Wednesday, November 27, 2013

(BABALU) Honduras 1, Zelaya 0



(My new Babalu post)
On Sunday, the people of Honduras voted to reject Mrs Zelaya, who was nothing but a front for Mr Zelaya.
The public knows that Zelaya was a disaster, as The Washington Post pointed out:
"Beset by some of the worst poverty and crime in the Western Hemisphere, Honduran voters had many reasons to reject the Zelayas — starting with the ongoing disaster in the country the couple held up as a model, Hugo Chávez’s Venezuela.
And then there is Mr. Zelaya’s record: As president four years ago, he attempted to stage an illegal referendum so as to gain a second term, which provoked his equally illegal ouster by the military.
Honduras had to spend a lot of precious time re instituting democracy and regaining full membership in the Organization of American States when what it really needed was an all-out national effort against rampant crime and corruption."
Honduras has a lot of problems, from poverty to the violence related to cartels.   However,  we congratulate the people of Honduras for refusing to buy into another round of Zelaya, or a disciple of Chavez.
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Tuesday, November 26, 2013

'Escuchame': Cuban dissidents say 'listen to me'!

(My new American Thinker post)

 It's 90 miles south of Key West but it seems like millions from US public opinion.   

 I understand that we have lots of domestic and foreign problems but can we take a minute and listen to dissidents screaming from the island?  

 This is from The Miami Herald:    

 " The regime's actions speak volumes about its true intentions:   

 November began with a delay in the trial of three democracy activists arrested last year during the visit of Pope Benedict XVI. The church has a new pope, but these dissidents are still in jail.  

 The following weekend, Cuban security officials detained 30 members of the Ladies in White in yet another crackdown on freedom advocates, and a government mob pummeled a prominent dissident, Guillermo Fariñas, when he dared complain to the police.  

 On Oct. 14, police and a pro-government mob arrested 22 members of the Ladies in White who were marking the anniversary of the death of their founder.  

 In September, more than 700 short-term detentions of dissidents were reported by Cuban human rights groups, one of the highest totals in years."     

 Raul's reforms are a fraud.  Cuba is still the same Castro dictatorship that we've known for years.  They announce "reforms" but keep the Cuban people under a repressive and authoritarian system.


 However, he is getting away with it because there are too many who would rather do business with Cuba than listen to the dissidents.


 P. S. You can hear CANTO TALK here & follow me on Twitter @ scantojr.



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What ever happened to protecting US citizens abroad?

(My new American Thinker post)

 Don't look now, but a few US citizens are detained overseas.

 In North Korea, a US citizen has been arrested, according to the BBC:    

 "The couple's son, Jeffrey Newman, said earlier that Mr Merrill, a Korean War veteran, was taken off a plane by uniformed officers on 26 October at the end of a trip to North Korea.   
He was visiting the country with a friend, on a guided tour arranged with a travel agent "approved by the North Korean government for travel of foreigners", Jeffrey Newman said.  
US officials have not specifically confirmed the case, but have called on North Korea to "resolve the issue."

 Over in Iran, a pastor is also under arrest:  

 "Saeed Abedini, an American citizen, has been imprisoned in Iran for more than a year for practicing Christianity. The talks over Iran's nuclear program were seen by his family and those representing them as one of the most promising avenues yet for securing his release.     
But the White House confirmed over the weekend that Abedini's status was not on the table during those talks."

 Down in Cuba,  Allan Gross has been detained for years:  

 "Four years ago, Cuban security agents arrested an American subcontractor named 
Alan Gross, accused him of spying for the U.S., and sentenced him to 15 years in a Havana prison. Gross has been languishing there ever since, a victim of Obama administration inaction, Congressional meddling, and the difficulties of negotiating with a regime as mercurial and opaque as the government of Cuban strongman Raúl Castro."  

 What is the Obama administration doing about this?  We are not suggesting a military attack but it would be nice if we showed a little muscle from time to time.  

 We can not allow countries like Iran, North Korea and Cuba to arrest US citizens for bogus reasons. You get the feeling that no one fears the US anymore.   

 P. S. You can hear CANTO TALK here & follow me on Twitter @ scantojr.

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57% disapprove: A bad Zogby for President Obama

The RCP average of job approvals polls is 40.8%.   The disapproval is 55%
The latest Zogby poll is devastating:    
""Trust is like virginity: once you lose it it's hard to get it back.
“Our brand new Zogby Analytics poll (November 18, 895 likely voters) shows President Obama's approval rating at 41 percent, not his lowest, but down two points from just three days before.
“Most ominous for Mr. Obama is that 57 percent now disapprove of his job. That is his worst number yet. This includes 57 percent of men and 55 percent of women; 51 percent of moderates, 24 percent of liberals and 24 percent of Democrats; 66 percent of independents and 40 percent of Hispanics.
“The November 30 deadline for straightening out the Obamacare website looms very large. I was tempted to give the president an F, but he bestowed the Medal of Freedom this week on ‘Mr. Cub’ Ernie Banks, a terrific thing to do."
Grade – D-"
This poll has a sample of 18,895 likely voters.  That's huge.

 By the way, check out Mr Zogby's new book:

Click here for our show with Mr Zogby:

Tags: President Obama job approvals  To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the My View by Silvio Canto, Jr. Thanks!
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Monday, November 25, 2013

(BABALU) The new Iran deal: “Un cuchillo en la espalda de Israel”

(My new Babalu post)

The new Iran deal is a perfect storm, or the kind of event that will have huge unintended consequences.

 Let's look at the elements of this perfect storm:

 1) The Obama administration is desperately looking for any kind of legacy. President Obama is trying to look consequential on the world scene. Why did he stab Israel?

 2) The Europeans are desperately looking to do business with Iran. The Europeans have always been reluctant warriors in this game. The European economies desperately need business and they will do business with anyone.

 3) Iran is jumping on the opportunity to get a deal that buys them for more time. In other words, they want time and we just gave it to them.

 What does our best friend in the neighborhood say about this deal? They don't like it at all:

"Israeli leaders denounced the interim Iranian nuclear pact signed by the United States and five world powers as a “historic mistake” that does little to reverse Iran’s nuclear ambitions and instead makes the world a more dangerous place."

 I hope that I'm dead wrong. However, it looks to me like North Korea 1994 all over again!

 P.S. What about the pastor imprisoned in Iran? Did we forget him? I guess so!

 Check out CANTO TALK here:


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Some quick thoughts about the Iran deal


We spoke with Bill Katz about this new deal with Iran.  We don't have a lot of details but Israel is not happy with it.

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Sunday, November 24, 2013

The 'law of the land' that President Obama keeps changing

(My new American Thinker post)

 The "law of the land" just got "amended the Obama way" again. Do you remember all of those "in your face" statements about "this is the law of the land" and you can't change it!

I guess that it depends what the meaning of the phrase "law of the land" means!

According to news reports:   

 "The Department of Health and Human Services announced Friday it would allow consumers to start signing up for coverage under ObamaCare on Nov. 15, 2014, a month later than originally scheduled. The change does not affect those trying to enroll this year.     
Congressional Republicans accused the administration of shifting the dates for political reasons, to hide a spike in 2015 premiums, though information may already be available about 2015 premiums before the elections on Nov. 4."

We hear that President Obama taught constitutional law. 

What constitution did he teach? It can not be the one that I learned in school. 

As I recall, the US Constitution makes it very clear that the Congress legislates or makes the law and the executive enforces it.

Again, what constitution did this law professor teach?   

 P. S. We spoke about this with Bill Katz & & follow me on Twitter @ scantojr.

Tags: ObamaCare changes  To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the My View by Silvio Canto, Jr. Thanks!
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Talking Dallas 1963 and the Fielder/Kinsler baseball trade


We spoke with Dave Michaels, long time Dallas radio personality and producer.

First, Dave was born and raised here and remembers the day that President Kennedy was killed.  We both agree that it was a great ceremony.  

 Second, Dave and I discussed the Rangers/Tigers trade.  I like the trade for Texas.  My biggest question is whether Fielder will play first base or platoon between DH and first.

 Click here for the interview:




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Friday, November 22, 2013

Stuff that Michael Moore did not tell you about Cuba

(My new American Thinker post)

 There is something very bad going on in Cuba. 

First, we hear of health care but:  

 "Officers of the Ministry of Education (MINED),   Central Region, at a government meeting on Monday the 11th, suspended the Schools in the Countryside program for November and December, because of the complicated epidemiological situation in the province.   
Guilfredo Martin Betancourt, a MINED official, said the province is experiencing cases of cholera and dengue fever, without giving specifics with regards to numbers, given the environmental and social indiscipline problems."

Second, we hear that 1,000,000 homes in Cuba do not have running water.  This one is a real shock to any Cuban who remembers pre-Castro Cuba.  We had a lot of problems in pre-Castro but running water was not one of them.

Let's file these two under "What Michael Moore missed when he went to Cuba".

We hear of reforms and reforms but the island's ballplayers would rather play under "yankee imperialismo".  It's amazing because these are young men who grew up in Castro's Cuba and learned that "playing ball for money" was a capitalist sin. 

We just learned that more Cuban players have "sinned" and left that workers' paradise that so many of our college professors love so much.

Here is the story:   

 "Erisbel Arruebarruena, Cuba's starting shortstop in the WBC, and reliever Raicel Iglesias are said to be training in the Dominican Republic and Mexico, respectively, according to the Spanish daily El Nuevo Herald in Miami.   
Both players are seeking to establish residency in those countries so they can apply for free agency and negotiate with MLB teams.    
In late October, their WBC teammate Jose Dariel Abreu signed a six-year, $68 million deal with the Chicago White Sox, the largest contract ever given a Cuban defector.   
Also in October, the Los Angeles Dodgers signed Cuban infielder Alexander Guerrero for four years and $28 million.   
Arruebarruena and Iglesias, both 23, are not expected to command those types of figures, but they have drawn interest from big-league clubs."

Some major league team is going to get a nice shortstop and bullpen help.

More importantly, two more Cubans have voted with their feet and told the world what they think of the island's reforms.   

 P. S. You can hear CANTO TALK here & follow me on Twitter @ scantojr.

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Preparing the president for the next Obamacare disaster

(My new American Thinker post)

 We've heard up to now that President Obama was kept in the dark about ObamaCare's problems.

I hope that Valerie Jarrett changes "the locks to the gate" because there is a lot of very bad news coming, according to news reports:

 "A new and independent analysis of ObamaCare warns of a ticking time bomb, predicting a second wave of 50 million to 100 million insurance policy cancellations next fall -- right before the mid-term elections.   

 The next round of cancellations and premium hikes is expected to hit employees, particularly of small businesses. While the administration has tried to downplay the cancellation notices hitting policyholders on the individual market by noting they represent a relatively small fraction of the population, the swath of people who will be affected by the shakeup in employer-sponsored coverage will be much broader." 

In other words, the next round of bad news is going to be really bad. It may happen 30 days before the November election.  It will involve lots and lots of Americans covered by employer provided insurance.

It won't be pretty. Or "Tough as stewed skunk" as they say in Texas.

Is anyone preparing President Obama?  I hope so because his leadership is on the line.   

 P. S. You can hear CANTO TALK here & follow me on Twitter @ scantojr.
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“Le ronca el mango” and other things that people are saying about the ObamaCare premiums!

(My new Babalu post)

 You don't have to read any polls to figure out that the public is very disappointed.
Just talk to them. Ask adults about a job or young people about looking for one!
Or ask them about paying higher premiums so that ObamaCare can work.
Let me tell you what one of my sons' friends said recently: "That's not what he said during the campaign"!
That's right!
He said a lot of things but paying higher premiums was not one of them,  
""All we ever heard about Obamacare is that it would lower our deductibles and premiums," said Jennifer Slafter, 40 of Mabel, Minn. "That's just not what's happened.
""Slafter and her husband, Steve, are scrambling to find affordable care for themselves and their two children.
The exchange's Blue Cross Blue Shield plan was $1,087 a month with a $6,000 deductible, while a Medica plan was $877 a month with a $12,700 deductible.
Both are steeper than their current plan.
"Everything got higher," said Slafter, who is still waiting to hear whether they qualify for a premium subsidy.
But even if they do, she said she'd still find it very tough to meet the deductibles."
So the Affordable Health Care Act is not affordable.   What a shock!

Tags: ObamaCare premiums  To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the My View by Silvio Canto, Jr. Thanks!
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Thursday, November 21, 2013

Maybe TX gubernatorial candidate Wendy Davis will finally talk about something other than abortion

(My new American Thinker post)
The Supreme Court refused to block the new Texas abortion restrictions. 

We remind you that abortion was always legal in Texas.In fact, there is a clinic on LBJ Highway open for business and doing just fine. The issue was not "Roe v Wade" but rather some sensible restrictions to protect women at the clinics.

The best part of the decision is that we will finally get to hear from Senator Davis, the presumed Democrat nominee for governor of Texas, about something other than abortion.

I went to Senator Davis' website and examined her views on 4 key issues.

First, how exactly will she make education better in Texas? She wants to 'invest" in education, the classic talking point from the left.

Question: Is she willing to give parents more choice in public education?

Second, she is very vague on economic development.  Again, she repeats the talking points about putting "Texans first."

Aren't we already first in job growth in the US?  After all, you see moving vans going from California to Texas.

Third, she wants government to be more accountable. I do too.  Will Senator Davis call on President Obama to be more open on ObamaCare?

Fourth, she loves veterans. I do too.  Wonder how many veterans love her?

Last, but not surprising, her website does not talk much about abortion.  Maybe her consultants read all of those polls that a majority of women in Texas do not support abortion in the 5th month.

The GOP should win this race, unless they nominate a very poor candidate or a 3rd party magically appears like in Virginia.

P. S. You can hear CANTO TALK here & follow me on Twitter @ scantojr


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Think of Cuba's political prisoners before you spend your dollars there

(My new American Thinker post)

 Cuba desperately wants your dollars, euros, pesos or whatever you want to spend in the island.   It needs tourism very badly. 

Today, we learned that Cuba's political prisons are full and very full:

"There are at least 87 political prisoners currently in Cuba's prisons, according to a report by the opposition Cuban Human Rights and National Reconciliation Commission released on Monday.   
"The Cuban government continues to have the highest number of political prisoners in the entire Western hemisphere," the commission, headed by Elizardo Sanchez, said.   
Six of the 87 people cited by the commission have been designated by Amnesty International as Prisoners of Conscience.  
Of the 87 people jailed in Cuba for their political views and/or activities, at least 11 are serving sentences of life behind bars and "remain in isolation cells under cruel, inhumane and degrading and totally unprotected conditions," the commission said.    
For years, I've reminded people that they are subsidizing a corrupt dictatorship when they travel or spend money there.    
Think about it! Think about the political prisoners.

P. S. You can hear CANTO TALK here & follow me on Twitter @ scantojr.

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Some thoughts about Iran & Afghanistan


We spoke with Richard Baehr of American Thinker about Iran and Afghanistan.

 On Iran, it looks like President Obama is desperate for a deal.  However, it makes no sense since Iran is the country complaining about sanctions.  Frankly, we should sit back and wait for Iran to make concessions.

 Over at Afghanistan, there is talk of leaving some troops after we leave.  I'm OK with leaving a residual force but all of the talk about an apology is crazy.  We have nothing to apologize for, specially given the human and financial investment that we've made.
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Wednesday, November 20, 2013

'Security flaws' will be the straw that breaks ObamaCare's back

(My new American Thinker post)

 It may be time to call for the Little League "mercy rule" because this is getting ugly to watch.  This is not just a blemish on the Obama administration but our country is really looking bad.   

Let's check the last two items from the front pages:  

 1) The lady who was "hailed" as an ObamaCare success story is now another ObamaCare problem.   She can't afford her premiums. We hear that she got the wrong "premium info" when she went in for a quote.  My guess is that she is not the only one.   

 2) We learned that there are serious security flaws on the website:  

 "A respected security expert will warn Congress on Tuesday that the Obama administration's healthcare website has security flaws that put user data at a "critical risk," despite recent government assurances the data is safe.   
"There are actual live vulnerabilities on the site now," David Kennedy, head of computer security consulting firm TrustedSec LLC, told Reuters ahead of his testimony at a Congressional hearing on the topic "Is My Data on HealthCare.gov Secure?"    
Kennedy, a former U.S. Marine Corps cyber-intelligence analyst, said his firm has prepared a 17-page report describing some of the problems. It does not go into specifics in some areas, he said, because that could provide criminals with a blueprint for launching attacks.     
"There is a lot of stuff that we are not publicly disclosing because of the criticality of the findings," he said. "We don't want to hurt people."     
Kennedy and other security experts have warned that vulnerabilities on the site pose risks to the security of user data since shortly after its October 1 launch."     

 Bad quotes and security flaws add up to one thing:  Pull the plug!  

 Shut down ObamaCare before more Americans are hurt or have their privacy compromised.     

 P. S. You can hear CANTO TALK here & follow me on Twitter @ scantojr.

Tags: ObamaCare problems  To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the My View by Silvio Canto, Jr. Thanks!
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Something is happening in Colorado


We've been busy with all of the ObamaCare problems and other issues but something is happening in Colorado.

 You may remember the recalls earlier this year and the recent defeat of a tax increase.

 We spoke with Laura Carno of I am created equal in Colorado.  

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(BABALU) A word for Obama: “Camarón que se duerme se lo lleva la corriente”

(My new Babalu post)
Wake up Obama or you may drifting downstream with all of the other "camarones".
The latest explanation about the ObamaCare "fumble" is that President Obama does not like to hear "bad news".
This is from Gloria Borger:
 "People don’t like to tell him bad news,” says an ex-White House staffer. “Part of it is the no-drama culture.”"
My guess is that President FDR did not like getting the bad news from Pearl Harbor or those horrible casualty reports from 1943-44.  Also, President GW Bush did not enjoy hearing  about planes flying into the World Trade Center or that violence was out of control in Iraq 2006.
To say the least, bad news comes with the job.  In other words, a man who does not like "bad news" should be holding a safe Illinois Senate seat in Rev Wright's neighborhood rather than serving as commander in chief of the US.
My guess is that this is a lot more complicated than the "boss" does not like bad news.
I think that there are two problems in this White House:  
1) The boss is "disengaged", "disinterested" or "an abdicative manager" as Frank Burke wrote at American Thinker in 2011:  
"In classic management theory, Barack Obama would have to be described as an abdicativemanager.

The abdicative manager evidences a tendency to flee from responsibility and is frequently encountered in situations where he or she never wanted the job in the first place (for instance, a son or daughter who inherits a company or the individual who discovers that they are incapable of adequate performance). Abdication can be exhibited in a variety of ways, ranging from physically removing oneself through travel (the confusion of movement with action), to obsessing about personal interests or a limited range of controllable subjects.
Obama's frequent vacations and absences, especially in times of crisis, coupled with his unwillingness to personally invest himself in key initiatives, are demonstrative of this style. An excellent example occurred after passage of the healthcare initiative.
Having ceded authority in what would later be described as his key achievement to Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid, he watched as they forced the bill through under a manufactured emergency that precluded lawmakers from having time to read it.
He then went on a four-day vacation before signing it."
2) No one was put in charge of the ObamaCare project. There were lots of people with titles or who made appearances before Congress. Unfortunately, there was no project manager who oversaw all of the components and held people accountable along the way.
President Obama has been using a lot of football analogies, i.e. fumble, my team, etc.
The truth is that he fell asleep on the job!  He did not take the time to get engaged or to demand explanations.  Sadly, the message came down the chain of command that the boss was not demanding results!   
He should have read what Lee Iococca said about being the boss:
"I've always found that the speed of the boss is the speed of the team."
Tags: ObamaCare problems  To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the My View by Silvio Canto, Jr. Thanks!
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Tuesday, November 19, 2013

“El que tiene palanca”: ObamaCare is so great that some of Obama’s friends get waivers

(My new Babalu post)

 There are many reasons to dislike ObamaCare, such as the whole issue of federal overreach and impact on the private insurance market.
However, the #1 reason is that the law does not apply equally to all.    President Obama has unilaterally changed the law to give groups special favors or treatment.  
The Wall Street Journal reminds us of how "unions" are about to get another one of those "waivers":
"The unions ought to consider this tax a civic obligation in solidarity with the (uninsured) working folk they claim to support.
Instead, they've spent most of the last year demanding that the White House give them subsidies and carve-outs unavailable to anyone else.
But don't expect ObamaCare favors unless you helped to re-elect the President.
In an aside in a Federal Register document filed this month, the Administration previewed its forthcoming regulation:
"We also intend to propose in future rulemaking to exempt certain self-insured, self-administered plans from the requirement to make reinsurance contributions for the 2015 and 2016 benefit years."
Allow us to translate.
"Self-insured" means that a business pays for the medical expenses of its workers directly and hires an insurer as a third-party administrator to process claims, manage care and the like. Most unions as well as big corporations use this arrangement."
Don't get me wrong.  I think that private sector unions are good.  They represent workers and should continue to do so.
My problem is with favors not unions.
This is why health care should not be run by politicians. They will find a way to take care of their friends at the expense of the rest of us.
Wonder when The NY Times will get their special little waiver for being such a staunch defender of the cause?
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Monday, November 18, 2013

Dear Oprah: It's his job performance NOT skin color!

Bill Katz and I discussed the latest statement by Oprah Winfrey:

 "“There’s a level of disrespect for the office that occurs. And that occurs in some cases and maybe even many cases because he’s African American. There’s no question about that and it’s the kind of thing nobody ever says but everybody’s thinking it.”

 This is terribly disappointing statement.  Some of us dislike President Obama because he has expanded government, gone around Congress and always pretends that he is the last one to know.

 Click here for my chat with Bill Katz of Urgent Agenda:



Tags: Oprah is wrong  To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the My View by Silvio Canto, Jr. Thanks!
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Sunday, November 17, 2013

President Obama fading faster than the 'Disco Duck'

(My new American Thinker post)

 Back in our younger days, there was a dancing craze called disco.  It got so crazy that even Frankie Avalon's "Venus" and the "I love Lucy" theme were released in disco versions.  To be honest, Desi's Babalu would have been a better choice.

Well, the songs came and went and nobody remembered disco by 1980.  In fact, they even had a promotion the summer of '79 at the old Comiskey Park in Chicago burning disco LPs and 45s. I was in Chicago that day, got tickets to see the second game of the Tigers-White Sox doubleheader but was not allowed to go in.  The police met us outside and told us to take the take the train back to the hotel.  I did see the mess on Chicago TV an hour later.

"Disco Duck" was one of the biggest hits of the disco era. It was #1 on Billboard about this time in 1976.   I think that we can safely say that there were millions "disco ducking" the week before Gov Carter beat Pres Ford in 1976.  Go figure that one out!

"Disco duck" and the other disco fads faded very quickly.  Wonder if there is a soul out there today who would admit that he or she bought a copy of "Disco Duck"?  I bought one but don't ask me to find or explain it.

What does this have to do with President Obama?  The answer is that Obama was a fad, a craze, a mania that has run its course.

Well, look at the numbers. It looks like the show is finally over and voters are starting to turn on President Obama. The RCP average has President Obama "upside down", or more people disapprove than approve.  You can pick a number between 39 and 46% and that's where you will find President Obama these days!

What's happened?   Professor Foujad Ajami put it all in perspective this week with "When the Obama magic died":
"The current troubles of the Obama presidency can be read back into its beginnings.
Rule by personal charisma has met its proper fate.
The spell has been broken, and the magician stands exposed.
We need no pollsters to tell us of the loss of faith in Mr. Obama's policies-and, more significantly, in the man himself.
Charisma is like that. Crowds come together and they project their needs onto an imagined redeemer.
The redeemer leaves the crowd to its imagination: For as long as the charismatic moment lasts-a year, an era-the redeemer is above and beyond judgment.
He glides through crises, he knits together groups of varied, often clashing, interests.
'Always there is that magical moment, and its beauty, as a reference point."
I remind you that the same Mr Ajami saw this coming back in 2008 when he wrote "Obama and the politics of crowds":
"There is something odd -- and dare I say novel -- in American politics about the crowds that have been greeting Barack Obama on his campaign trail. Hitherto, crowds have not been a prominent feature of American politics.
We associate them with the temper of Third World societies.
We think of places like Argentina and Egypt and Iran, of multitudes brought together by their zeal for a Peron or a Nasser or a Khomeini. In these kinds of societies, the crowd comes forth to affirm its faith in a redeemer: a man who would set the world right."
Mr Ajami saw in 2008 what my mother saw the same year. 

I recall asking my mom about candidate Obama after he delivered that speech celebrating the Iowa caucus victory.  My mom said something rather profound.  Let me paraphrase what she said:  "The speech, the fanatic crowds, it worries me, he doesn't say anything and the people cheer madly, your father and I saw that movie before and you know what happened"!

Don't get me wrong.  President Obama will be around for another 3 years but the thrill is gone, as BB King would say. Don't be surprised to hear that Mr Obama is desperately counting down the numbers of days left on his term.  It won't be any fun or productive.  The fairy tale is over and it will be nothing but harsh reality from now until he takes that plane back to Chicago in 2017. 

It won't be any fun for him or those who voted for President Obama!  

 P. S. You can hear CANTO TALK here & follow me on Twitter @ scantojr.



Tags: Obamamania  To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the My View by Silvio Canto, Jr. Thanks!
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Babalu: ObamaCare vs Katrina: The NY Times “sigue comiendo de lo que pica el pollo”

(My new Babalu post)

 The Obama Care roll out is so bad that there is panic on the Democrat side of the aisle.
Over at the US Senate, "red state Democrats" are desperately trying to explain their vote for ObamaCare to very angry constituents in places like Arkansas, Louisiana, North Carolina, and others.   
Political reality aside, The NY Times has the latest and silliest explanation. They are comparing Katrina to ObamaCare:
"The disastrous rollout of his health care law not only threatens the rest of his agenda but also raises questions about his competence in the same way that the Bush administration’s botched response to Hurricane Katrina undermined any semblance of Republican efficiency.
But unlike Mr. Bush, who faced confrontational but occasionally cooperative Democrats, Mr. Obama is battling a Republican opposition that has refused to open the door to any legislative fixes to the health care law and has blocked him at virtually every turn. "
What are they smoking over at The NY Times?  Cooperative Democrats?  
I am happy that Professor Althouse has fired an excellent response. This is so good that I want you to share it with your friends::
"1. Bush's political party didn't design and enact Hurricane Katrina.
2. Bush didn't have 5 years to craft his response to the hurricane.
3. Bush didn't have the power to redesign the hurricane as he designed his response to it.
4. The Republican Bush believed he could not simply bully past the Democratic Mayor of New Orleans and the Democratic Governor of Louisiana and impose a federal solution, but the Democrat Obama and his party in Congress aggressively and voluntarily took over an area of policy that might have been left to the states.
5. The media were ready to slam Bush long and hard for everything — making big scandals out of things that, done by Obama, would have been forgotten a week later (what are the Valerie Plame-level screwups of Obama's?) — but the media have bent over backwards for years to help make Obama look good and to bury or never even uncover all of his lies and misdeeds.
6. If Bush experienced a disaster like the rollout of Obamacare, the NYT wouldn't use its front page to remind us of something Bill Clinton did that looked bad."
Last, but not least, let's not forget the total and incomplete incompetence of the mayor of New Orleans and the governor of Louisiana.   
Of course, we are really watching something more profound than a comparison between Katrina and ObamaCare.    The NY Times, and others in the left, are in a panic because the incompetent roll out has dealt liberalism a potentially fatal knockout, as Charles Krauthammer wrote yesterday:
"The damage to the Obama presidency, however, is already done. His approval rating has fallen to 39?percent, his lowest ever. And, for the first time, a majority considers him untrustworthy. That bond is not easily repaired.
At stake, however, is more than the fate of one presidency or of the current Democratic majority in the Senate. At stake is the new, more ambitious, social-democratic brand of American liberalism introduced by Obama, of which Obamacare is both symbol and concrete embodiment."
The NY Times is going to get more hysterical, specially as the collapse of ObamaCare becomes inevitable.
Tags: Katrina, NY Times, Obama and Bush  To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the My View by Silvio Canto, Jr. Thanks!
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