Rules to Live By

Got this in an email and thought that it was worth sharing.  Make sure that you visit my shop and see what I do with my time when I'm not blogging.

Subject: 20 Rules to live (from the morning paper)

1-- Bring your sense of humor with you at all times...Invite friends with a sense of humor, too.  Keep this in mind in going to hospitals, weight loss centers,

and funerals, as well as going to work, coming home--waking up or going to sleep.

2--If it's worth crying over, it's worth laughing over. Keep a perspective that allows you to see the wider and longer view--
    The very things that is upsetting, might one day become a terrific story.

3--People don't really care what you are wearing!!

4--If you're a woman, don't be a sissy.  It's okay for girls, but behaving like a simpering whimpering, fretful adult is unacceptable, no matter what your gender is. 

  If you're anxious, scared and feeling powerless, you don't need to change your "behavior", You need to change your LIFE.

5--Never lie.  Cheat the devil--tell the Truth.

6--There is one exception to the above.  Never say a baby looks like a sausage wearing a hat--the parents will never forgive you.
    Sometimes a situation makes telling the truth not wholly necessary....To ease the pain, just say "The Baby looks happy"

7--Never use a passive voice or say "It will get done".----Just say, "I'll do it" and offer a deadline, and be sure to make the deadline..

8--No peak is ever safe.  Only plateaus offer a place to rest.  Are you ready to stay on a plateau or are you climbing??
    Decide and pack your bags accordingly.

9--LOVE changes as we age.  When we are young we fall for an unattainable ideal.  When we are old, we fall in love:  "Sure he has only one eye in the middle of his forehead,"

  -----"BUT he never forgets my birthday."

10-  Power is the ability to persuade stupid people to do intelligent things, and intelligent people to do stupid things.  This is why "Power" is dangerous.

11-Sherlock Holmes said.. "Work is the best antidote to sorrow, my dear Watson".. Listen to Mr. Holmes.

12- We all want short cuts to weight loss, Love, and prosperity---not necessarily in that order.  But apart from being born into an adoring family,

 getting good genes, and inheriting acres of mineral rights---there are no shortcuts.  We all have to WORK at it.

13--Help 'the dramatically self-pitying' to understand that they are not, by definition, sympathetic or interesting.
    Encourage them to address topics other than themselves

14--Be Kind--not Nice.   Kindness is both intentional and meaningful. Acts of Kindness require generosity, emotional and  otherwise. 

  Perfunctory and superficial Niceness is, too often, mere window-dressing.

15--Poor workers blame their tools.  It's not the fault of the computer, the school, the train, the government or poor cell phone
reception....Take Responsibility.

16--You know how there are times when you think you're asleep---half listening to TV or conversation---only to discover you were
unconscious???  One part of your head will swear it's awake, but when you snap out of it, you realize you were wholly elsewhere?   Sometimes that happens in life..
Sometimes the only way you know you are truly in love, in the wrong profession, being a moron at parties or a great poet---is when you Snap Out of It.

17--You can always Stop what you are doing.

18--You should either be doing something useful or you should be playing.
      You should not be thinking about playing while you're at work, or thinking about Work, while you are out having fun.
      Compartmentalizing your Life is not inevitably a bad thing.
      It's easy to waste pleasure by feeling guilty and waste potentially effective time by feeling resentful.

19--Be aware that a safety net, if pulled too tight, easily turns into a noose.
      Don't trade independence for security without being aware of the consequences.

20-- Some day, you will die.  Until that day, you should do everything possible to enjoy life.

BEST SUMMATION OF BARACK AND MICHELLE EVER!

Another great article that was sent to me - don't for get ... the holidays are fast approaching and I have a great sale going on my website - everything is 20% off - there are some great deals there for everyone on your list. I will gift wrap and ship to another address if that is what you need.

A Black Reporter Summarizes Barack The below summarization of Barack and Michelle Obama’s 5 year reign in the White House is by far the best I’ve ever read as it squarely hits the nail on the head. And it took a black reporter writing it to make it as effective as it is. A white man’s account would be instantly criticized by the liberal media as pure racism. But, how can anyone scream Racist when an exacting description of the Obamas is penned by a well known journalist of color?

 BEST SUMMATION OF BARACK AND MICHELLE EVER! Mychal Massie is a respected writer and talk show host in Los Angeles.

 The other evening on my twitter, a person asked me why I didn't like the Obama's? Specifically I was asked: "I have to ask, why do you hate the Obama's? It seems personal, not policy related. You even dissed (disrespect) their Christmas family picture." The truth is I do not like the Obamas, what they represent, their ideology, and I certainly do not like his policies and legislation. I've made no secret of my contempt for the Obamas. As I responded to the person who asked me the aforementioned question, I don't like them because they are committed to the fundamental change of my/our country into what can only be regarded as a Communist state.

 I don't hate them per definition, but I condemn them because they are the worst kind of racialists, they are elitist Leninists with contempt for traditional America. They display disrespect for the sanctity of the office he holds, and for those who are willing to admit same, Michelle Obama's raw contempt for white America is transpicuous. I don't like them because they comport themselves as emperor and empress. I expect, no I demand respect, for the Office of President and a love of our country and her citizenry from the leader entrusted with the governance of same. President and Mrs. Reagan displayed an unparalleled love for the country and her people. The Reagan's made Americans feel good about themselves and about what we could accomplish. Obama's arrogance by appointing 32 leftist czars and constantly bypassing congress is impeachable. Eric Holder is probably the MOST incompetent and arrogant DOJ head to ever hold the job. Could you envision President Reagan instructing his Justice Department to act like jack-booted thugs?

 Presidents are politicians and all politicians are known and pretty much expected to manipulate the truth, if not outright lie, but even using that low standard, the Obama's have taken lies, dishonesty, deceit, mendacity, subterfuge and obfuscation to new depths. They are verbally abusive to the citizenry, and they display an animus for civility. I do not like them, because they both display bigotry overtly, as in the case of Harvard Professor Louis Gates, when he accused the Cambridge Police of acting stupidly, and her code speak pursuant to not being able to be proud of America. I view that statement and that mindset as an insult to those who died to provide a country where a Kenyan, his illegal alien relatives, and his alleged progeny, could come and not only live freely, but rise to the highest, most powerful, position in the world.

 Michelle Obama is free to hate and disparage whites because Americans of every description paid with their blood to ensure her right to do same. I have a saying, that "the only reason a person hides things, is because they have something to hide." No president in history has spent millions of dollars to keep his records and his past sealed. And what the two of them have shared has been proved to be lies. He lied about when and how they met, he lied about his mother's death and problems with insurance, Michelle lied to a crowd pursuant to nearly $500,000 bank stocks they inherited from his family. He has lied about his father's military service, about the civil rights movement, ad nausea. He lied to the world about the Supreme Court in a State of the Union address. He berated and publicly insulted a sitting Congressman. He has surrounded himself with the most rabidly, radical, socialist academicians today. He opposed rulings that protected women and children that even Planned Parenthood did not seek to support. He is openly hostile to business and aggressively hostile to Israel.

 His wife treats being the First Lady as her personal American Express Black Card (arguably the most prestigious credit card in the world). I condemn them because, as people are suffering, losing their homes, their jobs, their retirements, he and his family are arrogantly showing off their life of entitlement - as he goes about creating and fomenting class warfare. I don't like them, and I neither apologize nor retreat from my public condemnation of them and of his policies. We should condemn them for the disrespect they show our people, for his willful and unconstitutional actions pursuant to obeying the Constitutional parameters he is bound by, and his willful disregard for Congressional authority. Dislike for them has nothing to do with the color of their skin; it has everything to do with their behavior, attitudes, and policies. And I have open scorn for their constantly playing the race card. I could go on, but let me conclude with this. I condemn in the strongest possible terms the media for refusing to investigate them, as they did President Bush and President Clinton, and for refusing to label them for what they truly are. There is no scenario known to man, whereby a white president and his wife could ignore laws, flaunt their position, and lord over the people, as these two are permitted out of fear for their color. As I wrote in a syndicated column titled, "Nero In The White House" - "Never in my life, inside or outside of politics, have I witnessed such dishonesty in a political leader. He is the most mendacious political figure I have ever witnessed. Even by the low standards of his presidential predecessors, his narcissistic, contumacious arrogance is unequalled. Using Obama as the bar, Nero would have to be elevated to sainthood..

. Many in America wanted to be proud when the first person of color was elected president, but instead, they have been witness to a congenital liar, a woman who has been ashamed of America her entire life, failed policies, intimidation, and a commonality hitherto not witnessed in political leaders. He and his wife view their life at our expense as an entitlement - while America's people go homeless, hungry and unemployed."

• 
  

MOST SCANDALOUS 'PRESIDENT' TO EVER RESIDE IN OUR WHITE HOUSE:

Another little  goodie that I found on Facebook and thought it was worth replaying.  Kind of frightening when you see all these listed together.


MOST SCANDALOUS 'PRESIDENT' TO EVER RESIDE IN OUR WHITE HOUSE:

Bob: "Hey Jim, did you hear about the Obama administration scandal?,

Jim: "You mean the Mexican gun running?"

Bob: "No, the other one."

Jim: "You mean SEAL Team 6?"

Bob: "No, the other one."

Jim: "Obama saying the avg family would save $2,500 on their premiums?"

Bob: "No, the other one."

Jim: "Forcing businesses to violate their religious beliefs by paying for drugs that abort the unborn?"

Bob: "No, the other one."

Jim: "Violating the rights and sanctity of our Churches?"

Bob: "No, the other one."

Jim: "Spending $634 million on a website that doesn't work?"

Bob: "No, the other one."

Jim: "Obama calling for an increase in our debt when he lambasted Bush for the very same thing?"

Bob: "No, the other one."

Jim: "Obama having NSA spy on 124 Billion Phone Calls in One Month?"

Bob: "No, the other one."

Jim: "Saddling our kids with $17 trillion in debt of which they can
never get out of and will not have as good a life as we have?"

Bob: "No, the other one."

Jim: "Bailing out Detroit after decades of corrupt Democratic management?"

Bob: "No, the other one."

Jim: "You mean the State Dept. lying about Benghazi?"

Bob: "No, the other one."

Jim: "You mean voter fraud?"

Bob: "No, the other one."

Jim: "Intentionally trying to hurt Americans during the sequester?"

Bob: "No, the other one."

Jim: "Blocking veterans who secured our freedoms from their monuments
but giving the green light for Illegals to use Monument Mall?"

Bob: "No, the other one."

Jim: "Denying school kids the ability to tour the White House but still spending lavishly on his parties?"

Bob: "No, the other one."

Jim: "You mean Obama saying we can keep our insurance and doctors if we wanted to?"

Bob: "No, the other one."

Jim: "You mean the military not getting their votes counted?"

Bob: "No, the other one."

Jim: "The NSA monitoring foreign diplomats?"

Bob: "No, the other one."

Jim: "You mean the use of drones in our own country without the benefit of the law?"

Bob: "No, the other one."

Jim: "Giving 123 Technologies $300 Million and right after it declared bankruptcy and was sold to the Chinese?"

Bob: "No, the other one."

Jim: "You mean the president arming the Muslim Brotherhood?"

Bob: "No the other one:.

Jim: "The IRS targeting conservatives?"

Bob: "No, the other one."

Jim: "The DOJ spying on the press?"

Bob: "No, the other one."

Jim: "Sebelius shaking down health insurance executives?"

Bob: "No, the other one."

Jim: "You mean Obama spending $3.7 Trillion on Welfare Over Last 5 Years"

Bob: "No, the other one."

Jim: "Giving SOLYNDRA $500 MILLION DOLLARS and 3 months later they declared bankruptcy and then the Chinese bought it?"

Bob: "No, the other one."

Jim: "The NSA monitoring our phone calls, emails and everything else?"

Bob: "No, the other one."

Jim: "Millions of Americans losing their health care coverage?"

Bob: "No, the other one."

Jim: "Forcing Americans to include coverage in their insurance policies of items they do not want?"

Bob: "No, the other one."

Jim: "Ordering the release of nearly 10,000 illegal immigrants from jails and prisons, and falsely blaming the sequester?"

Bob: "No, the other one."

Jim: "Denying Arizona the right to protect its borders?"

Bob: "No, the other one."

Jim: "Providing weapons to Syrian rebels many of whom apparently are Al Queda"

Bob: "No, the other one."

Jim: "The president's repeated violation of the law requiring him to submit a

budget no later than the first Monday in February?"

Bob: "No, the other one."

Jim: "The 2012 vote where 115% of all registered voters in some counties voted 100% for Obama?"

Bob: "No, the other one."

Jim: "The president's unconstitutional recess appointments in an attempt to circumvent the Senate's advise-and-consent role?"

Bob: "No, the other one."

Jim: "The State Department interfering with an Inspector General investigation on departmental sexual misconduct?"

Bob: "No, the other one."

Jim: "Clinton, the IRS, Clapper and Holder all lying to Congress?"

Bob: "No, the other one."

Jim: "The President using nearly $1 trillion dollars of stimulus money to fund his cronies?"

Bob: "No, the other one"

Jim: "You mean Fast & Furious?"

Bob: "No, the other one."

Jim:

"I give up! ... Oh wait, I think I got it! You mean that 65 million

low-information voters who don't pay taxes and get free stuff from

taxpayers and stuck us again with the most pandering, corrupt

administration in American history?"

Bob: "THAT'S THE ONE!"

The Emperor Arrives in London

Another excellent email that I received the other day and felt that it needed as much exposure as I was able to give it.

Subject: FW: Fw: The Emperor Arrives In London.

CAN YOU BELIEVE THIS !!!!!

Do you really think that this is necessary, especially from a country that is going broke?

THE EMPEROR ARRIVES IN LONDON... Notice this is an English Newspaper, not an American one reporting.

If you're not sure what "BIG GOVERNMENT"

implies, look at this:But you have already read

about this in your local newspaper ... Oh no,

you didn't? OK then, you saw it on CNN...

No?... INTERESTING! You and I may never

see health care again the way it used to be,

but "Emperor Obama" took six (6) doctors

with him for a 3 day visit to London - along

with 494 other essential staff. You just gotta love this spread-the-wealth,

hopey-changey thing.

Obama - The Architect of Destruction

Another excellent article that I received from a friend that needs to be read by everyone.  Barack Obama does not like America and it is visible in everything that he does... and how he does it.  From baricading our heroic veterans out of the mall ...  to allowing the illegal aliens in ... his hatred of  our great country is evident in all of his actions.  I only hope that our great republic is strong enough to withstand this onslaught.

Barack Obama by Maureen Scott

It doesn't matter what side of the aisle you lean to because if you love our country this should make you mad.

This woman has totally nailed it!!  She must have been a shrink in another life.  Still, amazing it's taken this long for folks to see what should have been so painfully obvious at least five years ago!

There are some gifted people who have the ability to put into words that which most of us are thinking. Maureen Scott is an ardent American patriot who was born in Pittsburgh, PA, and retired to Richmond, VA, in 2000. Free from the nine-to-five grind of writing for employers and clients, she began writing political commentary to please herself and express her convictions.

The Architect of Destruction

By Maureen Scott 

Barack Obama appears to be a tormented man filled with resentment, anger, and disdain for anyone of an opinion or view other than his. He acts in the most hateful, spiteful, malevolent, vindictive ways in order to manipulate and maintain power and control over others. Perhaps, because, as a child, he grew up harboring an abiding bitterness toward the U.S. that was instilled in him by his family and mentors…it seems to have never left him.

It is not the color of his skin that is a problem in America .Rather it is the blackness that fills his soul and the hollowness in his heart where there should be abiding pride and love for this country.

Think: Have we ever heard Obama speak lovingly of the U.S. or its people, with deep appreciation and genuine respect for our history, our customs, our sufferings and our blessings? Has he ever revealed that, like most patriotic Americans, hegets "goose bumps" when a band plays "The Star Spangled Banner," or sheds a tear when he hears a beautiful rendition of " America the Beautiful?" Does his heart burst with pride when millions of American flags wave on a National holiday -

or someone plays "taps" on a trumpet?

Has he ever shared the admiration of the military, as we as lovers of those who keep us free, feel when soldiers march by? It is doubtful because Obama did not grow up sharing our experiences or our values. He did not sit at the knee of a Grandfather or Uncle who showed us

his medals and told us about the bravery of his fellow troops as they tramped through foreign lands to keep us free.

He didn't have grandparents who told stories of suffering and then coming to America , penniless, and the opportunities they had for building a business and life for their children.

Away from this country as a young child, Obama didn't delight in being part of America and its greatness. He wasn't singing our patriotic songs in kindergarten, or standing on the roadside for a holiday parade and eating a hot dog, or lighting sparklers around a campfire on July 4th as fireworks exploded over head, or placing flags on the grave sites of fallen and beloved American heroes.

Rather he was separated from all of these experiences and doesn't really understand us and what it means to be an American. He is void of the basic emotions that most feel regarding this country and insensitive to the instinctive pride we have in our national heritage. His opinions were formed by those who either envied us or wanted him to devalue the United States and the traditions and patriotism that unites us. 

He has never given a speech that is filled with calm, reassuring, complimentary, heartfelt statements about all the people in the U.S. Or one that inspires us to be better and grateful and proud that in a short time our country became aleader, and a protector of many.

Quite the contrary, his speeches always degenerate into mocking, ridiculing tirades as he faults our achievements aswell as any critics or opposition for the sake of a laugh, or to bolster his ego.

He uses his Office to threaten and create fear while demeaning and degrading any American who opposes his policies and actions. A secure leader, who has noble self-esteem and not false confidence, refrains from showing such dread of critics and displaying a cocky, haughty attitude.

Mostly, his time seems to be spent causing dissension, unrest, and anxiety among the people of America , rather than uniting us (even though he was presented to us as the "Great Uniter").

He creates chaos for the sake of keeping people separated, envious, aggrieved and ready to argue. Under his leadership Americans have been kept on edge, rather than in a state of comfort and security. He incites people to be aggressive toward, and disrespectful of, those of differing opinions.

And through such behavior, Obama has lowered the standards for self-control and mature restraint to the level of street-fighting gangs, when he should be raising the bar for people to strive toward becoming more considerate, tolerant, self-disciplined, self-sustaining, and self-assured.

Not a day goes by that he is not attempting to defy our laws, remove our rights, over-ride established procedures, install controversial appointees, enact divisive mandates, and assert a dictatorial form of power.

· Never has there been a leader of this great land who used such tactics to harm and hurt the people and this country.

· Never have we had a President who spoke with a caustic, evil tongue against the citizenry rather than present himself as a soothing, calming and trustworthy force.

· Never, in this country, have we experienced how much stress one man can cause a nation of people - on a daily basis!

Obama has promoted the degeneration of peace, civility, and quality of cooperation between us. He thrives on tearing us down, rather than building us up. He is the Architect of the decline of America , and the epitome of a Demagogue.

Who Shut Down the Government????

Another excellent article that I found today and decided that it really needs to be shared.  Obama and the democrats - especially Dingy Harry Reid - keep blaming the Republicans for the government shut down, when in reality, the Republicans have voted to fund everything except for Obama care and that is well within their rights and has been used historically by the legislature.  I hope that you will share this with your family and friends - it is important to us all that the truth gets out there and that people understand what is really happening,  This is a power play by the democrats to foist a terrible law on us that will ruin 1/6th   of our economy and demolish the rest of it.  Companies are not hiring because of Obama care and others are cutting people back to part time, not good for our already weak economy.  If first reports are any indication, Obama Care will raise peoples' premiums and deductables drastically ....  some of the people who helped to write the law already admitted that they never took into consideration that there might be more than one person in a (family)unit ... which somewhat explains the dramatically high premiums ... but doesn't say much about the people that Obama put in charge of this mess.





Who Shut down the Government ?  

Thomas Sowell

There is really nothing complicated about the facts. The Republican-controlled House of Representatives voted all the money required to keep all government activities going — except for ObamaCare.

This is not a matter of opinion. You can check the Congressional Record.

As for the House of Representatives' right to grant or withhold money, that is not a matter of opinion either. You can check the Constitution of the United States. All spending bills must originate in the House of Representatives, which means that Congressmen there have a right to decide whether or not they want to spend money on a particular government activity.

Whether ObamaCare is good, bad or indifferent is a matter of opinion. But it is a matter of fact that members of the House of Representatives have a right to make spending decisions based on their opinion.

ObamaCare is indeed "the law of the land," as its supporters keep saying, and the Supreme Court has upheld its Constitutionality.

But the whole point of having a division of powers within the federal government is that each branch can decide independently what it wants to do or not do, regardless of what the other branches do, when exercising the powers specifically granted to that branch by the Constitution.

The hundreds of thousands of government workers who have been laid off are not idle because the House of Representatives did not vote enough money to pay their salaries or the other expenses of their agencies — unless they are in an agency that would administer ObamaCare.

Since we cannot read minds, we cannot say who — if anybody — "wants to shut down the government." But we do know who had the option to keep the government running and chose not to. The money voted by the House of Representatives covered everything that the government does, except for ObamaCare.

The Senate chose not to vote to authorize that money to be spent, because it did not include money for ObamaCare. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid says that he wants a "clean" bill from the House of Representatives, and some in the media keep repeating the word "clean" like a mantra. But what is unclean about not giving Harry Reid everything he wants?

If Senator Reid and President Obama refuse to accept the money required to run the government, because it leaves out the money they want to run ObamaCare, that is their right. But that is also their responsibility.

You cannot blame other people for not giving you everything you want. And it is a fraud to blame them when you refuse to use the money they did vote, even when it is ample to pay for everything else in the government.

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When Barack Obama keeps claiming that it is some new outrage for those who control the money to try to change government policy by granting or withholding money, that is simply a bald-faced lie. You can check the history of other examples of "legislation by appropriation" as it used to be called.

Whether legislation by appropriation is a good idea or a bad idea is a matter of opinion. But whether it is both legal and not unprecedented is a matter of fact.

Perhaps the biggest of the big lies is that the government will not be able to pay what it owes on the national debt, creating a danger of default. Tax money keeps coming into the Treasury during the shutdown, and it vastly exceeds the interest that has to be paid on the national debt.

Even if the debt ceiling is not lifted, that only means that government is not allowed to run up new debt. But that does not mean that it is unable to pay the interest on existing debt.

None of this is rocket science. But unless the Republicans get their side of the story out — and articulation has never been their strong suit — the lies will win. More important, the whole country will lose.

Newsweek Cover Story ... a Surprise, to Say The Least

This is surprising not just for it's content, but most especially for the venue.  We dropped our subscription to "Newsweek" years ago because it had become such a liberal rag, and now they do this...WOWSER....I am totally blown away! ! !

The Cover of Newsweek Magazine
On Wed, Sep 18, 2013 at 11:01 AM,

AMAZING !!! The Cover of  Newsweek Magazine=

Finally, Matt Patterson and Newsweek speak out about Obama. This is timely and tough As many of you know, Newsweek has a reputation for being extremely liberal. The fact that their editor saw fit to print the following article about Obama and the one that appears in the latest Newsweek,  makes this a truly amazing event, and a news story in and of itself.  At last, the truth about our President and his agenda are starting to trickle through the“protective wall” built around him by the liberal media...

'Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall, Humpty Dumpty had a great fall
[he fell down & broke his crown]...All the kings horses and all the kings men, couldn't put Humpty together again....'

I Too Have Become Disillusioned

By Matt Patterson (Newsweek Columnist – Opinion Writer)

Years from now, historians may regard the 2008 election of Barack Obama as an inscrutable and disturbing phenomenon, the result of a baffling breed of mass hysteria akin perhaps to the witch craze of the Middle Ages. How, they will wonder, did a man so devoid of professional accomplishment beguile so many into thinking he could manage the world's largest economy, direct the world's most powerful military, execute the world's most consequential job?

Imagine a future historian examining Obama's pre-presidential life: ushered into and through the Ivy League, despite unremarkable grades and test scores along the way; a cushy non-job as a "community organizer;" a brief career as a state legislator devoid of legislative achievement (and in fact nearly devoid of his attention, less often did he vote "present"); and finally an unaccomplished single term in the United States Senate, the entirety of which was devoted to his presidential ambitions.

He left no academic legacy in academia, authored no signature legislation as a legislator. And then there is the matter of his troubling associations: the white-hating, America-loathing preacher who for decades served as Obama's "spiritual mentor;" a real-life, actual terrorist who served as Obama's colleague and political sponsor. It is easy to imagine a future historian looking at it all and asking: how on Earth was such a man elected president?

Not content to wait for history, the incomparable Norman Podhoretz addressed the question recently in the Wall Street Journal: To be sure, no white candidate who had    close associations with an outspoken hater of America like Jeremiah Wright and an unrepentant terrorist like Bill Ayers, would have lasted a single day. But because Mr. Obama was black, and therefore entitled in the eyes of liberal Dom to have hung out with protesters against various American injustices, even if they were 'a bit' extreme, he was given a pass. Let that sink in: Obama was given a pass - held to a lower standard - because of the color of his skin.

Podhoretz continues: And in any case, what did such ancient history matter when he was also so articulate and elegant and (as he himself had said) "non-threatening," all of which gave him a fighting chance to become the first black president and thereby to lay the curse of racism to rest?

Podhoretz puts his finger, I think, on the animating pulse of the Obama phenomenon - affirmative action. Not in the legal sense, of course. But certainly in the motivating sentiment behind all affirmative action laws
and regulations, which are designed primarily to make white people, and especially white liberals, feel good about themselves.

Unfortunately, minorities often suffer so that whites can pat themselves on
the back. Liberals routinely admit minorities to schools for which they are not qualified, yet take no responsibility for the inevitable poor performance and high drop-out rates which follow. Liberals don't care if these minority students fail; liberals aren't around to witness the emotional devastation and deflated self-esteem resulting from the racist policy that is affirmative action. Yes, racist. Holding someone to a separate standard merely because of the color
of his skin - that's affirmative action in a nutshell, and if that isn't racism, then nothing is.

And that is what America did to Obama. True, Obama himself was never troubled by his lack of achievements, but why would he be? As many have noted, Obama was told he was good enough for Columbia despite undistinguished grades at Occidental; he was told he was good enough for
the US Senate despite a mediocre record in Illinois ; he was told he was good enough to be president despite no record at all in the Senate. All his life, every step of the way, Obama was told he was good enough for the next step, in spite of ample evidence to the contrary.

What could this breed if not the sort of empty narcissism on display every time Obama speaks? In 2008, many who agreed that he lacked executive qualificationsnonetheless raved about Obama's oratory skills, intellect, and cool character. Those people – conservatives included - ought now to be deeply embarrassed.

The man thinks and speaks in the hoariest of clichés, and that's when he has his Teleprompters in front of him; when the prompter is absent he can barely think or speak at all. Not one original idea has ever issued from his mouth -
it's all warmed-over Marxism of the kind that has failed over and over again for 100 years (An example is his 2012 campaign speeches which are almost word for word his 2008 speeches)

And what about his character? Obama is constantly blaming anything and everything else for his troubles. Bush did it; it was bad luck; I inherited this mess. Remember, he wanted the job, campaigned for the task. It is embarrassing to see a president so willing to advertise his own powerlessness, so comfortable with his own incompetence (The other day he actually came out and said no one could have done anything to get our economy and country back on track). But really, what were we to expect? The man has never been responsible for anything, so how do we expect him to act responsibly?

In short: our president is a small-minded man, with neither the temperament nor the intellect to handle his job. When you understand that, and only when you understand that, will the current erosion of liberty and prosperity make sense. It could not have gone otherwise with such an impostor in the Oval Office.