How Obama Got Elected

On November 4th, 2008 millions of Americans were shocked that a man of Barack Obama's limited experience, extreme liberal positions and radical political alliances could be elected President of the United States. For many of these Americans, the explanation was rather simple... the news media, completely enamored with Obama, simply refused to do their job.

On Election day twelve Obama voters were interviewed extensively right after they voted to learn how the news media impacted their knowledge of what occurred during the campaign. These voters were chosen for their apparent intelligence/verbal abilities and willingness to express their opinions to a large audience. The rather shocking video below seeks to provide some insight into which information broke through the news media clutter and which did not.

Click here to watch video

Zogby Poll
512 Obama Voters 11/13/08-11/15/08 MOE +/- 4.4 points
97.1% High School Graduate or higher, 55% College Graduates
Results to 12 simple Multiple Choice Questions
57.4% could NOT correctly say which party controls congress (50/50 shot just by guessing)
81.8% could NOT correctly say Joe Biden quit a previous campaign because of plagiarism (25% chance by guessing)
82.6% could NOT correctly say that Barack Obama won his first election by getting opponents kicked off the ballot (25% chance by guessing)
88.4% could NOT correctly say that Obama said his policies would likely bankrupt the coal industry and make energy rates skyrocket (25% chance by guessing)
56.1% could NOT correctly say Obama started his political career at the home of two former members of the Weather Underground (25% chance by guessing).
And yet.....
Only 13.7% failed to identify Sarah Palin as the person on which their party spent $150,000 in clothes
Only 6.2% failed to identify Palin as the one with a pregnant teenage daughter
And 86.9 % thought that Palin said that she could see Russia from her "house," even though that was Tina Fey who said that!!
Only 2.4% got at least 11 correct.
Only .5% got all of them correct. (And we "gave" one answer that was technically not Palin, but actually Tina Fey)

Another 'Awe Inspiring' blog - a great read!

I left the country…

November 9th, 2008

J. D. Pendry

I left the country. Do you like that tired old political cliché? I did not leave the party, the party left me. Well, I am just kidding because I only left the country to visit my Grandbabies that are a short 14 hour plane ride past Atlanta. America is my country. Unlike the Hollywood nitwits who all threaten to abandon America whenever someone other than the most unqualified and liberal candidate in the nation’s history is elected president, I will only abandon America for whatever follows this mortal life. Before, however, it was the Democrats and now it is the Republicans who have left me.

I congratulate my country for another peaceful change of leadership. It is the signature of the freest nation on earth – the freest for now. I congratulate President-elect Barack Hussein Obama. Unlike the unhinged left, there will be no personal disparagement of the President from here. It is however, open season on his wrong-headed ideas, policies and approaches to governing. The treatment of President Bush from the Democrats in Congress, liberals in general and the news media in particular has been disgraceful, period. The Office of the President of the United States and the person holding the offices deserves treatment with dignity. We do not have to like them, trust them or believe what they say, but we can challenge all of that in a dignified manner.

Middle names, just like Delano, Fitzgerald, and Baines, are not off limits and are not disparaging. History will not forget to record it. FDR, JFK, LBJ and now BHO. I did not hang that moniker on the President elect, so if you have a problem hearing his middle name or uttering it yourself above a whisper ask yourself why you do and then take it up with him or the Obama family. Three out of those four are new dealers. We have never fully recovered from the FDR’s new deal or LBJ’s great society war on poverty. On top of those lingering attempts at socialism, we are now about to be asked to sign up for a global poverty tax among other things, which is a wealth redistribution plan that will send your money to the United Nations. You know how well they manage such things simply by reviewing the Oil for Food program.

America has fallen prey to history’s slickest con. A con perpetuated by political correctness run amuck and news media and their pollsters that were and still are no more than instruments of political propaganda. A very dangerous con that put a President in the Whitehouse who is a literal mystery to most of the people who voted for him. 57 million Americans did not fall for the con. They did not believe soaring political promises of something for nothing - a tax refund when you did not pay taxes, nationalized health care billed as free, college tuition and as one mushy-headed young woman put it, fill up my gas tank and pay my mortgage. After all of those new deals crush our economy; the Democrats will want your 401K so they can protect it for you. They want to take the money you earned, had sense enough to save, invest and build on and give it to the Social Security administration to manage for you. Do not worry, the politicians have done such a grand job of bankrupting Social Security I am sure your health care and retirement plan will be safe. Democrats, take note. It will never be George Bushes’ fault again. You can lay all of America’s woes at the feet of Senator Harry Reid, Speaker Nancy Pelosi and President elect Barack Hussein Obama.

Every American who wishes to remain free needs to inscribe this in large letters where they can read it multiple times each day. “Every time I let the government make a choice for me, I give up a little more of my freedom. I become more dependent and reliant on government to manage my life. I am right where the Socialists want me to be – perpetually dependent on them.”

I do not want to hear any more excuses from party Republicans about why the election was lost. Especially, I will not accept that the loss was the fault of Sarah Palin who was the only conservative in the race. Without her, Senator McCain would have endured a true landslide loss and not the mythical one that the media is now trying to sell. Republicans, once representative of conservatives in this nation, lost at a game they do not play well - Washington politics. They veered away from principled conservative ideals and instead played for political power, pork and media blessings. If we as principled conservatives cannot get Congress back and make our representatives toe the line, then you might as well clean out your 401K, take the penalty on it, put it in a coffee can and bury in the back yard. At least then, you will have a can full of money even though it will likely be worthless because of rampant inflation.

Do you believe uncompromisingly in the right to life? In your bill of rights? Especially your first amendment right to free speech? Do you believe in your right to bear arms? Do you believe in the freedom of Religion? Do you believe that Americans should only be taxed to the extent necessary for government to provide the basic services of government required by the Constitution? Do you believe that judges should be empathetic toward the Constitution rather than toward the situation of the “little guy” as our President-elect phrases it? Do you believe in redistribution of wealth through unfair taxation or do you believe wealth sharing is a personal choice? Do you believe in a strong national defense? If you believe in those things, then you need to find a candidate for Congress who does for 2010.

Keep your heads up troops. It is time to strap it on, leave the perimeter, and take the political fight to the socialists who have laid siege to our Capitol.

Copyright © J D Pendry 2008 All Rights Reserved.

I told you it was a great read! Thanks for the link Robb.

'Post-election thoughts' by Michelle

Aloha! I came across this blog the other day and as I was reading it I couldn't help but think, "my thoughts exactly". So I asked Michelle (the originator) if I could post it on my blog and she so graciously said yes. So here you go, for your reading pleasure...

"I've got to say that I'm not exactly thrilled with the results of the election, but I'm not losing any sleep over it either. Some things you just have to just deal with the best that you can because, after all, there is nothing you can do to change it. The election is one such thing.

I try not to get too much into politics. For me, it's more of a headache than anything else. I might think that because I'm the ONLY one in my office who voted for McCain. It could also be that I just prefer to let bygones be bygones and not complicate the relationships I have with other people. In saying all that, I AM known as the "conservative" around the office for whatever reason.

So what. I'm conservative, especially compared to my coworkers. Is that something I consider a flaw or a weakness? Certainly not. Again, I take the "to each their own" approach in this type of situation. The only time I get fired up is if my family is directly affected by something someone else says or does. If you keep my family out of it, I won't bug you about the things you choose to do in your free time. Fair enough?

I sat there watching the TV last night knowing full-well that Obama would win. To be quite frank, I think it's more of a race issue than it is a moral issue. Now don't get me wrong, I think it's great that Americans have finally come around to embracing the idea that everyone (regardless of race) should have the opportunity to become president. I do not, however, think that the motiviation to prove that anyone can be president should qualify someone to actually take the office. Call me cynical, but I have a real feeling that people voted based on color and liberalism. Maybe that's all people require from a person. Me, well, I tend to expect more.

Now I guess I should say that McCain wasn't exactly all that I hoped for in a Republican candidate. Sure, he's an American hero and should be given respect for his service, but I guess I still sorta feel like I got jipped. Honestly, I think I voted for him out of principle. I voted for him because I believe that babies have a right to life and God should be number one. I voted for him because I LOVE Sarah Palin and her no-nonsense attitude. I voted for him because it was the right thing to do.

Did anyone else notice that Barak Obama did not give thanks to God, not once, during his speech?!? To me, that's frightening. For him thank all these people and even give credit to the voters for winning the election and to not even acknowledge God until the last sentence where he spews out the old addage "God bless America", is completely appalling. Our forefathers founded this nation on the principles of God. How dare Obama get on that stage and (intentionally or not) leave out the one that gave him his very life and breath? To me it's completely selfish and self-serving. Ok, I'll get off that soapbox.

Long story short, it is what it is. I keep reminding myself that I am a child of God, therefore I do not live by man's economy nor should I fear that a Godless president will ruin my world. God is still in control and He still holds the world in His hand. Despite what so many people think, it wasn't the votes that got Obama into office...it was because God allowed it to happen, for whatever reason. I'm sure there is a lesson to be learned, character to be developed and faith that needs to grow roots. So, it is my prayer that these plans that God has will show it's fruit in my life. I hope that throughout this presidency I will grow as a person and fulfill the destiny that God has called me to.

Remember: What's right isn't always popular. What's popular isn't always right! Stand up for what is right no matter how many people are against you!!"

Thanks Michelle!

Obama's National Anthem

Click here to watch Glenn Beck's Obama National Anthem

Sarah Palin's Speech on Advocating for Children With Special Needs

The following is the text of the remarks Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin delivered on Friday October 24, 2008 in Pittsburgh, PA:

Thank you all very much. I appreciate the hospitality of the people of Pittsburgh, and I'm grateful to all the groups who have joined us here today. The Woodlands Foundation, the Down Syndrome Center at the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, Autism-link, the Children's Institute of Pittsburgh: Thank you for coming today. And, above all, thank you for the great work you do for the light and love you bring into so many lives.

John McCain and I have talked about the missions he'd like me to focus on should I become vice president, and our nation's energy independence and government reform are among them. But there is another mission that's especially close to my heart, and that is to help families of children with special needs. And today, we'll talk about three policy proposals that are going to help us fulfill our country's commitment to these children: more choices for parents, fully funding IDEA, and efforts to reform and refocus.

Too often, even in our own day, children with special needs have been set apart and excluded. Too often, state and federal laws add to their challenges, instead of removing barriers and opening new paths of opportunity. Too often, they are made to feel that there is no place for them in the life of our country, that they don't count or have nothing to contribute. This attitude is a grave disservice to these beautiful children, to their families, and to our country -- and I will work to change it.

One of the most wonderful experiences in this campaign has been to see all the families of children with special needs who come out to rallies and events just like this. We have a bond there. We know that children with special needs inspire a special love. You bring your sons and daughters with you, because you are proud of them, as I am of my son.

My little fella sleeps during most of these rallies, even when they get pretty rowdy. He would be amazed to know how many folks come out to see him instead of me.

When I learned that Trig would have special needs, honestly, I had to prepare my heart. At first I was scared, and Todd and I had to ask for strength and understanding. I did a lot of praying for that understanding, and strength, and to see purpose.

And what's been confirmed in me is every child has something to contribute to the world, if we give them that chance. You know that there are the world's standards of perfection, and then there are God's, and these are the final measure. Every child is beautiful before God, and dear to Him for their own sake. And the truest measure of any society is how it treats those who are most vulnerable.

As for our baby boy, Trig, for Todd and me he is only more precious because he is vulnerable. In some ways, I think we stand to learn more from him than he does from us. When we hold Trig and care for him, we don't feel scared anymore. We feel blessed.

Of course, many other families are much further along a similar path -- including my best friend who happens to be my sister, Heather, and her 13-year old son Karcher, who has autism. Heather and I have worked on this for over a decade. Heather is an advocate for children with autism in Alaska. And as governor, I've succeeded in securing additional funding and assistance for students with special needs. By 2011, I will have tripled the funding available to these students.

Heather and I have been blessed with a large, strong family network. Our family helps make sure that Trig and Karcher have what they need. But not everyone is lucky enough to have that strong network of support. And the experiences of those millions of Americans point the way to better policy in the care of children with special needs.

One of the most common experiences is the struggle of parents to find the best and earliest care for their children. The law requires our public schools to serve children with special needs, but often the results fall far short of the service they need. Even worse, parents are left with no other options, except for the few families that can afford private instruction or therapy.
Many of you parents here have been through the drill: You sit down with teachers and counselors to work out the IEP -- an individual education plan for your child. The school may be trying its best, but they're overstretched. They may keep telling you that your child is "progressing well," and no extra services are required. They keep telling you that -- but you know better.

You know that your children are not getting all of the help they need, at a time when they need it most. The parents of children with special needs ask themselves every day if they are doing enough, if they are doing right by their sons and daughters. And when our public school system fails to render help and equal opportunity -- and even prevents parents from seeking it elsewhere that is unacceptable.

In a McCain-Palin administration, we will put the educational choices for special needs children in the right hands their parents'. Under reforms that I will lead as vice president, the parents and caretakers of children with physical or mental disabilities will be able to send that boy or girl to the school of their choice -- public or private.

Under our reforms, federal funding for every special needs child will follow that child. Some states have begun to apply this principle already, as in Florida's McKay Scholarship program. That program allows for choices and a quality of education that should be available to parents in every state, for every child with special needs. This process should be uncomplicated, quick, and effective -- because early education can make all the difference. No barriers of bureaucracy should stand in the way of serving children with special needs.

That's why John and I will direct the Department of Education to clarify the statute administratively. We'll make explicit that when state funds are portable, federal funds are fully portable. We're going to make sure parents have choices and children receive the education they deserve.

Even the best public school teacher or administrator cannot rightfully take the place of a parent in making these choices. The schools feel responsible for the education of many children, but a parent alone is responsible for the life of each child. And in the case of parents of children with disabilities, there are enough challenges as it is, and our children will face more than enough closed doors along the way. When our sons and daughters need better education, more specialized training, and more individual attention, the doors of opportunity should be open.

Like John McCain, I am a believer in providing more school choice for families. The responsibility for the welfare of children rests ultimately with mothers and fathers, and the power to choose should be theirs as well. But this larger debate of public policy should not be permitted to hinder the progress of special-needs students. Where their lives, futures, and happiness are at stake, we should have no agenda except to ease the path they are on. And the best way to do that is to give their parents options.

In a McCain-Palin administration, we will also fully fund the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. To his great credit, it was President Gerald Ford who signed the legislation that became the IDEA -- establishing new standards of respect and inclusion for young Americans with disabilities. From that day to this, however, the federal government's obligations under the IDEA have not been adequately met. And portions of IDEA funding have actually decreased since 2005.

This is a matter of how we prioritize the money that we spend. We've got a three trillion dollar budget, and Congress spends some 18 billion dollars a year on earmarks for political pet projects. That's more than the shortfall to fully fund the IDEA. And where does a lot of that earmark money end up? It goes to projects having little or nothing to do with the public good -- things like fruit fly research in Paris, France, or a public policy center named for the guy who got the earmark. In our administration, we're going to reform and refocus. We're going to get our federal priorities straight, and fulfill our country's commitment to give every child opportunity and hope in life.

For many parents of children with disabilities, the most valuable thing of all is information. Early identification of a cognitive or other disorder, especially autism, can make a life-changing difference. That's why we're going to strengthen NIH. We're going to work on long-term cures, and in the short-term, we're going to work on giving these families better information.

Once a condition is known, parents need the best and latest information on what to expect and how to respond. This service is also provided for under the IDEA. And we will make sure that every family has a place to go for support and medical guidance. The existing programs and community centers focus on school-age children -- overlooking the need for assistance before school-age.

But it would make a lot more sense for these centers to focus as well on infants and toddlers. This is not only a critical stage for diagnosis; it can also be a crucial time to prepare the family for all that may lie ahead. Families need to know what treatments are most effective, and where they are available, what costs they will face, and where aid can be found, and where they can turn for the advice and support of others in their situation. As Todd and I and Heather know, there's no substitute for the friendship of those who have been where we are now.

The IDEA is also intended to serve teens and young adults with special needs. And here, too, there is an opportunity to reform and extend the reach of federal support under the IDEA. By modernizing a current law, the Vocational Rehabilitation Act, we can better serve students with disabilities in our high schools and community colleges. This will require reform by the states as well. Just as the federal government expects proven results in the progress of other students, we must require results as well in the achievements of students with disabilities. And the result we will expect is simple: that every special-needs student be given a chance to learn the skills to work, and enjoy the freedom to live independently if that is their choice.

As families across America know, the care of special-needs children requires long-term planning, and especially financial planning. A common practice among these families is to establish financial trusts. These are known as special needs trusts, covering years of medical and other costs, and for parents they bring invaluable comfort.

Understandably, then, many families with special-needs children or dependent adults are concerned that our opponent in this election plans to raise taxes on precisely those kinds of financial arrangements. They fear that Senator Obama's tax increase will have serious and harmful consequences -- and they are right. The burden that his plan would impose upon these families is just one more example of how many plans can be disrupted, how many futures can be placed at risk, and how many people can suffer when the power to tax is misused.

Our opponent has an ideological commitment to higher taxes. And though he makes adjustments on his tax plan pronouncements seemingly by the day, his commitment to increase taxes remains the same. John McCain and I have just the opposite commitment. We intend to lower taxes, promote growth, and protect the earnings and savings of American families.

Not long ago, I spent some time at a place in Cleveland called the Michael T. George Center, a beautiful home for adults with Down Syndrome and other disabilities. I met Michael George, too, a boy of five with Down Syndrome. Michael is a healthy, sweet, joy-filled little man -- and I saw in him all the things I wish for Trig in just a few years.

Michael's parents, Tony and Kris George, are advocates for children with special needs in their community. They are thinking far ahead, in their own boy's life and in the lives of others. They named the center after their son. It's a public-private partnership. This welcoming place -- and so many others like it -- shows the good heart of America. They are places of hope. They are the works of people who believe that every life matters, everyone has something to contribute, and every child should have things to look forward to, and achievements to point to with pride and joy. As many of you know better than I, it can be a hard path, and yet all the more joyful and productive when the barriers are overcome.

John McCain and I have a vision in which every child is loved and cherished, and that is the spirit I want to bring to Washington. To the families and caregivers of special-needs children all across this country, I do have a message: For years, you sought to make America a more welcoming place for your sons and daughters. And I pledge to you that if we are elected, you will have a friend and advocate in the White House.

Thank you all, and God bless you.