Meanwhile, In The Background, Reason To Not Lose Heart
I suppose it could be argued that the MSM efforts to suppress what is happening in the Middle East and the fecklessness of the current administration in face of it all, that the Middle East issue is, in fact, “the background.” But I just don’t believe that the American people are that blind. They see what is happening and they see how the administration is responding, er, NOT responding and they are deeply troubled. I cannot tell you how many people have said to me in the last two days, “The press doesn’t get it! Don’t they see what is happening?” I have heard that so much that I cannot lose heart as so many seem to want to do. When that many people see the truth and are that adamant about it, those hiding in delusion are on the brink of disaster.
As Lee Smith said at the Weekly Standard:
It was bad enough, two years ago, that Defense Secretary Robert Gates called fringe Florida pastor Terry Jones to ask him not to burn copies of the Koran, or last week, that chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Martin Dempsey took his turn to call Jones to ask him to stop publicizing a YouTube video, The Innocence of Muslims. But then on Friday, White House spokesman Jay Carney told the world that the violent protests in Cairo and Benghazi and elsewhere were a “response not to United States policy, and not obviously the administration or the American people,” but were “in response to a video, a film we have judged to be reprehensible and disgusting.” Carney repeated the point for emphasis: “This is not a case of protests directed at the United States at large or at U.S. policy, but in response to a video that is offensive to Muslims.”
Carney’s comments lie outside the range of plausible spin, even by Obama administration standards, and if his bosses believe them—as we fear they do—are simply delusional.
Steven Hayward at Powerline tells us that by all account the State Department is in chaos. (You know, I have always thought we would be better off with Hillary Clinton as president rather than Obama, but these reports make me wonder. Or is it simply a matter that Obama does not give his Cabinet members sufficient autonomy to run a good department in the face of his total inability to do the job? It is going to be fascinating to read the history on this one.) The country and presidency will survive this, though a great deal of rebuilding will be necessary, but I said the other day that I wondered if the Democrat party would survive Barack Obama and I find myself now wondering if the MSM will survive.
I simply cannot believe what Mark Halperin posted on his Friday appearance on Morning Joe. The conversation starts with Scarborough, nominally a conservative, saying:
Conservative intelligentsia is — has turned on him and there are some things that they will not say publicly, there are some things that they will not write publicly, but behind the scene, they’re all talking Dole ’96, George H.W. Bush ’92. This past week they’ve really, privately written this guy off despite the fear and loathing that they have about a second Obama term.
Come on Joe! – Name some names here. Those “conservative intelligentsia” are probably about as conservative as you are. Give me a break here. Who in their right mind could write off Mitt Romney when the Obama administration is falling apart before our very eyes. There is an election in less than two months and unlike Nero, whose resemblance the president is gaining moment by moment, Obama can, and will, be removed.
This is not time to lose heart. Stop listening to the press and stop reading polls that are clearly intended to alter opinion rather than measure it. If they continue down this path of turning a blind eye to the utter failings of the current administration they will only hasten their already rapid demise. Why buck the tide? Let’s speed things up and simply stop consuming, even for a moment, the crap they are spewing. If the Los Angeles Times, which I stopped reading in 200o because all pretense of journalistic integrity disappeared in the Bush v Gore cycle, survives this election cycle as anything other than a distributor of supermarket inserts, I will be shocked. The way things are going right now the protective bubble around the west side liberals that has kept the rag barely afloat to date is going to have to burst. Reality has a way of breaking through our delusions and it is happening right now.
Besides, on what is supposed to be Romney’s weakest flank, religion, things are looking pretty good. Paul Ryan gave a great speech at the VVS yesterday and Romney did pretty well too. Stephen Mansfield had a great op-ed in USAToday this past week:
Even so, with these concerns laid aside, many voters might not recognize an often undervalued feature of the faith: How it might help a Mormon lead in the Oval Office. This possibility arises from the emphasis the faith places upon patriotism, civic duty and morality in government — American government in particular.
These civic virtues spring from the fact that Mormonism is more a religion of America and about America than any other religion. In fact, some scholars, such as the late UCLA historian Fawn Brodie, see Mormonism as little more than the values and symbols of America spun into a religion. This, they say, is what has made the saints of recent decades such super patriots, and it could also be what could make a Mormon candidate for president an attractive choice.
I would phrase that a bit differently – Mormons are today what mainline Protestants were a few decades ago – the keepers of the American dream. That makes them the perfect group to lead us all as we try to rebuild this nation from the disaster that has been wrought by the current administration.
Noted theologians, especially of the Baptist variety, are pointing out important things:
“The Kingdom is not riding on whatever happens on election day and the church’s mission isn’t going to change regardless of what happens … on Election Day,” said Dr. R. Albert Mohler, president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, on Tuesday.
Yes, folks that Al Mohler – he made our “bad guys” list, at least provisionally, last cycle. Oh there is news even more delicious than that! World Magazine – founded and published by the biggest anti-Mormon bigot on the right Joel Belz, had this to say this week:
Mitt Romney’s Mormonism is shaping up to be more of an oddity than an obstacle in the minds of 2012 American voters, even among evangelicals.
The piece is not exactly a ringing endorsement of Romney, but it does indicate the bursting of a protective bubble on the far right. If that bubble can burst, so can the one on the left, which I believe we are witnessing at this very moment. And the final bit of news is the most ironic of all:
It seems that returned Mormon missionaries make good U.S. ambassadors.
President Barack Obama this week nominated Robert S. Beecroft, a Brigham Young University graduate who served a two-year LDS Church mission to Argentina, as the new U.S. ambassador to Iraq. From 2008 to 2011, Beecroft was the ambassador to Jordan.
The article goes on to point out that ambassador to Kuwait is Mormon, and leave us not forget former Obama ambassador to China, Jon Huntsman, Mormon. Go ahead Mr. Obama, play the Mormon card, I triple dog dare you – it’ll just make you look more foolish than you look at this moment, and that is pretty doggone foolish.
Nope, now is not the time to be disheartened. We’re winning, the press, often the last to the party, just have not figured it out yet becasue they do not want to. That’s their problem, not ours. Ours is to ignore their delusion and press the case. Yesterday I advised an acquaintance that was very upset at the coverage of the foreign policy meltdown to go to MittRomney.com, hit the “Get Involved” tab and get busy. Stop talking and listening to people inside the bubble and start engaging people outside of it. There are certainly enough of us that live in the real world to win this election. Who cares if the press and the pollsters come along kicking and screaming, we will still carry the day and return the nation to where it is supposed to be.
Posted in News Media Bias, Political Strategy, Prejudice, Reading List, Religious Bigotry, Religious Freedom | 3 Comments » | 
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Rockgod28 on 15 Sep 2012 at 12:04 pm #
The wheels of the Obama campaign bus are coming off.
In Nevada a battle ground state I saw an encouraging sight. A Mitt Romney bumper sticker!
This was on the day or day after President Obama visited Las Vegas. Mr. Community organizer visited celebrities to get their money and adulation. This campaign is a mess in Nevada. Now is the time for more! More signs, more stickers and even billboards for Mitt Romney.
Nothing can take down supposedly strong poll numbers or galvanize the base than seeing Romney/Ryan everywhere. It is the background of politics. The faster getting out the signs, stickers and other campaign material like shirts and buttons the less likely a person who supports Mitt Romney will be targeted like with Prop. 8.
Even though I know of fanatical Obama supporters the are few. Very few. I haven’t talked to them about the recent trouble with the Embassies or if they are buying into the MSM’s excuses for the President.
Now let us assume the White House Spokesman is telling the truth. We know he is wrong, but to understand how right Mitt Romney’s statement in condemnation of the President’s foreign policies we need to assume Team Obama honestly believes what they told the American people.
That the Islamists are not upset at America, but the video or movie depicting Islam, specifically Mohammed.
Ignoring the fact of the terrorist sympathizers burning American flags and other people or symbols of America what does the assertion of the White House tell us.
That Islamists are justified in the murder of an Ambassador, US citizens and US soldiers because of a video. A cheesy, poor quality, and blatant propaganda of a YouTube video. That is what the White House just said recently. A video by a US citizen exercising his first amandment rights on his view of Islam is responsible for the deaths in Libya and will attempt to punish and silence him. A violation of the principles of our government.
Do we live in a republic anymore? Do we live in a country that lives by the rule of Constitutional law?
It does not look that way.
Let us take two examples of comparison to these Islamists to Mormons. Over twenty years ago a video called the ‘godmakers’ directly attacked, mocked and distorted Mormonism. What did the Church and the members do? Ignored it. Some members did apologetics, warned members about it to avoid it, and moved on. No violence, no retaliation or attacks of any kind on those who made the video which can still be seen on Youtube.
The most recent example of mockery of the LDS faith is the broadway musical Book of Mormon. Was there any attacks, retaliation or even protests outside of the theater?
No. None. The LDS Church has not issued fatwas, death threats or committed murders a musical distorting our religious beliefs. Instead we issue calls to come see for themselves our faith, to meet real missionaries (some can even sing and play music) and read the real Book of Mormon. Now that is taking lemons and making a lemonade.
Instead of shwoing the video is wrong in its portrayal of Islam, they validate it by protest, flag burning, betrayal and murder. How does that help their cause?
While the murderers of Chris Stevens and other Americans this week is unjustifiable and more than likely just a cover for retaliation for drone strikes the reactions of the White House is inexcusable.
Only 50 Marines to save 37 people trapped in Libya. The rescue failed and two Marines were killed. Revealed lack of security measues of the Embassy and other Embassies in the Middle East. A complete disaster of foreign policy and leadership from the President.
What does the White House do? Condemned a citizen exercising their first amandment right. Blamed the death, protests and unrest in the Middle East on an American citizen. A sacrifice to appease and quiet down the protests to get the campaign back on track.
It is the typical practice of Barack Obama to throw people hindering his campaign under his campaign bus. He did it again.
This is a huge offense and all this is in the background the medai doesn’t want you to see.
So now what?
Barack Obama is going to lose the election. Paul Ryan is out in the campaign trail hammering away at Team Obama. Mitt Romney is handling the hostile media, not backing down from his statements and challenging the President on his refusal to follow the principles of the Constitution.
October can’t come soon enough to lay out the failures, dishonor and disastrous presidency of Barack Obama to the American people.
Go Romney/Ryan! 2012!
mahonri on 15 Sep 2012 at 6:59 pm #
Mr. Schroeder,
I’m very curious as to why you are NOT a Mormon. If you think so highly of the LDS members, then what is holding you back from becoming one?
John Schroeder on 16 Sep 2012 at 7:54 am #
mahonri – I can answer that in one word – THEOLOGY