November 10, 2008
The President's Troopers
On some level, this makes sense, and thus far, it's just an idea, but frankly, it's unsettling and has the potential to go very, very wrong (emphasis added):
After Obama declared victory, his campaign sent a text message announcing that his supporters hadn't heard the last from the president-elect. Obama conveyed a similar message to his staff in a campaignwide conference call Wednesday, signaling that his election was the beginning, and not the culmination, of a political movement.Accordingly, the president-elect's http://www.change.gov transition Web site features a blog and a suggestion form, signaling the kinds of direct and instantaneous interaction that the Obama administration will encourage, perhaps with an eye toward turning its following into the biggest special-interest group in Washington.
Once Obama is sworn in, those backers may be summoned to push reluctant members of Congress to support legislation, to offer feedback on initiatives and to enlist in administration-supported causes in local communities. Obama would also be positioned to ask his supporters to back his favored candidates with fundraising and turnout support in the 2010 midterm elections.
So the least of what Obama's troopers will be doing is getting in their neighbors' faces, as he put it during the campaign. I also wonder whether this database will be the field from which he'll cull the first ranks of his national security force.
Presidents always remain partisan, of course, but I've had a sense, at least, that they put aside or hand over some of their "movement" infrastructure so as to lead the entire country. Presidents are persuaded by special interests, of course, and tend to have more affinity with some than others, but almost by definition, they are supposed to concern themselves with the national interests. Intellectually, the leap to tyranny looks smaller and smaller.
Calm down Justin. You're young. This will pass. Baracka Zulu can do NOTHING in the Senate except by consent of Republicans. Do you really thing Democrats like Nelson, Testor, Dorgan, Landreiu, Webb, Casey and the anti-choice, pro-gun majority leader would let him run amok-even if he wanted to. The truth is he showed his true colors when the first thing he did in the Senate was get his Ho a $350,000 no-show job at a hospital he then steered millions in earmarks.
In other words, he's just Billy Murphy with a tan. First to go will be "Card Check". He will probably make a phone call to a labor rally, just like Republican president's do to abortion rallies, expressing his "100% support". The issue will then go the way of Judge Crater. By July Code Pink will be in front of the White House waving OBAMA=BUSH placards.
There you are Justin. The kind of crap that you spew encourages and gives voice to people like this Mike fellow.
He substitutes thought for invective on a level which would make Adolf Hitler proud; and the tenor and tone of your screed encourages it.
Are you gunning for Gauleiter of Tiverton? You're well on your way. Shame on you.
OldTimeLefty
Posted by: OldTimeLefty at November 10, 2008 8:10 PMGimme a break. Mike disagrees with me, and somehow I encouraged his tone?
Posted by: Justin Katz at November 10, 2008 8:32 PMJustin,
From what I’m reading on AR these pass few days, looks like Gov. Sara Palin and Gov. Linda Lingle hit the nail on the head about the GOP party.
The election is over but AR is acting as if the election is still in progress. Obama is not in office so anything happening is on the GOP and President Bush watch up till 20 January 2009.
All the words I’m reading and hearing is pure speculation because even Obama indicated to the press that there can only be one president at a time.
I think it’s time to start looking towards the future and how to build a better party relationship or else 2010 and 2012 will be the same as 2008 with more GOP losses. The GOP can’t keep burning the bridge first before they want to cross that same bridge.
And yes Justin, this spills off to the RI GOP; international readers via INTERNET and what’s indicated on WPRO to the local RI population which does not help the GOP local party.
Gov. Linda Lingle quote:
“Lingle says GOP platform too rigid”.
Link to newspaper article: http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/20081108/NEWS01/811080327/1001
Gov. Palin quote:
"I think the Republican ticket represented too much of the status quo, too much of what had gone on in these last eight years, that Americans were kind of shaking their heads like going, wait a minute, how did we run up a $10 trillion debt in a Republican administration? How have there been blunders with war strategy under a Republican administration? If we're talking change, we want to get far away from what it was that the present administration represented and that is to a great degree what the Republican Party at the time had been representing," Palin said in a story published Sunday
Link to AP story:
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5h21ZbzgPbTVRftcJPT5vkHkonY5QD94CCF6O1
Hitler had his supporters too. School kids I believe much like the newly registered voters helping get elected.
Look how well that turned out.
Justin has a point.
There is a difference between being presidential and partisan and establishing an underground SS factory.
Sorry for the dramatics but is there a difference?
Posted by: Roland at November 10, 2008 11:26 PM>>All the words I’m reading and hearing is pure speculation
Ken, you're right about that. Quite frankly, we don't really know what Obama will do once he become President. But the speculation is being caused by the contradictory signals that Obama himself sends out.
Obama's voting record is that of a far-left liberal. His campaign rhetoric and platform is that of a centrist, punctuated by an occasional wacky idea (does he really want a civilian defense force funded to the same degree as the military?!?!).
In past election years, the media would have identified the inconsistencies and asked Obama about them. That didn't happen in this election, so Americans are left wondering what Obama will actually do.
Congress only makes things more unpredicatble. Congressional Democrats are floating some socialisitic proposals such as eliminating 401(k)'s in favor of a government-run retirement program. We could very well end up in a situation where Obama is a weak president and Congress is calling the shots. But nobody really knows.
All of this contributes to a sense of unpredictability. Eventually, the questions will be answered, but for now, the nation is left attempting to read tea leaves.
Posted by: Anthony at November 10, 2008 11:39 PMRoland,
Are you talking about for the first time in American history, under the current administration, instead of the local militia (National Guard) protecting their states, a "federal" military combat force answering only to the president of the USA with powers over the individual governors and states militia has been assigned to the new start up Northern Command which is suppose to be protecting the USA from terrorist attacks?
Justin,
Mike does not disagree with you. You spurred his racist comments with remarks like “Obama’s troopers” then turn an out of context 20 second clip into a call for the Gestapo, and Mike tells you to calm down. Your reaction is to wash your hands Pilate style by declaring that Mike disagrees with you. Some disagreement! You threw raw meat to a ravenous dog and have the temerity to blame the cur for snapping it up. You have more ambition than shame or common sense, a very dangerous proposition. You’ll make gauleiter yet.
OldTimeLefty
Ken, no, I'd agree we need a very, very strong and well funded military force at the top level and a National Guard to protect our homeland. Not a National Guard that flies the Lt. Governor to shows.
He does NOT support a national security the way I see it. He does NOT support closing the borders, he does NOT support a national identification plan like Voter ID (what would ACORN do then?) which would include eVerify and he does NOT support a strong military.
Listen, there are a LOT of people who voted for Obama based only on the hopes of immigration amnesty and government entitlements without accountability. I don't believe for one second that Obama was talking about resurrecting the Civil Defense programs of my youth. I think he wants to create a fabric of underground support for future elections on all levels.
Obama has no intentions of every protecting this country with warfare. He'll want to 'sit down and talk'...just like the talks he had with Chavez of Venezuela today. Yeah, that's the ticket!
Posted by: Roland at November 11, 2008 12:56 AMAnthony,
You are so right. We are trying to read tea leaves and make sense out of them.
Other than the new president elect is an African-American but State of Hawaii born and raised.
Big departure for the norm, living in former gangster Chicago (home state of three other USA presidents) but born and raised in a far off so called exotic state of Hawaii where 96% of population is of 2 or more blood-lines, everyone is considered a minority and there are no ethnic neighborhoods which most lower 48 people don’t know a whole hell of a lot about especially the day-day life style of showing respect to others and social thinking honoring the elder family members. Where politeness is extended to roads and driving your car so as not to impede another car or pedestrian. Excelling in school to the best of your ability and being respectful to your teachers and family.
Because I have been visiting Hawaii since the 60s and decided to leave RI to retire in Hawaii. Not living here as a tourist is eye opening, intellectually stimulating and cheaper than living in RI. Of course the warm weather and constant sun helps also.
This is an international destination and community which everyone is exposed to on a daily bases. The kids here are so more advanced than back in RI and not because public school in Hawaii runs all year but the continuous interaction to international visitors and customs.
It was quoted in the newspapers that Michelle Obama has said in newspaper; that to understand Obama you have to understand Hawaii. This is where he was brought up and his life was shaped by a lady (grandmother) who broke down the barriers of the banking community to become the first banking VP in the state (being white she was a minority).
A lot of new friends in the community I’ve met who are children of married white military father and Polynesian, Asian or other color mother continue to express outrage over the segregation treatment they experienced in the lower 48 states when their family was re-stationed. State of Hawaii produced the most votes for Obama of any other state in USA 72% of cast votes.
Obama has great body form body surfing the waves at sandy beach, HI where you can break your neck or back by making the wrong move. Every year a lot of the body stretchers at sandy beach are populated moving towards the ambulances. He must understand risk but does he like to temp fate? For that you’ve got to get into the head of a surfer. My home beach has had up to 50 ft waves which 1 person successfully surfed. What was his thinking?
Obama is president elect and there will be a lot of mixed signals from him in the first 6-12 months on the job. GOP under the present administration didn’t even get total transition team together till after 8 – 12 months and there were too many missteps but we did not complain.
So why are we holding Obama to a higher standard? Maybe because he is different to what we are use to? He is inheriting a USA and free world lowered esteem; something I would never want to wish on anyone to inherit.
So I’m willing to cut him some slack. I will not be the pot calling the kettle black. It’s better to work on rebuilding the GOP instead of making continuous waves about speculation.
He’s going to need help from both parties to try and dig the USA out of the mud it’s stuck in. To keep hammering at him only creates a divide between the democrats and republicans thus not helping the country as a whole. We need to move forward and stabilize the country or the shit will hit the fan like the depression years.
As a Republican would I want to be president for the next 4 years; HELL NO! You will be dammed if you do and dammed if you don’t!
PS: I don’t think RI will see any light till 2012 or after because it has not hit bottom yet. RI still has more downward spiral to go.
Roland,
Let me say this one more time, in the history of the United States there has never been a “federal military” force answering directly to the president of the United States with powers over and above the local states militia and local governors.
Under the current administration North Command has been created and a federal controlled Army combat command has been assigned.
In case of emergency, the states can be taken over and put under martial law by the federal army on orders of the president.
Kiss your State Militia, Governor, General Assembly, National Guard, State Police and Municipal government goodbye!
Obama isn’t even in office yet and what you are complaining about has already happened while “YOU” were sleeping at the front door!
Now do you want to continue to trying to associate Hitler and Obama to me?