In her first testimony before congress back in March of this year, Homeland Security Secretary, Janet Napolitano laid the groundwork for the Obama administration’s new “politically correct” Homeland Security doctrine. Without ever mentioning “terrorist” or “terrorism” during her testimony, Secritary Napolitano put forth the administration’s new politically correct term for those two words -- “Man-Caused disaster.” Defining the term as “nuance,” to the German news site Spiegel Online, Secretary Napolitano further stated, “…it demonstrates that we want to move away from the politics of fear toward a policy of being prepared for all risks that can occur.” The “T” word has been off limits by the Obama administration ever since.

Noting the Obama administration’s new Homeland Security doctrine, as proffered by Secretary Napolitano, James Carafano, of the Heritage Foundation’s conservative think tank, may not have known just how prophetic it would would turn out to be when he stated; “By deliberately trying not to use the T word they [The Obama administration] run a serious political risk. If something does happen, they’ll be accused of taking their eye off the ball and no amount of explination after the fact will suffice.”

Well, something did happen and Carafano’s prophecy has come true.

President Obama’s new Homeland Security doctrine has taken our country from being the world’s strongest and intimidating superpower, to a weak and vulnerable nation being singled out by every terrorist organization in the world. And make no mistake; whether homegrown or international, these terrorists want America destroyed at any cost. The Obama administration’s Homeland Security doctrine has become no more than a politically correct welcome mat for every Muslim jihadist on the planet.

President Obama is willfully surrendering America’s safety for the sake political correctness and tolerance. This comes on the back of his selfish ambition to become the savior of the world, the consequences of which are leaving America more vulnerable to attack at home and abroad on every front, be it financial, military, or terrorism.

Terrorist organizations are taking advantage of President Obama’s perceived weakness and ignorance. But the truly ignorant are our political leaders – and they should know better – not to mention the left wing media and the millions of duped Americans who have turned a blind eye and deaf ear to the true reality of what’s really taking place as they all play along in concert with President Obama’s insidious plan to weaken and socialize America.

Furthermore, President Obama’s ceaseless apologies for all the world’s problems will have the exact opposite effects he intends. His apologies for American “hate” will only empower those who hate us. His apologies for American “violence” will serve to invite violence from those who would do us harm. His apologies for America’s “oppression” will further oppress all those living under the same dictatorial regimes he seeks to appease and befriend. His apologies for America’s “intolerance” will incite a backlash of zero tolerance for everything American and invoke calls for reparations from all who have been offended. .

Our new President has opened a giant Pandora’s box, and from it flows an evil stream of contempt, anger, hate and danger aimed point-blank at our great nation. There can be no better example of this than the attack on American soil by a homegrown terrorist, Muslim Jihadist, Nidel Malik Hasan. Hasan’s calculated domestic terrorist attack at Fort Hood can be directly traced to the Obama administration’s Homeland Security doctrine.

Many Americans are now beginning to honestly question our country’s future while asking themselves a very disturbing question…will America sleep safer tonight?

Neil Braithwaite is a Real Estate Broker and writer in Charlotte, NC. He writes political commentary and satire and is a regular contributor to PoliticalDerby.com. 

After wall-to-wall media coverage of the terrorist attack at the Fort Hood Army Post in Texas, our Commander-in-Chief found it expedient to squeeze a few words about the devastating attack, on one of America’s prominent military bases, into his comments at a Tribal Nations Conference, hosted by the department of Interior’s Indian Bureau of Indian Affairs.

President Obama went from Commander-in-Chief to Commander-in-Thief in less than three minutes. That’s the amount of time President Obama spent in review of the Tribal Nations conference, thanking his administration for their hard work, thanking the attendees, pandering to Native Americans, and tossing a “shout-out” to one of his buddies.

It was only after President Obama finished with all the “business-at-hand,” did he finally mention the attack at Fort Hood. I have never felt more disgraced as a citizen, and son of a veteran, as I did when I watched President Obama’s statement.

Our new Commander-in-Thief saw fit to personally steal the dignity, honor, and respect of those honorable and brave soldiers of liberty, who proudly serve, defend, and give their lives to protect the United States of America.

President Obama needs to find a way to give back what he stole.

America awaits your apology Mr. President.

With the clear evidence of what transpired in New York Congressional District 23, coupled with crushing Democratic defeats in Virginia and New Jersey gubernatorial elections, conservatives now have a “no apologies” opportunity to transform the Republican Party from being dysfunctional and ineffective, into a strong and unified Party with uncompromising conservative principles.  

Doug Hoffman will be remembered as the person who inspired a conservative movement that took back the Republican Party. Three cheers for Doug Hoffman! 

Let the Republican Party transformation begin with “Rules for Conservatives.”

The objective: Eliminate, once and for all, the biggest problem of the Republican Party --moderates and RINOS. They serve no purpose but to divide the party and water down the conservative agenda.

The Goal: Make the Republican Party the Party of the majority again -- true conservative Americans.

The strategy: Run a true conservative candidate against every RINO and moderate Republican in 2010. (For all you blue-bloods, it’s not a bluff)

The leverage: The Republican Party can choose to run a true conservative candidate or take their chances against both a Democrat and Conservative Party candidate.

The obstacle: Spineless blue-blood elite Republicans who would rather compromise their principles, keep their country club buddies, and suck-up to the liberal media.

The myth: Getting rid of RINOS and moderates will collapse the “big-tent.” (It will however, make the liberal media cry -- they need those moderates and RINOS for their Sunday shows)

The truth: Sixty percent of Americans see themselves as conservative, and that’s a pretty big tent. All are welcome.

The outcome: America is revived and thrives again!

Neil Braithwaite is a Real Estate Broker and writer in Charlotte, NC. He writes political commentary and satire and is a regular contributor to PoliticalDerby.com. 

Until his speech at a DNC fundraiser in San Francisco on October 15, President Obama seemed content to share the Presidency with George W. Bush on everything from the economy to the war on terror. It was completely understandable that the young and inexperienced President would need someone to lean on until he was ready to go it alone. And lean he did. Using the phrase, “I inherited (fill in the blank),” has always been Obama’s subliminal code to America for; I’m just the co-President, so don’t blame me. So when President Obama put both hands on the mop at that DNC fundraiser, all of America took a collective deep breath and wondered if this young President was truly ready to toss away his crutch and finally walk on his own two feet?

If he was serious about going it alone, President Obama deserves high marks for courage and valor for his acceptance of full possession of the office of President in the midst of such trying times. After all, any ordinary President in his situation would continue to cower and bemoan his circumstances while passing the blame on to his predecessor, but not Barack Obama. No sir! He’s no ordinary President. His precision timing and unmatched political ability transcend the ordinary.

In less than ten short months in office, President Obama has put the world on notice that “W” is out, and he is in -- all in! No more, “I inherited this,” nonsense from our new Commander in Chief. Welcome to Obam-erica, where President Obama wants everyone to know that his firm grip on the mop of responsibility signifies his official ownership of all things American -- and socialist.

In nothing short of a miraculous effort, America’s fledgling President has bought and paid for, (with taxpayer, borrowed, and printed money of course), the right of ownership and responsibility for such things as: the economy, the recession, the complete War on Terror, (including; Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan), Wall Street, every bank and financial institution, the auto industry, housing and foreclosures, global warming, energy, renewable energy, the environment, Guantanamo and all detainees, the FBI, CIA, ATF and State Department, Homeland Security, US Military, Immigration, border security, drug interdiction, all foreign policy, the debt and deficit, health care, education, the Stimulus Bill, the Omnibus Bill, TARP, job creation, unemployment, every state in the Union, and last but not least, any and all new legislation and taxes needed to continue to pay for it.

And so, by the power bestowed upon him, by himself, Barack Obama hereby declares himself sole President and that a new prefix be forever attached to each and every one of his new possessions, (i.e., The “Obama” economy, the “Obama” war in Iraq, the “Obama” recession, the “Obama” auto industry, the “Obama” deficit, etc.).

Congratulations, Mr. President -- it’s about time. But remember this: If after spending trillions of taxpayer dollars and putting your micromanaging socialist fingers into every aspect of our republic, you are bold enough to expect all the credit when the good times return, then you better have the courage to accept all the responsibility if they don’t -- starting now!

Neil Braithwaite is a Real Estate Broker and writer in Charlotte, NC. He writes political commentary and satire and is a regular contributor to PoliticalDerby.com. 

When watching a fight with my dad, he would always tell the joke about the embattled fighter who fell exhausted on his corner stool after absorbing several rounds of punishing blows where his trainer tells him, “You’re doing great champ, he aint laying a glove on you.” Then the bewildered and badly beaten fighter would muster enough energy to speak and say, “Keep an eye on the ref, somebody in the ring is beating the hell out of me.”

Looking past the humor of the story, an objective person might find the trainer to be grossly incompetent or even somewhat delusional. Sure it may seem like he’s trying to encourage his fighter, but who knows better what’s happening inside the ring than the one either doling out the punishment or the one receiving it. In spite of his fighter’s situation, the trainer was determined to continue the fight with no clear strategy to win or regard for his fighter’s safety. 

Conversely, an experienced boxing trainer knows that the best information to give his fighter between rounds are specific instructions on how to keep up their defense, advance a successful attack and ultimately win the fight. 

In the midst of the worst economy since the great depression, President Obama is managing this economy more like the incompetent boxing trainer in the joke, than an experienced trainer. With no real strategy being employed and none of his policies working, President Obama has reverted to telling Americans that his policies are working, that the recession is over and everything is going to be fine.

Whether it’s total incompetence or just plain delusion, after almost ten months of being in America’s corner, President Obama’s policies and the current economic circumstances demonstrate that he’s obviously either one or the other -- or both.

Unfortunately, it’s round ten in a twelve round title bout and the message to America from its trainer has been ringing hollow for the last several rounds; “You’re doing great champ, he aint laying a glove on you.” 

Is America headed for defeat? Will America soon lose its championship title?

The answer may depend on whether Americans finally realize that the man in their corner is not incompetent or even delusional, but actually in the midst of doing something that helped give a permanent black eye to the sport of boxing.

Could President Obama be on the verge of doing the unthinkable? 

Is the “fix in” for America? 

With all his upcoming TV appearances and most polls showing Americans getting Obama fatigue, maybe President Obama should think seriously about changing his delivery this time.

If you’re going to play the victim, you might as well play the part all the way.

It would be refreshing, as well as a huge rating improvement, to see President Obama pull a Rodney Daingerfield, “I get no respect” routine on the Letterman show. No, seriously. I’d love to see an actual comedy routine by the President, selling his health care plan in the spirit of America’s favorite loveable victim – Rodney Dangerfield.

How about it America? I know I would watch – maybe even Tivo the entire bit. What do you want to bet it would be the most watched Obama appearance ever? A real Youtube extravaganza! It would be interesting to see how it would play out, given that Americans always love a good laugh.

For a quick tease of Monday’s Letterman show, here is about the 5 minutes of President Obamafield’s late-night routine.

So conger-up your best Dangerfield impression, picture our prime time President, grab that tie, start jerking around a little, and get started.

Ladies and gentleman…the President of the United States – Barack Obamafield!!!

“I gotta tell ya America…I get no respect.”

“I was in the green room trying to get a coke -- the machine kept blinking…NO CHANGE – NO CHANGE - NO CHANGE!”

“Last night I prayed to God to hear the voice of America more clearly…I woke up with bigger ears!”

“Yesterday I told Rahm Emanuel we need to make this health care plan stand out more…he stuck a dead fish in the bill.”

“I told Rahm I wanted America to look at me differently tonight…he gave me his tutu to wear.”

“No respect!”

“I threw out the first pitch at the all-star game…I got an invitation to the Special Olympics – to participate!”

“Last night I caught my daughter telling a fib, I told her she should always tell the truth”…she said, “Like Joe Wilson does?”

“I get no respect!”

“I told the Surgeon general this health care debate is killing me”…she said, “Relax - have a cigarette.”

“Wanda Sykes told me Rush Limbaugh needs a kidney transplant…I’m the only match!”

“No respect!”

“Kathleen Sebelius suggested dropping health care reform all together.” I said, “Over my dead body.” She said, “is that shovel ready?”

“Before I came out, my staff told me this routine would kill…like your health care plan!”

“I tell ya America, I get no respect!”

Now that’s the kind of performance I expect from a real celebrity President. How about you?

Neil Braithwaite is a Real Estate Broker and writer in Charlotte, NC. He writes political commentary and satire and is a regular contributor to PoliticalDerby.com. 

If there were any doubts that America is headed for a complete nanny-state, socialist government just read the global warming bill recently passed by the house or any portion of the health care legislation proposed by congress and the Obama administration.    

The prelude to a new and improved socialist America is evidenced by an $8,000 federal tax credit to buy a home, an up to $4,500 government rebate to buy a car if the trade involves remitting an environmentally “unfriendly” clunker, and now the Obama administration is proposing another government program to give everyone up to a $200 rebate for purchasing energy efficient appliances.

Under the guise of stimulating the economy, the Obama administration is implementing government “rebate” programs that have hundreds of thousands of people jumping through hoops in order to try to get some financial relief during this recession.

The dirty little secret about all these government funded “stimulating” programs is that a rebate or tax credit will only be given if consumers spend money on what the government wants them to purchase and from whom they want them to buy.

To the consumer, these rebate programs are helpful financial incentives, but they are actually “individual” government subsidies. To businesses and corporations involved in the rebate programs, they are government subsidies as well. The Obama administration is in the process of making sure that any business or individual that participates in a government subsidized rebate program will become subject to federal regulations and also strict oversight by one or more of President Obama’s 32 handpicked “Czars.”

One such czar is Obama’s new Pay Czar, Kenneth Feinberg whose recent statements on Sunday, August 16, were both enlightening and somewhat disturbing. Feinberg said that “he has broad and binding authority… and he is weighing how and whether to use that power.” When asked if he could “target” companies that have already paid back “bail out” money, Feinberg said, “Anything is possible under the law.” Really? Anything? Does that include any individuals that got a government-subsidized rebate as well?

The companies Feinberg is speaking of, including banks and auto companies, are prime examples of how easily the government can take control of major corporations once they receive federal funds. The President has already proven this can be done in these industries by hand picking which companies will survive or fail through the use of government bailouts. Private companies, small businesses, and now individuals will become an even easier target for government control as the economy stays in a crisis.

President Obama’s so called incentive programs are nothing more than a back-door effort to control and limit individual freedoms, weed out and destroy unwanted industry, and ultimately make every individual, small business and major corporation in America beholden to and dependent upon the federal government.

To meet his objective of bringing America closer to a socialist state, Obama needs to keep the country in a financial crisis by controlling the length and depth of the current recession. Taking full advantage of this crisis, as Rahm Emanuel implied, is paramount to Obama’s political agenda because he knows that he needs the majority of people, small businesses, and major corporations to be dependant upon the government for their financial security and stability.

These government incentive programs are specifically designed by the Obama administration to carefully manipulate targeted sectors of the economy. The desired outcome of these programs is to create misleading economic numbers intended to elicit false consumer confidence for the purpose of presenting President Obama as a proactive and innovative leader working to restore an ailing economy. Ultimately, these incentive programs are only being used to forward President Obama’s socialist agenda to, in his own words, “fundamentally transform the United States of America.”

It will begin small and seem benign at first – even helpful, but as time goes on and people become more desperate in this ongoing recession, confused by false economic reports and fearful from the reality of their personal economic situations, the Obama administration will implement more government incentive programs involving specific consumer goods from carefully chosen industries to accelerate a socialist agenda.

This insidious plan being perpetrated by the Obama administration should be called, “Cash for America,” because President Barack Obama is now poised to buy off Americans - using their own money.

Neil Braithwaite is a Real Estate Broker and writer in Charlotte, NC. He writes political commentary and satire and is a regular contributor to PoliticalDerby.com. 

When Barack Obama told a Missouri crowd last November, “We are five days from fundamentally changing the Unites States of America,” he meant exactly what he said and had a plan to do just that.

What is so striking about that statement is that in order to “fundamentally change” America, Obama will have to destroy the foundation laid by the founding fathers and replace it with one that serves his socialist ideology.

Candidate Obama subtly prepared the American people for that fundamental change by using the campaign slogan, “Change we can believe in.” However, when you take a closer look at President Obama’s policies, that slogan would be better interpreted as, “Change what you believe in.” Take “change what you believe in” a step further to its logical and more accurate definition and you come up with the term brainwashed.

A close look at the top two definitions of brainwashed, clearly illustrates how well the term actually defines what the Obama administration is trying to do to Americans. 

1. “Intensive, forcible indoctrination, usually political or religious, aimed at destroying a persons basic convictions and attitudes and replacing them with an alternative set of fixed beliefs.”
2. “The application of a concentrated means of persuasion, such as an advertising campaign or repeated suggestion, in order to develop a specific belief or motivation.”  

In light of that definition, it’s really not that much of a stretch to call it brainwashing, considering a majority of Americans still believe in hard work, capitalism, low taxes, less government spending, and less government intervention into every aspect of their daily lives. The majority also doesn’t believe in “man-made” global warming or that the government can efficiently administer a healthcare system without having to ration care and raise taxes to pay for it. So given that the majority of Americans don’t actually believe in the socialist policies President Obama is pushing, brainwashing is the most accurate definition. 

If using the term brainwashed seems over to top, then feel free to substitute “thought reform” or “re-educate,” which was the English term used before the 1950’s. They both elicit a less ominous tone but mean the same thing as brainwashed.

History shows that dictators, despots and rulers have been using brainwashing techniques for thousands of years. They used brainwashing techniques to try and maintain power, control populations, and ultimately, change and transform the behaviors and beliefs of select groups of people and even entire societies.

In the 1950’s, Psychologist, Robert Jay Lifton, performed a most interesting study of Brainwashing on former Korean War and Chinese war camp prisoners.

Lifton’s brainwashing study took place in a “controlled and threatening environment” devoid of “normal social reference points” designed to “add to the targets difficulty in thinking critically and independently.” Our current economic condition more than qualifies as a “threatening environment,” when you take into account this is the worst financial recession since the great depression, we have a President that is heaping trillions of dollars in debt on a virtually bankrupt system, and an economy with millions of people out of work and thousands more losing their jobs every day with no end in sight.

In his study, Lifton defined three stages involved in brainwashing used by the captors, beginning with an “attack” on a prisoner’s sense of self and ending with what appeared to be “a change in beliefs.” Lifton defined the three stages as, “breaking down the self, the possibility of salvation,” and “rebuilding the self.” There are strong parallels between Lifton’s stages and President Obama’s incremental political strategies to, in his own words, “fundamentally change” America.

The “breaking down the self” stage is being fulfilled by President Obama, his administration, all his surrogates and the liberal media as they continue hammering the idea that people who oppose his policies are un-American, evil doers, racists, hate mongers, and anti-environment. This stage also involves trying to elicit guilt, shame and doubt from his opponents by intimating that their core beliefs are harmful to the country and the planet. Obama is even eliciting religion by saying that those who oppose his health care reform plans are “bearing false witness.”

The “possibility of salvation” stage is being accomplished mostly through President Obama’s many nationally televised news briefings and speeches where he personally reiterates that the country is in an economic recession because of old ideas and past policies. He offers to help resolve the crisis while assuring his opponents that they are not intrinsically bad -- just their ideas. He then offers the American people kind words of healing, togetherness, and salvation if they will embrace his solutions to the problem.

The final “rebuilding the self” stage will prove to be the toughest test for the Obama administration to complete the brainwashing process. In this stage, President Obama must get his opposition to reject their old belief system and accept his. He must clearly define the choice between going back to the “old’ way of doing things and having the same bad results, or choosing to move ahead by embracing the “change” he is offering which will not only bring relief to the current economic crisis, but instill a sense of individual pride, renewal, responsibility and patriotism.

What President Obama is trying to do to America is a very serious thing. It was evidenced when Rahm Emanuel said, “You never want a serious crisis to go to waste.” He was clearly referring to the current economic environment and how it could prepare millions of people to be receptive to Obama’s socialist policies. When asked to elaborate on his “serious crisis” statement, Obama’s Chief of Staff said, “This crisis provides the opportunity for us to do the things you could not do before.”

In order to succeed in doing “things you could not do before,” and “fundamentally changing the Unites States of America,” into a socialist state, President Obama knows there must be an environment conducive for his radical strategies to work. However, keeping America in a recession while incrementally brainwashing Americans to embrace his socialist ideology may prove much harder than even “the one” expected.

Americans are a proud and resilient people who, in difficult times, stick to their principles and always seem to bounce back and forge ahead -- stronger than before.

American pride is now showing itself through a huge groundswell of grassroot opposition to President Obama’s socialist agenda through the Tea Party movement, mass participation in town hall meetings and other public protests around the country.

As long as Americans stay focused on the true foundations of this great country and not its radical socialist leader, they will never be brainwashed -- and America will continue to be the “Shining city on a hill” President Ronald Reagan spoke of in his farewell address to the nation.

Neil Braithwaite is a Real Estate Broker and writer in Charlotte, NC. He writes political commentary and satire and is a regular contributor to PoliticalDerby.com. 

When Rahm Emanuel said, “You never want a serious crisis to go to waste,” he probably never imagined the White House having its own “serious crisis.” But due to the current economic non-recovery and President Obama’s free falling approval ratings driven down by his push for government run health care and a ground swell of dissent for his policies, Chief of Staff, Emanuel has a big decision to make - how to “take advantage” of a White House crisis?

On the other hand, Republicans, conservatives and those who oppose the administration’s policies have a big decision to make as well - how do they “take advantage” of a White House crisis?

Given the seriousness of the “advantage” outcome for both the White House and the Republicans, the ensuing political chess match will be both challenging and exciting to watch.

While there are several effective strategies that could just as easily be used by both the White House and the loyal opposition, both parties should take careful consideration on how to proceed so they don’t come across as playing tit-for-tat politics.

The American people want fairness, straight answers, positive results, and an ultimate solution to the current economic problems. They also want substantive policy issues debated on their merits – not politics as usual.

Get ready for a September to remember!

Since his election, President Obama has used, “We inherited this,” as a preamble to every policy proposal and economic statement. Obama’s strategy is to shift responsibility from his administration back to the Bush administration in the event his economic policies fail. But reality is starting to sink in, and this political game is beginning to wear thin for Main Street Americans as unemployment continues to rise and the economy keeps sinking.

After listening to months of stump speeches by candidate Barack Obama touting his plans to fix the economy, Americans were more than ready to see some results. Unfortunately, the only results they have seen so far are the economy getting worse with no end in sight. Even as the mainstream media provides cover for the Obama administrations fruitless economic policies by putting a positive spin on a worsening economy, most Americans are experiencing a different story, and they are becoming increasingly anxious about the future and actually starting to doubt Obama’s capabilities to fix the economy.

On Sunday, July 5, Vice President Biden told ABC’s George Stephanopoulos, “We misread how bad the economy was.” Biden’s honest admission gave the Obama-nomic naysayer surgeons a sharp new scalpel to try and separate Obama from his, “We inherited this,” preamble policy and place the current economic responsibility back on the Obama administration. However, in a desperate attempt to obstruct any surgery to remove the preamble, Biden also made sure that he said the economy was, you guessed it, “inherited” from the Bush administration.

Vice President Biden’s admission was tantamount to proving that the ultra-liberal Obama administration didn’t have a clue about America’s economic condition in January, or how to fix it, and it’s probably fair to assume that they don’t have a clue now. It also proves that liberals only seem to know one way to try and fix anything – throw more money at it. Recently, several Obama administration advisors helped verify that assumption by proposing a second stimulus bill. Who would have thought?

In an effort to divert attention from Biden’s statements that illuminated the administration’s incompetence to deal with the economy, President Obama said, “I would actually – rather than say misread, we had incomplete information,” and “What we always knew was that a) this recession was gonna be deep, and b) it was gonna last for a while.” Now isn’t that basically the same thing Vice President Biden said only with a healthy dose of political spin? Another savory three course meal of hook, line, and sinker for the “state-run” media to enjoy. But wait, there’s more. Obama offered up a most expensive dessert statement to tantalize their palate, “There’s nothing that we would have done differently,” and, “We needed a stimulus and we needed a substantial stimulus.” How yummy - check please?

As a result of having a brutally honest and incredibly ignorant Vice President, there are now three major reasons President Obama’s, “We inherited this,” preamble should be forever separated from his economic policies and statements: First, every president since George Washington has inherited the country in “as-is” condition. Second, when you campaign for so long and so hard on getting a specific job done, you better be more than certain you know how to get positive results. And third, if you don’t soon knock off the, “We inherited this,” preamble and man-up by taking full responsibility for the economy and your own policies, you will never get credit for fixing anything, and you will more than likely go down in the annals of Presidential history as the biggest fraud ever elected.

P. T. Barnum was an American showman and founder of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. He was also widely known for his flamboyant style and elaborate hoaxes. A famous quote from the audacious showman says a quite a lot about his take on humanity; “There’s a sucker born every minute.” A born pitchman if there ever was one, Barnum could sell tickets to throngs of inquisitive and often skeptical people hoping to see some strange human oddity that they almost certainly knew would turn out to be a fake.

While we all understand that P. T. Barnum was an entertainment showman, his business philosophy was always the same – sell the hoax. And while we may not see ourselves as “suckers,” in the truest sense of the word, that’s what we are if we pay for something we seriously doubt is real and then complain later. It’s called “caveat emptor, which for us country folk translates, “let the buyer beware.” Or, as my father in law so aptly puts it, “You pay a little more, but you get a whole lot less.”

It seems more obvious every day that America is now under the leadership of a far greater pitchman than even P. T. Barnum could have ever imagined. President, or should I say, pitchman Obama’s understanding of humanity seems eerily similar with that of P. T. Barnum.

For starters, Obama obviously believes, as Barnum did, that “there’s a sucker born every minute,” and that selling his entire socialist plan for America depends on it. Obama’s delusional circus has been traveling around our great land for six months now with the Ringmaster-in-Chief telling everyone that his economic plans are working to perfection, even though the facts tell a completely different story. Obama knows he has to convince enough “suckers” that his plans are actually working in order to continue his socialist agenda.

President Obama is pitching the biggest economic and social hoax in history to the American people. If he is successful, in a few short years, the social, political and financial landscape of America will be transformed from a capitalist to a more European-socialist style economy. Unfortunately, Obama’s smooth talking and slick pitch skills seem to be fooling enough people for him to achieve his socialist goal.

Much of what Obama has learned about leading, or shall I say, misleading people, came from the activist ringmaster extraordinaire himself, Saul Alinsky. This diabolical Chicago community organizer was instrumental in implementing the “Chicago way” of politics back in the early sixties. In his infamous book, “Rules For Radicals,” Alinsky formulated the idea of “working inside the system” to achieve the desired change in government.

 President Obama has learned well from the radical ringmaster, Alinsky, and even eclipsed P. T. Barnum in the size and scope of his socialist circus. All that is left for the great pitchman Obama to do is to hold his ruse together long enough to implement his hoax on America – from the inside.

With a Democrat majority in both Congress and Senate coupled with the full support of almost every media outlet, Obama can say and do as he pleases without fear of enough truth getting out to dissuade the masses about his plans. And there aren’t enough checks and balances in either government or media to stop him from raising the center pole of the three-ring circus tent to complete the building of the greatest socialist show on earth.

While tossing a couple of bucks for a side show is an easy pill to swallow, blowing trillions of dollars along with a laundry list of American freedoms is off the scale of comprehension for even the most credulous circus midway patrons.

Who will expose this socialist monster of the midway and save America before it’s too late?

Called, “evil despots” by Neil Cavuto on FOX, Obama’s Czars will control much and answer only to President Obama. Is that the kind of change Obama voters wanted for America? I know for sure it’s not what McCain voters wanted.

In light of Obama’s propensity to appoint a Czar at the drop of the hat, I decided to investigate the history of Czars in America and came across some interesting and somewhat disturbing facts. Answers.com had the following US History Encyclopedia reference:       

 “[The] Office of Price Administration (OPA) was the federal agency tasked with establishing price controls on nonagricultural commodities and rationing essential consumer goods during World War II (1939–1945).”

Why is this important? Because this office was formed by an FDR “executive order” that evolved and grew into legislation, with many regulatory arms, that eventually controlled almost every aspect of a persons life for about seven years. And, strangely enough, Leon Henderson, the head of the “Price Stabilization Division” was given the title, “Price Czar” by the media. I knew there was a Czar in there somewhere.

The OPA was used to help control and regulate the needed resources during wartime and also to help stave off inflation. In other words, it was an FDR administration plan to keep America economically strong while fighting an expensive war.

On the surface, this effort by the government seemed far-reaching in usurping individual rights in an attempt to preserve a highly stressed wartime economy. Kind of like the economy we live in today. 

The initial task of the OPA was to ration everything from cars to typewriters, but it grew to do more than just ration goods. Because America began to face broad economic problems, “Congress passed the Stabilization Act on 2 October 1942. This created the Office of Economic Stabilization (OES) that was responsible for controlling wage levels, regulating food prices, and generally stabilizing the cost of living.”

Did you get that? The Office of Economic Stabilization took the government from rationing goods needed during the war effort to “controlling wage levels” and anything else that might destabilize the economy. I think that would cover just about every aspect of our personal lives – don’t you? That’s what I call power!

The US History Encyclopedia also makes the point that “the effectiveness of OPA's measures is subject to some debate.” As with any overreaching government program, unintended consequences began to manifest. In this case, black markets, product quality concerns and even cattle rustling emerged as a result of government price and wage controls.

The government was also in full compliance mode with over 650,000 investigations in 1943 alone and 618,029 violations found in 1943-44. That’s quite a lot of government oversight – don’t you think? Can you say, “Big Brother?”

The US History Encyclopedia sums up with the following: “Rationing for gasoline and foodstuffs was discontinued on August 15, 1945. All rationing ended by the end of September 1945. Price controls remained in effect in the hopes of preventing price instability as the war economy converted back to peacetime functions, but they were gradually discontinued through 1947. On December 12, 1946, Executive Order 9809 transferred OPA to the Office of Temporary Controls. While some sugar and rice control programs were transferred to the Department of Agriculture, most other OPA functions were discontinued. OPA was disbanded on May 29, 1947.”

While there are still government controls on a lot of things like rent in NYC for example, it is very important to understand that the government has the power to implement just about anything it wants if the timing is right. And, it can all start with unaccountable appointed Czars and an executive order or two by the President.

President Obama recently appointed Kenneth Feinberg as a “Special Master for Compensation,” better known as the “Pay Czar.” Does that sound vaguely similar to the 1942 OES “wage control” to you? 

Once Obama realizes he needs a real war to fully implement his plans to “stabilize” the economy, he will reinstate the “war on terror,” and get busy resurrecting the full powers of the OPA.

For the sake of all America is and stands for, let’s all hope Obama’s administration and historians continue to stay mired in the last eight “Bush” years.

After losing a close game, the coach put his arm around the rookie quarterback who came off the bench to try to spark a comeback for his team. In an unsettling retort to his coach’s encouragement, Tom Brady said, “I gave it my best coach, but remember, I inherited that situation.”

A relief pitcher was called in with the game tied in the bottom of the 9^th inning, a runner on third and no outs. As he takes the ball from the manager, Mariano Rivera looks into his eyes and says, “I’ll give it my best coach, but remember, I inherited this situation.”

These two scenarios seem unimaginable in the world of sports. In fact, if they had really happened, you may not have expected these two players would have ever become superstars.  

Any player with that attitude would be toxic to a team. And that kind of attitude would not be tolerated for an instant from any coach, teammate, or fan for that matter. Their selfishness and egotism would always upset the balance and continuity of team play, making it very difficult to win. As a detriment to the team, they would be eliminated as soon as possible. (Contracts not withstanding)

However, there have been instances of players like this. Take Terrell Owens for example. He never took responsibility for a loss and always made sure any blame landed on someone else. He was shuffled from team to team and always with the same result – he didn’t last. Owens has great talent, but because he’s not a team player, he’ll always exit early.

I preface my political point with all of this because it is painfully relevant to our situation in America today. In Barack Obama, we have a new President who seems to exhibit these same toxic characteristics.

For years Barack Obama wanted to play on the team. No, he begged to play on the team. He asked over and over to be put in the game. He was adamant and confident that only he could win. He even promised the team and fans that he would win. Yes, Barack Obama made it abundantly clear to the whole world that he wanted the ball - in a big way!

America: “Ok Obama, you’re in. But we’re in the fourth quarter and it doesn’t look good.”

Obama: “I understand America, but remember, I inherited this whole situation.”

With four years left on Obama’s contract, how is America’s new player working out for the team?

Do you ever wonder how you can be so vehemently opposed politically to a celebrity, be they an actor or musician, and yet, truly enjoy watching or listening to them perform? Why do you suppose that is? Well, I believe it’s because you can compartmentalize them into both a celebrity and political advocate. Although you know full well they are the same person, you can still enjoy and respect the one and yet harbor a disdain for the other.

A great example of this for me is watching Alec Baldwin act or listening to Bruce Springsteen’s music. I think Baldwin is an exceptional and funny actor, but I can’t stand his liberal rants. As for Springsteen, well let’s just say his politics rub me the wrong way, but as far as his music goes, he’s still the boss. And don’t tell me you don’t do this. You know you are still watching or listening to some celebrities who have done some rather, let’s say, questionable things in the past. It makes you think…doesn’t it?

Celebrities also project something that sets them apart from us normal folk that I like to call the, “forget–about-it factor.” It seems that no matter what trouble they are in or wrongs they have committed, their adoring fans always see fit to forgive and forget. And ironically, celebrities usually come out more popular than they were before their trouble. Go figure.

I call this whole phenomenon, “Celebrity Status Syndrome,” (CSS), because the recipients of this extraordinary treatment are most often celebrities. I base this purely on observation, not science or medicine, so don’t confused it with “Celebrity Worship Syndrome,” where people become obsessed with specific celebrities. However, I do believe CSS does affect everyone to some degree. 

Celebrity Status Syndrome helped me understand why Barack Obama had so many loyal followers and got such positive media coverage during the campaign, especially since most people didn’t really know who he was or what he stood for coupled with so many negative stories and associations about him. CSS is also responsible for the same loyal followers and positive media coverage President Obama has continued to enjoy since his election. Don’t get me wrong, I understand blatant liberal media bias and party line supporters, but there is more to it than that.

Allow me to make two very important observations: First, Barrack Obama ran for president as a celebrity and was covered by most media as a celebrity. And second, John McCain ran for president as a politician and was covered by all media as a politician. While McCain was campaigning as a politician for a public office, Obama was on tour as a celebrity seeking status and position. And always remember, celebrity status trumps a political office almost every time!

Obama’s brilliant handlers cleverly made him into the biggest celebrity since the Beatles or Elvis. David Axelrod and his team figured out something that no other national political campaign had yet to understand, so they took a chance and based their entire campaign on it. What they figured out was very simple: politicians are held to a higher standard at all times, while celebrities are not.

The way Obama’s political handlers marketed him to America was that he was then, is now, and always will be, a mega-celebrity. And in accord with that special celebrity status, America now has a president who possesses all the extraordinary benefits that Celebrity Status Syndrome has to offer.

Regardless of President Obama’s performance and outcomes in the next four years, be they good or bad, positive or negative, successful or not, Celebrity Status Syndrome will ensure complete indifference among his supporters along the way. And, that’s exactly why Obama will be very difficult to beat in 2012 - because he’s not a politician, he’s a celebrity!

The only chance conservatives and republicans have against Obama in 2012 is to strip him of his celebrity status by exposing him for what he truly is - a mere, ultra-liberal politician who holds the office of President of the United States and is taking this country in the wrong direction.