James Pethokoukis
October 16, 2008
U.S. News and World Report
You’re kidding me. Barack Obama actually told that Joe the Plumber guy that he wants to “spread the wealth around.” What, did Obama just get done reading the Wikipedia entry on Huey “Share the Wealth” Long or something? Was he somehow channeling that left-wing populist from the Depression? Talk about playing into the most extreme stereotype of your party, that it is infested with socialists.
A while back I chatted with a University of Chicago professor who was a frequent lunch companion of Obama’s. This professor said that Obama was as close to a full-out Marxist as anyone who has ever run for president of the United States.
Now, I tend to quickly dismiss that kind of talk as way over the top. My working assumption is that Obama is firmly within the mainstream of Democratic politics. But if he is as free with that sort of redistributive philosophy in private as he was on the campaign trail this week, I have no doubt that U of C professor really does figure him as a radical. And after last night’s debate, a few more Americans might think that way, too. McCain’s best line: “Now, of all times in America, we need to cut people’s taxes. We need to encourage business, create jobs, not spread the wealth around.”
And by the way, I just noticed that the IBD/TIPP poll, the most accurate in 2004, has McCain down by just 3 points. If the contest is perceived by the voters as a contest between a wealth redistributor and a wealth creator, then it could be a long night come Nov. 4.
And this article:
Investors’ Real Fear: A Socialist Tsunami
INVESTOR’S BUSINESS DAILY
The Crash: “Why has the market dropped so much?” everyone asks. What is it about the specter of our first socialist president and the end of capitalism as we know it that they don’t understand?
The freeze-up of the financial system — and government’s seeming inability to thaw it out — are a main concern, no doubt. But more people are also starting to look across the valley, as they say, at what’s in store once this crisis passes.
And right now it looks like the U.S., which built the mightiest, most prosperous economy the world has ever known, is about to turn its back on the free-enterprise system that made it all possible.
It isn’t only that the most anti-capitalist politician ever nominated by a major party is favored to take the White House. It’s that he’ll also have a filibuster-proof Congress led by politicians who are almost as liberal.
Throw in a media establishment dedicated to the implementation of a liberal agenda, and the smothering of dissent wherever it arises, and it’s no wonder panic has set in.
What is that agenda? It starts with a tax system right out of Marx: A massive redistribution of income — from each according to his ability, to each according to his need — all in the name of “neighborliness,” “patriotism,” “fairness” and “justice.”
It continues with a call for a new world order that turns its back on free trade, has no problem with government controlling the means of production, imposes global taxes to support continents where our interests are negligible, signs on to climate treaties that will sap billions more in U.S. productivity and wealth, and institutes an authoritarian health care system that will strip Americans’ freedoms and run up costs.
All the while, it ensures that nothing — absolutely nothing — will be done to secure a sufficient, terror-proof supply of our economic lifeblood — oil — a resource we’ll need much more of in the years ahead.
The businesses that create jobs and generate wealth are already discounting the future based on what they know about Obama’s plans to raise income, capital gains, dividend and payroll taxes, and his various other economy-crippling policies. Which helps explain why world stock markets have been so topsy-turvy.
But don’t take our word for it. One hundred economists, five Nobel winners among them, have signed a letter noting just that:
“The prospect of such tax-rate increases in 2010 is already a drag on the economy,” they wrote, noting that the potential of higher taxes in the next year or two is reducing hiring and investment.
It was “misguided tax hikes and protectionism, enacted when the U.S. economy was weak in the early 1930s,” the economists remind us, that “greatly increased the severity of the Great Depression.”
We can’t afford to repeat these grave errors.
Yet much of the electorate is determined to vote for the candidate most likely to make them. If he wins, what we consider to be a crisis in today’s economy will be a routine affair in tomorrow’s.
Wild Thing’s comment……….
This is an excellent article!!! I am glad there are people speaking out about Obama and his agenda. Now I jsut wish these same people would get on the media shows and blast away.
That’s how socialists work. Break you down to the bare bones, intending to build you back up and then don’t. Only the top echelon have everything–the money, the food, the best houses, cars, etc., while the rest starve and die in the streets. Ask Smirnoff, the comedian from Russia how his father had to put him on a list to get a car when he was 18 and why he came to America for a better life. Ask those who have been sent to Siberia to die for saying things about the President of Russia or for speaking their minds.
Do people really want Gulags here? Do they want to lose everything they worked so hard for?
Sometimes I wonder when I hear the younger crowd gush about Obamanation and how he’s going to change everything for the better. No one listens to reason anymore. I hear stories of how if Obamanation doesn’t win, there will be riots in the streets of America and Republicans will be attacked physically over and over again.
I just don’t get it.
I saw a crawl across the bottom of Foxnews that if the dummys win the presidency, the house and the senate, they will have the most power this nation has ever seen and we better watch out for our backs basically. The last time they had this much power was 1933 and how long has it taken us to scratch our way back?
I have been unhappy with the previous twenty years of new world order and globalization. In the last two weeks we have just seen the start of the nationalization of our banking system.
Under an Obama presidency all of this will go onto a fast track. Our economy will be socialized at a dazzling pace. Especially with a liberal Congress and as few as two SCOTUS appointments.
Taxes will go through the roof. Business taxes will become prohibitive as a way to hide individual tax increases. I worry about Obama’s plans to work with the UN to tax America to “redistribute the wealth” worldwide.
We will be signing away our economy and our Constitutional freedom under an Obama government.
James Pethokoukis sees it, we see it and Sarah Palin sees it. Good post Chrissie.
The people opposing Obama can’t get on the media shows and blast away Chrissie, it’s too dangerous for the Marxist cause, the only reason Joe the plumber got their ear was for damage control. His question was unmoderated and accidentally made national news, they had to accomodate the situation, now all the strings have been pulled and it’s an all out effort to discredit him. Sarah Palin and Cindy McCain are taking the brunt of their vicious and vile attacks because Sarah dared voice her knowledge and opinion honestly and Cindy is attacked to bring down John.
Communism 101 is in play.
Ohbama has to be scripted right out of the Soros cataloge. Either he is so brainwashed that he actually believes this stuff or too stupid to get it. But I think he gets it all too well.
One comment made by Michelle Obama, during one of her anti American screeds was, once Barrack takes over you won’t go back to your old ways, Barrack won’t let you.
Obama is a communist from the word go he let it slip when he said, ‘spread the wealth, for everybodies benefit. His supporters, some get it, to where he is taking them and they want this but the others I don’t think know what obama is all about.
Please vote for Bob Barr, the Libertarian Party candidate for president.
Why vote for McCain? He voted for the bailout, just like Obama. And both McCain and Obama voted for US government investment in big commercial banks, which is socialist, Socialism, maybe even Communism.
Why not send a message to both parties that it is time to vote on principles? Why not? YES, we should!
Only Bob Barr is moral enough and conservative enough to deal with the issue of housing, Wall Street, and the rest of the current mess. He has not taken a cent from Fannie or Freddie or from any of the Wall Street firms that profit from the bailout. And Bob Barr has the support of Rep. Ron Paul, who did so well in the Republican primary debates.
Here’s Bob’s Web site: http://www.bobbarr2008.com/
Here’s a recent press release from Bob (who has the backing of Rep. Ron Paul):
Press Releases › Wall Street Benefits Twice from Bailouts
October 11, 2008 11:36 am EST
And here’s an article about the upsurge of interest in Bob Barr from the Atlanta Constitution:
The Wall Street debacle and the Barr effect
Friday, October 10, 2008, 04:20 PM
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Fear is an emotional response to threats and danger. It is a basic survival mechanism occurring in response to a specific stimulus, such as pain or the threat of pain, even death, it should be distinguished from anxiety, which typically occurs without any external threat. The most fearful words I’ve heard in my lifetime are, Incoming, Fix Bayonets and Obama, we are at war for the survival of the American way of life. The frustrating thing is the inability to take direct action against the threats. If they want guerilla warfare so be it.
Lynn, thanks for sharing about Smirnoff. I have an Aunt from Russia, she is I mean was ( she has passed away), she married my favorite Uncle and she was my favorite Aunt as well. She escaped from Russia as a child with her family and she would tell of how she loved America and how she prayed every night that America would always stay the country she knew.
Tom, you right and this is at the top of my list that worries me….” Obama presidency all of this will go onto a fast track”.
Jack, thank you. I hit the wall this morning mentally haha and I changed our phone answering machine message. Now it says….
“Nick and Chrissie can’t get to the phone, please leave your name and phone number and we will call you right back. Remember this is an election year and if you LOVE America vote for McCain and Palin. If you HATE America then vote for the socialist Barack Hussein Obama and his socialist agenda.”
I will leave it on for a few days.
Mark, your right, we have some relatives (Nicholas brother that will be ….barf cough gag ….voting for Obama) Nick had me send his brother this article. I feel badly because I know it won’t help and Nicholas is trying so hard to get through to him to wake up.
Jack….”we are at war for the survival of the American way of life. The frustrating thing is the inability to take direct action against the threats.”
Yes and it sure is frustrating.
dfelton , ok listen up, since you wanted your comment to be allowed so desperately…. listen to what I have to say.
There is no way on this earth I would EVER vote for Bob Barr. He used to play a conservative years ago, but obviously it was only an act. When he left politics he joined the ACLU as one of their lawyers. The ACLU that has ruined lives of American citizens, the ACLU that has sided with the asshole Muslims along with their buddies CAIR. The ACLU that does all it can against freedom of speech and our constitution, they ONLY protect those wanting things done AGAINST our country like our Flag, anthem etc.
OK…..another reason NOT to vote for Bob Barr is he was AGAINST THE PATRIOT ACT. Get it, the Patriot Act just like Harry Reid was against it and other democrats that HATE our country.
Those two things alone are enough for me to never open the door to that wimp, jerk and phony.
As far as the Bailout sure I hated it, I fought against it, I made tons of phone calls, sent emails and spoke out about it here at this blog. So the fact that Bob Barr was against it I could care less to be honest with you. I heard enough REAL conservatives say how the first round of votes they voted against it then they voted for it in the last round of votes, and to me they are still conservatives.
This was a monster one that none of us know the way it went down and what threats were made, and I have learned that not all men are warriors in politics even if they wish they were. I hate the BAILOUT BILL, I do not hate the ones I know for a fact are conservatives that weakened and voted for this socialist bill. It is easy for Bob Barr to say he would vote against it, big deal, he was not in politics, he was not a part of the House or the Senate, to be in the position to have a chance to vote for or against the thing so his taking the high freaking horse is bullshit.
The last reason NOT to vote third party and don’t kid yourself is that any vote for a Third Party politician, or a NON vote is a VOTE for the socialist Barack Hussein Obama. And that is a fact of life.
The BAILOUT BILL will be known as the launch most visible event into socialism. I will be angery about it forever. But not enough citizens were upset about it, not enough wrote and called and threatened their politicians NOT to vote for it. I can’t fix apathy but I can speak out myself.
Thank you Chrissie.
That is exactly why Bob Barr doesn’t register as a blip on conservative radar, we’ve done our homework, Barr is part of the Communist movement against freedom, he cherry picks his causes just like all the libertarian candidates. A Republican from 1995 to 2003. Barr’s defeat was applauded by many Democrats and Libertarians.
“With this victory, we have fired a warning shot for every drug warrior in Congress to hear. And any member of Congress — Democrat or Republican — who introduces legislation to make federal drug laws even more oppressive could be next on our list.”
—Ron Crickenberger, Libertarian Party Political Director, August 2002
Now he has joined them, it speaks louder than words just what a power hungry sycophant of the ACLU he really is.
Besides the Libertarian Party is like the Democrats, they’ll welcome a registered Communist as one of their own if it serves their current agenda. Like the GOP they’ll have to clean out the posers if they ever want credibility. Trust, once broached is never regained. The libertarian Party attracts some far out fringe elements, that if they do have a good idea they scare the bejesus out or everybody with the rest of their whacked out ideals.
Not only that they swap their allegiances to fit what ever petty issue is on the agenda at the time, not what is best for the nation. Most can’t even fit in the two party system so they gravitate to either the Libertarian or the Independent party.
Or like Perot, you put your trust in them and they bail out at the last minute causing a split that guarantees the Democrats a win. Nope no way.
Mike Gravel
Ron Paul
Lyndon Larouche
Ross Perot