Obama is the President-Elect! Overall I can’t say I’m too surprised. I was holding out hope that the polls weren’t accurate, but overall they pretty much were. I think McCain just had too much to overcome. The combination of Bush being extremely unpopular and the financial crisis sending the entire country into the doldrums didn’t help. I think this was much more about people being unhappy with government than it was about a mandate for Obama’s politics.

There are two things I want to bring up about Obama’s impending Presidency. First, while I think it’s great we have our first black President, I’m over it already. Is this going to be the new benchmark to establish when a minority group is no longer opressed? Poor hispanics and asians are going to have to wait for a President that can affirm their ability to do whatever they want. That being said, I don’t think the cries of discrimination are going to stop anytime soon. The black community faces many unique challenges like high crime rates and out of wedlock births, and an Obama presidency will do little to change those problems. How long will it take before the black community turns on Obama for not fixing their problems?

Speaking of Obama and fixing problems…it will be interesting to see how he governs. He set the bar awfully high when he promised to change the world. He does realize he’s only in charge of one country right? With so much power in congress I fully expect the Democrats to embrace a leftist agenda. Don’t expect them to tackle the problems with social security or earmarks, but instead look for topics like healthcare and social spending. Clinton’s eight years were relatively mild because he was kept in check by a Republican congress. The last time the Democrats were in this position was when Carter was in office.

I’ve seen talk already of the Republican party realizing they need to get back to the basics of limited government. They screwed the pooch royally over the last eight years of Bush and the six years of their majority in congress. If Obama does govern to the left, and prolongs the economic troubles we face, Republicans will be in a good position to come back to the people and preach about limited government.

One thing I pledge to do over the next four years is to respect the office of the Presidency. I’m sure I will have many disagreements with Obama’s vision for our country, so don’t be surprised to find me critical of his politics. However, I promise to keep it on an even keel, which hopefully isn’t a surprise to most that read this blog.

Look for another post soon with baby pictures and Little Big Planet!

In the last couple weeks the financial crisis has single-handedly given Obama a comfortable lead in the national polls, and made the electoral road map very tough for McCain. He will need to win almost all the battleground states and find some way to flip a state like New Mexico, Minnesota, or Virginia where Obama has established significant leads. Is the race over? No, and it’s hard to tell how accurate the polls are. I heard an interview with Zogby I think it was who said that 80% of their calls they get hung up on. That means to get a poll of 3,000 people to answer there were 12,000 that hung up.

But regardless of the polls, I’ve already accepted that Obama might be the next President, and sadly I think it has much less to do with the vision and philosophy that Obama has put out, and more to do with the Republicans lack of fiscal restraint. Don’t get me wrong, I think Obama and his Herbert Hoover style of raising taxes will be worse for the economy than anything John McCain does, but right now the general public wants something new. I’m surprised I haven’t heard anyone mention how different the race might be right now if it was Romney against Obama, but no one could have predicted the economy would be the sole issue this election.

With the public declaring they want something new, I don’t think there is much McCain can do to change their minds. What he needs to do is come out and say that he will decrease the size of government and lower taxes (which would be in stark contrast to Obama), and while he has sort of said that, there are two big problems he faces. The first is that on one hand he says that, and then he says he wants to bailout all the stupid people that bought houses they can’t afford. The second is that people have lost faith in Republicans as believers in smaller government.

I think George W. Bush’s greatest mistake was letting government spending run rampant because he has damaged the Republican brand immensely. I think the War on Terror will be judged positively if Iraq becomes a beacon of hope in the region (and there hasn’t been another 9/11, which Bush deserves credit for). The economic issues have been pushed to the side though, and that’s what has McCain in such a pickle. He can’t come out and say the best way to get out of a financial crisis is lower taxes and smaller government, because people think he’s full of crap. It’s in this that I think Republicans have hope for the future.

If Obama wins and Democrats control Congress and the White House, I think Republicans should take a long look at what they stand for. I’ve said before that I’m a conservative first and a Republican second, and in recent years the Republicans in office have strayed a great deal from conservative principals of smaller government. If the Republicans find themselves in the minority in the next four years they need to stop and think about how they got there. Being “democrat-lite” is not what people want.

I think Obama’s policies will self-destruct if he governs anything like he talks and has voted in the past. Herbert Hoover was a one term President, so it’s possible the Republican party can turn itself around in four years. My biggest fear is that the economy recovers like it did in the early 90′s under Clinton. The economy had started a major upswing right before he got into office, and instead of the first Bush getting the credit it was Clinton. I’m not sure that can happen with Obama because we’ve just started to have major problems, and the end isn’t even in sight. That being said, once we hit bottom, there is only one way to go, and that is up. I guarantee if things get better the media will make sure it was Obama’s doing.

If that happens, the road for the Republicans is more difficult, but only time will tell. Whether Republicans can keep the White House or not, they’ve been getting spanked in Congress for a while now, so they need to sit down and really think about what they’ve done, and what they need to change. Get back to the party of limited government and lower taxes, and maybe then the people would be willing to trust you in office.

After 3.5 days of deliberating my case finally ended and I went back to work today. I’m so tired of it that I don’t even feel like describing it, but I’ll give you the short version. Guy is going out with girl, but girl’s ex-boyfriend doesn’t like this, so he shoots at new boyfriend. Personally I think there was no reasonable doubt, but my opinion didn’t matter as an alternate. Two out of the 12 disagreed though, and the guy goes free. I’m glad I wasn’t in the deliberation room because I would have gone crazy arguing with the people.

On to the political front. John McCain won Florida by a few percentage points, but I’m still gung-ho for Romney. In less than a week we get our say here in California, and I think it’s time for everyone to make up their mind. It’s come down to Romney and McCain. There are far too many things McCain has done that go against conservative principles, and it’s important that he not be the nominee. To everyone backing Ron Paul and Mike Huckabee, your votes will go down the drain. Instead, put them behind Romney, a younger and more conservative nominee than McCain with the energy to defeat Hillary or Obama. McCain will take the Republican party away from the conservative principles of Regan, and moving to the left has never helped the Republican party. I would rather we stick to our conservative principles and lose in November than to abandon them and never find our way again.

Vote Mitt Romney on Tuesday, February 5th.

I’ve said before that I am a conservative first and a Republican second. Because of this priority, there is something about President Bush that has made his presidency a little "off." Peggy Noonan hits it on the head in her newest article. While I think the President is a good and sincere man, Noonan points out how Bush has done many things that are contrary to conservative values. She does a great job of looking at how Bush’s policies have alienated the very people that put him in office.

The biggest obstacle facing the Republican party is not the Democrats, but instead returning to the basic conservative values that it’s members believe in.

Harry Reid, the Senate Minority Leader, made some comments the other day that sum up very well what is wrong with the Democratic Party. I think there are two big things that have got them completely clueless.

1) Bush is Evil – We are in year 6 of Bush’s Presedential history, and still the best that Democrats can come up with is "Bush is Evil."  First it was the election results in Florida, and he was evil for "stealing" it! Then it was the tax cuts for the rich! Then it’s the war in Iraq, and then it’s prescription drug plans not being enough, and on and on. The Democrats number one problem is that the only message they have is that Bush is evil. It has become the party’s mantra: If Bush likes it, we don’t. The only alternative ideas the party can put forward are whatever is opposite the Republican party. They are not completely void of ideas though, which leads me to their second problem.

2) Hand Outs – Personal responsibility is something entirely foreign to Democrats. If you read the mentioned article you would see Harry Reid complaining about health care. "Not everyone has it, so let’s give it to them!" This is where the socialist ideals of the Democratic party come into play. A core belief of the Democratic party is that government exists to take care of people. That is BOGUS! It’s no wonder the national savings rate has gone negative. Democrats love to talk about how we’re going to pay for social security forever, and pay all health care costs. When did it become the government’s job to make sure I’m healthy? I don’t need your stupid social security, I can save my own money! Yet the government just hands out money like there is no tomorrow, and personal responsibility has started to disappear. People pay $2000+ a year in car insurance to drive around their leased Hummer, but they can’t pay $1000 a year for health insurance.

Those are the two main things you hear from the Democratic Party, and that is why Kerry lost in 2004. He had zero vision. Bush was evil, and let’s make more people reliant on government hand outs. George Washington and the rest of our founding fathers are surely vomiting in their grave.

We’re making a webpage in Microsoft Word. Boo Yah! We haven’t done anything notable today, so I’ll just go on. Four more class sessions left after this one.

Since I have nothing amusing to say about my class I will instead talk about my favorite radio talk shows.

Larry Elder (790 KABC ~ 3-6 pm PST)
This guy is awesome. Much of his discussions revolve around race relations and various current events. As a black conservative he is a very rare breed (somewhere around 1-2% of US population). Recently he has been discussing the Alito hearings, and before that Tookie Wookie was a big one. One of my biggest draws to the show comes from his Libertarian background. He is a firm believer in personal responsibility and not crying victim.

Michael Savage (870 KRLA ~ 6-9 pm PST)
Broadcasting out of the heart of Liberalism in San Francisco, Savage tends to border on insane. This guy is an ultra-conservative, and that’s what I like about him. He doesn’t care what anyone thinks, or if anyone likes him, he just speaks his mind. I recently read his book "Liberalism Is A Mental Disorder," a good read. He will either drive you nuts or inspire you.

John Ziegler (640 KFI ~ 7-10 pm PST)
This is a newer friend of mine I’ve started listening to on the way home from school. Ziegler usually covers local events similar to John and Ken, but with a little more variety in his topics (and John and Ken start to grate on my ears after a while). Lately he’s been bashing Arnold for going soft and becoming a Democrat.

Laura Ingraham (870 KRLA ~ 6-9 am PST)
My drive to work is usually less than 10 minutes, but if I turn the radio on I dial in to Laura. She’s a fairly mainstream conservative, but not afraid to speak her mind when she disagrees with the Republican party. If she disagrees with the President or his policies, she will come right out and say it. Pretty much 100% politically driven.

Other Notables…

Sean Hannity – I listend to Sean non-stop during the 2004 Presedential campaign. Overall I enjoy his show, but he’s a little too mainstream for my liking. He tends to not be quite as objective as some of the other guys I listen to, but he’s still very good

Michael Medved – He would be at the top of my list, except I’m working while he’s on. He is very intellectual and value driven. He is a firm believer that Judeo-Christian values have made this country great, and he discusses how many liberal ideas/values go against those Judeo-Christian values (like family).

Dennis Prager – Very philosophically driven (and like Medved he is Jewish), this is probably the most intellectual show on the airwaves. He loves to discuss morality and is great brain stimulation. Unfortunately he is on from 9 am-Noon, so I never get to hear him.

Those are pretty much all the people I usually listen to. Sometimes I have to take a break and listen to some music, but talk radio is excellent brain food. Flip over to AM the next time you’re bored with FM.