A Predictably Pandering State of the Union from Barack Obama

January 24, 2012 | Comments (0)

The democrats in Congress certainly got a workout tonight.  It would seem their seats were wired to zap them with electric shocks whenever Barack Obama, in tonight’s State of the Campaign Address, offered an applause line he deemed worthy of a standing ovation.  For those dems in attendance, from former first lady Hillary to Warren Buffet’s secretary to Nancy “giant gavel” Pelosi to carefully selected military folk to, sadly, recuperating congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, this meant leaping up every two phrases or so.  Perhaps that was the intent: Distract Americans who might be watching so they won’t pay attention to what the president is saying – and more, importantly, what he’s not.  More likely, he was just trying to show Newt that “see, I can get standing ovations, too.”

But let’s look into the true meaning of those standing Os, shall we?  Painfully apparent almost from the get-go was the fact that we were witnessing democrats in panic.   As their leader presented even more taxpayer-funded bribes to an already crippling list, and blatantly avoided the many failures and unpopular policies of his administration, the dems felt the need to convince onlookers that their guy has the right stuff – and yes, that he can get standing ovations, too!  And there among them, almost repeatedly trampled, was John McCain, flanked, by choice, on all sides by democrats, reminding us once more that in 2008 we voters were essentially offered a choice between two democrats: one moderate, the other the most radical leftwing democrat ever to win the party’s nomination, let alone the election.

Pathetic was that party’s behavior tonight, as well as that of Obama, who once again displayed for all the world his complete disconnect with the American people and the way this country operates.  He tried to cover for this, apparently with the help of the Government Motors advertising team, reading from his prompter pithy ad-copy platitudes “an economy built to last,” “an America built to last” – mimicking, it would seem, what we’ll hear during commercial breaks when the Giants face the Patriots in Indianapolis on February 5th.

I won’t bother summarizing what Obama covered in his campaign speech tonight.  We’ve heard it all before: the meaningless catchphrases, the pandering promises, the glaring omissions, several play-by-play narratives of how he took out Osama bin Laden – though I did find disconcerting his intent to transform the United States Defense Department into a green-energy mill.  The upshot of it all is that he intends to continue to disregard the constraints of the U.S. Constitution and do whatever he wants to do, because, you see, he knows what’s best for us in all aspects of our American life.  Still not sure where he gained such expertise in all aspects of American life, but how dare I ask.  Instead I’ll just hope for change come November – and hope that this is the last Obama State of the Union we will ever have to see.

Betsy Siino | Comments (0)

Let the Spin Begin

May 5, 2011 | Comments (1)

What a difference a day makes. One day, leftwingers who for almost a decade vilified George W., his “fictitious” war on terror, and his methods and policies are rejoicing that the spiritual leader at the root of that “fictitious” war is dead. America, they assume, will ignore that those vilified Bush-era methods and policies helped lead to said terrorist’s demise. We just won’t think about that, they say. And no one else will either, right?

Wrong.

Within hours of their beloved’s announcement that he pulled the trigger, an avalanche of information and conspiracy theories came tumbling down upon the heads of smirky leftists. They thought it would be so easy. Ding, dong, Bin Laden is dead. This president got Bin Laden. Yay, Obama! Let’s all fall in behind him. Happy days are here again.

They never expected the blowback….

….He’s not really dead! Yes he is! We saw the pictures, proclaim the senators. Trust us. Oops. Nope. Those were faked. But he’s still dead! Yes, says the CIA chief, still dead, and you will all see the pictures. Oh no you won’t, says the president. You can’t handle the truth. And we can’t spike the football. What would we think if they posted pictures of the Americans they kill. Oh. Daniel Pearl. And so many others….He used a woman as a human shield. Oh no he didn’t. He wouldn’t. But a woman was shot and killed. No, not killed. Shot, not killed. Whew!….He had a gun. No, he didn’t. But that’s okay, squeals the White House. Isn’t it? Still okay to shoot him, wasn’t it? The Han Solo moment. Han shot first, at least before the politically-corrected version of the film he did. It’s okay then, isn’t it? That we shot first? And without a warrant. Say it’s okay!….Without waterboarding we wouldn’t have gotten him. No! cry the dems. Say it ain’t so! I saw the intel myself, bleats the senator. None of it came from that. Did it? So, Madam Senator, you won’t act when and if the intel does come from that? When American lives are at stake? Now that will surely resonate with America….

Shame on you people! the left shouts now in panic as they scramble for a position in this unexpected aftermath. A man is dead and you are celebrating! They lash out. At us. For recognizing their hypocrisy. For defying the narrative and refusing their leader a big bump in the polls. And for continuing to demand an election in 2012.

And today their candidate visits Ground Zero. Never has as president. Not in two-and-a-half years. Symbolic place, that Ground Zero. The perfect backdrop for this grand-daddy of all photo-ops now that the most-wanted is dead. Shanksville isn’t sexy. And the Pentagon….well, come on, it’s the Pentagon. But this…Ground Zero…yes! Especially now. So find a mirror and perfect that furrowed brow. And ask your predecessor to join the party. What’s that? He declines the invite. Smart move, President Bush. The right move. Ever the class act you are. And undeniably authentic, something we haven’t seen in a very long time.

Betsy Siino | Comments (1)

Pelosi and Slaughter Desperately Hurl the Tired Old Threats

April 10, 2011 | Comments (0)

The left is pulling out all those tired old chestnuts to combat the budget chaos plaguing Washington at the moment, a situation that threatens to shut down the federal government. Currently raging is Congress’ battle over just how – and if – they will/should rein in the spending spree draining America’s economy of every cent sent to them in good faith by America’s taxpayers.

Playing her part as expected, Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), no doubt missing the limelight these days, has nostalgically informed us that the republicans want to starve senior citizens. A laughable comment coming from a high-profile representative of the left, who, along with her fearless leader and their party faithful spent the last two years forcing upon America a much-vilified health-care bill that promises openly to ration health care, by pacifying ailing seniors with blue pills and relegating their health-care decisions to bureaucrats (a.k.a. “death panels,” remember?). I personally will never forget that chilling town-hall moment when a smiling president told a woman that no, under his plan, the woman’s elderly mother would not have received the pacemaker her doctors ordered. His plan, he was proud to say, would not take into consideration such silly factors as “spirit” or will to live – no individual considerations whatsoever.

And now we hear from Louise Slaughter (D-NY), as well, notorious for her highly publicized strategy to bypass openly that pesky Constitution to jam through the beloved Obamacare (for we the peasants only, of course; Congress and anyone who supports this president are exempt and immune). Slaughter this week announced that the freshmen republican representatives (her way, I presume, of saying Tea Party and /or conservatives) are trying to kill women.  Now, at the risk of sounding ineloquent, that is just flat out stupid. Anyone who believes such a foolish comment should be stripped of all voting rights (same for the Hollywood bimbos who way back when on Oprah’s slobber-fest sobbed that re-electing George W. would legalize rape).

What both of these women conveniently disregard with their desperate, wanna-be-incendiary statements is that despite what the media lapdogs may try to promote, most of us out here beyond the Beltway don’t automatically equate the word “republican” with “conservative.” In this spirit, let me say that we on the right are watching the right, as well. Indeed everyone is in the hot seat at the moment, regardless of the party-affiliation letters representatives happen to slap on to their names. And, like our national debt, our expectations are growing exponentially by the day.

Betsy Siino | Comments (0)

Missing Obama and Not Missing Him at All

January 25, 2011 | Comments (2)

I’m feeling slightly guilty right now, because, after many similar and unsuccessful attempts in the past not to watch Obama speak, tonight I really did it.  Tonight I made the conscious decision to miss the State of the Union Address, and, adhering to that commitment, I am not watching the State of the Union Address. I understand several of the Supreme Court Justices so inappropriately humiliated during the last go-round have apparently made the same decision.

My guilt is only slight, because I know I’m not missing anything at all. Obama has given hundreds of speeches since becoming president. I have watched almost all of them, so I suppose I have earned the right to miss one from time to time – and get a much better night’s sleep than I would if I tuned in.

I also don’t feel the need to watch foolish republican congresspeople (John McCain, for one: no suprise there), who vowed they would join the kumbaya chorus with their rivals by sitting next to them in a show of ”civility” or whatever they want to call it. If they have indeed followed through with that vow, they are showing us not their civility, but their support for their rivals’ policies; their lack of respect for the bloodbath of November 2, 2010; and a betrayal of the American people who made that bloodbath happen. In addition, they will be ignoring the fact that if the dems had held their majority in the House, they would be thumbing their noses in the faces of the right tonight, rather than squealing that the victorious right must reach across the aisle. Public displays by useful idiots are always pathetic — and dangerous – spectacles to behold.

Also pathetic, and worthy of missing, is yet another attempt by Obama to appear centrist, mechanically offering platitudes about the American economy, the American spirit and the American people – after spending last week kowtowing to the president of China and stating he “welcomes China’s rise.” This caps, of course, his last two years of implementing policies (we all know what they are), that the vast majority of Americans oppose, and that, if allowed to succeed, will destroy the miraculous experiment that is America.

The bottom line: I don’t need to watch this president pretend he is someone he’s not in a desperate attempt to salvage his own exalted position. I don’t need to watch him try to fool an American population he regards as inferior and ignorant and easily swayed with folksy phrases. His own incompetence and emotional scars aside, this man has made clear for years his disdain for this nation, her people and her history, and his overriding desire to “transform” her into an entity that does not begin to resemble what is blueprinted in our Constitution. Only a fool at this point would believe a sudden and embarrassingly transparent change in his message — or grant him a second term.

Betsy Siino | Comments (2)

Obama Delights a Raucous Audience with Tonight’s “Memorial” Speech in Tucson

January 12, 2011 | Comments (7)

I tried so hard not to watch Obama’s speech in Arizona tonight, but, as usual, it found me, and I have no choice but to be watching it now. What I am seeing is a presidential campaign speech, a rock concert…anything but a memorial honoring Americans who were savagely murdered by a madman last Saturday.

I won’t call it a memorial address, because from the very moment Obama was introduced, it became a rowdy, raucous campaign event, complete with repeated standing ovations for the pres, Obama’s customary pauses following the perfectly choreographed ”applause” and “laugh” lines that pepper his speech, and an audience’s abject disregard for the tragic events that led to this moment. While the audience’s embarrassing behavior is not Obama’s fault, a man of true compassion and emotion would have taken the stage in the midst of the applause and cat calls and whistles and hollers and shouted them down.  I envision such a man thrusting his arms into the air and shouting, “No! That’s not why we’re here! Show some respect! This isn’t about me!” But as we know, it’s always about him.

There is much evocation of “God,” heroism and civility in tonight’s speech, but those applause lines, so fast and furious, whisk us back to that ridiculous State of the Union Address, where the Congress punctuated Obama’s every sentence with this same applause, this same idolatrous slobbering. Obama is now offering synopses of each of the victims whose lives were destroyed last Saturday — apparently, as Obama’s lapdogs in the media and in the government would have us believe, because of those on the right who oppose this president and his policies.

In keeping with that theme, Obama speaks now about keeping the discourse civil. Missing from his current treatise on civility, however, is mention of his own past instructions to his followers: Bring a gun to a knife fight, ”get in the faces” of those who oppose us, and ”punish” our “enemies.” No, tonight we delight in an Obama speech, where a few touching moments are nestled within strings of generic inspirational phrases, capped by the repeated message that we must ”be better” (translated as “agree with me and carry out all that I ask because I know what’s good for you”).

And now the speech, as well as the so-called “memorial,” comes to an end. Obama’s lapdogs will no doubt herald it as the most incredible speech ever given anywhere by anyone at any time in all of human history. He would have impressed me if he had, with details not platitudes, scolded those who have used this tragedy, this atrocity, for their own political purposes: a congressman who has already used the events to raise money for his 2012 reelection campaign, left-wing journalists and elected officials who instantly blamed the right for the deranged shooter’s actions, a sheriff who immediately blamed high-profile individuals on the right rather than acknowledge that he himself failed to take seriously the known threat presented by the alleged perpetrator, left-wing congresspeople who have used the attack to further their own political agendas that include gun control and the silencing of anyone who opposes the left…the list goes on and on. And on.

The pundits are now praising the president’s speech, obviously far more impressed by it than I was. Go ahead and chastise me for my lack of civility, but the time comes when you know too much about a person and the damage he or she has done to your country to trust anything that individual says, even in times of tragedy. My daughter just asked what I would have done if I had been in that audience tonight as a relative of one of the victims. I told her I would have done what I wish the president had done. I would have stood up and shouted down the idiotic applause and shoutouts and whistles and scolded an audience that apparently mistook a memorial for victims of a mass murderer for a Springsteen concert. The president should have taken control of that audience and straightened them out. He didn’t. I wish someone had.

Betsy Siino | Comments (7)

Epic Tragedy in Tucson By the Hand of Epic Evil

January 10, 2011 | Comments (2)

 On Saturday a massacre at a town hall gathering in Tucson, Arizona, offered us yet another sad and terrible reminder that evil is alive and well and living among us.

Allegedly embodied this time in the figure of a twisted 22-year-old “loner,” this latest evidence of evil would claim, before it was stopped by heroism from would-be victims in the crowd, the lives of six people, including a 9-year-old girl, a federal judge, a congressional aide and three civic-minded senior citizens. It would leave in its wake, as well, thirteen others seriously injured, including a U.S. Congresswoman, who took a bullet to her head and remains in critical condition.

Within minutes, the left took the tragedy and ran with it, blaming the Tea Party, Sarah Palin, pro-gun interests, conservative policies, and even George W. Bush. Within minutes, bills were prepared to restrict American gun ownership, as though such laws have ever kept weapons of mass destruction out of the hands of twisted, mentally deranged loners intent on decimating human life. Within minutes legislative plans were drafted to protect congressional representatives and federal officials from “threatening” language or public opposition, as though congressional representatives and federal officials are somehow more deserving of protection than a 9-year-old girl or any other American. We can assume, as well, that within minutes, arrangements were made to ensure that the congressional representatives using this tragedy to restrict American gun ownership will continue to enjoy their own armed protection from evil.

All of these instantaneous responses were set in motion before it came to light that the alleged perpetrator, currently in custody, counted Hitler’s Mein Kampf and Karl Marx’s Communist Manifesto as favorite books (hardly typical Tea Party reading). If indeed it is proven, as has been alleged, that the perpetrator is a “left-wing pothead,” will the media and pundits who rushed to the Tea-Party-Palin-Bush judgment acknowledge that democratic Congresswoman  Gabrielle Giffords was “targeted” for career destruction by their own left-wing blogosphere for her more moderate position on their pet issues? Doubtful.

Now is no time to fling blame or to use such an epic tragedy for a political agenda as is being so disgracefully done. It is time to mourn for the victims of this twisted individual’s actions. And, with those victims and their families in our thoughts and prayers, we must mourn as well for our divided nation that is afflicted by an evil far too many refuse to acknowledge, an evil fed by a culture of alienated souls hungry for infamy they can find readily available on reality TV, YouTube and Facebook. Evil is among us.  Always has been. Always will be. The only way we may fight it is not with knee-jerk, agenda-driven political jockeying, but by recognizing it for what it is and offering it no quarter, no excuse, no whitewash, no sanctuary. Ever.

Betsy Siino | Comments (2)

Airport Security, Aunt Bee and Me

December 23, 2010 | Comments (1)
Ever since my lengthy coverage (aka, justified meltdown) of the Napolitano/Obama airport screening mandates for the TSA back before Thanksgiving, I have wondered how my own holiday travels would transpire once it was time for my family to fly across the country from New York to California for Christmas.  Well, yesterday marked the first leg of the journey, and I am happy, though somewhat perplexed, to report that I have no out-of-our-ordinary travel experiences to report.

We arrived nice and early at the airport, expecting a longer wait thanks to holiday travels and heightened security procedures.  We approached the security checkpoint.  We saw the scanners.  We saw travelers that looked like they could have been regulars on “The Andy Griffith Show,” their arms outstretched, being scanned.  We saw travelers ushered aside for pat-downs.  My kids asked if they would be patted down.  My kids asked if they would be strip searched.  My kids knew that if I was patted down, I would hope for something entirely inappropriate to occur.

We approached the podium for preliminary TSA vetting of our paperwork.   We were deemed fit for boarding. We walked to the familiar conveyor belt and began the procedure we have done a thousand times before like a well-oiled machine: removing shoes and jackets; taking computers out of carry-ons; throwing belts, watches and small containers of liquids into the gray bins.  We were ushered one by one through the metal detector…..and…..that was it.  “Thanks very much,” said the burly TSA agent standing at the finish line as he directed us back to our long line of belongings waiting for us on the conveyor belt.  Okay then. No scanning, no pat-downs, no strip searches for us.

It was not so pleasant an experience for everyone in our line, however. As we were reassembling our carry-ons and pulling on boots, we watched the progress of an elderly woman – a grandma-type who could have easily played Aunt Bee on the old “Andy Griffith Show” – as she traversed the security gauntlet.  She was ushered through the metal detector, then scanned in the scanner (which just a few days ago failed to reveal a gun a Pakistani man had on his person), then patted down physically, then sent through the metal detector again. Apparently Aunt Bee has been targeted by Obama and minion Napolitano as a serious threat to the national security of the United States.

Our spirits daunted a bit by what we had just witnessed, we reached our gate and learned from the cable news being broadcast there that the lame-duck session of the 111th record-low-approval-rating Congress had finally called it quits for the year after furiously setting a record in the lame-duck passage of bills. “Thank God!” I exclaimed. Looking back, I guess it’s fortunate I didn’t hear that news before going through security, or I would no doubt have found myself receiving the Aunt-Bee security treatment, as well.

Betsy Siino | Comments (1)

A Christmas Miracle Update on the Update

December 18, 2010 | Comments (2)

Yeehaa!  It’s a Christmas miracle.  Just when we thought Harry Reid and his gang were going to grant amnesty to illegal aliens in a despicable lame-duck weekend session, the so-called Dream Act has died in the Senate.

Just another sign, I’d say, of the failure of twisted democratic strategies designed to fool the American people — in this case a strategy where the dems work their dark magic when they think we aren’t looking (weekends, the wee hours of the morning, and the ever-popular Christmastime).  But we have made it clear we are looking, and we won’t tolerate them treading on us anymore. God bless us, everyone!

Betsy Siino | Comments (2)

Update on the Lame-Duck Congressional Tantrum

December 17, 2010 | Comments (0)
Much has changed over the last 24 hours or so since I wrote about the current lame-duck congressional tantrum, and, if the democrats have their way, even more is set to change in the next 48, as well.

Since my original post on the lame-duck congressional tantrum, the Senate voted to extend the Bush tax rates (much to the chagrin of the leftist democrats), and Obama signed it (again, the chagrin – and, despite the signature, that includes Obama’s, as well). And, in what some have heralded a surprise move, Senate Majority Leader, Harry Reid (D-NV),  shelved the godawful, earmark-laden, trillion-something omnibus spending bill. A good thing, yes, but, as we now see, done only to clear the way for other wildly vilified pet projects of this flock of hysterical lame ducks.

In keeping with their tradition of jamming through those wildly vilified, not to mention unconstitutional, laws and policies during weekends, holidays (particular Christmas), and in the middle of the night, the democrat majority in the U.S. Senate is positioned on this fine December Friday to use the coming weekend to grant amnesty to illegal aliens and, time permitting, fiddle around with the military “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy.  Don’t be surprised if they tackle the START Treaty, as well, which would strip Eastern Europe of American missile defense: a Christmas gift for Russia, a lump of coal for the likes of Poland and the Czech Republic.

It would seem, then, that this lame-duck Senate has its work cut out for it. The Senators intend to use the next two days to label “legal” millions of people who have violated our laws on local, federal and Constitutional levels, for no other reason than their ability to bypass the fabric and foundation of our nation that our founders put in place, and that those in our armed forces have shed blood to preserve and protect.  Should these so-called “representatives” decide to entertain START, as well, it’s a safe bet the material will go largely unread since a big chunk of it is reportedly written in Russian.  Of course, they admit never reading what they sign anyway, so what difference does it make?

What a disgrace for a gaggle of anti-military leftists to make earthshattering policies on national defense and strategy – or earthshattering policies on anything — during a rushed lame-duck session hours before Christmas.  But if we the people are to be properly punished, it must be done.  Just keep in mind that we the punished (and enraged) will not forget.

Betsy Siino | Comments (0)

Congress and Obama in the Throes of a Final Tantrum

December 15, 2010 | Comments (0)
In a flurry of legislative hysteria matched only by the desperation we witnessed when they jammed Obamacare down our throats earlier this year, the members of the democrat majority in the current U.S. Congress are at this moment voting with ignorant abandon on anything and everything that strikes their collective fancy before 2010 comes to an end. Never mind how their constituents, let alone the American people at large, feel about it. Their clock is ticking. They have only a handful of hours left to inflict as much damage as they can before they are shown the door.

Every hour, on the hour, a new vote, a new breathless announcement, including the first vote for amnesty for illegal aliens (though known in the touchy-feely world as the “Dream Act,” it’s the “Nightmare Act” for those of us who believe in the rule and law and see this as simply a ploy to anoint a fresh influx of new democratic voters); a monstrous spending bill with a price tag exceeding the trillion-dollar mark; Michelle Obama’s tell-parents-what-their-kids-can-and-cannot-eat bill; and earmarks, earmarks, earmarks.

It began with the debate over Obama’s sudden and desperate pet project — the infamous bill to extend the Bush tax rates – which Obama hopes America will use as a prism through which to see his pretended centrist and concerned- about-America side. “Boo, hoo!” the leader of the free world whimpered to his leftwing congressional minions.  If you don’t pass this tax bill, my presidency is over! This pathetic plea was preceded by a press conference last weekend, during which we witnessed Obama’s most dramatic show of weakness to date, when he shared an official presidential podium with the last dem to hold his office, Bill Clinton.

Obama quickly acknowledged his defeat in this ultimate clash of the narcissists, when he retreated, his tail between his legs, claiming in so many words that his wife would bust his you-know-what for keeping her waiting – an embarrassing, cringe-worthy moment for America, a glorious moment for Bill Clinton. And a glorious moment for the members of the Washington press corps, so giddy were they to have good old Bill standing at that podium once more before the great seal of the President of the United States – and without a teleprompter.

While Clinton beamed, Obama blanched, his retreat painting him symbolically and officially as the weakest President in our history. We could see this in his body language and his expression, the same expression no doubt clouding the mugs of all those multi-decade career Representatives and Senators at this moment voting with such abandon on Capitol Hill. Shirking their responsibilities to their representative democracy, their people and their Constitution, these hacks know that their furious votes, designed as they are to punish the American people for November 2nd, will be their last. They know that come January, the reign of this Congress and their democrat majority comes to an end.  It would appear Mr. Obama knows that, for all practical purposes, his reign is over, too.

Betsy Siino | Comments (0)