Hawkeye Review

A Letter to the President from Rush Limbaugh...

Romney On Obama: "The Lost Year"

If pressed for my opinion, I would suggest to you that President Obama's most significant failure in his first year of office was his inability to focus himself, his administration and capital hill on the issue of jobs.

Governor Mitt Romney was more striking in his assessment:

"We've lost a year."

 

I know there are some who can't embrace Romney on the social issues, but I've yet to hear anyone provide me with compelling evidence that Romney isn't the strongest Republican voice in the economic arena.  I don't think it's an accident that he provides a subtle, yet crushing critique of the Obama administration without sounding personal or too critical.  This is a key to the Republican dialog as we still need the large voting block of independent voters to join us before we can reclaim the mantles of government.

As much as he was defensive and yes, almost combative on some of his legislative priorities, Obama did mimic the tactics of President Bill Clinton with a pragmatic "move to the middle" on the jobs issue. Obama knows it will take bi-partisan, heavy lifting to advance any legislation that has the chance to stimulate job growth in time for his own re-election efforts.  Mentions of tax cuts and simplified regulations are evidence of this sudden policy shift.

During Obama's first year in office, he should have focused like a laser beam on jobs.  Now, like it or not, the agenda for his second year is already cast in stone....survival.

Trying to Channel Ronald Reagan, Obama Sounded More Like Al Capone.

Good morning "HR" readers...

Of course you would expect partisan rhetoric from the publisher of a conservative web site. Yet I find myself somewhat stunned this morning after gaging the public and political response from last night's SOTU address.

You see, it's the Democrats who are lashing back at their own party, platform and yes, President.

Bill Pascrell - (D) New Jersey had already called his own party "arrogant" long before he heard the speech and serves as the lone voice, crying out from the Democratic wilderness for his party to sit up and take notice of what just transpired in Massachusetts. 

Obama's speech was not well crafted and quite frankly, it sounded more like a lecture, filled with soaring platitudes of campaign rhetoric and contradictions.  It was not Presidential.  Confronting the Supreme Court Justices, the Chiefs of Staff and Republican leaders was a serious breach of protocol.  Of course, there was virtually no reaction to this, that's because the victims of Obama's insults did practice protocol, remembering happier days when the chamber was filled with those who still commanded the respect of the American people.  But don't think for a moment these powerful institutions will simply forget this incident.

Majoring in Minor Things:

No, you won't see me trash Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid because the camera caught him trying to hold back a massive yawn during the the address last night, (he lost the battle, by the way).  There's always someone in the press corps who likes to point out the personal faux pas and thankfully, there was no dramatic "liar" moment from the floor.

What I will do is highlight Secretary Janet "Nap"olitano's new nickname as she was caught asleep during the speech.  Quite frankly, it's the first time I've agreed with her on anything related to our President! Actually, this imagery is quite appropriate, her entire department has been asleep at the wheel, allowing terrorists to board planes with no passport or luggage, ticket paid for with cash....what a shame.

While Rahm adores, Janet snores!

President Obama missed an opportunity last night.  I sense more anger percolating from public sentiment each day and his combative tone will serve only to fracture a political process that is only a few bills away from a total "meltdown."

Ronald Reagan inspired us to become part of a better country.  Those were the days.  Now, Obama sounds more like Al Capone, the consummate Chicago politician who "tells us" what we're going to do and moreover...that "we're going to like it!"  (Or else).
 

Jon Stewart Agrees...

Is Obama Smarter Than A Sixth Grader?

Good morning "HR" readers.  I was too busy making ready for the 2010 Iowa Caucuses and just didn't find the time to post late last week.  This is in place of Friday funnies, consider it your Monday morning edition.  I've never given too much credence to the "TOTUS" jokes that abound these days but after President Obama made a visit to a sixth grade classroom in Falls Church, VA last Tuesday, many speculate if our President (and his handlers) are any smarter than a sixth grader?

Someone in the White House needs to be sent back to sixth grade.  This is unfortunate and is quite frankly, complete overkill.  Customer carpet too, don't you know.

Had George W. Bush ever pulled a theatrical blunder like this it would have been the lead story on all the major network news desks.

What you don't see "behind the photo" is the relatively small classroom that Obama is speaking to.  One of the first premises of good public speaking is to "know your audience."  11 year-old students are much smarter than we sometimes give them credit for, in spite of the declining state of education in our county, (that's a story for another day).  These kids are however, tech savvy.  They get computers, social media and the internet. What Obama doesn't understand is how foolish he appears to students who realize he's there speaking to the world...and not to them.

Arne Duncan, you should be tossed from your duties for allowing the TOTUS to embarrasses himself like this in an elementary school classroom.

Big Blue Turns Brown

The lion's flame burns no longer.  The seat once occupied by Ted Kennedy, the "Lion of the United States Senate" has been extracated and replaced by "The People" of Massachusetts.

One seat, one vote.  Gone is the supermajority in the US Senate.  Also gone is the formidible mandate to steer the country hard to the left. 

The fallout is breathtaking to observe.  The beltway is "abuzz" this morning as the political establishment attempts to take inventory and assess the damage from yesterdays election.

This victory does not belong to Scott Brown.  That would be thinking with old paradigms.   The people won yesterday's election and by that, I don't just refer to the voters in Massachusetts.  I tell you today, every American who loves our constitution and our freedom emerged as the winners of yesterday's election.

It's far too early to celebrate.  We have more work to do and it gives me a great sense of hope and anticipation that elected officials are only now just starting to fear, "We the people!"

Today is the Day...

How ironic!  One year to the day of the Obama inaugural, we find ourselves in a position to experience an electoral "earthquake."  Today's events may just jar the political pendulum from its leftward swing to an abrupt right-swing; a grass roots correction if you will, from a populace that acknowledges the abuse of power and trust by our government.

A year ago today, James Carville predicted 40 years of Democrat reign. Who would have predicted the state of Massachusetts would provide the political "bullet" that brings down the flawed health care debacle now being formulated behind closed doors in our nation's capital?

Once again, a relatively obscure State Senator emerges to national prominence!  This time, it is Obama who will suffer a crushing defeat as Massachusetts State Senator Scott Brown symbolizes a national referendum on Obamacare, fiscal restraint and transparency in government.

In the video clip above, it appears Speaker Pelosi has been in the ring too long without rest and first aid. Is this the voice of the people?  Obviously not.  Today, the voters of Massachusetts will reclaim the bullhorn and declare the beginning of the end for the Democrats purported 40 years of rule.

Glenn Beck and Sarah Palin - The Interview

The Emails poured in wanting more of Sarah Palin the other day when I posted her first appearance on the Fox News Network with Bill O'Reilly.  So for those who can't get enough of Sarah, here's a great clip from her interview today with Glenn Beck.

I can't wait to see if indeed they appear as co-hosts on SNL.  That would be a riot!

Political Intelligence: EQ vs. IQ

(HR will routinely write essays on "Political EQ" with each installment illustrating and evaluating one facet of the political landscape)

Today we introduce the concept of Political EQ:

Back in 1995, Daniel Goleman wrote a breakthrough book: "Emotional Intelligence."  I own this book and regularly re-read it as it provides insightful answers to the routine "challenges" we face in our day to day lives.  In the very first pages, you are immediately confronted with one of the key concepts this book defines and examines, "When Passions Overwhelm Reason."

Emotion Intelligence, otherwise known as "EI or EQ," is an important tool that's useful to understand organizational development. To this I intend to illustrate the Republican party as the "organization."

You all know the concepts of IQ.  Often defined as "conventional intelligence," it's not an accurate measure of someone's ability to realize success in their lives or their organizations.  Emotional intelligence, "EI" defines a broader set of measures that enable success.  For example, just about everyone knows someone who possesses great gifts of academic brilliance, but is socially and inter-personally challenged.  (Insert engineer joke here) (My father is a brilliant engineer who worked on the Apollo mission that put men on the moon, so this is referenced with respect and "much love.")  To rephrase the last paragraph, a high IQ is not an intelligent predictor of personal success.

I'm sure you all know at least one brilliant "policy wonk," who understands every detail and nuance of a 2000+ page bill that congress regularly churns out these days.  However; watch them at a town hall meeting and they have no ability to "connect" with the voters and articulate (translate) how our government is serving the citizenry. (Insert name here)

Conversely; There's no shortage of "politicians" in government who never read bills and fail to grasp either the costs or consequences of the legislation they routinely pass. Remarkably; they return to their home districts to slap backs, kiss babies and glad-hand their constituents until the campaign war chest overflows with the spoils. They depart from town hall meetings as the voters exclaim how "screwed up Washington is," but our guy is doing a great job!

It might be fair to say the best public servant would embody both of the above mentioned characteristics but that bird, should it actually exist; would be on the endangered species list.

I'll give you one example for today.  Iowa's own Senator Chuck Grassley.  In classic "Grassley style," he grills Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner during a Senate Finance Committee hearing about the complex and secretive details of the Federal Bailout. Then just hours later, flies home and connects with the Iowa taxpayer in a language that needed no translation here in the Hawkeye state: 

"From my standpoint, it's irresponsible for corporations to give bonuses at this time when they're sucking the tit of the taxpayer."

I promise you, anyone whose ever sat through confirmation hearings with the good Senator would never refer to him as a "hick farmer" from the state of Iowa.

In my next installment, I plan to highlight the recent developments in Iowa's GOP gubernatorial primary.

These developments show a complete absence of political EQ from all sides.  The result?  We win "a battle" and lose the war.  Quite frankly, we're already losing the war so if we don't understand and implement the concepts of political EQ, we may ultimately surrender both our party and our country.

Sarah Palin debuts on Fox News...

For those who don't have cable or DVR, Sarah Palin made her debut on the Fox News Network yesterday.  She'll be on with Glenn Beck for the full hour today.  At the front end of this video, you can witness first-hand the media's distain for "Sarahcuda."

There are many who wonder if this sweetheart deal with Fox prevents her from staging a presidential campaign but many more who eagerly anticipate the "rest of the story" from the 2008 presidential campaign.

Only time...will tell.

While we sort all this out, Sarah is smiling all the way to her bank!