Rousing a Sleeping Giant

Peggy Noonan wrote a positive review of her experience regarding last week's Presidential Inauguration in her mostly weekly "Declarations" column in the WSJ Opinion Journal. Near the end, she wrote some insightful words about the potential pluses and minuses of President Obama's self-confident persona and how he might do what he doesn't intend to do:

"As for Mr. Obama, some thoughts that start with a hunch. He has the kind of self-confidence that will serve him well or undo him. He has to be careful about what he wants, because he's going to get it, at least at the beginning. He claimed a lot of moderate territory in his Inaugural Address (deepen and expand our alliances, put aside debates on size of government and aim for government that is competent and constructive), but no one is certain, still, what governing philosophy guides him. He would be most unwise to rouse the sleeping giant that is American conservatism. One thing that would rouse it, and begin to bring its broken pieces back together, would be radical movement on abortion, such as pushing the so-called Freedom of Choice Act.

"There was another great gathering in Washington this week, of those who themselves are not always invited or included, because of their unflinching views. The Right to Life march was marked, according to participants, by an air of peacefulness, and unusual sweetness. The attitude toward President Obama? They prayed for him. As great Americans, which is what they are, would."

The Good & the Bad of Proposed U.S. Infrastructure Ideas

"Some of the infrastructure ideas put forward are obvious and fine: rebuild roads and bridges. One is unexpected and smart: strengthen the electrical grid. One is so lame as to seem a non sequitur: make sure every classroom has the Internet. In America, you don't have to worry that kids won't go online, you have to worry the minute they do. The Internet is not a gifted teacher, but only another limited resource. There is no sign, none, that the Internet has made our nation more literate, or deep, and many signs it has made us less so, u no?" Excerpted from "Rectitude Chic: The First Christmas in the Age of Restraint," Peggy Noonan's weekly online "Declarations" article in today's Wall Street Journal.

The rest of Noonan's article is worth your time to read--with a good cup of coffee, of course!

Is Another New Deal the Answer?

"Early in what became the Great Depression, John Maynard Keynes was asked if anything similar had ever happened. 'Yes,' he replied, 'it was called the Dark Ages, and it lasted 400 years.' It did take 25 years, until November 1954, for the Dow to return to the peak it reached in September 1929. So caution is sensible concerning calls for a new New Deal." And so begins a thought provoking Nov. 28 article, "Same Old New Deal?, " by George Will in the Jewish World Review.

Interesting Choice of Words

Matthew Balan of Newsbusters writes the following about an episode of PBS' Charlie Rose:

Newsweek’s Evan Thomas and Jon Meacham shared a bizarre Obama love-fest session with Charlie Rose on the PBS host’s program on Wednesday. Meacham stated that he was "very struck watching the stagecraft" of Obama and pointed out how Obama gave his victory speech by himself: "...[H]ave you ever seen a victory speech where there was no one else on stage? No adoring wife, no cute kid -- he is the message." Thomas went one step further in this vein: "There is a slightly creepy cult of personality about all of this." Rose confronted him on his use of this phrase, and he explained that it made him "a little uneasy that he's so singular. He's clearly managing his own spectacle. He knows how to do it. He's a -- I think, a deeply manipulative guy..." Later, all three marveled about how it was "amazing" that Obama "watches us watching him."

I was watching this interview when it first aired. The "creepy cult of personality" comment was quite attention-grabbing and not just for Charlie Rose. Meacham didn't disagree with Thomas' comment either.

Truth & the Presidency

"I had rather starve and rot and keep the privilege of speaking the truth than of holding all the offices that capital has to give, from the presidency downward." --Henry Adams (1838-1918) Source: The Christian Almanac by Grant & Wilbur

The President-Elect's Portrait

Every Friday I try to read Peggy Noonan's online column, "Declarations," in the Wall Street Journal. Today's article, "The Children Are Watching," Noonan wrote:

Some wonder if Barack Obama is a hard leftist or more a pragmatic politician who simply rose in leftist precincts (that would be you, Hyde Park, Chicago). A less charged way to put the question would be: Is he a strict modern liberal, or possibly a man of some considerable moderate instincts? The obvious answer is: We're about to find out. But I think the more interesting answer is: He's about to find out. In the presidency, daily decisions become patterns become pictures become, in time, full-length portraits. In the Oval Office you meet yourself every day. It is going to be very interesting to see Mr. Obama meet himself in this way.

The "full-length portrait" that develops will be interesting to see. I pray it's a good picture that develops as a result of the prayers of the saints and the great sense of humility and holy fear that should come over anyone who wears the title and function, President of the United States of America.

Post-Election To-Do List

Author, pastor, and lecturer George Grant posted the following wise Christian counsel on his Eleventary Blog:

Post-Election Commitments
1. Pray more. 1 Thessalonians 5:17
2. Listen first. James 1:19
3. Work harder. Colossians 3:23
4. Serve others. Galatians 6:9
5. Defend life. Proverbs 24:11-12
6. Grumble less. James 5:9
7. Do justice. Amos 5:24
8. Love mercy. Micah 6:8
9. Walk humbly. Proverbs 15:33
10. Rejoice always. 1 Thessalonians 5:16
11. Trust Jesus. Revelation 19:6

Importance of Values Voters

Michael Medved wrote a thought-provoking article, "Will the Return of Values Voters Bring Another Election Day Surprise?" In it, Medved recalls how four years ago the Election Day polls surprisingly showed how important moral and family values were to voters, something the media had largely ignored. There we were, two years into a two-front war, and voters cited moral values as the most important issue. Could it happen again?

Insightfully, Medved makes the important link between financial and family issues:

Controversies regarding the future of the family aren’t a distraction from financial challenges; for most Americans, there’s an inescapable connection between economic and values issues. Nothing brings long-termsecurity and prosperity more reliably than a stable, traditional family lifeand nothing predisposes people for a life of poverty more thanout-of-wedlock birth and marital chaos. The educational success of ourchildren, which directly determines their future financial future, dependsmore on the values they learn at home than the quality of their schools.Learning to work hard, to save money and to live within your means remains adependable path to economic advancement and the failure to learn those lessons (especially by political and business leaders) helped to create the current crisis.

Lord willing, come late Tuesday night or Wednesday morning we'll know if the majority of voters made the connection between what's really good for both their families and their billfolds.

Importance of Facts

"When one thinks of all the men who have put their lives on the line in battle to defend and preserve this country, it is especially painful to think that there are people living in the safety and comfort of civilian life who cannot be bothered to find out the facts about candidates before voting to put the fate of this nation, and of generations yet to come, in the hands of someone chosen because they like his words or style." --Thomas Sowell in Jewish World Review, 10/21/08.

Where is Mr. Smith Now?

On this day in 1939, Frank Capra's film classic Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, starring Jimmy Stewart, premiered in Washington, D.C. (Source The Christian Almanac by Grant & Wilbur)

I believe there is a "Mr. Smith" somewhere in those halls of government today. Do you?

Listening to See

I don't remember where I heard it recommended a few years ago, but I think it must've been on a radio program which would not come as a surprise. The suggestion was to listen to political debates and not watch and listen to debates. The idea was that it causes the listener to really focus on what is being said and not allowing body language, glitz, etc. interfere with the message.

Well, I know that body language is part of communication, but I decided to once again follow the listening suggestion. I believe I tried it about eight or twelve years ago, but not sure. Anyway, last Tuesday night I settled down in my swivel-recliner in my home "office" upstairs, turned on my Eton radio, tuned it to my local NPR radio station, 88.3 WNIN-FM, perked up my ears and began listening to the second 2008 Presidential Debate between Senators Obama and McCain, as well as feeling sorry for Mr. Brokaw whose pleas to follow the rules were virtually ignored.

Listening didn't change my mind about who I plan to vote for, but I think it did cause me to really concentrate on what the candidates were saying. It also seemed to magnify some super-repitive phrases of both candidates: Sen. Obama, "Look, ..." and Sen. McCain, "My friends, ..." Listening also helped me "hear" what they didn't talk about, like the issue of abortion (infanticide). Listening without seeing seemed to help eliminate the drama of the moment and "see" the substance or lack thereof.

One other thing I learned from the experience: I can fix a broken desk lamp while listening to a presidential debate and not miss a thing!

The 1st Debate

"What debate? Political posturing does not statesmanship make!" --George Grant, Sep. 26, 2008

Two "Americas" & Political Rhetoric

Reggie Jones' September 16 posting "Achievers are Not Robber Barons" on the Booker T. Washington Society website discusses what he calls "class-oriented bigotry" against the rich. He reveals how many politicians don't understand how there can ever really be any win-win situations between the rich and not-so-rich. Just because some rich get richer doesn't mean that the poor have to be getting poorer.

Foreign Policy Experience

It's been less than a year since I started taking an interest in Thomas Sowell's commentary on current affairs, including education and the economy. What I like about him is that while he seems absolutely brilliant, he speaks the language of common folk. Maybe that is in itself a mark of brilliance. He has an interesting website which, though it couldn't be much plainer in design, is, like his books, all substance.

Anyway, in light of the recent Experience Wars being debated between the Republican and Democratic Presidential campaigns, Sowel's September 4, 2008 article, "Foreign Policy 'Experience,'" in the National Jewish Review makes for sound reading. From historical, experiential and observational perspectives, he helps the reader understand how to properly define "experience" and determine who actually has the most.

Guess Who?

You might want to take a look at George Grant's September 9 blog posting at Grantian Florilegium.

Of course, time will tell if there will be any other similarities.

2008 Presidential Campaign Religion

Marvin Olasky is one of my favorite writers. He is the editor-in-chief of World Magazine, provost of The King's College (New York City) and a professor at The University of Texas at Austin. His March 13 blog post, "Political religions", is an interesting observation of the use of religion in the 2008 Presidential Campaign and how journalists have reported this topic thus far this season.

You may view all of Olasky's World on the Web blogs at: http://www.worldontheweb.com/author/marvin-olasky/.