Occupy Reality

Having given the civil dissidents of the ‘Occupation’ a few weeks coverage under the watchful eye of the new media, it seems like a good time to weigh in. I’ve taken the time to read media accounts from all perspectives, listened to participant interviews, and routinely visited (and actually joined) the Occupy Wall Street website. Having tried to discern their specific demands, a sense of ideological structure, a vision of how they intend to legally pursue whatever their desires may be; I have come to a very simple and basic(man) conclusion.

Don’t Do It, Sarah

Gov. Palin’s prominence is not an indictment of tea party philosophy of smaller, less intrusive government, lower taxes and Constitutional discipline. It is simply that she is not the person that will garner wide enough appeal of that philosophy to take it to the presidential level. As long as she is the face of the Tea Party movement it will struggle to elevate itself past being a political sect or a rogue offshoot of the GOP.

The person who takes the baton from her will be the center of the biggest political story of the next 18 months.

When is an Amateur Better than a Professional?

Imagine if your doctor, pilot, house builder, or car mechanic introduced him/herself and announced they were new to the profession and in terms of skill only a rank amateur. You’d walk out the door. But there is one profession where rookies are replacing professionals at an alarming rate and we not only seem to be okay with it, we actively support them. Enter the Tea Party.

Getting closer to the November 2010 midterm elections, the Tea Party movement is firing salvo after salvo at incumbent professionals, gaining status as a political force to be reckoned with, and solidifying their street credentials with the quantity of their populist candidates if not the quality of their methods. But who cares if they’re amateurs?

Adjusting Your Threshold for “NO”

Just Say "No"

Suppose you and your colleagues are at a business dinner with the boss. Everyone has done well to stay within their budgets by not ordering the most expensive items on the menu. On the other hand, the boss has had an aperitif, escargot, Caesar salad, Lobster Thermidor, chocolate torte, cappuccino, and Courvoisier when the bill arrives. Grabbing the check he suggests authoritatively, “why don’t we just split this evenly”.  …. ‘I don’t think so’.

Why Sarah Palin Can’t Win in 2012

I generally like anyone with the ability to bring The View ladies, David Letterman, Keith  Olberman, and others of their socio-political perspective to an apoplectic froth. Reading this will likely be a tough pill to swallow for those who see Gov. Palin as a Ronald Reaganesque figure in US politics. It was tough for me to put the thoughts into words. Don’t get me wrong though, I am a Palin fan.While I find great appeal in her views on limited government, a return to Constitutional authority, disciplined federal spending, a strong military to fight a 21st century war, etc. I just don’t think she is now or ever will be presidential material. Here’s why ….

Could Helen Reddy Have Been Right?

I Am Woman, hear me roar….. in numbers too big to ignore ….

….. Hillary isn’t about  to get tackled on the 10 yard line again by her own team …… and if you scan the line-up of usual suspects of potential 2012 Republicans it’s interesting to note that there isn’t a single male figure able to man-up enough to match the females in the party. The most powerful, cogent, and appealing voices motivating the conservative movement are coming from women.

 

Townhalls, Tea Parties, and Tolerance

The tea parties and town hall meetings are a sign of a soft revolution in this country.   We are not a coup d’etat population or a banana republic that organizes guerilla warfare squads for insurrection. Truly, we are better than that, more civilized than that. What we are is educated and civilized enough to engage the political class in all three branches of government that have become increasingly more arrogant and condescending toward the non-political class.