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« on: January 13, 2016, 02:20:46 PM » |
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The Patriot Post Digest 1-13-2016
From The Federalist Patriot
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Daily Digest
Jan. 13, 2016
THE FOUNDATION
“Government is instituted for the common good; for the protection, safety, prosperity, and happiness of the people; and not for profit, honor, or private interest of any one man, family, or class of men.” —John Adams, 1776
TOP RIGHT HOOKS
When the Orator Heckles1
“What do you mean, ‘Make America Great Again’? I’ve already done that!” That was the essence of Barack Obama’s thankfully final State of the Union Address2 last night. We’ve watched a lot of Obama’s speeches over the years (our humble service so that you won’t have to), and this one was particularly remarkable for his cocky, smug and hectoring tone — and that’s saying something for a petulant narcissist like him. Whether it was insisting that the economy is great or that climate change requires his solutions or that “America is the most powerful nation on Earth — period,” Obama is right and righteous, and anyone who disagrees is a lying clown. We’re only surprised he didn’t claim credit for the $1.5 billion Powerball jackpot, because Obama’s awesome, America’s great, and, oh, by the way, you’re welcome, you ingrates.
What makes the tone even more obnoxious was that he eventually got around to lecturing us about political disagreements in general. “It’s one of the few regrets of my presidency that the rancor and suspicion between the parties has gotten worse instead of better,” he lamented, as if he was an innocent bystander. Of course, he has done more to foment rancor and suspicion than any other president in history.
And then there was his parade of straw-men. For example, we don’t keep America secure by “either isolating ourselves or trying to nation-build everywhere there’s a problem,” he said, outlining two positions held by exactly no one. His way, he tells us, is really the only enlightened one.
One final observation: Are we the only ones who noticed how very ticked off Michelle Obama looked throughout the speech? Is the woman ever happy?
Footnote: Stay tuned for Mark Alexander’s rebuttal of the address later this afternoon.
Iran Humiliates Obama, Again3
Ten U.S. Navy personnel aboard two small boats were detained by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy (IRGCN) on Tuesday after at least one of their boats reportedly had mechanical trouble near Farsi Island in the northern Persian Gulf. A Fifth Fleet spokesman confirmed on Wednesday the IRGCN had released all 10 sailors, who are safely aboard USS Anzio. The IRGCN also returned the two small boats, which were manned by other U.S. sailors and are en route to Bahrain.
Taking U.S. Navy personnel captive is consistent with Iran’s pattern of hostility to the U.S. under Obama’s weak leadership. But the Iranian regime is focused on getting the recent nuclear deal implemented (and $150 billion in sanctions relief flowing), and Iran doubtless wanted to avoid a repeat of 2007, when local IRGCN forces took 15 British sailors and marines captive at gunpoint and held them for two weeks. U.S. military analysts believe that incident was instigated by a local commander with no prior approval from higher authorities, and that the Iranian regime was caught by surprise in a very dangerous standoff not of its own design. This time the Iranian regime apparently exercised its authority over the IRGCN and prevented another major incident.
But was there concern in the Obama administration? Was there even a minute when the administration was rethinking the Iran nuclear deal? After all, Iran has been busy the last few weeks, test firing ballistic missiles contrary to international treaties, test firing other missiles downrange of U.S. ships, and now, in the words4 of Sen. Tom Cotton, “humiliating Barack Obama” on the night of his State of the Union Address.
Last night, Obama, knowing full well that 10 sailors were being treated with “Islamic compassion” by their Iranian captors, kept to his rosy script for his speech. “There is a smarter approach,” he said, “a patient and disciplined strategy that uses every element of our national power. … That’s why we built a global coalition, with sanctions and principled diplomacy, to prevent a nuclear-armed Iran. And as we speak, Iran has rolled back its nuclear program, shipped out its uranium stockpile, and the world has avoided another war.” No mention whatsoever of the captured Americans from the commander in chief.
Who’s ‘Peddling Fiction’ About the Economy?5
At last night’s State of the Union Address, Barack Obama crowed about his track record with the economy. Jobs have been increasing, he said, and because of that, everything is on the up and up. “Let me start with the economy and a basic fact,” Obama said2. “The United States of America, right now, has the strongest, most durable economy in the world. We’re in the middle of the longest streak of private-sector job creation in history. … Anyone claiming that America’s economy is in decline is peddling fiction.”
Yes, every month, the Bureau of Labor Statistics releases that jobs report and the headlining numbers — how many jobs added, the unemployment rate — look good. But Obama is painting with too broad a brush when he says his naysayers are describing a fictional reality. The numbers deeper in those reports tell a more ominous story. As Fortune demonstrates6, wages under Obama’s administration have basically stagnated. Personal debt held by Americans has increased by about $1 trillion. Meanwhile, fewer Americans are buying homes. And as for those increased employment numbers, it is undercut by the fact that the overall percentage of Americans in the workforce is hovering around record lows.
As a hallmark of his economy, Obama said last night more Americans work in the solar industry than coal. Of course — this is because the Obama administration has decimated the coal industry through regulation, as the second largest coal company filed for bankruptcy7 and West Virginia struggles with staggering unemployment8 numbers. The chief executive’s divisive rhetoric on the economy isn’t helping, either. But here’s some good news: America’s economy is durable. It will move past the Obama era.
FEATURED RIGHT ANALYSIS
Opportunity Is Key to Fighting Poverty9
By Lewis Morris
A number of prominent Republicans gathered in Charleston over the weekend for a detailed discussion of poverty in America and what can be done about it. The Expanding Opportunity Forum10 was hosted by the Jack Kemp Foundation and moderated by House Speaker Paul Ryan and Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina. In short, there are a lot of conservative solutions to poverty, and, given the Left’s 50-year track record of failure, it’s time to give them a try.
Six GOP presidential hopefuls joined the discussion, including Jeb Bush, Ben Carson, Marco Rubio, Chris Christie, John Kasich and Mike Huckabee. They were joined by Gov. Nikki Haley and Arthur Brooks of the American Enterprise Institute. Current 2016 frontrunners Donald Trump and Ted Cruz spent the weekend on the campaign trail instead, but they missed a substantive discussion and an opportunity to show some empathy for the plight of millions of Americans.
The GOP needs to prove to voters this year that it has not only the ability, but also the willingness to find solutions to the ongoing poverty problem in America. As Rubio stated at the event, “We have an outmoded, outdated government … and a Big Government Left that is more interested in protecting the status quo than in modernizing our policies to address the challenges of the 21st century.” |
