Posts Tagged pjtv

Obama Derides Constitution; Sees It As Problem to be Removed

As I posted on Pajamas Media, President Obama is now in a full throated assault against the United States Constitution.  Using his own words, I piece together Obama’s disdain for our current system of government, and how the media is not catching the pieces to the story:

Obama Advocates For New Form Of Government For America

President Barack Obama has had many things to say about the Constitution, and America.  He has talked about both in radio interviews as a State Senator, and in his two books.  In the months and weeks that preceded the election, we heard then Senator Obama talk about transforming the United States.  As President, he has recently spoke of the problems of a tough, messy democracy.  A cursory look at his words and deeds set forth a thesis from the President; one that is far more insidious than is being reported.

The words of the President have a long and sordid history, yet put together a simple strand of belief. A look at his books, gives the start of the string; the desire to search out Marxist professors.  (Certainly, one could go further back, and a review of PJTV personality Bill Whittle’s expose on Obama’s history would be good for those people.)  It was with Marxist professors that he felt most comfortable.  It was with these teachers that he saw role models.  It was within their teachings he found his own salvation – which leads to his talking far too often about our collective salvation as the way to a better tomorrow.

This fascination, and the desire for like-minded role models, led him (via his wife, Michelle Obama) to the church of Reverend Jeremiah Wright, where he spent 20 years.  He did not spend them repudiating the viciousness of his chosen spiritual leader, he spent them reveling in it.  Obama formed a mindset that we see today, focused on the collective over the individual.  He formed his understanding in Black Liberation Theology, which former congressional candidate Chrystopher Smith refers to as the single reason why Attorney General Eric Holder was given the job, and why it will take the most extraordinary of circumstances to make Obama remove Holder.  (Gunwalker may be that extraordinary circumstance…time will tell.)

As a state Senator in Illinois, President Obama gave an interview to a local radio station where he was discussing civil rights and the courts, and it moved into a conversation on the Constitution. Obama, a supposed Constitutional scholar, did not spend much time in praise of the first of its kind, one of a kind document.  Rather, he derided it.  In the 2001 radio interview Obama specifically stated that the “problem” with the Constitution is that it is a grouping of “negative liberties.” Paraphrasing, he said the Constitution states what government can not do to you instead of what the government must do for you.

The Constitutional scholar has a problem with the basic tenets of the Constitution, as his entire basis (home life, college, spiritual adviser) put forth a competing (failed) theory of how the world should work.  The Constitution, based on the concept of Natural Laws as described in the Declaration of Independence – that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness – says man should be able to live without being told how to live (by a King or a centralized government.)  Obama states that government should do more for people, which historically comes at a “Freedom Cost.”

(NOTE – The “Freedom Cost” is the same as the idea of “Opportunity Cost” in economics.  It is the Freedom lost in the guise of alleged government support or safety.  Therefore, the Freedom Cost of ObamaCare, for example, is the loss of choice (Freedom) in one’s medical decisions.  Some may consider that ObamaCare is about wealth redistribution, not medical care.  I do not argue this.  It is just another Freedom Cost to Obamacare.)

In the lead up to the 2008 election, then Senator Obama spoke to a crowd of thousands, and crowed with great passion, “We are five days from fundamentally transforming the United States of America.”  If it weren’t for Glenn Beck, that phrase would have simply dropped under the radar. At most, it would simply have made some on the political right say, “What is he talking about?”  It’s the same way most right-leaning people took to the phrase “Hope and Change.”  They are words that mean nothing in the macro sense.  It’s flowery rhetoric.  But, to the individual, they force a personal reaction.  That is why Obama used them, and continues to use them.  But what, then, could the majority of people have thought about “fundamentally transforming” the United States?  Was it about extricating ourselves from Iraq and Afghanistan?  About curbing runaway spending?  About forging stronger relationships with our allies, and establishing new relationships with our enemies to bring about lasting peace? Quite obviously, the answer to those questions is no.

In the recent debt limit debate, the president spoke frequently, giving multiple press conferences to demonize the political right while offering no solutions of his own.  During this time, he gave a speech to the racist organization La Raza at their annual convention in Washington, D.C.  In this speech, he said the following about immigration reform, and “other” subjects:

“The idea of doing things on my own is very tempting. I promise you, not just on immigration reform. But that’s not how our system works. That’s not how our democracy functions. That’s not how our Constitution is written,”

The words stun.  While the press may play on the theme of doing things on his own, the real incendiary statements come just after.  His statement of our system, our democracy, our Constitution is not one of praise. It is one of disgust.  In front of La Raza, a group that believes in open borders and intimidation, Obama is letting his disdain for the our system of government, our system of laws, be known.  He is pining for the better tomorrow, where he is not burdened with a system that prevents him from fashioning immigration policy in his image (in La Raza’s image.)

Just a few weeks later, after the signing of the debt limit increase – and the ensuing Dow drop of 200, then 512 points – President Obama spoke on the evening of his birthday, during a $38,500 a plate celebration. He stated:

“When I said ‘change we can believe in, I didn’t say change we can believe in today. I didn’t say ‘change we can believe in tomorrow,’ not ‘change we can believe in next week.’ We knew this was going to take time. Because we’ve got this big, messy, tough democracy.”

The pattern is now formed.  Never mind that we are a republic, and not a democracy.  That isn’t the point.  It is the continued attack on our system. The problem, according to Obama, is not him, or his policies, or his big government point of view.  The problem, as previously stated – going as far back as 2001 – is the Constitution; “…this big, messy, tough democracy.”.  As he frames it, the rule of law keeps getting in his way of doing what he thinks is best for all of us.  As my colleague at PJTV, Katie Pavlich, reminds in her article on Townhall.com (with a H/T to HotAir.com):

FLASHBACK: Gee, sure would be easier to President of China

Mr. Obama has told people that it would be so much easier to be the president of China. As one official put it, “No one is scrutinizing Hu Jintao’s words in Tahrir Square.”

His upbringing, his college desires, his spiritual leader, his own words, his own actions and, most recently, his clear-as-day assault on the Constitution, and how much easier his job would be without it. (Even the First Lady has been commenting recently on how hard President Obama workshow gray his hair is getting.  Perhaps he would be more energetic, getting more sleep, if it weren’t for this tough, messy, Democracy?)

President Obama is actively engaging in a pre-meditated attack on the United States Constitution, and the American way of life.  His words are not missteps, like 57 states or the insulting inability to properly pronounce the word corpsman.  Obama is attempting to plant the seed into the already vitriolic and boisterous Progressives that the problem with America is the thing that makes America great – the rule of law that does not allow government to rule us.  (A very disappointing note for Valerie Jarrett, whose slip of the tongue before Inauguration Day may have been more telling about Obama’s desires than we realize.)

While Progressives, the main stream media and Obama devotees will attack this thesis, the words of the president throughout his known history can not be undone, or misconstrued.  Obama has an obvious dislike for the Constitution, and, as president, a true hatred for the things that get in his way – like the rule of law, and Congress, and open debate, and the Tea Party, and questions from the press or others Americans.

Recently, I was sent this cartoon from a friend of mine in Tampa Bay, which originally ran in the Chicago Tribune in 1934:

In the bottom left corner, it shows a man (perhaps Leon Trotsky?) writing on a placard.  On top, as a title, the character wrote, “Plan Of Action For U.S.” Underneath that, the character has written:

SPEND! SPEND! SPEND!

Under The Guise Of Recovery – Bust The Government – Blame The Capitalists For The Failure – Junk The Constitution And Declare A Dictatorship

Next to that, in small letters, as if a commentary from inside the Trotsky character’s head, it reads, “It Worked In Russia!”

There is no claim being made that President Obama is working towards a dictatorship.  But President Obama has clearly shown that he has a vehement disdain for the Constitution, and is actively engaged in sowing the seeds of derision and division in an attempt to bring about its modification, its ineffectiveness or it ultimate demise.

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Ed Morrissey and Noel Sheppard talk with Tony Katz about John McCain and Tea Party Hobbits

Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) decided to quote from the Wall Street Journal when going after the Tea Party during the debt limit debate. What is the value of this kind of statement, and what is Sen. McCain, or the establishment GOP, trying to say? Join The Conversation, as Hot Air‘s Ed Morrissey and Newsbuster’s Noel Sheppard give their thoughts.

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Talking about Obama and the debt with Ed Morrissey and Noel Sheppard

As many of you know, I host a weekly show on PJTV called The Conversation with Tony Katz.  My scheduled guests this week were Hot Air‘s Ed Morrissey, Newsbusters‘ Noel Sheppard and comic/blogger Stephen Kruiser.  How fortunate that on my way into the studio, I found out that President Obama was having a press conference that morning on the debt.  Here is our analysis of the presser, and how little vetting the Obama administration does of itself.

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Today’s Conversation – The New Tone?

(From my show, The Conversation with Tony Katz, on PJTV.com)


NEW TONE?  WE DON’T NEED NO STINKIN’ NEW TONE!

Since the shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ), much ado has been made of the new tone in America.  The concept of civility – how to treat one another, how to talk to one another.  How two people can disagree, but not be disagreeable.

But what has come of that moment…that “teachable” moment.

First, before President Obama mentioned the words, there were the lies of Paul Krugman of the New York Times and Dana Milbank of the Washington Post, claiming that the Tea Party is the violent group, while violently lying about the Tea Party.  Then, there was the Sadie Hawkins dance known as the State Of The Union, where Democrats like former Speaker Nancy Pelosi refused to sit next to a Republican.

Recently, it focuses on Wisconsin, and the rallies that have been going on around the nation. One after another, the videos appear…of cursing, yelling, shoving.  Moveon.org organized rallies at all 50 state capitals to show unity with the employees union in Wisconsin.  In Sacramento, this attack on a non union member occurred.  Then, again, in Atlanta.

While one 17 year old was handing out copies of the United States Constitution, this man offered to show him what “tea-bagging” is:

Massachusetts Congressman Michael Capuano – a Democrat – had this to say:

Heck, we could even go into ancient history, before the new tone speech, and talk about the attack on Kenneth Gladney, the lost finger of a Tea Party member in California (it was bitten off!), the eggs thrown at Andrew Breitbart, or the vicious lies bandied about regarding the use of the “N” word towards Rep. John Lewis (D) of Georgia.  It is still unproven, and a $100,000 reward remains for any proof of it.

It would be comical if it weren’t so serious.  No one would believe that everyone on one side of an issue were just choir boys.  Certainly, I would never claim that of the Tea Party, nor of the anti-union groups that have been protesting.  But what we are seeing from pro-union forces, and anti-Tea Party thugs, is a repeated record of violent behavior and assaults. These are not isolated incidents.  They are interconnected.

So, The Conversation Is: When does the violence end?  And will the left ever recognize their role in it?

Watch The Conversation, with my guests Larry O’ Connor and Christian Hartsock.

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Victory for the Tea Party

“Let me write the ballads of a country, and I care not who writes the laws.”  – Plato


I first heard this quote from Bill Whittle.  If you don’t know Bill, I encourage you to check out his work on PJTV.  Bill is one of the great minds of our generation.  He is with few equals.  He is brilliant.

One of Bill’s most thought-provoking and in-depth commentaries is about the concept of Iconography – the use of visual icons and artistry to convey a message.  He points out that iconography is part of the American culture; about how the sight of Mickey Mouse can evoke far different feelings that that of the Playboy bunny.  Think about the world around you.  You know a McDonald’s is ahead of you when you see the tips of the Golden Arches.  You know an Apple computer by that very simple apple.  The Apple logo is so identified with Apple computers that they do not need to put the name Apple next to it.

Obama has been masterful in his use of iconography.  The “O” as Whittle describes it,  looks like a rising sun on a field of the American flag, denoting a positive future.  There is no doubting that Whittle is right in his assessment – iconography is extremely important.  Images move us, they compel us.  They can evoke emotions of joy, of anger, of love, of hate, of pride, of despair.  We are a visual nation, and, as some other smart people have said, “Image is everything.”

Madison Avenue, where the tv, print and web commercials are conceived and hatched, knows about imagery.  They are astutely aware of the current trends.  They are constantly feeling out society, moving their message  (and the sale of their products) as well as they can.  As a 38 year old, I know when I hear Led Zeppelin in a Cadillac commercial that the commercial is being directed at me.

Madison Avenue’s job is to take Plato’s advice to heart.  They dictate culture by showing us what is within the American psyche.  By showing us what moves us to the moment of purchase.  Their job is to move our hearts and minds.

With that knowledge, the Tea Party can celebrate a victory!  And it is a big one.  We have won a magnificent battle in the culture war.

Recently, three television commercials have been aired on network television….three commercials that are from three iconic brands – Bud Light, Kraft Macaroni and Cheese and Dodge.  Each of these three commercials highlight the same iconic brand – our Founding Fathers.

They are not in the background, but front and center:  the emotional tug leading us to buy the product in question.  In the Bud Light commercial, the Founders are having a 4th of July party.  In the Kraft Macaroni and Cheese ad, it features President Thomas Jefferson (and author of the Declaration of Independence) detailing how he created the recipe for baked macaroni and cheese.  (NOTE – I was unable to find that ad, though this Jefferson ad for Kraft is online.)  In the Dodge ad, perhaps the most fantastic ad of all, the Red Coats are walking in a field.  They are called by their commander to form a line.  They draw their guns and take aim into the woods.  They wait, there is silence.  Then, the sound of a revving car, and three Dodge Challengers, one with an American Flag on the back, comes racing out of the woods.  The Red Coats become filled with fear, and scatter for their lives.  Behind the wheel of the Challenger – President George Washington.  The tag line is – “There’s a couple of things America got right.  Cars and Freedom.”

Madison Avenue is here to sell.  They have no other agenda.  To sell us, they must understand us.  They must tap into who we are and what we believe.  To do this, they look to the culture.  Their job is to judge the cultural motion (and at times create it.)  Their reading of the culture can not be denied.  The Tea Party is the culture in America.  Freedom, Liberty, Capitalism…those are the selling points!

Nothing the NAACP, MSNBC or add your own multi-lettered-statist-agenda-pushing group here can do or say can change this.  The racist argument has failed!  The radical argument has failed!  (The Dodge ad states that America got things right, something the Statist Left would never admit!)  The Tea Party is now fully entrenched in the psyche of America.  And that image is so fundamentally strong, so encompasses the values of America, so in touch with American ideal of Freedom, Liberty and Capitalism that Madison Avenue has taken it to heart, and to the bank.

We hear about companies who are guarded about their brands.  The wrong association can lead to mass firings.  When clients/celebrities/spokespeople fall from grace, or are involved in activities that companies find damaging to their brand, they run from those people.  (See Tiger WoodsMel Gibson and Helen Thomas.)

In this case, they are running towards the Tea Party.  Madison Avenue, via three iconic American products/brands, have embraced the Tea Party, and the millions who consider themselves a part of it.

Tea Party – 1  Statists/Race Hustlers – 0

(NOTE – This is a huge victory, but – to think of it in military terms – we have only won a battle, not the war.  The next victory is November, 2010.  However, the Generals must be planning now for the real victory – November 2012….2014….2016….2018….2020 and beyond.)

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Buy Arizona! Weekend

Come to the Buy Arizona! Weekend – June 4th to June 6th

Soon after Arizona passed SB 1070, a measure that forces law enforcement to enforce the law and ask about immigration status during lawful police activities, politicos from around the country, sensing an opportunity to raise campaign funds, pushed to attack Arizona.  In a cowardly manner, they did not go after law makers for crafting the legislation, nor did they go after the Governor, Jan Brewer, for signing the legislation (though some people did not treat her kindly, with effigies made of her, nor were the police treaded kindly, with water bottles and garbage thrown at them.)

Rather, the political hack class – Mayor Gavin Newsome (D-SF) and Councilman Ed Reyes (D-Los Angeles) amongst them – decided to go after Arizona business.  Through the use of boycotts, San Francisco and Los Angeles looked for ways to cancel contracts, and place moratoriums against official travel to Arizona.  In Oakland, the town council, led by Vice-Mayor Ignacio De La Fuente, has agreed to boycott Arizona.  A convention of immigration lawyers cancelled their national convention in Scottsdale.  According to estimates, $10 million has already been lost.

$10 Million lost by the employers and the employees of Arizona.  Lost by people who did not write the bill, nor vote for the bill.  Employees and small business owners who are now under violent attack.  The political hack class looks only to line their pockets, and makes decisions that fit their own self-interests, regardless of whom they hurt in the process.  In this case, the men and women who are trying to provide for their families.

When I first heard about the boycotts, I knew that innocent people were under attack by ignorant politicians. I have a daily radio show, that plays in four cities, as well as online.  I knew that tourism would be badly effected by thee boycotts, and that would effect all businesses in time.  So, I created the Buy Arizona! Initiative.  The Buy Arizona! Initiative provides free advertising for Arizona businesses.  Each day, we provide one ad for a business in Arizona, doing a live read in the middle of the show.  Other radio hosts, terrestrial and internet, have joined the Initiative, and we welcome more to do so.

Being a Tea Party organizer, I realized that action is everything.  The people of Arizona appreciate the advertising, but they needed to know that millions of Americans are with them, standing shoulder to shoulder with them while they face this politically motivated, unwarranted onslaught.  Sonja Schmidt, a fellow Tea Party member and commentator for PJTV.com had started a plan of her own. Sonja wanted to organize a weekend that was focused on the people, not rallies.  Focused on supporting business, on having fun, and on creating a weekend that would let people relax, share, engage and get ready for the fight ahead of us. We got to talking, and decided to put our resources together for the common goal.  We have to go to Arizona, and show them our support.  Therefore, we are proud to announce the Buy Arizona! Now Weekend.

From June 4th to June 6th, we encourage everyone to come to Arizona, meet some great people spend some money and have some fun.  We have arranged for a central hotel, have created excursions that people can purchase to Sedona or to go shopping in the Phoenix/Scottsdale area.  We’ve arranged a night of comedy, and a night of relaxation.

There is a rally scheduled for the morning of June 5th, which is being done by the people of Arizona.  We encourage those who want to attend to do so.  However, our objective is simple.  We want to inject dollars into the Arizona economy.  We want to look business owners in the eye, and let them know that we are with them.  We want America to see that when you believe in America, you must support your fellow Americans.  The Buy Arizona! Weekend is America’s way of sending a loud clear message to the political hacks and their politically correct minions.  That message is, Stop Abusing Employees and Small Business Owners.

For more information on the Buy Arizona! Weekend, visit BuyArizonaNow.com.

See you in Arizona!

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