Reflections From a Murky Pond

On Tuesday, November 4th 2008, Sen. Barack Obama was elected to be the 44th President of the United States of America. He orated a wonderful acceptance speech. Here is an important excerpt that every Conservative should read:

Let us resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long. Let us remember that it was a man from this state who first carried the banner of the Republican Party to the White House — a party founded on the values of self-reliance, individual liberty, and national unity. Those are values we all share, and while the Democratic Party has won a great victory tonight, we do so with a measure of humility and determination to heal the divides that have held back our progress. As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours, “We are not enemies, but friends …though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection.” And to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn — I may not have won your vote, but I hear your voices, I need your help, and I will be your President too.

This was a wonderful passage from a well written and well delivered speech. The promised - or at least inferred - bipartisanship of the passage was a much needed balm after a campaign filled with bitterness and acrimony.

That was Tuesday. On Wednesday, November 5th, 2008, President-Elect Barack Obama asked the Democratic Party’s “party attack dog,” Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-IL) Chief of Staff for the Obama White House.

Rahm Emanuel aka “Rahmbo” is just about as partisan as it is possible to find, being the campaign “hitman” for the Democrats.  Emanuel is as a politician trained in dirty in-fighting by the Chicago politic machine under Daley and vetted under the Clintons.  He is hyper-partisan, vicious believes that “wining isn’t every. It’s the only thing.”

Rahmbo is the Democratic operative who once sent a dead fish - mafiesque style - to a pollster who displeased him. Rahmbo is the Democratic operative who gathered with Clinton supporter after the 1992 campaign to plot revenge upon various Politicians And Members Of The Press.

Suddenly Emanuel grabbed his steak knife and, as those who were there remeber [sic] it, shouted out the name of another enemy, lifted the knife, then brought it down with full force into the table. ‘Dead!’ he screamed. The group immediately joined in the cathartic release: ‘Nat Landow! Dead! Cliff Jackson! Dead! Bill Schaefer! Dead!

– Elisabeth Bumiller
The Brothers Emanuel, The New York Times, 6/15/97

President-Elect Obama’s choice of Rahm “rahmbo” Emanuel doesn’t bode well for Republicans and Conservatives. Choosing a hyper-partisan political assassin as his Chief of Staff has the appearance of putting the lie to Obama’s overtures of bipartisanship and outreach to Americans who didn’t support his bid for the Presidency.

I would suggest that every American keep this firmly in mind. When Pres. Obama or his supporters reach a hand across the aisle check it for a knife.

Remember always that We are Bowed, but Unbroken

The Clinton Campaign, her real campaign for the 2,025 delegates needed to win as opposed to the scrambling for populist support that we all see on the MSM, is well underway. Sen. Clinton, in another stellar example of her understanding of Realpolitik, has furthered her true campaign for those delegates needs for the Democratic nomination despite Obama’s growing lead in the party’s populist vote during the Democratic Primary race.

According to a LA Times/Bloomberg national poll, Clinton has so far convinced or coerced approximately 50% of the superdelegates to vote for who “they personally support” as opposed to the candidate who won their state’s pledged delegates. Clinton has also managed to gain the support of 52% of the superdelegates for her call to allow delegates from Florida and Michigan to participate in the Democratic National Convention.

Ladies and Gentlemen, the race for the Democratic Nomination is far from over, though the race for the People’s support may well be. It appears that Clinton is willing to concede the popular vote to Obama while she concentrates her efforts and money on directly acquiring the delegates she needs.