"Obamas Precarious Position"

President-elect Obama and his team are facing a problem confronted by most of his predecessors.

Those who voted for him in November did so for many reasons. Some voted for him simply because he’s a Democrat or because, having soured on Republicans in Washington, he isn’t a Republican.

Others voted for him because they wanted to help elect the first African-American president in our history, and still others because they found his opponent wanting.

Mr. Obama’s problem as he takes office, however, is that voters tend to identify their candidates with their own views and assume that once elected, those candidates will do what they hoped they would do when they pulled the lever on Election Day. This problem is exacerbated by the simple fact that most voters, while not simply “single-issue” voters, tend to be interested in one or a very small cluster of issues. Thus, those who supported Obama early because of his opposition to the Iraq war heard what he said on that issue early on and tuned out his later, amended statements. Likewise, voters who expected him to “go after” higher-income taxpayers with a vengeance probably didn’t pay a lot of attention to his more measured general-election campaign rhetoric.

Now voters find they’ve elected a president who has not only decided to keep George W. Bush’s Defense secretary, but one who experts are now predicting will follow a Bush-ite foreign policy. That, at least, seems to be the opinion of Foreign Policy magazine’s senior editor, Christian Brose, who concludes in a recent article, “The Making of George W. Obama,” that with Obama in the White House and in charge of U.S. foreign policy, “we’re likely to end up with a lot more of the same.” One wonders how all this sits with the boys and girls at MoveOn.org.

Most presidents face this problem, but Mr. Obama won by appearing to be more things to more different groups and people than previous presidents — and keeping things together could prove incredibly difficult.

Whether Obama can hold his troops together while leading from the center remains to be seen, but as with most new presidents, his supporters and opponents alike should give him a chance. His success will depend on how he handles external challenges on the one hand and the priority he gives ideological and partisan initiatives he supported during or before launching his campaign on the other. He is going to have to make some tough choices, and they will determine his future relations with his liberal base, his friends in Congress, and those who wish any president well although we might oppose some of what he wants to do.

That said, our new president and his advisers seem to believe that, in responding to the national economic crisis, they can act as if even the most basic laws of economics have been repealed. Folks who last year condemned George W. Bush as a spendthrift, for example, are today lining up behind a “stimulus” package that could run the debt up by as much as a trillion dollars and which, from early reports, will resemble nothing so much as a cover for traditional congressional pork-barrel spending.

After Sept. 11, 2001, virtually every major piece of legislation that came before the Congress was described as a “security” measure. Thus, support for both the USA Patriot Act and that year’s farm bill were needed, their sponsors argued, to protect us from terrorists. The more things change, the more they remain the same. Next year’s “Bridge to Nowhere” will be foisted upon us by advocates who are already arguing that building it will stimulate the economy. In fact, it appears that the new administration will eliminate congressional earmarks by rolling every half-baked request into the stimulus package.

These, however, are points worth arguing without partisan rancor and should, given the economic circumstances of the country, be at the top of both parties’ agendas without either party abandoning a serious, substantive debate. In facing an economic threat of the magnitude of today’s, it should be possible for both parties to find areas of agreement that will allow meaningful action so long as neither uses the crisis simply as an excuse to promote its own agenda.

If, however, the new administration makes an early attempt to change the rules of the game in its favor by, for example, reinstituting the so-called “Fairness Doctrine” to shut down conservative talk radio or by pushing early for “card check” legislation to eliminate the secret ballot in union elections, Mr. Obama may well please some of his most ardent backers, but the new president’s honeymoon will be short and the partisan and ideological sniping that has defined this city in recent years will return quickly, decisively, and for good reason.
It’s up to him.
David Keene is the chairman of the American Conservative Union and can be reached at keeneacu@aol.com.

Smoking or Non?

There was a new law passed in California: We are no longer allowed to smoke while driving if there are minors in the vehicle. We already can't text, use the hand-held portion of the phone, or obviously drink alcohol (which was legal not too long ago). What's next? Maybe they will place a volume governor on vehicles. I'm not a smoker, and it is actually very gross to me, but I certainly would rather have my freedoms protected rather than have a disgusting habit banned. At first I was all for the smoking ban in restaurants, but the more I started thinking about it (and listening to my mother and sister), I realized that this is a deliberate infringement on our rights. Any thoughts?

This Time vs. Last Time

So Patti is pregnant again and I couldn't be more happy. We told my parents over Christmas break and there was just pure joy, happiness, and excitement. You see, the last time that I sprung this kind of news on them it was met with a different reaction.

This time the room was filled with warmth and joy. Last time the room was filled with broken hearts and worry...maybe even some anger. This time the woman is my wife. Last time the girl was my girlfriend. This time my wife is a Christian. Last time my girlfriend was an Atheist. This time I was a renewed Christian soul. Last time I was immature, lost and broken. This time we told them together, with our son Matthew. Last time I went alone for fear of what my mother might say. This time I was bursting with pride. Last time I was cringing in fear. This time there were high-fives and fist bumps...OK and some hugging. Last time there were used Kleenex's. This time we couldn't wait to tell everyone. Last time I could have lied and hid for 9 more months. This time the child was conceived in God's presence. Last time the child was conceived in Sin. This time was much better than last time.

What can you do?

"God is intimately personal with us and He speaks in ways that are peculiar to our own quirky hearts - not just through the Bible, but through the whole creation...God's word to me comes in many ways - through sunsets and friends and films and music and wilderness and books...Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive." - As told by John Eldredge in Wild at Heart, pg. 200.

As I was reading this, I began to feel something familiar. I have this feeling every so often. It's pure, honest, and very clear. I feel that God wants me to try and honor Him through the giving of myself. Volunteer work. I love helping people. So, I'm going to start praying, and ask that you do the same, that God gives me a cause. That He presents Himself to me in some organization that I can impact in a positive way. I will let you know what He reveals.

Call In "Gay" Day?!

I mean seriously?! I'm glad that it was a total disaster. Many of you know where I stand on that life-style anyway, but how selfish this truly is! We're just in the middle of a recession and approaching a depression. No big deal. Let's not stimulate the economy. My Mother-In-Law's coporate HQ had to make sure that her and all the other managers were sensitive to this deliberate insubordination.

Ponder this: Call in "Hispanic American" Day... Now, this actually would hurt the economy. But the difference is...Legal or Not the Hispanic American population is, for the most part, a very hard working group of people! I know that would have a major negative impact on my business. Because I know this, I make sure that that I respect Cinco De Mayo with a different day off.

Call in "Caucasian" Day... That's just racist. That's just biggotry. The nerve of me to actually compare the two. "Straight White people have all of the rights and freedoms that gays don't!" Yeah, like picking up every rediculous sensitivity tax burden that is proposed and passed! Sweet!

I could go on and on, but I think you get the point. Right now isn't the time or the season to be selfish. We need to focus on what's most important. We need to be working harder. We need to find ways to stimulate the economy while not creating more debt. Also, we need to focus on love, kindness, and mercy. As we near closer to Christmas, try and think more about others and less about yourself. Try and think of ways that you can give even if it's just some of your time.