Big T's Pic of the Day

This photo is from right outside the DNC in Denver, Colorado. And you thought

communism was dead...think again.

DNC coverage Night 2

Coming to a Bumper Sticker Near You.

“No way, no how, no McCain.” Quote from Hillary Clinton during her DNC speech.

C-SPAN is the Best

I found a new way to watch the convention last night. It is called C-SPAN! Yeah, no more idiotic CNN or FOX News talking heads telling me how I should think and feel about what I just heard. No more pandering comments from bias journalist, just a running tape of the convention. Amazing!

The Night Belonged to Hillary Clinton

Hillary Clinton owned the night. It was a great speech. In fact, it may have been the best speech of her whole political career.

Of course the speech was more about her than it was about Barack Obama, but Clinton accomplished everything she needed to. She did the lets support Barack Obama and the party, rallied the crowd to their feet, and finally sparked some enthusiasm in this convention.

What she really accomplished, and this was her goal all along, was to show the convention delegates and America that she should have been the VP choice if not the candidate.

Bottom line, Hillary hit a grand slam. It was a good night to be a democrat, but it was also a good night to be a republican, because she is not on the ticket. If Obama had chose her as his running mate it would be over for John McCain!

I definitely feel better about November without her on the ticket.

John McCain gains in polls during the DNC???

According to the latest gallop poll John McCain has gained and actually taken the lead over Barack Obama. This is the first time in history the opposition candidate has gained ground in the polls during a convention. I smell landslide in November folks.

The America Sucks without Our Help Convention

That seems to be the theme. Monday night it was all about party unification. It was dull. It was boring and uninspiring. Last night unity was still the theme, but there was a tone of America sucks without our help.

Now to me, this is an uninspiring theme, but democrats love it! They love to be told how bad they have it in America, and how their government is going to make it all better for them.

There was a lot of talk about those evil rich corporations sending American jobs overseas. I even heard someone say, there is no reason these corporations cannot do business in America, and we’re going to make them, and the crowd goes wild….

Gee, I can think of a reason. How about these corporations have been taxed out of America!

Oil prices are to high, and it is our fault because we won’t conserve fuel. We won’t drive smaller cars. So, were going to give you tax breaks on fuel economy cars.

How about we allow oil companies to drill here, drill now and pay less? Something democrats will not allow.

Another theme, we are fighting for universal healthcare, because every American has the right to affordable healthcare. Really? I must have missed that right in my copy of the Constitution.
It is just so bad in America times are so hard. We got to have Barrack Obama come along and fix it all for us, because we are to inadequate to take care of ourselves. We got to have government do it for us.

Government dependency, it is motivating and inspiring to democrats, makes me wants to puke!

The Cult of the Messiah, Barack Obama, Our Lord

No he has never walked on water or sated the hunger of 5,000 people with five loaves of bread and a couple of fish, but Barack Obama continues to attract Jesus comparisons from many of his followers since announcing his candidacy for the presidency.

He has been introduced several times as a savior of the Democrat Party. An artist created a sculpture depicting Obama as the messiah with a crowned halo that was actually displayed with much controversy at the Chicago Institute of Art during the Easter holiday in 2006.

For several months now I have shrugged off the Messiah, Barack Obama stuff claiming it to be a small minority of liberal whack jobs operating from a strong emotional base that ignores reason. Reason, of course, would point out that Obama’s policies are about the same as any other liberal democrat and his experience is minimal. However, in many instances the phenomenon has become practically cult like, as one blogger who tracks these events on the blog “Is Barrack Obama the Messiah?” writes:

... And when [OBAMA] was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased."

There is no reference as to where the above statement came from or if it is the personal work of the blogger, but what is clear is this is not just some random act of Obama worship from a small group on the left. In fact this seems to be a new hysteria that has over taken the left as a whole.

To those who worship at his feet this is not out of the ordinary. To them he is the man of all things great. If you type in the key words Obama messiah at Google you’ll get about 1.5 million results. That is a disturbing number within itself, but the real concern comes from the way people describe their emotional reactions to this former unknown politician from Chicago.

San Francisco Chronicle Columnist Mark Muford explains to us that Obama is a higher being than the rest of us in his column “Is Obama an Enlightened Being?”

Barack Obama isn’t really one of us. Not in the normal way, anyway … it’s not merely his youthful vigor, or handsomeness, or even inspiring rhetoric … It is something more … a sort of powerful luminosity, a unique high-vibration integrity.

Dismiss it if you like, but I’ve heard from far too many enormously smart, wise, spiritually attuned people who’ve been intuitively blown away by Obama’s presence—not speeches, not policies, but sheer presence…

Many spiritually-advanced people I know identify Obama as a Lightworker, that rare kind of attuned being who has the ability to lead us not merely to new foreign policies or health care plans or whatnot, but who casually help usher in a new way of being on the planet…. These kinds of people actually help us evolve. They are philosophers and peacemakers of a very high order, and they speak not just to reason or emotion, but to the soul.

Chris Matthews, a talking head from MSNBC whom one may make the argument has some professional objectivity left, listened to an Obama speech and claimed it was the “New Testament”

“I’ve been following politics since I was about five,” he said. “I’ve never seen anything like this. This is bigger than Kennedy. Obama comes along, and he seems to have the answers. This is the New Testament. This is surprising.”

Others want to give Obama his own chapter in the good book!

“What Barack Obama has accomplished is the single most extraordinary event that has occurred in the 232 years of the nation’s political history. The event itself is so extraordinary that another chapter could be added to the Bible to chronicle its significance,” declared Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr. of Chicago.

Those are some strong statements made about a man with no real substantial accomplishments in his political career, but what is really agitating and frightful is how little interest Obama followers and the media have in the actual track record of the political savior with the cry for “change.”

It is also disgustingly amazing and frightening to watch Barack Obama get cheers and applause from a crowd during a rally in Dallas, Texas during the primary race for blowing his nose and then declare, “I am confident we can create a kingdom right here on Earth,” or when women faint in the mere presence of his existence. (Which interestingly enough has not happened again since the news of “swoon-mania” broke.)

Is it possible people have lost their sense of God to such a degree they are worshiping a presidential candidate?

One needs to look no deeper into the question than the supporters themselves.

In a letter to the editor of the Charleston Journal Gazette Time Courier, in Illinois Steve Davis writes:

What if God decided to incarnate as men preaching “hope and change.” And what if we didn’t recognize them, because we are so dull, and let them slip away, not availing ourselves of the opportunity to be led by God!

“I believe in Barack Obama,” yells one supporter at a rally. “It’s almost like a revival for a lot of people’s souls,” extolled another.

As the crowds gather to worship their messiah, he declares himself the Democrat candidate, and then capitalizes on the dumb masses with the same type of rhetoric he used to capture them in the first place.

"The journey will be difficult. The road will be long. I face this challenge with profound humility, and knowledge of my own limitations. But I also face it with limitless faith in the capacity of the American people. Because if we are willing to work for it, and fight for it, and believe in it, then I am absolutely certain that generations from now, we will be able to look back and tell our children that this was the moment when we began to provide care for the sick and good jobs to the jobless; this was the moment when the rise of the oceans began to slow and our planet began to heal; this was the moment when we ended a war and secured our nation and restored our image as the last, best hope on Earth. This was the moment - this was the time - when we came together to remake this great nation so that it may always reflect our very best selves, and our highest ideals."

All this delivered to a hyped applauding cheering crowd with so much emotion it nearly drowned the candidate out with noise.

This has been the strategy of the Obama campaign. Instead of focusing on policies and accomplishments, which are extremely limited, they have played on emotions of their supporters.

As this story, “Obama Basic Training” by John Hill of the Sacramento Bee, points out Obama volunteers were told to share conversion stories about how they came to support Obama and not his policy views. If asked about policy issues refer people to the Obama website.

This is what makes this more like a cult than a political campaign. Obama strategist sound more like evangelical Christians exclaiming how they came to Obama in the same way born-again Christians tell about how they came to Jesus.

Even Obama’s campaign logo has more of an iconography cult feeling to it for a political campaign. Most of the time the usual political poster is simple. It either has the candidate’s name in patriotic colors, as well as some nice adjectives attributing abilities and experience to his leadership like this John McCain poster to the left.

Other times it is a picture or photograph of a candidate, usually in color, looking either firm or friendly. To the left is a good example of that from Hillary Clinton’s camp.




Obama’s political material takes on a whole other world. The Obama Online store, which is an official part of the Obama campaign, hired propagandist artist Shepard Fairey to create Obama’s presidential campaign poster. This poster transcends the usual flag waiving national pride and instead portrays a new symbolic metaphor to go along with the candidate. Here is a look: As you see, Obama is no longer an ordinary mortal. He has now been elevated to a symbolic cult like figure, where his name is unnecessary. His goals unmentioned and his qualifications are irrelevant, which is convenient since he hardly has any. Instead, all that's left is his almost superhuman visage combined with one magical word: "change" or "hope." The political poster is no longer advertisement, but instead iconography.

The one-word message offers a simple-minded promise of utopian existence, much like the graphic style of the old totalitarian Soviet Union propaganda. It brings back the idealized portraits and personality cult of the “Beloved Leader” of Stalin and Lenin. The leader is illuminated by a “holy” light, looking off to the horizon at a truth that is not available to his mere mortal followers, who must look up to his image.

As is the case with other cults throughout history, perhaps the best metaphor for Obama and his followers is “mirage.” He shines and shows upon the horizon like water in a hot desert, but as the thirsty followers approaches closer they realize, usually to late, there is no water at all, but rather nothing, or sometimes something far worse.

Millions of the Messiah, Obama’s cult followers are thrilled the “mirage of change” is spreading across the nation this election year. They are so overwhelmed with the idea of change they aren’t even concerned what the change may be. But let us do what no politician ever wants us to do – stop and think for a moment.

In order for anyone to be successful with a mandate for change without a specific outline of what that change may be is to find a way to turn off people’s thinking and turn on their emotions.

This is precisely how Jim Jones led hundreds of people to their deaths at Jonestown, Lenin and Stalin created a regime of mass murder in Russia, Hitler rose to power in Germany and Mao in China.

The unification of people behind the “mirage of change” essentially means asking for a blank check in exchange for feel good rhetoric. That deal has been made several times in many different places throughout the history of the world – and millions of people have lived to regret it.

Obama says he wants to “heal America and repair the world.” I wonder if he plans to rest on the seventh day.

The way this campaign has been going one should not be surprised if a light shines through the windows of the Democratic National Convention followed by a big voice from the sky saying,

"Be not afraid; for I bring upon to you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all the people: for there was born to you in the city of Chicago a Savior, the great messiah, who is Barack the Democrat."

The fact there are so many people ready to be swept along by such rhetoric is a huge danger, for it means the fate of this great nation is at risk from any skilled propagandist who comes along and can reach a cult like following.

Random Thought on Storm Gustav and the RNC

Tropical Storm Gustav is heading toward the Gulf of Mexico. It is projected to be a Category 3 hurricane and possibly hit the New Orleans coast on Sunday. Now, this is one day before the Republican National Convention.

Can anyone else but me see the media distraction from the convention this could cause or worse yet, what if it is another FEMA fiasco… The RNC could very easily become the irrellevant news story!

My John McCain VP list

There is no doubt the media has pinned Mitt Romney as the choice John McCain will make to accompany him on the ticket, but I don’t think that is going to happen. Here is why it won’t be Romney.

Although Romney picked up momentum toward the end of the primary and looks like he may energize the base of the party, It was more of an anti-McCain sentiment driving Romney to the front rather than a Romney is our guy momentum. Plus McCain and Romney have never seemed to like each other much. So it is really hard for me to see McCain offer him the job, although politics has made stranger bedfellows in the past.

I think John McCain will go with Rudy Giuliani. One reason I think this is the carpet was laid out the day Giuliani endorsed McCain after dropping out of the primary. If you will remember McCain and Giuliani never talked so highly of each other.

Giuliani would be an excellent choice, but not the best. Although he is a moderate and pro choice, he is also tough on crime and national security. America seems to generally like him as well. I also think Giuliani might help steal some moderate Hillary Clinton supporters from Obama.

What he will not do is unite the die-hard libertarian and conservative base of the party, but it may not matter, because they have no other choice but to fall in line or let Obama win.

Personally, I would love to see John McCain choose North Carolina Sen. Elizabeth Dole. Dole would be a thorn in the Obama’s campaign’s side. She is well known. She doesn’t have much controversy behind her, and she can rally the base of the party.

She has accomplished more in her life than Hillary Clinton and may be able to capture some of those I am voting for Hillary because she is a woman voter.

Who else do I like:

Governor of Mississippi and former RNC Chairman Haley Barbour: He is very conservative and did an excellent job in the aftermath of Katrina.

Governor of Minnesota Tim Pawlenty: Minnesota is going to be a battle ground state this year. McCain actually has a chance to win there. Pawlenty is young, conservative, and endorsed McCain early in the primary.

Tennessee Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn: She is highly attractive with a great personality and very conservative. She has a 97 percent lifetime American Conservative Union rating. She has only been in office since 2002, but that still makes her more experienced than Barack Obama. Just like Dole, she would motivate the base and reach out to woman voters. However she doesn’t have the same name recognition as Dole.

Texas Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison: She is also more accomplished than Hillary Clinton and has a lifetime ACU rating of 90.4 percent. Although she has been known not to be particularly conservative on immigration. That could be a problem.

Big T's Suggested Reading and Viewing from around the Web

Oh yeah they are unified at the DNC. A DNC delegate and Hillary Clinton supporter says, “If I had to base my vote on how Obama supporters have treated us, I’d be voting for McCain.”

The newest concern and drama facing the Obama campaign at the DNC; they won’t be able to drop multicolored balloons after Obama speaks because Invesco Field doesn’t have a roof to drop them from. Seems like a minor problem for the messiah!

Uh oh…looks like Barack Obama has another association with a radical Islamist who helped him get into Harvard. This is the guy you want to be president?

The Wall Street Journal explains why we cannot tax our way out of the entitlement crisis. I wonder if Barack Obama supporters can comprehend this?

Government officials in California have put a halt to two girls selling homegrown watermelons for one dollar a piece because they violated local zoning laws. Welcome to your first lesson in government regulation girls.

Jib Jab has done it again. Here is there new “It is time for some Campaigning.” Hilarious as always.

Jib Jab has done it again. Here is there new “It is time for some Campaigning.” Hilarious as always.