the emperor who has no clothes, its the empty chair that is naked.

  40. GAWD, I love the sounds of Liberal-Lefties blubbering in the morning. Who was that guy up there last night, they ask..? Trust me, Doofuses, THAT was the real Boy King.

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