A Sinister US Senate is the Problem

sin·is·ter [sin-uh-ster], adjective

1. Threatening or portending evil, harm, or trouble; ominous: a sinister remark. 2. Bad, evil, base, or wicked; his sinister purposes. 3. Unfortunate; disastrous; unfavorable: a sinister accident. 4. Of or on the left side; left. (Dictionary.com)

The theme for Barack Obama’s re-election campaign is now clear. He can’t run on “hope and change” because though he is trying to change America into a European social democracy he’s decreasing hope at home. He can’t campaign on his economic achievements–unemployment is 8.6% and federal deficits are exploding.

He can’t run on his foreign policy successes. Despite the one positive of killing Osama bin Laden, it is the premature removal of troops from Iraq, his waffling on Iran, and thumbing his nose at Israel have made the world a far more dangerous place.

So here’s the campaign theme that the president and his media allies will trumpet throughout 2012: We have a “Do Nothing Congress” headed by the House Republicans that is preventing America from going forward.

That’s a lie.

What we really have is a “Sinister US Senate” that desperately needs replacing.

Yeah, I know that a week ago the House Republicans were stupid and lost the PR campaign on the payroll tax. They were right to resist the “two month” gimmick–but they messed up the negotiations with the Senate, then blinked and capitulated when the Democrats and their media allies successfully branded them the enemy of middle class tax cuts.

But who are we trying to kid? Tax cuts?  It’s twenty dollars a week for the average American–for two measly months?  Total = $160.

That’s a tax cut? You can’t even buy half an iPad with $160.

But the Senate was craftier at this legislative game and now the President Obama can perpetuate the myth that this is a “Do Nothing” Congress and that both Republicans and Democrats are equally to blame. His campaign theme will be to “elect an outside like him (!)” who does not vote up on dysfunctional Capitol Hill and can get on his white horse (War Horse?) and lead us to victory.

Don’t believe the spin.

Here’s the reality: We do not have a “Do-Nothing Congress.” We have a sinister US Senate that is recklessly dragging our nation in a wrong direction. On the other hand, the House of Representatives is desperately trying to get us to change course–to head us the right way.

But they are currently losing the battle to the bad guys. That’s because the US Senate has become a very sinister institution.

Don’t believe me? Let’s look at the facts.

November 2010 was a watershed election in which millions of everyday Americans who were laughingly labeled “the Tea Party” woke up and realized that America was in deep trouble. We were spending too much; We were growing the government monster and moving toward European socialism; Illegal immigration was out of control; The institution of the family was under attack.

So rallies took place all across the country and many patriotic Americans stepped into the electoral process. The result in November 2010 was a “re-born” House of Representatives that was the biggest shift from liberal to conservative in over seventy years. It was a mandate from the people that the nation needed to change direction.

Then Tea Party Representatives-elect came to Washington, D.C. to right the ship of state.

However, there was a problem. The Senate also became more conservative in 2010, but Harry Reid, the Democratic leader was re-elected, and the Democrats barely held on to a majority. And this majority of socialist-leaning progressives have been the thorn in America’s side for the past three years.

What we really have is a sinister Senate and a White House in collusion.  And if America is to survive our careening-out-of-control 15 trillion dollar debt, then we need to elect a conservative majority Senate in 2012 and also a conservative president.

A sinister Senate is a bridge to nowhere (no good).

I’m not being extreme in using the label “sinister.” Look again at the above definition.

1. Threatening or portending evil, harm, or trouble

The Senate has been the true “Do Nothing” political body for two years now. Though the House passed  24 bills that would have helped bring down the deficit and create jobs in America, the Senate rejected them all. For over one thousand days they refused to approve a budget. And when it came to negotiating some desperately needed changes in entitlement programs, they refused to give in and brought the government to a standstill. There is no question this brought great harm and trouble to our nation and “threatens'” our very future.

Why is the Senate stalling everything?  Why are they rejecting all the House bills and refusing to pass no legislation on their own? Because they know their radical agenda is out of step with the American people. They know it won’t fly and they don’t want to reveal their true nature by attaching themselves to “bad” votes. This is selfish, cynical politics at its worst.

2. Bad, evil, base or wicked. Not doing the peoples’ business is bad. Failing to deal honestly with the American debt crisis is absolutely evil in its ramifications. Three hundred and ten million people could be plunged into poverty and ruin by their neglect. Astronomical debt is immoral. It is slavery. The Senate is also the greatest proponent of anti-family, anti-security policies that threaten America’s social fabric such as the weakening of our defense capabilities and the promotion of homosexual marriage.

3. Unfortunate; unfavorable; disastrous.

It is completely unfortunate at this point in our history that the US Senate refuses to deal the immense problems this nation faces. They won’t seal the borders. They won’t scale back the size of government. Their lack of a job program that highlights de-regulation, freedom, lower taxes and smaller deficits is totally “unfavorable” to our families and economy. The sinister United States Senate is holding the entire nation hostage to their Big Government utopian dream. Their inaction–their wrong actions–are absolutely disastrous to future generations.

4. Of or on the left side.

It was quite enlightening to realize that the original definition of the word “sinister” related to being “left of center.” Quite an appropriate analogy. I didn’t make it up. It’s in the Dictionary. It’s high time for the America people to realize that “leftist” policies are hurtful and un-American. They are a sinister attempt to take that which is right and corrupt it for the purposes of power and control.

The definitions say it all. We have a House of Representatives that are trying to do the right thing, and a sinister Senate that is holding up the turning of the American ship back to the right path of greatness. Unfortunately, we have a president who also could wear the sinister label..

 Here’s an analogy of our current situation in Washington, D.C.

Imagine a boat heading toward a steep waterfall where all will lost is they plunge over the edge.There are four oars in the boat. One oar is the presidency. The second is the Senate. The third is the mainstream media. The fourth is the House (backed by the Tea Party and other patriotic Americans.)

From 2008 to 2010, all four oarsmen were furiously paddling in the wrong direction toward the waterfall of doom. In the 2010 election, the oar of the House was taken back, and now that one oar is desperately trying to slow down the speed of the out-of-control vessel or even turn it around.

This fight should never be likened to gridlock. Gridlock occurs when there are two many boats all going the same direction, with too little space for them to keep up their speed. Everything bottlenecks and slows down to a stop.

Our current political fight is not like traffic flow. It’s more like a sports contest where one group wants to advance the ball their direction and score a touchdown. The other team is resisting their efforts and wants to get the ball in their hands and score the other way.

In reality, we are engaged in a cultural fight to the death over the expiration or resurrection of the United States as a nation.

For the next twelve months, the pro-left American media will say that the problem is “gridlock,” the “extreme” House of Representatives, and that the Republican presidential nominee is not up to the task.

Don’t believe them.

Our problem is a sinister Senate and its ally in the White House. Fortunately, with the retirement of Senator Ben Nelson D-FL yesterday, there are now seven of the sinister ones that will not running next year. That’s a positive sign.

Because what we really need in 2012 is a “change” of personnel in the US Senate and presidency that will bring a renewal of “hope” for the American future.

 

 

How the GOP Presidential Race is Like the NFL

Many  people seem perplexed or nervous about the GOP presidential contest. The field is fairly broad and there have already been nearly a dozen debates.

For a few weeks Hermain Cain was up and this week saw the rise of Newt Gingrich. Mitt Romney looks steady but is not pulling away. Michelle Bachmann won the Iowa Straw poll but is now in single digits. Rick Perry catapulted to the front at first, then made some debate mistakes and fell back.

And on and on.

Everywhere I go, people are asking me who I will vote for, and express dismay over the daily changing landscape. To those who are concerned, I have a simple response:

Relax and watch the game.

Politics is like the National Football League. The “regular season” is still going on and we really don’t know who will make the “playoffs.” We also don’t know who will get hot in their playoff run and then go on to the Big Dance.

So do not despair. The game is on, one “team” will rise to the top, and that “team” should go on to beat Team Obama in the “Super Bowl.”

My prediction: GOP 55 – Obama 45.

Here’s why the 2012 Republican presidential race is eerily similar to the NFL.

First of all, let’s examine the dynamics of America’s favorite sport–the NFL.

The beginning of the National Football League season always starts with much speculation and hype. Most fans believe their team is going to do well, and predictions about who will rise are all over the map. Then the regular season begins and the teams start playing. Some do better than expected and others tank. The regular season is there to confirm who  teams that can become play-off contenders.

By the time the playoffs arrive, you have a much better idea of who the superior teams are. They’ve navigated the ups and downs of the long regular season, honed their strengths, worked on their weaknesses, and finished in a position to move on.

After a rugged playoff schedule, only two teams are left standing. They are, at that time, the cream of the crop in the league. In the biggest sporting event in the world, they face off in the Super Bowl–and only one takes home the crown as “World Champion.”

Now let’s transpose that process to the current GOP presidential race.

First of all, a caveat. I will probably disappoint or anger some of you by comparing your favorite team to a current GOP contender. Of course, the comparisons are never perfect, but I’ll try to imaginatively do my best.

Secondly, things change every week as the season progresses. So what is said today may be different at the end of the season. So give me some slack. I’m trying to make a point–and use a little humor to do it.

Mitt Romney is like the New England Patriots. He’s steady and a perennial contender, but he doesn’t appear to be a juggernaut this year. He’s got a good arm like Tom Brady, but he’s not one of the younger “quarterbacks” in the league. He’s got a great “coaching staff” (like Bill Belichick), but there’s questions about whether he can go all the way. No matter how good he is, some people just don’t like “the Patriots.”

Rick Perry is similar to the Houston Texans. They were a favorite to rise in the 2011-2012 season, but lost some games early on and appeared to be going nowhere. But the past few weeks they’ve been winning–and maybe over the long haul they can make it back to the top.

Newt Gingrich is the Pittsburgh Steelers. He has the heritage, the trophies, and probably “knows football” better than anybody else. Deep down many people want to see him win and “kick Obama’s butt” in the presidential debates. But later down the line, he may be on the “defensive” as some past personal mistakes are blown up by the media (Ben Rothlisberger–can you relate?) Of course, good defense wins Super Bowls. (Troy Polamalu-we need you!).

Herman Cain is like the Buffalo Bills. For a few weeks he looked almost unbeatable, but then he began to lose a few games with some “unsportsmanlike conduct” accusations. I believe these charges are all bogus, but the refs still threw the flags. Herman needs to get his act together and go back to the top of his game. Otherwise, it will be a long off-season.

Michelle Bachmann is like the Detroit Lions. She’s a “young team” and started out with a bang. But now she has lost some games and gone back to the middle of the pack. She can win a “wild card” race with a primary triumph in Iowa, but it will not be easy. But don’t count her out yet. She has a “spine made with steel” (maybe she’s really a Steeler).

I think you get the idea, but here are a few more analogies.

  • Jon Huntsman is the Cleveland Browns. His campaign is too “dreary”. He’s not going to win this year.
  • Ron Paul is the Dallas Cowboys. There’s a loyal following, but he always trips up on the big stage due to foreign policy “interceptions” (think Tony Romo’s playoff record.)
  • Rick Santorum is the Oakland Raiders. They’re young and good looking, but even Carson Palmer can’t save them.
  • Tim Pawlenty–oh he’s gone already–just like the Indianapolis Colts. He was 0-8 before things got going.

And unfortunately, there is no “Green Bay Packers” in this year’s GOP race. It might have been Chris Christie, but you never know until they play the game.

So back to the actual race.

It is completely normal that the the GOP contenders are fighting it out now and positions and polling are going back and forth. That’s normal in the regular season. The NFL teams are doing the same. The regular season is necessary to see who has the better package to rise to the top of the heap.

Then the playoffs will begin. The first “game” will be the Iowa caucuses, followed by the new Hampshire and South Carolina primaries. Just like the polls aren’t extremely important now, neither is the regular season except to put certain teams in a position to move on.

The playoffs are the primaries. That’s when people will cast their real votes and we will see who the Grand Old Party believes is their best team. At that point, the better candidates will get on a roll, and as the playoffs end, only one team–one Republican presidential candidate–will win.

That candidate will play Barack Obama in the Super Bowl of Politics.

The eventual GOP nominee will have greatly elevated their game by the end. They will have a clear set of principles that are superior to that of Team Obama. Not matter who they are, they will be a believer in smaller government, lower deficits, no new taxes, sound social policy, and in a word: freedom.

In the “Super Bowl,” Obama will bring his “offense” of Obamacare, bigger government, hostility toward the family and Christianity, and will be on “defense” for a lousy economy that he has failed to improve. His game plan is also very clear. History calls it tyranny.

In that all important final contest, the GOP will win because even though we were blinded by the charisma of Team Obama in 2008, in November of 2012 a majority of the American people will take note that Barack Obama was not really the champion of hope and change that he purported to be.

We thought he was Vince Lombardi and the Pack.

But really, he is more like the Toledo Mud Hens.

Team GOP will win the 2012 Super Bowl Election. The refs for the game will be the mainstream media and they will keep it close by throwing some bogus penalty flags (think Seattle Seahawks versus Pittsburgh Steelers in 2006).

The game will not not be easy, and unlike football, we are not just spectators. We will need to pray desperately, repent of our past wrong choices, and get into the game to help all the best candidates win on a local, state and national level–not just the Super Bowl.

But we will win.

America can’t afford another lock-out.

 

To read a good article on the Republican candidates by political strategist Dick Morris, please click here.

 

 

 

 

It’s Not Gridlock–It’s Game On! The Tea Party Vs. The Flea Party

Though I don’t agree with either the message or methods of the Occupy Wall Street crowd, I’m  glad they’ve taken the field in America’s culture war.

For quite some time the mainstream media have told us that the problem in Washington, D.C. is gridlock–that our politicians just need to listen to one another, and then come up with some bi-partisan solutions to the nation’s problems.

We are told ad nauseam that political gridlock is the problem–that both conservatives and liberals are to blame–and that the answer is to heed the call for civility made by Rodney King in 1992:

“You know, can we all get along?”

But now thanks to Occupy Wall Street, the truth is clear: The game to shape America’s future is on–the teams have taken the field–and only one team can win. It’s a cultural clash that will end in victory for one side and defeat for the other.

For which side will you fight?

I think it’s helpful to compare the 2011-2012 US culture war to the American game of football. Two teams take the field. They go at one another for sixty minutes–there is back and forth, ebb and flow of the contest–bruises aplenty and even some serious injuries. In the end, only one team is the victor. The groups don’t compromise–they don’t work out a plan to make everybody happy.

They fight it out on the field and the best team wins. Real wars work the same way.

With the 2012 election looming, America is engaged in a desperate and serious struggle for its future. I know of a Christian leader who has a book coming out this fall who believes that the next president of the United States will affect history for good or evil for the next one hundred years.

Whether he right or not, this I do know: For the next thirteen months, the game is on.

Here’s my view of the contest.

Team One – The Tea Party

One team in America desires to renew America’s exceptional roots. This team is best symbolized by the Tea Party movement which burst on the scene in 2009 in response to the election of Barack Obama and his desire to take the nation in the direction of socially-democratic Europe. Spontaneous gatherings erupted around the nation of ordinary Americans, many in their middle and latter years, who carried a clear message to their elected officials of the need for reduced spending, lower taxes, and limiting the size and scope of government.

The Tea Party movement, like its revolutionary namesake, lit a fire for traditional Christian values and the type of limited government it produces. The movement got heavily involved in grass roots politics and saw landslide victories in the 2010 elections. In 2012 they hope to win the presidency, gain a majority in the US Senate, and retain the House of Representatives. They also understand the need for small government leadership in our towns, cities, and statehouses.

Tea Party activists–and the people who resonate with them–desire an America that acknowledges God in our public life, supports traditional values including marriage, free market capitalism, and our God-given rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Justice is seen as creating a level playing field for all people where some can become successful if they choose–and others can settle for less if they desire.

In this Judeo-Christian worldview, every person is responsible before God for their outcomes in life. Character determines destiny. Government’s job is to protect people’s rights and punish evil both inside and outside our borders.

The Tea Party Team is the “home” team. They are historic America. They are composed of conservatives and independents with at least a memory of biblical ideas and how they made America great. They want to see those ideals flourish in our land again.

Team Two – The Flea Party

This is symbolized by the Occupy Wall Street crowd. The movement was recently nick-named by conservative columnist Ann Coulter.  I’ll let her explain the meaning of the Flea Party moniker:

“So far, the only major accomplishment of the ‘Occupy Wall Street’ protesters is that they have finally  put an end to their previous initiative, ‘Occupy Our Mothers’ Basements.'”

“Oddly enough for such a respectable-looking group — a mixture of adolescents looking for a cause, public sector union members, drug dealers, criminals, teenage runaways, people who have been at every protest since the Berkeley Free Speech Movement… they can’t even explain what they’re protesting.”

“The protesters either treat inquiries about their purpose as a trick question, or — worse — instantly rattle off a series of insane causes: “No. 1, abolish capitalism; No. 2, because 9/11 was an inside job; No. 3, because Mumia is innocent …”

“Curiously, the only point universally agreed upon by the protesters and their admirers in the Democratic Party and the mainstream media is that “Occupy Wall Street” should be compared to the tea party. Yes, that would be the same tea party that has been denounced and slandered by the Democratic Party and the mainstream media for the last three years.”

“As a refresher: The Democratic National Committee called the tea partiers ‘angry mobs’ and ‘rabid right-wing extremists.’ ABC said they were a ‘mob.’ CNN accused them of ‘rabble rousing.’ Harry Reid called them ‘evil mongers.’ Nancy Pelosi said they were ‘un-American.'”

“But apparently liberals couldn’t even convince themselves that tea partiers were an extremist group unworthy of emulation. At least they’re embarrassed about what the OWS protesters really are: wingless, bloodsucking and parasitic. This is the flea party, not the tea party.”

Ann’s not far off. Just look at the current protests. They’re made up of primarily young people and older hippie-types who seem to enjoy slamming the system. They were joined–and many even paid to protest– by some labor organizations and communist/socialist groups backed by the progressive pockets of George Soros.

The Flea Party wants to destroy America as we know it. They are the “visiting” team who do not believe in our history. Though their message might be jaded by too much marijuana inhalation, they want bigger government, taking money from the rich and giving it to others, cradle-to grace entitlements, and I guess–a socialist utopia like, say, the Soviet Union! (Whoops–wrong example. That didn’t end well… How about Venezuela, Cuba, or North Korea?).

Interestingly, our current Democratic leaders are embracing the Flea Party. President Obama might have launched the movement himself with his incessant class warfare rhetoric over the past few months. It could be a re-election strategy: Take attention off the dismal moral and financial problems facing our nation–he can’t run on his record–and blame the greedy fat cats on Wall Street! (Whoops again–Wall Street gave historic amounts of money to Barack Obama in 2008…Oh well, people might not remember.)

The Flea Party is a cultural team devoted to secular values. They want God and his prudish morals out of America and demand a Bigger Uncle Same to play Robin Hood–to take from the rich and give to the poor. They’re willing to start a violent revolution if necessary (a la Europe?) to bring about transformative change. This team is mostly made up of liberal progressives and left-leaning independents. They want Big Government to level and control the playing field.

But Erick Erickson of redstate.com has a better solution:

“The point is not that we now need to punish those big businesses. The point is that we need to re-level the playing field and make it a fair competition between entrepreneur and corporation again. We need big business to stop living off the taxpayer dole.  We need a new age of corporate welfare reform like the welfare reform of the 1990s.”

“The playing field has been tilted toward the big businesses because they are the only ones who had the capital to stay ahead of government regulations and new government burdens, and the influence to bend new laws in their direction. The playing field does not need to be tipped back in favor of others. Just level it. An upright tower build on a slope will topple the moment the slope is laid flat.”

The Referees

Every football games has its refs, and our present titanic clash is no exception. At the present time, the majority of the referees are the liberal mainstream media who demean the Tea Party and sympathize with the Flea Party. They support Barack Obama and want to see America permanently changed. They’re similar to the referees of the 2006 Super Bowl between the Steelers and the Seahawks who said they were neutral but really favored Pittsburgh on a number of controversial calls.

Seattle coach Mike Holgren said at that time that he expected to play the Steelers–not the men in black and white stripes. I feel the same today. Media bias makes it very difficult for the Tea Party traditionalists to win.

However, the emergence of Fox News and conservative radio has placed a few other refs on the field that could influence the outcome.

But it’s still an uphill battle.

For the next thirteen months these two teams and their philosophical allies will be fighting it out on the gridiron of the American destiny. Only one team will win. The wild card of this contest is which side will God’s people join. Will they pray and get involved to bring the United States back to its godly roots? Or will the Church unwittingly support the dissolving of our godly heritage?

It’s time to think clearly. This is not about gridlock. The game is on. One team will win and the other will lose.

It’s that simple and that profound.

I hope we choose wisely. Our future hangs in the balance.