I've been meaning to come on since last week, but...I've been busy. So since then, another thought occured to me that I thought I should share. So, without furhter ado, away we go!
Back when Obama first took office, radio host Rush Limbaugh was asked if he supported the President. His answer was that, while he supported the President personally and hoped he did good for the country, from what we knew at the time and the way he voted in the Senate (when he actually took a stand to vote, that is), Rush couldn't support Obama's policies, and that he hoped that they failed. When he said that, Obama's attack dogs immediately went to work trying to drag Rush through the mud (and, consequently, giving Rush a huge ratings boost). They eventually backed off, but recently something interesting has been happening. It seems America agrees with Rush.
Rasmussen Reports, a leading pollster, has recently been pointing out that, while Obama's personal numbers are still very high, American's approval of the work he's doing and the changes he's enacting is quickly falling. The more Obama does, the less Americans approve of his policies. While I can't find the original poll that pointed this out (because I don't remember when it was published), here's today's poll: http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/
obama_administration/daily_presidential_tracking_poll
This is the first time in his presidency that his approval rating has been negative. Actually, it's been negative since last week, but last week it was only 1%.
To me, this is just hope that maybe, just maybe, the honeymoon might finally be over. People are still enthralled by him, but they're quickly tossing their hopey-changey rose tinted glasses.
Now for my other point.
I love driving. Recently I drove to another state; and, being the observant and astute person that I am, I noticed a sign that said, "No pedestrians, bicycles, or motorized bicycles allowed on the freeway" (ok, it wasn't exactly that, but that's what the sign was saying). And that made me think.
Why not? Why aren't we allowed to ride a bike on the freeway? That's so not fair! Why do the bicyclists have to deny who they are and either drive a car or find another way to their destination? Sure, you may say it's not safe, or that the freeways are for cars only, but that's just discriminatory! Bicyclists are just as good as motorists, and they deserve the same rights as motorists! It's not right that bicyclists get treated like second-class citizens. I could go on, but I want to get to my point.
Those are the main arguments I hear in support of gay marriage. The laws are not fair. It's denying basic rights. It makes gay people second-class citizens, and they deserve the same rights as straight people. But when reading the above paragraph, you were probably thinking to yourself...something. I personally think that the arguments are just ridiculous, which is why I can't really explain too well why I'm against gay marriage. Well, I can, but my personal reasons are religious in nature. So what were you thinking when reading about the bicyclist's arguments?
Let me know!
Note: I saw this in my local paper, and I thought it was really well written. The author is Victor Davis Hanson. I'm not sure which (if any) specific paper he writes for, if any. But, enjoy it at any rate.
Are you confused by all that has changed since President Barack Obama took office in January? If so, you're not alone. Perhaps, though, this handy guide to Age of Obama "logic" might be of some assistance.
The Budget. Wanting to cut $17 billion from the budget, as Obama has promised, is proof of financial responsibility. Borrowing $1.84 trillion this year for new programs is "stimulus." The old phrase "out-of-control spending" is inoperative.
Unemployment. The number of jobs theoretically saved, or created, by new government policies--not the actual percentage of Americans out of work, or the total number of jobs lost--is now the far better indicator of unemployment.
The Private Sector. Nationalizing much of the auto and financial industries, while regulating executive compensation, is an indication of our new government's repeatedly stated reluctance to interfere in the private sector.
Race and Gender. Not what is said but who says it and about whom reveals racism and sexism. For example, a Latina judge isn't being offensive if she states that Latinas are inherently better judges than white males.
Random Violence. Some assassinations represent larger American pathologies, but others do not. When a crazed lone gunman murders someone outside the Holocaust Museum or shoots an abortion doctor, we should worry about growing right-wing and Christian extremism. But when an African-American Muslim convert brags about his murder of a military recruitment officer or an Islamic group plots to kill Jews and blow up a military jet, these are largely isolated incidents without further relevence.
Terrorism. Acts of terror disappeared about six months ago. Thankfully, we live now in an age where there will be--in the new vocabulary of the Obama administration--only occasional "overseas contingency operations" in which we may be forced to hold a few "detainees." At the same time, ongoing military tribunals, renditions, wiretaps, phone intercets and predator-drone assassinations are no longer threats to the Constitution. And just saying you're going to close the detention center at Guantanamo Bay is proof that it is almost closed.
Iraq. The once-despised Iraq war thankfully ended around Jan. 20, and has now transformed into a noble experiment that is fanning winds of change throughout the Middle East. There wil be no need for any Hollywood cinema exposis of American wartime crimes in Iraq with titles like "Rendition," "Redacted," "Lions for Lambs" and "Stop-Loss."
The West. Western values and history aren't apparently that special or unique. As Obama told the world during his recent speech in Cairo, the Renaissance and Enlightenment were, in fact, fueled by a brilliant Islamic culture, responsible for landmakr discoveries in mathematics, science and medicine. Slavery in America ended without violence. Mistreatment of women and religious intolerance in the Middle East have comparative parallels in America.
Media. The media are disinterested and professional observers of the present administration. When television anchormen and senior magazine editors bow to the president, proclaim him a god or feel tingling in the legs when he speaks, it is quite normal.
George W. Bush. The previous president did all sorts of bad things to the United States that only now we are learning will take at least eight years to sort out. "Bush did it" for the next decade will continue to explain the growing unemployment rate, the most recent deficit, the new round of tensions with Iran and North Korea, and the growing global unrest from the Middle East to South America.
Once we remember and accept the logic of the above, then almost everything about this Age of Obama begins to make perfect sense.
Victor Davis Hanson, Tribune Media Services
author@victorhanson.com