Every day, it seems, we're presented with fresh evidence of the moral idiocy of progressivism. The latest in this long-running series: left-wing hand-wringing over right-wing "violence."

Here's the progressive scenario: Enraged by the passage of ObamaCare, fanatical right-wing teabaggers are launching violent pogroms against the Democratic members of Congress who supported the bill. The republic is in danger! Call out the FBI!

Now as far as I know, not one Democratic member of Congress has actually been harmed. (Hurt feelings don't count.) The threats of violence, such as they are, have come from various unhinged fringe loonies who have nothing in common with mainstream conservatism. But they're certainly convenient for progressives, who are desperate to deflect attention from the gross unpopularity of ObamaCare. Ah, but their outrage is somewhat selective:

This is just one example of the thousands of similar images you can find simply by Googling "Bush Hitler." Projection, anyone?

Posted by tmg110 at 8:14 AM EDT

Updated: Wednesday, 31 March 2010 8:35 AM EDT

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A new Rasmussen poll reports:

One week after the House of Representatives passed the health care plan proposed by President Obama and congressional Democrats, 54% of the nation's likely voters still favor repealing the new law. The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that 42% oppose repeal.

But not to worry! As more people learn about the law's key provisions—like the hiring of 16,000 new IRS agents to police its provisions—surely its popularity will soar. That's 16,000 IRS agents—but not one doctor, nurse, physical therapist. Tells you everything you need to know about the progressive vision for the future of American health care, doesn't it…?

Posted by tmg110 at 8:00 AM EDT

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Here's what Barack Obama gets for posing as the un-Bush:

Canada tells Clinton troops are leaving

That's right: Despite a televised plea from Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the Canadian government has decided to withdraw its forces from Afghanistan, leaving America in the lurch. (I intend no disrespect to the Canadian troops themselves, who've served with great distinction in Afghanistan.)

How could this have happened? Back in 2008, Barack Obama, presidential candidate, assured us all that once he replaced the horrific George W. Bush, the world would learn to love America again. Well, Obama's approval ratings may be high among Belgian graduate students and Latin American dictators—but so far, our president's personal popularity has failed to pay dividends for the country he's supposed to be leading. This Canadian brush-off is merely the latest in a long series of unfortunate incidents demonstrating that foreign leaders aren't nearly as impressed with Barack as he is with himself.

Posted by tmg110 at 7:44 AM EDT

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A recent conversation with a coworker who happens to be Jewish revealed to me another category of cinematic badness: call it multicultural badness. The subject of our conversation was The Ten Commandments (1956), a Hollywood epic impossible to watch without wincing.

Now anyone can see that The Ten Commandments isn’t particularly good: the dialog is laughable and the acting atrocious. But until that conversation with my Jewish friend, I’d never stopped to consider how bad this movie must seem to Jews. Think about it: The Ten Commandments relates the seminal event in the age-long history of the Jewish people: the exodus from Egypt. And there on the screen in key roles are Edward G. Robinson, Vincent Price and Yvonne De Carlo (Lilly Munster). It’s like dropping the Three Stooges into the middle of Saving Private Ryan. If you were a D-Day veteran, how would you feel about that?

The Ten Commandments is cruddy enough by conventional standards. I see now, however, that it embodies a special sort of badness when viewed from a Jewish perspective. No wonder, as my friend remarked, that it enjoys a perverse celebrity among the members of her family—and probably in wider Jewish circles as well.

Posted by tmg110 at 8:27 AM EDT

Updated: Tuesday, 13 July 2010 8:22 AM EDT

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The American presidency is very revealing of character—particularly in the negative sense that it mercilessly exposes every president’s character flaws. In Barack Obama’s case, it has exposed his hubris, his arrogance, and his tendency to pout like a thwarted adolescent when his policies are disputed. All these faults were well on display during Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to Washington.

Somehow, Obama and his team have internalized the “fantastical idea” (as George H. Wittman calls it in this article for the American Spectator), that preventing a nuclear Iran is only possible if the dispute between Israel and the Palestinians is solved once and for all. Hence the heavy pressure that was brought to bear on Netanyahu to declare a freeze on construction of housing in East Jerusalem. And when the Israeli prime minister refused to accept the President's analysis, Obama behaved with his characteristic petulance.

Needless to say, no Israeli government could possibly accept either Obama’s analysis of the situation or his demand for a construction freeze. Thus the President’s belief that he could tutor the Israelis concerning their own best interests bore bitter fruit when the talks with Netanyahu essentially collapsed. The Israeli government no longer believes that the US will do what is necessary to prevent the Islamofascist Iranian regime from acquiring nuclear weapons. This makes it all the more likely that Israel will take military action to prevent Iran from going nuclear.

In short, Obama’s pursuit of peace has brought the Mideast measurably closer to another devastating war, with all the adverse consequences this implies for America and the world. Good job, Barack.

Posted by tmg110 at 7:30 AM EDT

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Pity the poor Democrats. Having passed health care "reform,” they're cowering in their offices, quaking with fear as vicious mobs of rioting teabaggers howl for their blood.

That’s the state of the nation today—as Democrats describe it.

But as usual, there’s a disconnect between the Dems and reality, though in this case it’s probably deliberate. Faced with continuing opposition to the lame-brained health care bill they just forced on the country, our lords and masters are posing as victims of violence. Never mind that no actual violence has occurred. As usual in progressive circles, feelings trump facts: If Democrats feel threatened, they are threatened. And of course they are—albeit not by lynching or assassination. What they fear, and rightly, is that angry voters are going to eject them from office in large numbers. So they bleat about nonexistent threats of violence in a desperate attempt to delegitimize the opposition. It’s embarrassing, stupid and pathetic. Wait, didn't I just define progressivism…?

Posted by tmg110 at 8:50 AM EDT

Updated: Monday, 29 March 2010 8:54 AM EDT

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This is what happens to profligate spenders:

WEAK DEMAND: Interest rates climbed in the bond market Thursday after a government debt auction drew tepid demand. Auctions Tuesday and Wednesday also saw lower demand.

NOT THAT INTERESTED: The auction of $32 billion in seven-year notes saw demand fall from the past two months. That means the government could have to start offering higher interest rates to attract buyers.

In plain English: Investors are becoming more and more doubtful about the fiscal stability of the US Federal government—and less inclined to buy government securities. So it's becoming harder for the feds to borrow money at a time when federal spending is spiraling out of control. That's what's known as change without hope.

Posted by tmg110 at 7:59 AM EDT

Updated: Monday, 29 March 2010 8:53 AM EDT

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When chastised by our intellectual and moral superiors—I mean, of course, progressives—we proles are  supposed to cower and grovel. After all, it's for our own good. Right?

Ann Coulter didn't get the memo. After being prevented from speaking at the University of Ottawa by rioting students whose lawless behavior was both provoked and applauded by university administrators, she fired back:

The provost of the University of Ottawa, average student IQ: 0, wrote to me—widely disseminating his letter to at least a half-dozen intermediaries before it reached me—in advance of my visit in order to recommend that I familiarize myself with Canada's criminal laws regarding hate speech.

This marks the first time I've ever gotten hate mail for something I might do in the future.  

Apparently Canadian law forbids "promoting hatred against any identifiable group," which the provost, Francois A. Houle advised me, "would not only be considered inappropriate, but could in fact lead to criminal charges."  

I was given no specific examples of what words and phrases I couldn't use, but I take it I'm not supposed to say, "F----you, Francois."

She goes on from there, to hilarious effect. Read the whole thing. You'll see that it's not difficult to make progressives look like the prize idiots that most of them are. Just stop caring what they think of you, and answer them back in their own idiom. Like Ann.

Posted by tmg110 at 7:46 AM EDT

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That's the prescription from George W. Bush's sinister puppet master (as goofball progressives never tires of characterizing him). Repeal ObamaCare, that is to say, and replace it with real health care reform.

Unlike most of the jobs that poor President Obama has undertaken, this isn't really a hard assignment. The public remains highly skeptical of Obamacare. And the way the bill is structured, it's first few years will inflict a good deal of pain for very little gain. (If this seems dumb of the Dems, remember that it was also necessary to produce the illusion of a fiscally responsible bill.)

It's true that even if they make major gains in 2010, capturing the House and possibly even the Senate, Republicans won't be able to repeal ObamaCare any time soon. But the passage of this atrocious health care "reform" bill, which the American people didn't want and don't like, presents the GOP with a golden opportunity to bring the Age of Obama to a deservedly premature end. Seize the day, ladies and gentlemen—seize the day!

Posted by tmg110 at 8:45 AM EDT

Updated: Thursday, 25 March 2010 9:04 AM EDT

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Though the yellow sign on the ragged lawn

To the right of the steps is laconic,

That passers-by avert their eyes says much.

This property is now available.

One day all the offices were emptied.

Then the mail was stopped, and the phones were stilled,

And the plugs were pulled, and the potted plants

That stood in a row on the windowsill

Were taken down, and probably thrown out.

No wonder passers-by avert their eyes.

Blank windows brood upon the sidewalk now,

And no one cares to meet their glassy stare,

Or dwell upon the open doors within,

That—when trucks pass—rattle on their hinges.

Last night I dreamed about a midnight wind

That swept across the roof, reaping dead leaves,

Chasing them down to the lawn, past the sign

That reads: This property available.

Posted by tmg110 at 8:04 AM EDT

Updated: Thursday, 25 March 2010 9:27 AM EDT

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