Abandon Ship

Abandon Ship
Kevin Bryant

When a ship is about to be lost at sea, even rats have enough common sense to abandon ship rather than risk certain death. Same is true in politics.

Prior to the 1980 election, many of the “at risk” democrats resigned rather than face defeat. Same was true in 1994 & republicans did it before the 2006 & 2008 elections. I guess it is better to get off when you can rather than go down in flames along with your captain.

The 2010 election is shaping up to be a repeat of 1994. When Bill Clinton was elected to office, he tried his best to govern from the left. He had a senate and house that were controlled by the democrats and thought with certainty he could push through any legislation he wanted. In the beginning of 1994, he brought people on board hoping to turn things around in the face of mounting resistance to his agenda. Moving his agenda to a more moderate stance was something he refused. With people in place that could maximize the use of his charisma, he was certain that he could win over the people and continue on his more progressive path. When Bill Clinton went to bed the evening of November 8, 1994, he faced the fact that not only had he lost the senate, but he also lost a house that had been controlled by democrats for more than 40 years running.

Now we fast forward to 2010. President Obama in his first year in office has pandered to unions, special interest, lobbyist and his electoral base. He campaigned in the primaries as a staunch leftist progressive, making friends, promises and deals along the way. His Chicago style politics has managed to defeat the once thought to be indestructible Clinton political machine. Turning his attention towards the general election, he campaigns as a moderate. While doing so, he makes more friends, promises more things and makes more deals along the way. Before he goes to bed on the evening of November 4th, 2008, he knows he is the elected President of the United States.

Prior to taking office, my personal list of top ten progressive Presidents were, in order: Franklin D. Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson (the most evil President we have had), Teddy Roosevelt, Lyndon B. Johnson, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, Herbert Hoover, George W. Bush, Gerald Ford and Harry S. Truman. No, Richard Nixon didn’t make my top 10 list. Since taking office in 2009, Barack Obama has easily slid into the number 3 position on my list. If healthcare and cap & trade pass during his time in office, he will move into a tie for the number 1 spot on my all-time progressive President’s list.

With democrats abandoning his policies and several already announcing their intentions not to run for re-election, one would think that Obama would learn from Clinton and the 1994 elections. To date, the only thing Obama has learned is that he and Bill Clinton do not share the same last name. He continues to pander to unions and special interest. He continues to pay back those big donors who financed his campaign with taxpayer money. He firmly believes that his name and his charm will carry democrats to victory in 2010. Unwilling to see the truth that surrounds him, unable to grasp the idea that Americans do not want the kind of change he is pushing, arguably this makes him the dumbest person in the history of Harvard to have graduated from that institution.