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| Rob's Soapbox | ||
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Congratulations!
You have finally landed on the one page on this entire site (and on the entire internet for that matter) that is purely without bullshit... my soapbox page. There are a lot of times during our show that, whether it's because of time constraints and other obligations, I don't always get to address some issues that I feel don't get the attention they deserve. There are even more times when I just don't feel like waiting until the show the next day to get some things off my chest. Thus, I have started the "Rob's Soapbox" page. If you have clicked on this page looking for someone to coddle your fragile sense of self-esteem, or tell you what you want to hear or to reinforce your outdated world view, then exit this page right now and go somewhere else. If you are in search of the last forum for reason and common sense left in the world, then sit back, relax, and enjoy. I make only one promise with this soapbox page... if you read long enough and often enough, you will eventually be offended. So here's my latest soapbox. Listen up, 'cause you just might learn something... |
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Monday, June 9th, 2008 BUSH IS TO NIXON AS OBAMA IS TO JIMMY CARTER... The stunningly frustrating thing about America today is that we are doomed to continue repeating our own failed historical mistakes as a result of our arrogance and ignorance. It is now all but official that Barack Obama will run for the presidency of the Untied States against John McCain. Whoopty do. Neither one of these guys is equipped or willing to set this nation back on track for a myriad of reasons, which leads all of us to ask a bastardized in quizzical version of the Hippocratic oath; which one will do less harm? The answer to those of us who know American history is clear and obvious. Hell, I am not even talking about ancient or long ago American history…just look to the recent past to find your answer. America as a nation (and not coincidentally with its leaders as well) goes through cycles of greatness. We used to look back on such cycles, honestly evaluate policies and discard those that were failed. That was an America that still had a fighting chance. Today, we remain embroiled as a culture in a four-decade-plus-long battle over being right, not being correct, and we appear poised to continue shoving failed idea after failed idea down each others’ throats until we simply combust as a nation. Two recent cycles of history clearly spell out where we’re headed; - 1960: JFK was elected. By all measures, Kennedy was an amazing leader who like all great men made some mistakes along the way, but deserves more to be recognized for specific achievements. JFK instituted the largest national tax cut in history at the time, stood up to the Soviet Union and instilled pride in the people of the nation. - 1963: Via assassination, Lyndon Johnson became president and ended the Democratic Party as we know it. The party immediately began moving far to the left and becoming soft on national defense and Socialistic on domestic policies. - 1969: Richard Nixon is sworn into office and the age of corruption begins. America is lied to, soldiers are left lingering to die in a war that is poorly managed by elected officials, and America becomes hated and unpopular at home and abroad (sound familiar)? - 1974: Via resignation, Gerald Ford becomes president and though liked and respected, becomes one of the most non-descript and ineffective leaders in our history. He accomplishes nothing of note. - 1976: The worst President in modern history, Jimmy Carter, is elected and swiftly implements policies of talking with foreign dictators and terrorists and raising taxes to record high levels (sound familiar)? Less than four years later, the U.S. economy is in ruins, American hostages are held by Iran, gas supply shortages cause lines that stretch for blocks across the nation and rationing is implemented. America is, at this moment in time, in a near identical cycle of history that culminates with our current President, George W. Bush. The question before us is whether or not we will elect another Gerald Ford or another Jimmy Carter. A terrible choice, I grant you, but the one we are presented with none the less. - 1980: Ronald Reagan was elected. By all measures, Reagan was an amazing leader who like all great men made some mistakes along the way, but deserves more to be recognized for specific achievements. Reagan instituted the largest national tax cut in history at the time, stood up to the Soviet Union and instilled pride in the people of the nation. Where have I read that before? - 1989: George H.W. Bush became president and ended the Republican Party as we know it. The party immediately began moving to the left (presumably to fill the vacuum created in the center by the nut-job leftward movement of the Democrats). Tax cuts were no longer the defining economic principle of the Republicans, nor were small government or restrained spending. - 1992: Bill Clinton is sworn into office and somehow finds a way to combine the historical presidencies of Nixon, Johnson and Ford into one 8 year swoop. The more we learn about history, the more we realize how totally ineffective Clinton was on almost every issue of his time, ranging from North Korea to Osama Bin Laden, to his total lack of a role in the economic boom of the time; not to mention the rampant level of corruption throughout his administration. - 2000: George W. Bush is sworn into office and a new age of corruption begins. America is lied to, soldiers are left lingering to die in a war that is poorly managed by elected officials, and America becomes hated and unpopular at home and abroad (sound familiar)? Which brings us to today; standing on the precipice of history and by all objective accounts, looking to show our modern day Nixon the door and usher in Ford or Carter. Crap. Obama supporters liken him to JFK or his brother Bobby. This is intellectually offensive and false. There is nothing faintly similar to JFK in Barack Obama, other than the fact that people swoon over him; the comparison ends there, as it did when people tried to draw the same imagery between Clinton and JFK. Just as George W Bush is similar to Reagan only in that he occasionally wears a cowboy hat, Obama is similar to JFK only in that he is an outstanding orator. Barack Obama wants to implement the exact same failed policies that Jimmy Carter forced upon this nation. He wants to appease and chat with foreign nations that threaten our safety and our allies’ safety, he wants to continue to expand the size of government and use it as an excuse to allow more people to assuage all level of personal responsibility and he wants to raise taxes on all levels of all earners across the nation. From big business to small business to overt and hidden, the Obama administration would create the largest tax increase in history; and this is based on what he admits he wants to do! Imagine all of the things he is not telling us that will cause this nation further economic strife. John McCain, meanwhile, is poised to, if we’re lucky, become one of the most ineffective and nondescript presidents of our time. If we catch a break, he’ll spend four years spinning his wheels and basically maintaining the status quo as we all wait for the next JFK or Ronald Reagan (although I do not claim to see such a candidate on the horizon). Sadly, McCain was that great leader once; had we elected John McCain in 2000, the world would be a vastly different place. The McCain of 2000 would not vote for McCain in 2008, which is a function of politics in America today; it is nearly impossible to rise to the highest office in the land without completely selling your soul and moral ethics to the machine. That was the lesson taught to McCain in 2000 and he learned it and swiftly snapped himself into line, sadly. JFK and Reagan, by all accounts, either didn’t care about the conventional way things were done in politics, or found a unique way to work within the framework and still accomplish some major achievements. I suspect the latter to be the case. In Reagan’s case, he was forced to work against a very public campaign to discredit his intellect and ability that is still be waged today. In JFK’s case, he paid with his life. Either way, it may be that we have missed history’s chance. The cycle would have suggested that 2000 was the year to find our next great leader, and we clearly screwed that up…does anyone have a DeLorean? --------- |
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