A Message of Hope on the Fourth

Some see (article below) the deliberate mishandling of the economy and the oil spill, the trampling of our laws, and the overreaching and outright thuggery of the Obama Administration as an overall overreaching that will undo the progressive (statist) movement for a lifetime. Unfortunately for my mental and emotional health, I am not so sanguine – especially when Republican idiots like Michael Steele and John Boehner seem determined to torpedo potential election victories this fall with inane and unnecessary comments.

Steele should resign today, and Boehner should just shut up.

The 4th of July and the Progressive Overreach

By Steve McCann July 04, 2010 American Thinker

On this 4th of July, 2010, when the future of the United States appears to be in serious jeopardy, it should be noted that sometimes in the history of a nation, what appears to be an event that could lead to long-term disaster may, in fact, be its long-term salvation. A case in point: the election of Barack Obama as president and the Democrats in full control of the Congress. To be sure, the far-left domination of government is not a situation to be wished for, but in a perverse way, it was necessary.

Over the past fifty years, regardless of who was in the White House or in charge of Congress, no one has been able to halt the incessant spread of Progressivism in our institutions and the concurrent uncontrolled spending and growth of government. When a president as accomplished as Ronald Reagan was unable to do so, no future Republican president or Congress, short of a major national catastrophe, could ever fully turn back this tide, as they could not overcome the apathy of the people and the hostility of the media, academia, the entertainment establishment, and federal bureaucracies.

A long as the American people remained largely disengaged (the result of unprecedented prosperity), the damage done to the society as a whole and to the long-term financial health of the country was unknown to the vast majority. This indifference has begun to undergo significant change as the reality of the nation's future comes into focus, but that reality has started to come to the fore only as the result of the policies being pursued by a far-left government.

Today, thanks to a confluence of two factors, the opportunity exists to reverse the course the United States has been on and change the political power structure in the country.

The first: the emergence of alternative news sources that has broken the stranglehold on the dissemination of news by the traditional outlets dominated by the left.

The second: The election of a president steeped in socialist/Marxist ideology and a Congress controlled by the Progressive element of the Democratic Party.

A trait common to those on the far left is an inability to have any humility; there is an intense conviction of superiority, both intellectually and in their capability to rule the masses. The true believers are incapable of hiding their philosophy and, once elected, are convinced that nearly everyone does or should share their dedication to the power of a central government. Those who do not conform will be demonized. These extremists will move heaven and earth to achieve their ends, regardless of any long-term consequences, and they cannot avoid shouting from the rooftops what they are doing as tribute to themselves.

The determination of Obama and the Congress to exploit the financial and economic crisis and, more recently, the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in order to pass their agenda has had the effect of kicking over the rocks and exposing for all to see the undermining of the social and fiscal foundation of the nation by the left-wing radicals in Congress, the administration, and many of our institutions.

The general public has now been exposed to the following:

1) The current regime's uncontrolled spending policies and willingness to triple the national debt within nine years have laid bare the actual and unvarnished state of the country's debt and its potential financial future (further revealed by the pending bankruptcy of nations such as Greece).

2) The once-mainstream media's willingness to lose all credibility with the vast majority of the public with its not-so-subtle cheerleading for their preferred politicians.

3) The Democratic Party, at one time the self-declared defender of the little guy and now captive to Progressive ideology, has openly declared war on small business and capitalism.

4) The current majority of the members of Congress has been unmasked as politicians incapable of reading bills, indifferent to voters, and fully in the pockets of liberal special interest groups.

5) President Obama and Congress intentionally used lies and deception to pass an unwanted health care reform bill in a not-so-subtle attempt to control the day-to-day lives of the American people. The use of bribery and intimidation to pass legislation or regulations was on stage for all to see.

6) To the current ruling class, slavish adherence to ideology trumps the needs and best interest of the people of the United States.

Not only are the readers of conservative websites, viewers of Fox News, and the listeners to talk radio aware of these factors, but with the backdrop of unfettered spending, the high jobless rates, and the potential for national bankruptcy, more and more of the general public has become aware of the radical nature of the present government, despite the efforts of them once-mainstream media.

President Obama and his party have failed to understand the basic character of the American people and the many polls taken over the years showing this to be a right-of-center country. They further underestimated the power of the alternative media before they had an opportunity to silence it. But above all, they could not repeal the Constitution, which would allow the citizens the means to change the failed policies of any elected government.

While the timing may have been there to have a "moderate" Barack Obama elected president, the timing to turn the United States into a bastion of socialism was not. The infiltration of the entertainment and educational institutions by the Progressives has not been in place long enough to change the character of the majority of the population. Further, the use of the strategy of guilt to intimidate American citizens has run its course. It has been overdone.

While the damage to date has been considerable, it is not irreversible. In essence, Barack Obama and the present Congress won their offices at the wrong point in the history of our nation to achieve all their objectives; but by attempting to do so and overreaching, this left-wing government has given the country an opportunity to awaken from its fifty-year slumber and repair the foundation. Only a radical presidency and Congress could have accomplished this before it was too late to turn back the tide.

The only questions that remain: Will the aroused and more knowledgeable populace continue to be aware and elect those who will make the necessary changes and repeal or roll back the policies of this and previous administrations and Congresses? Will we as a nation take advantage of this potential reprieve before it is too late?