Iran: An Ally?

By: Justin Lafferty

            The last blog was dedicated to several recent missteps by the Obama administration. One of the most recent was his “olive branch” video to Iran. Take a listen in the video below.

            At first glance, you think, “Awe! That’s really nice of him!” In reality, you must first realize who he offered a “new” start too. This is country who still believes the Holocaust is made up and not real. They want to wipe Israel off the map, and they have ambitions to build nuclear weapons. Iranian men in the governments view should be authoritative, strong, and be the leader of his family. Obama comes across in the video as weak to them. Iran views this olive branch not as a way for us to work out our differences (although I’m not sure if our differences can be worked out) but as a sign that they can’t beat us so they want to negotiate. So what do you think Iran’s reply will be? You guessed it! They ignored and chastised him. Iran’s leader said that “Words from Washington ring hollow without deep policy changes.” Here are some excerpts from a speech taken from an AP story:

"Have you released Iranian assets? Have you lifted oppressive sanctions? Have you given up mudslinging and making accusations against the great Iranian nation and its officials?" Khamenei said in a speech in the northeastern city of Mashhad. The crowd chanted "Death to America."

"He (Obama) insulted the Islamic Republic of Iran from the first day. If you are right that change has come, where is that change? What is the sign of that change? Make it clear for us what has changed."

Yes, you read that right. The crowd chanted, “Death to America.” People just don’t understand especially many of the “Hollywood” crowd how deep this hatred is and it’s not just minor policy issues. It is major policy differences. I like to leave you with a question to answer. For everyone who thinks we should set down with Iran and talk with Iran, tell me what will we talk about?

Does Obama Ever Make Sense?

By: Justin Lafferty

            While most Americans would agree that President Obama is an excellent speaker, most are unaware of many of his huge mistakes. Let’s take a look at a few of his recent ones:

1.         AIG Bonuses

            I, like most Americans, think it’s a travesty that bonuses were paid to executives who failed at running their companies and needed bailout money from the government to stay afloat. The issue of whether they even deserved to be bailed out can be talked about another time. I personally was against that as well. The fact here is that the Obama administration allowed the language to be placed in that allowed the companies to pay their executives bonuses. Now, Obama and members of his administration are shocked to have learned that this happened. Who’s at fault? Do I blame the CEO’s who accepted millions? Of course not and anyone who does should recheck their priorities. The Obama Administration and Congress are directly to blame for this. They passed legislation that not one member had read all the way through. Really? Is that the American form of government?

2.         The Leno Appearance

            I know you’re thinking “Why does he have to mention the Special Olympics comment by Obama? Can’t they just let it go?” Nope! I’m not going to mention the misfortunate comment. I understand that everyone makes mistakes. The real question here is why is he even on the show? Why? Because support for his “failed policies” (borrowed that from him describing Bush the last 8 years) are falling and somehow he remains popular. I can’t imagine how he can remain popular and his policies aren’t. A President is judged on his policies. I’m sure he’s a great guy to hang out with, watch some NCAA March Madness with, and have some wings and pizza. That’s not the point. I have many friends I can do that with that I don’t want running the United States of America. The Leno appearance was simply a ploy by his administration to take the attention from Turbo Tax Geithner.

3.         Does anyone want to join the Obama administration that pays their taxes?

            While the rest of Americans are expected to pay their taxes, apparently the Obama administration gets a pass while wanting to raise taxes on the rest of America. Sorry just the top 5% if you believe that the top 5% wont just cut workers or raise prices on the goods/services they sell or a combination of both. Ron Kirk, former mayor of Dallas, was nominated to be the U.S. Trade Representative. I must say I like the Dallas Cowboys, but the former mayor owed an estimated 10,000 dollars in back taxes which seems rather small compared the others. Luckily he agreed to pay them? Don’t we all wish we had the choice to pay them or not! Another one is your Treasury Secretary, Timothy “Turbo Tax” Geithner. He owed an estimated 34,000 dollars in back taxes, but he agreed to pay them as well. Another is Tom Daschle who was the HHS (Heath and Human Services) nominee. He withdrew his name for consideration after it became clear that he hadn’t paid a whopping….128,000 dollar in back taxes. Another was Nancy Killefer, Obama’s pick for chief performance officer, who also had tax issues. Now that we made it through the tax cheats.. Finally........

4.         Obama’s Chief Information Officer raided by FBI?

            Many details are not known about this case because it is an ongoing investigation but is someone’s office being raided by the FBI ever a good thing? And they said the Palin vetting wasn’t very good? I mean has he vetted anyone he’s picked so far?

These are just a few recent ones not including taxpayer funded abortion overseas and Obama’s aide saying the economy is fundamentally strong despite ridiculing McCain for saying that during the election.

My question to you—Does Obama ever make sense? He speaks eloquently but does what he say actually make sense. He reminds me of the band with great music and great vocals but nobody ever pays attention to the fact the lyrics make no sense whatsoever. Let me know what you think!

Conservatives: Back to the Future?

By: Justin Lafferty

            Who can forget the movie trilogy starring Michael J. Fox as Marty McFly travels back and forth from the past to the future? The first movie released in 1985 was amid the glory years of the conservative movement. Ronald Reagan, fresh off his re-election with a historic 525 electoral votes to Walter Mondale’s 13, was sworn in that January to become the oldest president ever sworn in at the age of 73. Reagan, known as the Great Communicator, spoke so highly of America as “the shining city on a hill” and inspired many Americans while turning around the economy with tax cuts and less government.

            While attending the 2009 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) at the beautiful Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, DC, I felt as if there was a reawakening of the Reagan spirit. While it is typical for CPAC speakers to quote Reagan or discuss Reagan, this conference felt like more than just talking about the former President. While many liberal and conservative media hosts have suggested the Republican Party and conservative movement would die if they did not change their principles, the conservatives including myself thought differently. The feeling that we have strayed away from the conservative principles and ideas that made Ronald Reagan and the conservative movement great was obvious at the event. Ronald Reagan wasn’t in attendance but I suspect he will have a lasting impact for years to come in the conservative movement.

            Ultimately, there are two ways conservatives could go: the conservative Reagan-esque approach that has brought abundant success in the past or something completely different in a more moderate, less conservative approach. The moderate approach seems to be attractive at first glance because it has the possibilities to attract minorities to the party. If the choice wasn’t clear for some at the beginning of the conference, the forceful speeches given over the three days along with the keynote by Rush Limbaugh made it obviously clear that going back to the principles that make us conservative was the right choice. The better way to attract minorities to the party is to explain how conservative principles can improve their lives and how lower taxes and less government will allow more freedom to move up the economic ladder.

            During the Back to the Future trilogy, Marty travels back to 1955 in the first movie and messes up some family events but finds a way to fix them and even make them better. Could the GOP and conservatives travel back in time and use the Reagan spirit and possibly even improve upon it? That’s exactly what may happen. Despite having no clear frontrunner for the 2012 presidential elections, there is a nearly unanimous decision to turn back to its roots. While it remains to be seen whether this change will work in the 2010 and 2012 elections, it is a bold move nevertheless. The Republican Party could be taking the Delorean back to the 1980s to rediscover just who they are and how they can improve to gain back not just the seats lost but the confidence of the American people. The trip will surely deliver setbacks and challenges, but conservatives are ready for the challenge to get “back to the future” of America.