The Cobb Blog » Elections and Partisan Politics

More Than a Feeling

jbcobb — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 14:52:09 +0000

Although it was cold and foggy in Saint Louis this morning, people all over America will wake up with the feeling like today is the first day of Spring. The air smells better, the sky is bluer, the grass is greener, birds are singing more cheerfully, and our country just might have a chance to survive, after all. While that may be overstating it, conservatives and libertarians, like Eric Dondero, believe that the resurgence of American popular support of traditional values and the Constitution is “more than a feeling“.

It will be interesting, however, to see left-wing spin of the victory of Scott Brown over Kennedy- Obama-Coakley in Massachusetts (I will forego references like Taxachusetts, for today, in deference to their monumental political statement). Most certainly, the left talking heads will claim that this was a local victory which hinged, not on national issues like healthcare, but on personal gaffes by the Democrat regarding baseball loyalties. That is to be expected. But, make no mistake about it, when a state changes the orientation of its horse after 30 years of drinking the kool-aid, there is something going on. If you can pull the lever for a stupid, obese, drunk, felonious nothing for thirty years, why wouldn’t you vote for vacuous party puppet like Coakley? Certainly she is less odious than the DUI guy, right? Was Brown’s good looks enough to sway voters? Let’s see if the left thinks voters were that shallow.

I believe that this is indicative of the sentiment sweeping America. This is but the first wave to hit our shores as the result of the Tea Party phenomenon, the first major backlash against what Americans perceive was a monumental electoral mistake in 2008. What this is NOT, is a repudiation of Democrats in favor of Republicans. If Massachusetts had trotted out a political troll like McCain or Bush, Coakley would have walked into the end zone. Scott Brown embraced the anti-Washington, anti-Big Government, anti-Obama, anti-status quo sentiment of the Tea Party movement, and it paid huge dividends. While you will hear much from the left and the Democrat Party (and Republican Party) hacks to asuage those fears of mass revolt, there is something bigger than a beauty contest between a jackass and an elephant happening right now.

It could just be that many of us feel a little more optimistic right now. Hopefully, it is more than a feeling.

Quoth the Raven

jbcobb — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 22:23:22 +0000

Nevermore. Considering the typical tone and substance of my postings, you’d guess that I was referencing my trust for the government or the next time I will vote for anyone who toes the line of one of the two major parties. But, not today, not yet anyway. Even though today could be a monumental day in Massachusetts, and indeed, all over America. This could possibly be the day the healthcare reform music dies, or at least begins to fade. But, nobody should be that optimistic or giddy, because we are talking about Massachusetts….Cambridge and Boston, or Bahstahn, if you are a fan of Kennedy or Will Hunting. These are the stomping grounds of the Camelot crowd (even the stupid fat drunk one), old school socialists like Tip O’Neill, short socialists like Michael Dukakis, and Munsteresque socialists like John Kerry. This great home of old patriots and the NE Patriots, has most recently been home to some of the reddest of pinko politicians in all of American history. Additionally, it is home to perhaps the greatest incubator of socialist chicks, Harvard University. Of course, there are a few like Jeffrey Mirron, a libertarian professor at the Big Red, sorry, Crimson school who is beating himself up, trying to decide whether to vote for a libertarian named Kennedy (is this some kind of twisted joke?) or Scott Brown. Hopefully, he will make the right decision…whatever that might be…actually, as long as Coakley loses and healthcare reform dies, I believe Dr. Libertarian will be feel a bit happier tonight.

Ummmm, it seems this entry turned out to be about politics after all. Yeah, about the Raven thing…for the first time in sixty years, the annual anonymous birthday visitor to Edgar Allan Poe’s grave, who deposited three roses and a bottle of Cognac at the tombstone, did not make the pilgrimage last night. That is about the same time the last non-socialist was elected to statewide office in the Bay State. Maybe he/she was a resident of Massachusetts. Some things are more important than others, quoth the raven.

ManBearPig Attacks Australia by James Delingpole

jbcobb — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 15:08:29 +0000

The following excerpt is from an article by the brilliant columnist of the Daily Telegraph, James Delingpole. Read the rest of the article, and get access to all of his posts right here.

Australian conservatives have shown the way by dumping the party leader who was in favour of massive carbon taxes and replacing him with one who stated last month that AGW is “crap.”

This makes Malcolm Turnbull, the suddenly-ex-leader of Australia’s Liberal party, the first major political victim of the Climategate furore. And his replacement Tony Abbott, the first politician to reap the benefits of the world’s growing scepticism towards ManBearPig. Of the three candidates, he was the only one committed to delaying the Australian government’s proposed Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS).

Continue reading this article by visiting Mr. Delingpole’s blog at the Daily Telegraph of London.