Accepting the unacceptable from Obama
I’m not sure when it happened, but I fear there’s been an insidious change in attitude towards Obama. It occurs to me that the right may have gone through the clichéd five stages of grief—denial, anger, bargaining, depression—and reached cynical acceptance.
Maybe “acceptance” isn’t quite the right word. But there’s more than a whiff of world-weariness and politics-weariness in the air, a feeling that things have reached the point of clarity and yet there doesn’t seem to be enough will or power on the Republican side to do anything about it.
The Russian people under the Soviets used to cope by adopting a cynical and biting wit about their lot. Oh, and also by drinking, of course. We have not experienced anything like the tyranny under which the Soviets lived, but we’ve already seen far more tyranny than we would prefer, and we’ve seen many of our fellow citizens wink at it. There are frightening visions of where this could ultimately go if not stopped and reversed.
It turns out that our Constitution doesn’t really protect us as many of us thought it did. Oh, it’s a great piece of paper, but in the end it’s only as good as its people and their elected representatives. If the people don’t care, the representatives won’t.
As John Hinderaker wrote at Powerline a while back, “For political reasons, impeachment is not an option,” although the overreaches Obama has committed are “the sorts of abuses for which the impeachment remedy was intended.” The only way I see impeachment becoming an option that Republicans actually consider is if Obama’s ratings drop into the cellar, and enough Democrats decide they would join the drive to impeach and convict. The likelihood of that is vanishingly small, although not impossible.
Impeachment may or may not become an option, but it’s hardly the only option. Defunding is another, but do the Republicans have the stomach for the battle? And how many of these less drastic measures such as enhanced border security will come to pass?
The election of 2014 seemed like a repudiation of Obama. But it’s a meaningless one unless the Republican Party has enough commitment, integrity, determination, and skill to fight the president effectively. Nothing so far has indicated they’ve got what it takes.
However, the new Congress will get a chance to show what it’s made of after it is sworn in on January 6th. Let’s hope we’re underestimating them.
Well, with principled opponents like Boehner and other like-minded ‘moderates,’ what do you expect?
I don’t think the GOP establishment types know just how big of a fight they are starting. While most folks have turned their attention towards the holidays, the only big news they have followed has been the violence against police and the AirAsia crash. Lost in the mix is news that the establishment wing of the GOP has launched a quiet effort to purge conservatives from the party before the 2016 elections.
…
There is just one little detail they apparently have not considered: If the establishment types manage to drive conservatives out, where do they think we’re going to go? Are we expected to just go quietly to the sidelines and dutifully vote the party line? I’m thinking that’s not going to happen
…
http://www.the-conservative-underground.com/if-they-really-want-this-fight-bring-it-on/
Also:
Dramatic, Little Known GOP Rule Change Takes Choice Of Presidential Candidate Away From Rank And File Republicans And Hands It To Party Elite
http://www.forbes.com/sites/rickungar/2014/04/07/dramatic-little-known-gop-rule-change-takes-choice-of-presidential-candidate-away-from-rank-and-file-republicans-and-hands-it-to-party-elite
It goes beyond Obama. He wouldn’t get as far has he does, without the enablers (RINOs) in the establishment Republican party. One example: giving everything he wanted in the cromnibus bill.
I don’t think the GOP establishment types know just how big of a fight they are starting. While most folks have turned their attention towards the holidays, the only big news they have followed has been the violence against police and the AirAsia crash. Lost in the mix is news that the establishment wing of the GOP has launched a quiet effort to purge conservatives from the party before the 2016 elections.
…
There is just one little detail they apparently have not considered: If the establishment types manage to drive conservatives out, where do they think we’re going to go? Are we expected to just go quietly to the sidelines and dutifully vote the party line? I’m thinking that’s not going to happen
…
http://www.the-conservative-underground.com/if-they-really-want-this-fight-bring-it-on/
Also:
Dramatic, Little Known GOP Rule Change Takes Choice Of Presidential Candidate Away From Rank And File Republicans And Hands It To Party Elite
http://www.forbes.com/sites/rickungar/2014/04/07/dramatic-little-known-gop-rule-change-takes-choice-of-presidential-candidate-away-from-rank-and-file-republicans-and-hands-it-to-party-elite
“The only way I see impeachment becoming an option that Republicans actually consider is if Obama’s ratings drop into the cellar”
I suggest that, even then, impeachment is off the table. Regardless of how bi-partisan impeachment could be, the MSM would spin it as the Republican party of impeachment — every time a Democrat gets into office, the Repubs want to impeach him (then Clinton, Now Obama).
In addition, he’s black. In this “post-racial” world, being black is an immunity for all sorts of things as we’ve seen in Ferguson and with Trayvon Martin. No one, Republican or Democrat, will have the sand to impeach the first black president–and IMO Obama knows this.
I certainly hope we’re underestimating the new republican congress but I’ll be shocked if we are…
Regarding the rules change that Steve linked to; my reading is that if there is a majority on the right voting in the Republican primaries for a conservative candidate such as Governor Pence or Gov. Walker, they qualify to be nominated at the convention. The rule change did make it harder but not to the degree that the author claims. The GOP’s problem is not in nominating a ‘mainstream’ candidate. The GOP’s problem is their duplicity in not following through on what they promise.
“The Russian people under the Soviets used to cope by adopting a cynical and biting wit about their lot.”
Too bad we conservatives don’t have leaders that have this quality that the Russian people had.
Instead, all we have are Quislings like Boener, McConnel and Scalise. Men that have no idea about Principles, Honesty and Honor. But long to wield the Power and Control over others that all small minded people crave 🙁
“No one, Republican or Democrat, will have the sand to impeach the first black president—and IMO Obama knows this.”
I agree and to paraphrase Churchill; ‘America had to choose between impeachment and a possible race war or… appeasement, it choose appeasement and will have war’.
Impeachment of Obama will not happen but it is necessary, not because it will succeed, which it will not but because impeachment will raise incensed charges of racism and thus provide the opportunity for finally verbally confronting blacks with the truth.
The more we avoid verbal confrontation, the more certain that we will eventually have a race war. Indeed, it’s already begun.
GB,
An excellent essay. Every commenter here should read this. Thanks for the thoughts and the link.
A comment:
“Urban blacks reject ALL five of the critical virtues . . . .”
All too often we hear the criticism that black citizens are “selling out.” In fact, as your essay implies, those minorities that make it are in reality not “selling out” but “buying in” (to your listed virtues).
Until minority citizens accept that they are buying into a reality-based cultural success rather than selling out an existing cultural failure they will always be looking up the socio-economic ladder envious of the success of others.
If this Executive Order/Memo stands without a very serious effort to stop it, then we are in BIG trouble.
A vote to defund is imperative.
I am really placing all of my hope on a single federal judge in Brownsville, Texas. He has the constitutional authority to stop it cold.
When he grants the injunction it will be funny to watch the media spin it. All sorts of cries about an imperial judiciary. From the same crowd that loved it when some federal judges struck down state marriage laws.
I will especially take note as to how fast the circuit court takes to decide the appeal. Posner in the 7th Circuit took all of about two weeks to revoke over 200 years of settled state law.
Above comment is about Obama’s EO on immigration.
GB,
Excellent point. Obama has always been the third rail of American politics. His opponents have always been careful not to tell the truth about him. Remember McCain himself declared Jeremiah Wright off limits. I believe the GOP has been afraid of igniting race riots if they treat Obama as they would if he hadn’t had a Kenyan grandmother. Well look around GOP, what you are so deathly afraid of is happening all around us.
If the problem are Democrats, why don’t they get rid of Democrats? Or are the rules, which the enemies of America ignore, not allow that?
Maybe Republicans could start by taking a hint from what Thomas Sowell wrote in his recent piece at National Review, “His Royal Glibness”:
You’ve ENTIRELY neglected the ROMAN OPTION – which I approve of in dire cases of lawlessness like ours.
T,
Thanks for the kind words.
The virtues I cite are not ‘white’ virtues. They’re universal virtues that lead to a group’s socioeconomic success. Most Western and Asian cultures have embraced those virtues and that is why those cultures dominate socioeconomically.
Nor is it mere personal opinion, statistics prove it out; “Here’s Williams’ roadmap out of poverty: Complete high school; get a job, any kind of a job; get married before having children; and be a law-abiding citizen. Among both black and white Americans so described, the poverty rate is in the single digits.” Walter Williams
If “acceptance” may not be the right word, the word “right” in the previous sentence is definitely the wrong word. Say what you will, T Partiers, conservatives, Republicans Inc., off-center center, econo-libertarian, whatever — but not right. It is the right that rises up, as presently throughout Europe. Granted, there are daisies and wallflowers in any group, even in the martial, but the broad stroke doesn’t go for the “right”. This may sound like picking nits and it’s not my intent. It’s just that the right is of heartier and harder stuff. The right will get nasty, vile, fierce, pugnacious, and extreme — extreme in the sense of never backing down from the truth, never soft soaping, never moderating, never modulating, and never stooping to etiquette, social graces, good form, protocol, politeness, decorum, propriety, gentility, Ps and Qs, civility.
IMHO the one variable which has contributed most to what some see as apathy, or, disengagement, or, unwillingness to fight back on part of republicans is the, Mainstream Media.
When the media neither acknowledges the myriad flaws in Obama nor criticizes nor calls for corrective action, it creates a niggling wariness.
I agree with Kevin D. Williamson:
“…for the Left the point of journalism is not to criticize politics or to analyze politics but to be a servant of politics, to “destroy” such political targets as may be found in one’s crosshairs.”
And this has worn republicans down. It has long become tiresome to raise the very real concerns of:
Fast and Furious
IRS scandal
Benghazi murders
NSA spying on select journalists
etc., etc., etc…
We’re tired. Have not given up. Simply tired of the persistent cover that Obama is afforded by the media. No resolve on his scandals. On his failed policies. On his refusals to “drill baby drill” when it is the only thing which is saving his ass.
I told some people that the police would not protect them. Now whether they believed me or not, doesn’t really matter. It won’t change the world because they refuse to change themselves first.
http://voxday.blogspot.com/2014/12/no-heroes-in-new-york-city.html
Trying to get a bunch of gangs together in a big crime syndicate, to protect you is… amusing in a fashion.
GB,
I hope I did not imply that you were discussing “white virtues.” As you correctly point out, they are universal. My point was that the portion of the black community which disparages these virtues with the so-called insult of “acting white” is missing the entire point. Those who see universal virtues of success as unwanted and “not black” consign themselves to a lifetime of failure.
GB: I read your piece. You’re correct about the five virtues. And from my experience I’d add East Indians, Ishmali Pakistanis, Sikhs, and many Somalis and Ethiopian immigrants to your list. I believe that most immigrant Latinos value “the virtues” as well. I worry about their reluctance to assimilate; but hope/believe that their religious devotion and love of family will count for a lot in the long run, not to mention their incredible work ethic.
The activist game is the only social cultural/political game there is.
Electoral politics is only a lesser included element of the activist game. Good activists can ride out lost elections and continue to make progress in other areas and get what they need from government. Whereas elected officials are ineffective without activist capability.
If the GOP isn’t doing what the Right wants, it’s because the Right has neglected to provide the GOP the necessary activist base.
If the Right won’t go activist, then the game – the nation as social cultural/political community – is forfeit.
Whether or not to be activist, to play the only social cultural/political game there is, is a choice. Choosing not to go activist is surrender. One’s choice to surrender is not the fault of the opponent who accepts the game for what it is and plays it to win.
T,
I took your words exactly as you meant, I was just responding to your rightly pointing out that most urban blacks do think of them as white values, instead of what they actually consist; universal virtues.
Carl,
My perception of Hispanic culture (as a group) is slightly different and I lived in SoCal for more than 30 years. Hispanic culture does indeed have an incredible work ethic and places an extremely high value on family. Culturally, it does not place much value upon education or delayed gratification and rejects personal responsibility and accountability. It is a common expression in Hispanic culture to spontaneously say, “My hand made me do it!”.
There are complicating factors, primarily the oligarchic nature of Hispanic cultures but that cannot excuse a disrespect for private property. Theft is a real problem in Hispanic culture and it is indicative of a culture that refuses personal responsibility and accountability.
Their mix of embracing some and at best neglecting other virtues is why they occupy the ‘mid-tier’ in minority socioeconomic success in America.
Neo, the Republican Party doesn’t have what it takes to defeat Obama because its leaders are playing by the rules. All the reasons you gave – world-weariness, fear of being branded racist, lack of commitment, integrity, determination, and skill – none of this matters.
When confronted with defeat after the 2014 midterms he did what? Not play by the rules by doubling down on amnesty. The Republicans are hoping to ride this out to 2016 without provoking the little bastard. What they are going to achieve instead is to give him free-rein, or rather free-reign. He has nothing to lose at this point. Would that the Republicans realize they don’t either.
Neo says” Oh, it’s a great piece of paper, but in the end it’s only as good as its people and their elected representatives. If the people don’t care, the representatives won’t”
This is an ironic statement in my opinion because the advice that’s constantly given to those who do care to vote for or back the crazy conservative is we’re wasting a vote. It’s a no win scenario for the voter who says no more to the establishment.
When we predict correctly every election that the establishment has no interest in opposing the the left, but are in fact just interested in having the power to advance government intrusion at taxpayers expense for their own interests, we’re called short sighted and self destructive.
So here we are again, with the same result, again, and this is somehow a new phenomenon brought on by Obama fatigue. I disagree. This is exactly what an awful lot of people expected, and would be the case with or without Obama. The establishment republicans have not been interested in opposing him to any degree since he was elected. They made a few defunding attempts early on due to pressure from the TEA party when they regained the house, got bad press, then spent the rest of the time eradicating themselves of conservatives, so that they could get back to doing exactly what they’re going go do – spend money and make laws favorable to their big donors. Business as usual. As long as they get their crap passed, they will let him do whatever he wants.
I will not vote for the same guys again if they use Onama fatigue as an excuse for doing nothing. I hope this isn’t something fellow conservatives will accept or understand to be a reason for their lack of a spine. They haven’t had one since day 1.
Watched Face The Nation this day. Bob Schieffer had, as one of his guests, Newt Gingrich. It became clear quite soon why this was.
Schieffer wanted to know Newt’s thoughts on the very, very, very troubling news about Louisiana congressman, Steve Scalise, meeting with a racist group TWELVE f***ing years ago.
Yes, this is what the mainstream media thinks is significant newsworthy information.
Newt was spot on in pointing out that the president of the US sat for years in Reverend Wright’s church with incredibly hate-oriented rhetoric and this dumbsh*t potus claims to have never heard any of it——over a 22 year period.
And the press gives him a complete pass.
And now they want to “explore” Steve Scalise’s one-time meeting with a racist group which had to do with a tax issue.
My point?
In my earlier post I made clear that it is this tiresome mainstream media behavior/focus which has so turned off conservatives.
Did Schieffer have any cogent response to Newt’s insightful and relevant observation?
Nope.
Only to immediately change the subject.
The mainstream media has ignored the real tragedies of this administration.
The mainstream media has successfully established the desired narratives and the issues to put on the table.
The mainstream media has done their job in covering for this president; not criticizing his policies, his corrupt behavior, his failed agenda.
And conservatives are weary over this hugely powerful element which negates any effort to point out that the emperor has no clothes on.
So we need to change it. Fox News is the spearhead, but it is virtually a lone soldier. It’s important not because it’s conservative but because it is not the normal MSM left-leaning production.
Conservatives need to establish a greater, and indirect, presence in the media. For instance, what of Cosmo were right owned and instead of seeing monthly articles that denigrate traditional causes it supported them? One has greater success with infiltration than with direct attacks, but it takes longer.
Mark Steyn we can’t have a conservative government with a liberal culture.
Libs have the media, arts, much of the church and all of the academy.
My daughter graduated from Carleton College last year. Liberalism is just the default culture even for the non-political students. I would guess 80-90% liberal. Creighton probably 60-70 % liberal.
Someday, when a lefty (Eric Holder, anyone?) says, “We need to have a dialog about race in this country,” I’d love to hear just one conservative Congressman, talking head, or writer say, “Okay, let’s!”
They wouldn’t dare say that nonsense if Bill Buckley were still alive.
BTW, Tiger Mom, in her new book, named Nigerians among the eight ethnic groups which are and will be doing the best in America. What are the race hustlers going to say when real Africans go speeding by them?
T said, “So we need to change it. Fox News is the spearhead, but it is virtually a lone soldier. It’s important not because it’s conservative but because it is not the normal MSM left-leaning production.”
You are correct, T. DISH dropped Foxnews from its channel lineup about two weeks ago. I called them and explained that of all the channels they offered, only Foxnews was of immense value to me because they provide information and news I cannot get anywhere else on TV. I gave them three days to get Fox back on. After three days passed I called DirecTV and scheduled a date for installation. After DirecTV was installed, I called DISH and told them I was cancelling. When they asked me why and I told them it was because they dropped Foxnews, the rep offered me practically free TV for the next six months. She was amazed and became quite abusive when I told her that Foxnews was a channel that I would not be without and they would never have me as a customer without it in their lineup. I wonder if the management at DISH has decided that Foxnews is Fauxnews, as so many progs believe. Anyway, I took action to voice my opinion and displeasure. DISH is gone. If DirecTV drops Foxnews, I will go to cable. (Much as I detest Comcast!) I hope millions are doing the same.
JJ,
Your ire at Dish is misdirected. Their dispute with Fox News is financial, not political.
Dish gets into a tussle with their content providers quite often over fees and bundling issues. About a month ago they had a similar issue with Turner in which CNN and Turner Classic Movies was temporarily off the air.
In this case, Dish has replaced Fox with The Blaze, Glenn Beck’s new channel. As The Blaze is considerably to the right of Fox News, I don’t see the dispute as political in nature.
BTW, if you want to hear Dish’s side of the dispute, tune to channel 204.
– Not a Dish employee, just a customer
Oh well… ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
mkent, I was told the same thing by DISH – that it was a financial issue, period. I in turn told them I was willing to pay more for Foxnews. The Blaze is no substitute for Foxnews. Conservative – yes. Purveyor of most news stories and analysis with input from both sides – no. Other than sports and C-SPAN I watch no other TV. You may be able to live without Foxnews, I can’t and won’t.
There are concerted efforts by many progs to censor or shut Foxnews up. I stayed in a condo in Hawaii last year where the Condo Association had decided to ban Foxnews from their cable feed. I complained to the Condo Association about censoring free speech. They told me to shut up. 🙁 So it goes. Don’t ever underestimate the progs desire to censor people who don’t agree with them.
Purveyor of most news stories and analysis with input from both sides — no.
That would explain a couple of things, if that’s what you use for the super majority of your news and assessment.
According to the Dish CEO, Dish and Fox are close to an agreement for Fox News, but Fox wants to triple the fees for another channel (probably Fox Business) that they already have a multi-year contract for.
It’s this type of bundling issue that Dish seems to relish fighting. They used to offer ala-carte pricing. You could order the lowest package and then just pay $1.50 / mo for each additional channel. It was great if all you wanted from a higher package was one or two channels. You can’t do that anymore because now the content providers require channels to be bundled.
If this is anything like the other disputes they’ve had recently (like the aforementioned CNN dispute), this will all be over in a few weeks and Fox News will return.
Sorry about your condo association, though. That does sound politically motivated.
Ymarsakar: “That would explain a couple of things, if that’s what you use for the super majority of your news and assessment.”
A closed mind is an awful thing to waste. 🙂
You’re jumping to conclusions.
Brit Hume, Krauthammer, and Bill O’Reilly are all mostly in the Republican establishment camp. They Obey Authority almost for the sake of obeying authority, not caring whether it leads to good or to evil.
Some of your prognostications about the police forces in America may be due to your own personal beliefs, but some of it also must ultimately come from Fox News analysts and their point of views too. Which is why you were too close minded to ever think the police would refuse to protect you or civilians, which they just did in going on strike in NYC. What’s your open minded excuse for them now, that they were doing their jobs by not doing their jobs? That they were obeying orders, except it’s union orders not the orders from the politicians? This is all something Fox News analysts, with some exceptions, would normally try to excuse away in favor of their RNC established narrative.
I would like to remind people that Fox News is not built to make war strategy against the Left. Fox News is not a military intelligence system designed to provide accurate assessments of threats and analyze strategic factors. Fox News is not out to kill or terminate Leftist propaganda organs. They are sufficient as a political news source, but anyone who thinks they are able to fight a war with FN’s point of view, is misguided and ignorant.
You’ve gotten so many things wrong or backwards over the time, JJ, that i’ve wondered when you’ll adapt and change to fit the times. But if you’re still outsourcing your thinking to Fox News, that would explain things. Independent analysis starts from isolation and doing things on your own, not by listening to talking heads on cable tv, no matter how attractive or politically compatible they are.