First Conservative - Political Humor and Obamatudes

Political Humor - Top Ten Policy Boomerangs

Author’s Note:  Irony and Humor are frequently exchanged for one another in the Political Humor world.  Humor is generally considered the ‘laugh out loud’ type of prose and Irony is a more pensive expression.   It is difficult to make inflation and unemployment truly ‘funny’ so the following piece falls more into the political irony category.

One of the most rewarding things about Political Humor is observing the well-intended program and policy initiatives that boomerang to politically decapitate the one who threw it.   Several issues arose this week as a result of Obama administration initiatives that may do more to damage to each situation it was intended to help.  Even though much of the country believes that Obama is God, some in the administration are no longer quite so confident. 

Policy boomerangs aren’t things that just go badly on their own.  These are ill-conceived proposals and actions that produce an obviously negative result.  Once voters discover the dark side of the initiative –such as the cost or the ultimate impact, they frequently throw the policy back in the face of the originator.

Like Chicago Cubs fans that throw home-run balls from opposing teams back onto the field, voters eventually figure out what policies have hurt them.  Even CNN can’t cover for a Cubs pitcher serving up a hanging curve that winds up in the right field seats at Wrigley.

As we kick off another week of Obama “Hope and Change,” we should be mindful of the top ten  ‘boomerang’ policies that have some in the administration quietly looking for a foxhole.

10.  General Motors –GM’s potential for future success is inversely related to the degree of federal government involvement.  It has dawned on some in the administration that by spending billions on GM, it is the government participation in the auto market that is killing the business.  Customers won’t voluntarily buy an Obamacar and investors won’t put money into a government company.  So after committing to another $50 billion in taxpayer funding, General Motors may well wind up unsalvageable.  Had Obama stayed out and let bankruptcy work the way it was intended, the company would have had a fighting chance.  This boomerang not only cost a great deal of money, but threatens to ultimately kill the company it was intended to rescue.

9.  Guantanamo – Efforts to close the prison this past week resulted in a really nice Bermuda vacation for a few ‘battlefield detainees.’  In showing that the administration convinced other nations to take these murderers, Obama paid off Bermuda to take a few of them.  The prisoners wound up in a fully furnished guest house.  Northeastern workers who have been unemployed since November are now wondering why they don’t get a Bermuda vacation at taxpayer expense.  (Because they probably voted for Obama, they don’t deserve one, but still…)  Local Bermuda islanders are also upset at their own government for participating in the deal.  Bermuda residents don’t want trained killers in their neighborhoods any more than Nancy Pelosi does.  This boomerang broke into two pieces and is coming right back at both sets of governments.

8.   Interest Rates – The cost of borrowing money for business growth is greatly influenced by the government competition for funds.  As Obama competes on world markets for capital to support Stimulus spending, interest rates will increase.  Borrowing becomes more difficult and the increased cost shuts off much of the jobs recovery.  The Stimulus spending that was supposed to “get business moving again” now threatens to choke off the flow of capital business needs to get moving again. 

7.  Iran – Obama’s early initiative to reach out to the human freak-show running Iran’s government may also backfire.  Obama attempted to engage Ahmadinejad and achieved nothing.  The lunatic Iranian leader gained ground with hard liners by ‘standing up against America.’  Obama’s overture gave the Iranian something specific to reject and thus improved his position with Muslim radicals.  The Mullahs owe Obama a thank you card.

6.  Czars - Intended to be an end run around Congressional oversight, the appointment of Czar’s concerns even Democrat Robert Byrd.  In appointing a pay Czar, Obama served notice to successful workers that they are under surveillance by the federal government – which will hold their salaries up for public scrutiny.   The constitution provides the President exacty zero authority to enforce any salary policy except by holding ‘overpaid’ execs up for public ridicule.  This irony becomes more interesting as many of these northeast execs gave money to Democrat and to the Obama campaigns.   Obama will no doubt double check his donor lists before making an individual’s salary public.  (He may use the same team that chose which Chrysler dealerships to close.)

5.  North Korea – Just talking makes Obama appear weak and foolish.  When He sends Hillary Clinton to do the talking, the hilarity continues.   Calling upon North Korea to stop its ‘provocative actions,’ Obama’s Secretary of State Hillary Clinton confronted a despotic regime by taking up air time.  The United Nations went along with another in a long string of “strongly worded condemnations” following the DPRK’s latest missile test.  The UN then agreed to allow stopping North Korean vessels on the high seas, but of course China warned against the use of any force.  The President actually has to take action if his words are to mean anything in the future.  Had Obama pursued a stronger effort with China by threatening to arm Japan and South Korea with more – shall we say – effective weaponry, the Chinese may have been more willing to assist.  Too late for that now.  The DPRK sent Obama’s foreign policy spinning right back at the Chosen One’s noggin.

4.  Unemployment – The only possible way to speed jobs growth is to decrease government competition for capital in world capital markets.  This lowers the costs of borrowing money for growth.  By committing the nation to an outrageous spending and borrowing plan, American companies are reluctant to hire.   The economy is still throwing off hundreds of thousands of jobs each week – even though the recession has passed its 18 month point.  (18 months is the average length of a recession.) Obama’s spending has already extended the recession and those that are looking for work may fill some time by volunteering a few hours for local Republican candidates.  Obama’s efforts at solving unemployment have caused the GOP’s volunteer ranks to significantly increase.

3.  Health Care – Like the federal intervention in General Motors, government participation in health care will ruin the industry.  The well-documented physician shortage will be compounded – perhaps catastrophically – by administration attempts to take over the industry via its public insurance system.  When all physicians are dependent on the federal government for insurance claim payment, few young and bright students will enter the profession.  Remaining docs will be fully dependent on the government for payment. What ambitious young person would put her or his career in the hands of Barack Obama and Congressional Democrats?  By attempting to provide health care for the uninsured, Obama will ensure that good health care is much less available to all.

2.  Taxes – Of course Obama’s big lie to the country is that the middle classes are receiving a tax cut.  While the IRS may have issued a tax rate cut to certain middle income taxpayers, Team Obama increased costs elsewhere.  Increasing taxes on medical benefits will drive down the paycheck of each American worker and slow future job growth.  The public school teachers unions ensured that the current population of voters is relatively economically ignorant, but each worker does have a solid ability to understand that a tax on medical benefits is a tax on him.  Taxing workers more is a bad for job security – particularly for keeping one’s job as President.

1.  Inflation – Corresponding with Stimulus spending, inflation is Obama’s huge tax increase on the middle class.   By printing the Stimulus money He cannot borrow from China, Obama makes each dollar worth less tomorrow than the one earned today.  Middle classes, who thought they were getting a tax cut, will be paying more and more for common goods.   Obama would do well to study a little history; the inflation boomerang took the political head of Jimmy Carter.

Political Humor – Jimmy Carter’s Disastrous Legacy

The best Political Humor is found by looking at reality.  Unfortunately for the nation, some of the best jokes go ignored and are later repeated as live entertainment.   Those that recall long lines at the gas station, double-digit inflation, interest rates exceeding 20% and rapid inflation associate all these events with that “most ex of US Presidents” – James Earl Carter.  (Had to borrow P.J. O’Rourke’s description of the former President) 

 The generation of Americans growing up during the late 1970’s generally don’t look back at that time period as ‘the good old days’ – especially if they were trying to get a job.  College graduates experienced difficulty starting careers, much less purchasing food and fuel.  These were difficult times.

Of course in 1980, Carter was summarily removed from office in favor of former actor and Governor of California, Ronald Reagan.  Liberals simply could not understand how a former actor could become President.  Because they also couldn’t figure out essential operations of a free economy, this wasn’t surprising.  In 2009, President Obama understands the key issues and has undertaken action to exacerbate each – perhaps like Carter - ensuring his demise in the next election.  

As the Obama Honeymoon has mercifully ended, the current President will be less able to blame negative outcomes on George W. Bush.  It is also an appropriate time to examine why Jimmy Carter produced such a disastrous economy and to look for similarities between the Carter and the Obama plan.

For a not-so-pleasant trip down memory lane, below is a top ten list of Carter disasters – some of which Obama is well on his way to repeating.

10. Making athletes pay for the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan -  When the Soviet Union sent troops into Afghanistan on Christmas Eve, 1979, President Carter fished around for an appropriate response.  Presently, he decided on restricting the ability of the United States Olympic Team from participating in the 1980 Summer Games in Moscow.   

9.  Restricting grain sales to punish overseas adversaries – Finding customers is difficult in any market.  US farmers must overcome other government’s trade restrictions to sell produce.  Jimmy Carter entered that game by restricting sales from the US side as well.    Using food as a weapon in the trade war would never be tolerated by today’s liberals.

8.  Assisting with the Islamic Revolution in Iran – Jimmy Carter’s mismanagement of the Iranian turmoil allowed militants to overrun that country.  Iran has since developed into a major threat.   President Obama believes that He can talk with the Iranian militants and convince them not to build nuclear bombs, not to use them on Israel and not to use them on us.  Carter believed the same thing.  Militants took willingness to talk as an invitation to take action.  Obama has already telegraphed His willingness to be nice to Iran so they will play nicely with others.  The Mullahs that run Iran are fine with this so long as they are left alone to finish their weapons of mass destruction.  The US President will then be faced with a much bigger hostage crisis.

7.  Giving birth to the 24 hour news cycle – Carter’s inept handling of the Iranian Hostage Crisis required day to day and hour by hour coverage.  The country was outraged that the President –sworn to protect Americans world wide – would allow diplomatic personnel to be held hostage by thugs.  Daily changes in the hostage situation required ABC News to launch its “Nightline” program, which proved quite popular in competing with the Tonight Show.  Watching Jimmy Carter explain his actions throughout the day was as funny as the opening monologue on NBC.   

6.  Igniting recession through budget mismanagement – Jimmy Carter allowed expenditures to greatly exceed revenues.  When consumers were also hit with major cost increases for fuel, the economy slid into deep recession.   Obama has no problem with running up debt to incredible levels and with Cap and Trade, seems determined to hit the public with the same painful increase in fuel costs.  Couched under the guise of being eco-friendly, Cap and Trade is now seen as a way to limit carbon emissions and slow global warming.  It is an easy claim to make in springtime.  Liberals will like this until they get cold next winter and want someone to heat their hovels for free.  
 
5.  Causing incredibly long gas lines –When Arab nations failed to ship oil to the US consumers had to compete for the limited supply of gasoline.   Carter wasn’t completely to blame for this as Arab nations were angry about continuing US support for Israel.  (Carter should have arranged for purchases of oil from Mexico, which was just beginning to realize the size and scope of her oil deposits.  Had Carter then told OPEC to drink its oil for lunch, he’d have been a lock for a second term.)  Obama, in pushing Cap and Trade is also escalating the cost of food and fuel.  By restricting energy production, the President is allowing a fundamental cost to increase.  The cost of all goods and services will also increase and the supply of available fuel will decrease.  Obama learned nothing from the Carter experience on energy policy.  Obama supporters have no problem limiting gas consumption except when it interferes with their trip to the Asian market to buy tofu.

4.  Causing Unemployment – Jimmy Carter simply could not understand why more jobs were not being created.  Obama will endeavor to understand the same.  When businesses cannot identify reasonably priced capital to fund growth, growth and hiring will be restricted.  Obama and the US treasury are competing as never before on the world capital markets.  What capital is left over for business will be lent at high rates and will severely limit growth.  Limiting growth limits employment.

3.  Rising Interest rates – Of course a government-created shortage of investment capital drives up the cost of the remaining funds.  Increased interest rates killed housing and other major industries that required consumer lending back in the late 70s.   Lending rates frequently exceeded 20% - making borrowing for big ticket purchases like a home almost impossible.  Not wanting to be left out, President Obama is on a path to accomplish this by the start of 2010.

2.  Increasing Inflation – With escalating costs of capital and energy driving up prices for all goods and services, inflation restricted the ability of consumers to purchase goods.  Additionally, ‘cost-push’ inflation resulted from companies increasing costs to acquire necessary labor and materials.   These costs had to be passed on to consumers which only accelerated the pace of inflation.   Jimmy Carter could never understand why costs just kept soaring.  Obama will be wondering how He can blame Bush for this.

1.  Starting the Reagan Revolution – The most positive gift Jimmy Carter provided the United States was a complete illustration of why liberalism always fails.  Ronald Reagan was able – despite a Democrat controlled House to squeeze inflation out of the economy and return the nation to prosperity through the simple practice of free trade.  Reagan also restored America’s international standing by building up the Armed Forces and indicating a genuine willingness to resist Communist expansion.  When Reagan invaded the island of Grenada to put down a potential Communist take-over, the Soviets were shocked.  America was indeed willing to stand for her principles.  Grenadan’s mark the invasion date with their annual Thanksgiving celebraton. 

Political Humor - Presidential Assault on Health Care

Sensing that national patience with His economic plans is waning, the Obama administration moved this week to accelerate plans to take over the US health care system.  Capitalizing on threats made to other industries, such as banking and auto manufacturing, leaders of the health care industry swallowed a bitter pill yesterday, promising some cost relief over the next several years.  It was either that or have their jobs cut or salaries slashed by an Obama takeover.

The effort to take over health care stems from promises made during the 2008 Presidential campaign.  Given President Obama’s ability to manage critical industries such as auto manufacturing, customers (read: patients) have a great deal to fear.  Dismantling the delivery system for health care ensures that those currently covered by paid policies will have to compete for future care with those that had no previous coverage.  

Owing to a shortage of primary care physicians and compounded by high rates of retirement among current practitioners, health care providers will be hard pressed to meet current demand – especially servicing the aging US population.  Increasing demand on the private health care system will by itself increase scarcity of service.  Government intervention in the industry ensures that health care rationing is just a Congressional approval away.

There remain other obstacles to overcome however.  Primarily, the administration is approaching health care takeover in the same fashion as it approached closing Guantanamo detention center.  Both decisions were taken during the campaign and no Democrat has any idea how to actually accomplish the objectives.  

Anticipating difficulties in convincing enough in Congress to support the move, the President’s staff developed the following list of enticements to provide Congress with enough compelling reasons to enact health care “reform” now.  Below are Team Obama’s top ten enticements for taking over the industry:

10.  Coverage for botox and face lift surgery will be included.  Nancy Pelosi insisted.

9.   Shotgun injury coverage will certainly be included – apparently to cover an escalation of the Dick Cheney, Colin Powell disagreements.

8.  Additional coverage for children’s injuries that occur during the course of each three day weekend would also be covered.  With members of the teachers unions campaigning for an additional day off each week, the potential for injury increases for school children who are not in school.

7.  Coverage for hair transplants would also be included.  Arlen Specter extracted this promise in exchange for his jump to the Democrat party.

6.   Intestinal Bypass Surgery was originally included.  Congress may strip this coverage though, apparently to help Democrats keep what ‘guts’ they currently have.

5.  Illegal Alien coverage to encourage Democrat voter registration has been promised.

4.  ACORN will be allowed to distribute special health care favors – such as lice removal - to those registering and voting as Democrats.  They will be allowed to take advantage of those services themselves.

3.  Enhanced coverage for owners of Chrysler vehicles.  With Obama’s takeover of the Detroit auto maker, those riding in government produced cars will need additional coverage.

2.  A special mental health package for congressional Democrats to help them recover from being asked a difficult question.  As Democrats are primarily performers, this coverage would be helpful in leading normal lives.

1.  Counseling and mental health for economic stress is to be included as well.  One family currently paying for its own health coverage will find itself paying for three.  Saddling those that currently pay for their own coverage with costs associated with covering those that do not participate in a health plan is bound to cause additional stress.

Swine Flu Outbreak – Obama Top Ten Benefits   

Just as then-Senator Biden predicted during the campaign, the new President has indeed been presented with a crisis soon after taking office.  Little did the President know at the time Biden made his strange prediction that the 2:00 am call would come from his Physician.  

President Obama is sincerely concerned about the spread of a new strain of the Swine Flu and it was recently disclosed that He personally may have been involved in trafficking the virus from Mexico.   During the Mexico City portion of His Latin American Apology Tour, the President apparently came in close contact with someone later identified as a carrier of the Swine Flu virus.    If the President was exposed, hopefully he shared the germ family with His new BFFs Chavez and Ortega.  Perhaps he should have landed in Cuba on the way home after all.

Always quick to welcome a new crisis that will put him on television screens around the world, President Obama’s team scheduled a news conference to roll out his plan to confront the outbreak of Swine Flu.   Homeland Security Secretary Napolitano was in attendance to declare a national health emergency.  Although generally not believed to be lethal in a vast majority of cases, the newly rolled-out version of the virus certainly was a good enough reason to call a press conference. 

Always looking for advantages, the President’s crack political team then swung into action to maximize the crisis.  The team later presented the President with the following top ten list of possible advantages to be gleaned from the Swine Flu outbreak.  In summary, the outbreak:

10.  Ensures that everyone will be home on Wednesday to watch His news conference - Voters will either be home sick or home to stay out of public contact.  This may be the single greatest benefit of the Swine Flu crisis.  Obama needs to keep his poll numbers magical in light of the fact that public favorability to his specific programs are heading for the tank.

 9.  Gets DHS Secretary Napolitano off the subject of investigating veterans upon discharge from the armed services because they might be terrorists - Napolitano also needs the cover to shield her from criticism regarding the stream of folks that routinely use her home state to bring in contraband.

8.  Gets Hannity and O’Reilly to talk about something else – Nightly thorns in side of Obama’s political team are Sean Hannity and Bill O’Reilly.  Both have been chastising the President over his Apology Tours.  The flu crisis should be something to get these two off track for a few days.

7.  Confronting the crisis could be added to the President’s list of achievements for the first 100 day period - Team Obama has always told the public that they’ve faced more problems than anyone since God.  It would be nice to add this to the list of problems solved within the first three months.

6.  Might allow Rahm to get the flu - The staff is getting a little tired trying to keep up with the President’s changing positions and Rahm is getting cranky.   The staff needs a bit of a break.

5.  Allows a small role for Biden – VP Biden is chomping at the bit to get more involved in government policy.  Team Obama wisely believes that the VP should just stay in his undisclosed, secure location and out of public view as well as earshot.  Unfortunately, Biden was not involved in the recent trip to Mexico City and is probably the most senior staff member not at some risk for exposure to the virus.    Imagine the entire White House staff coming down sick and turning the daily press briefing over to the Vice President.  At least people would tune in.

4.  Gives Hillary a break.  Secretary of State Clinton has been busy trying to convince the Pakistani government to fight the Taliban that is taking over good chunks of that country.  Unfortunately for them Pakistanis are only good at shooting at their Indian neighbors and are entirely unprepared to take on a dug-in guerilla force.  Someone might get hurt.  Hillary has completely struck out in most of her missions so far, so she needs a few days to rethink her strategy.

3.  Provides relief to Attorney General Eric Holder.  Holder has been whacked with Guantanamo problems this week.  While appealing for European help in taking custody of these killers, Europe wisely laughed in his face.  Holder hasn’t quite picked up the President’s ability to apologize profusely and came away from his Europe trip with zero commitments.  That actually matches the President’s performance, so Holder shouldn’t feel too badly.  Holder now has to confront residents of the cities in the United States where these murderers would be housed after closing the Guantanamo detention center.  Americans won’t be as tolerant as the Europeans.  In short, it has been difficult for the Attorney General and the Swine Flu might give him a chance to kick back for a day or two.

2.   Gives the President an opportunity to visit members of the journalistic community that may also have contracted the virus during the trip to Mexico.    This would allow the President to appear compassionate by allowing members of the media to fawn all over him during the visit.  A fawning journalist running a 103 temperature would surely generate some great on-camera moments

1.   Provides yet another opportunity to blame one of the world’s ills on George W. Bush.  Had Bush properly funded scientific research and been a good international neighbor to Mexico, the crisis would not have taken its current form.  

Daily  Obamatude

In announcing his next press conference - scheduled for next Wednesday, April 29 - President Obama obviously felt the need to step in for Press Secretary Robert “Soft Shoe” Gibbs.  During the daily press briefings Gibbs has been dancing around - even calling into question the journalist’s motives when asked a question he doesn’t want to answer.  Not feeling that Gibbs has performed properly, the President is stepping in to do the dancing himself.
 
Obamatude for April 24….

Cool is Robert Gibbs - for he shall provide only platitudes

Check out the Top Ten questions Obama will not be asked as well as the Top Ten cities for housing Gitmo prisoners! 

Thanks for reading!

Top Ten Places to Put Guantanamo Prisoners

The Obama administration made good on its promise to close the Guantanamo detention facility when it first took office back in January.  Since then, administration planners have been hard at work identifying appropriate facilities in which to relocate the - can’t use the phrase “Terrorists” – detainees.  When the outpouring of accolades Obama received for closing Gitmo finally subsided, the administration was able to identify cities to take the prisoners.   When He asked for the list of cities willing to take the battlefield detainees, Obama received a blank sheet of paper.

Like most liberal ideas, the very people that come up with the plans are unwilling to execute them.  Like paying taxes, liberals believe that the dirty work should be done by lesser people.   That is why Obama can’t find any Democrats who have paid their taxes to apply for work at the Treasury Department. 

Closing Gitmo appeased the international leftist community as well as several American human rights groups.     But now what?  Where does the Leader send these aggressive, would-be killers of Americans?  It is a difficult question and in this issue, Obama has learned the difference between making policy and executing the solution.  Obama is by nature a talker and not a ‘doer.’  Accordingly, his team is still working on a solution.

As Team Obama is struggling with where to relocate potential butchers of Americans, the following top ten cities have emerged as leading candidates to take on Gitmo prisoners.

10.  Burlington, VT – Boasting a thoroughly liberal culture, the State of Vermont should be happy to accommodate a Presidential request to take on a bunch of people who want to kill them.  The laid-back Vermont lifestyle should allow the detainees to easily escape their confinement to continue with their mission.

9.  Hartford, CT- Senator Dodd desperately needs a distraction as he begins his campaign for re-election.  Following his rigging the AIG bail out to provide him with campaign funds, Senator Dodd should be willing to push his local contacts to allow more thugs into Connecticut jails.

8.  Alexandria VA – On the outskirts of Washington, DC, this seems like a natural choice.  Allowing the terrorists convenient access to federal courts would be efficient and would be keeping with the ‘green’ philosophy of the Obama administration.  The prisoners wouldn’t have to go very far to abuse the US legal system.  Additionally, should any of them escape; they wouldn’t have to travel very far to continue their rampage.

7.  Dover, DE – The state of Delaware should be willing to take a few of these folks.  Delaware residents might not understand the full implications of housing Gitmo prisoners, but they kept electing Biden to the Senate, so they could be fooled into believing that they would be safe. 

6.  Boulder, CO – Former University of Colorado Professor (proven liar and leftist nut-case), Ward Churchill would be happy to become neighbors with people who share the former professor’s view of the country.  The only difference between Churchill and his new neighbors would be that the detainees back up their words with action. 

5.  Madison, WI – One of the country’s liberal bastions, Madison should be able to showcase its tolerance for people of other belief systems by bringing in a bunch of psychopathic murderers.  The locals can then show tolerance by being nice to them while they are in jail. 

4.  Minneapolis, MN – Any state that elects Stuart Smalley as their Senator should be willing to take on a few more despotic maniacs.  The soon-to-be Senator Franken should be happy to support relocating these crazed killers into his state capitol as they share many of his beliefs. 

3.  Philadelphia, PA – After all, the City of Brotherly Love should be able to win the hearts and minds of a couple of these predators.  If not, Senator Specter can surely find some bipartisan way to surrender to them.

2.  Portland, OR – The Oregon legislature should, after wrestling with its budget nightmare, be able to figure out how to tax Gitmo prisoners for something.  This would prove beneficial to the Oregon economy.  Nothing else has worked and Democrats that run the state are out of things to tax.

1.  San Francisco, CA - or “Pelosiville” is a natural ‘fit’ to house people that want to hurt America.  Many current residents of the city feel the same way.  What are a few more people that want to bring America to her knees?

Top Ten Surprises from Amateur Protesters

One thing became clear after the first few steps onto the State Capitol grounds on Tea Party Day – These people have never been to a protest before!  Participants were incredibly polite, well-dressed, and articulate and – unlike the lefties – sober.  In spite of all that, it was a blast!

Visiting the state capitol grounds usually involves dodging elementary school kids on the annual trip to bug their state representatives about how government is supposed to work.  Today, several thousand people turned out with flags, signs and a good deal of pent-up anger to hold their government accountable.   And they served notice that elected representatives will answer for over spending, over borrowing and over regulating American life.

There were some surprises though.  First time protesters are bound to make some mistakes.  In addition to trying to get the feel of participation, Tea Party protesters just couldn’t quite get comfortable with mass-movement protocol.  The following top ten elements set the Tea Party protests apart from its distant leftist cousins.

10.  Participants were respectful – especially of the landscaping.  State budgets have built in amounts to replace vegetation damaged by angry Socialist mobs that somehow are allowed to get a rally permit on capitol grounds.  Rallies for twenty leftist nut-cases leave far more damage than the thousands of Tea Party attendees.  State controllers were left scratching their heads about dinner hour when it appeared that no damage had been done and no litter remained to be collected.

9.  The dress code for popular uprising movements had not been properly communicated.  Tea Party goers were dressed for a picnic.  Save for places like Washington DC where the weather was cold and wet, many Tea Party attendees looked like they should be carrying a basket of mom’s fried chicken and a bottle of wine.

8.  Aside from the Immigration rallies of two years ago, this was the first group that carried American Flags.  This was however the first group that carried them proudly. 

7.  Many interesting signs appeared at the protest.  Unfortunately for the lefties trying to decipher the meaning of each, the signs were made using correct spelling and punctuation – some signs even requested Treasury Secretary Geithner to prepare their tax returns. 

6.  There were no marching slogans.  Other than chants wanting to know where the Governor was, the event was void of the meaningless platitudes that accompany leftist marches.  In this particular case, the Governor – a Democrat – was both literally and figuratively – out to lunch.

5.  Surprisingly, no bullhorns were used.  Unlike ACORN rallies which are organized with one bullhorn per three marchers, Tea Partiers relied on the pre-arranged speakers to deliver the verbiage.  Tea Party types fully understood and respected their role as the audience during each speech, and at the appropriate times, would break into cheers.

4.  Those attending the Tea Party even cued up politely for parking.  Since most lefties don’t own cars and rely on stinking up public transportation vehicles, arranging parking for thousands of State Capitol visitors was something that had never been done before.  Those that had to compete for parking did so respectfully.  They even paid their fees.
 
3.  Participants recited the Pledge of Allegiance and sang the National Anthem - both correctly.  Interestingly, this crowd could –and did- sing! 

2.  CNN led those that watch it to believe that the Tea Parties would not be well attended and would be confronted by counter protesters.  The three counter protesters that dared to show up and begin chanting some incoherent drama line, were quickly shouted down and laughed at by the thousands of Tea Partiers.  Police began to intervene, but the counter protesters turned and walked away in tears.   ACORN just couldn’t find anyone more mature than people with a 14 year-old emotional constitution.  (Actually, most ACORN members have a 14 year old emotional make-up, which explains their dedication to leftist causes.)

1.  Leftists feel good and uplifted after attending a protest.   Believing that raising consciousness and calling attention to an issue accomplishes something important, lefties usually go home to their tofu and spinach pizzas with a feeling of accomplishment.   In perhaps the most interesting take-away from today’s Tea Party, participants left with the feeling that the movement had only started and that the difficult, heavy lifting of changing politicians’ minds, had only begun.  Tea Partiers left discussing next steps with one another in mature and conversational tones.  At its core, these are the main differences between a Tea Party participant and a leftist protester; maturity and thoughtfulness.  Democrats and leftists are void of both.