Posted on 12/25/2010 8:16:34 AM PST by Kaslin
When it's nearly time to flip the calendar to January, we take stock of the past 52 weeks and look ahead. It is an annual tradition we encourage all to adopt. Why? It helps you to plan and live intentionally.
Our wish is that 2011 will be better for most Americans. While we are pessimistic in the short run, for the long term, we remain optimistic. Here's why:
The year ended with a flourish of editorials and news coverage hailing a resurgent Barack Obama. Republicans rescued him during the lame duck session, agreeing to billions in stimulus pork in exchange for extending the Bush tax cuts. Republicans will live to regret their accommodation.
Incumbent leaders returned to the head of Republican caucuses in the House and Senate. These are the same leaders, who in 2006 and 2008, destroyed the prospects for Republicans. We predict they will continue to appease Obama in the New Year. Their vacillating leadership will alienate disgusted voters and makes Obama look presidential.
Republicans in Congress showed their disdain for the Tea Party when they rejected the bid of Representative Michele Bachmann to join leadership. She is the best spokesman for Tea Party ideas on the national landscape. Watch as the hard left attempts to marginalize Bachmann as they have attempted with Sarah Palin. Strong conservative women threaten the left.
The compromise Republicans made with Obama will not spur economic growth. If the tax increases proposed by Obama had been adopted, America would now be headed into a new recession. The compromise legislation should help forestall an immediate double dip, but it will increase hardship when economic restructuring finally is allowed to take place.
Economic growth will remain sluggish at best. Housing prices have not yet hit bottom and will definitely continue falling. Foreclosures will continue unabated and this will pressure the banking system.
The Federal Reserve, under the leadership of Ben Bernanke, has run out of tools to boost the economy. Continued quantitative easing will increase inflation while barely budging the unemployment numbers.
Inflation is all around us.
Gasoline will trend upward to nearly $4.00 a gallon, and could even surpass it. Every additional gallon of oil pumped out of the ground is more costly than ever to produce. Rising gas prices will further drag the economy down.
Official Washington is doing its best to co-op the Tea Party movement. Freedom Works now controls much of the movement out of headquarters in Washington D.C. This year will decide if the Tea Party becomes as toothless as the modern conservative movement. Tea Party activists will be better served by thinking for themselves and following their hearts than the political establishment.
The National Republican Senatorial Committee saw to it that at least three leading lights of the Tea Party Movement, Christine O'Donnell, Joe Miller and Sharron Angle were defeated. While the NRSC claimed to be working to help all three, reports on the ground report NRSC recommendations and strategy severely damaged these candidates' chances. Feeling threatened, we predict the NRSC will be even more aggressive in stopping Tea Party candidates in Republican primaries in 2012.
As for the 2012 battle for the White House, we expect official Republican politicians will be planning to nominate a make- no- big- change candidate like they did in 2008. Of the current crop of front runners, only Sarah Palin or Mike Huckabee will rewrite the rule book. But instead of Palin or Huckabee, insider Republicans by the end of 2011 will be well on their way to nominating for President a Mitt Romney or Governor Haley Barbour.
Yet we are optimistic for the long run because of "Herbert Stein's Law," which he coined when he said "If something cannot go on forever, it will stop."
Deficits will end via a sovereign bond crisis in America. This crisis is already brewing in Municipal bonds. Baby Boomers won't put up with a cut in entitlement benefits, and American taxpayers are rebelling. A more likely outcome is a direct US Government default or a slow motion default via inflation.
With 2011 ahead, sharpen your pencils, make your plans, and live intentionally.
Ain't it the truth!
And for all of you bit**ing about Krauthammer's latest - Obama still has >40% approval. He got 69 million votes in 2008. There are many who still WANT to believe.
The GOP, if it is to prevail in 2012, has to TEAR HIM APART. And, as with the above quote, I see ZERO chance of that happening.
Merry Christmas.
I don't understand this "resurgence" business. The lame duck session was still essentially the same Congress that was elected with Obama in '08. The 'Rats still had amazingly strong majorities in the House and Senate. What we saw was a flurry of passing laws and implementing policies that the 'Rats could have enacted earlier but were afraid to for fear of voter backlash (as was plainly evident in the town hall meetings, the polls, and the emergence of the Tea Party). Now that the die was cast after the '10 election, the 'Rats knew they had nothing more to lose, so they went for broke (that is, our broke, literally) and passed most of what Obama wanted all along. They knew it was their Last Chance Saloon, so they went for it. There was no "resurgence". They exercised the same power they had all along. The 'Pubs never had the votes to stop them. It was only public anger that held them back. Once they were freed of the fear of that (by losing the election), they didn't care anymore. After all, they can only lose once.
That is the problem with lame duck sessions. The makeup of the Congress, for a brief period, does not reflect the will of the people.
Floyd Brown is a smart guy.
I agree
The pock on you for being so pessimistic and Merry Christmas
Outsourcing social issues to the courts is ENORMOUSLY popular with politicians of all parties, and, even though they bitch about it at election time, the alternative (them doing their jobs) is inconceivable to them.
Next question.
I wish they’d announce a new third party on Jan. 4th.
The GOP “leaders” are no different from the dems in that they only think about themselves and not about the country. None of them have said “The congress should be in the same retirement plan as the common everyday people. So, I’ll introduce legislation to do away with the congressional retirement package.”
A few of them announced they were no longer for earmarks to appease the party. From the 1960’s I’ll use an old insult for those “leaders”: IN THE EAR!
There is only one way to change things.
Repeal the amendment that elects Senators and have them appointed again by State legislatures, and start over with 435 new house members.
Make the house be like jury duty, serve your time then go back home.
Our founding fathers knew this was the only way our system could work. . . . .
When this country came to the fork in the road, it decided to take the “Road to Serfdom”. As great as this country is, it won’t survive that choice, and look anything like the country that the founders envisioned.
I regret to say that this analysis is spot on. The idiots in the White House will flounder. The spiral will be accelerated with every misstep. In the meantime, our enemies will grow bolder. At the precise time the USA needs to be the safe harbor, it will be the anchor to all economies. And hey, I am an optomistic person-I will look for signs of recovery anyhow.
I am sending the following to my new congressional representative and, if you agree, please do likewise. This country is in ENOUGH trouble without defeated and often embittered officials vindictively getting in a few licks at the folks who sent them packing.
Dear Representative XXXX,
The recent “lame duck” activity in both the House and Senate makes clear the need for legislation to prevent ousted incumbents from introducing or voting on legislation prior to the seating of the person the people have chosen to replace that member. When an incumbent elected public official is not returned to office, it is the same as when an employee is fired. The people (obviously) no longer trust that person to represent them. It would certainly be bizarre for a terminated employee in the private sector to be allowed to set binding policy for his/her replacement. It should not be different for elected employees of the Federal Government. In the private sector in which I worked for 40 years, almost without exception, a fired employee is asked to pack up and move out THAT DAY — some with the assistance of burly security folks.
As soon as possible, I am asking you to put forward legislation to prevent “Lame Ducks” from introducing legislation or voting after they have been “fired” by the people who sent them to Washington.
For God and the Republic,
It will go even further than that. The Dems will break into 2 political party. 1st will be the traditional southern dems, the rest will be the National Socialist (Communist) Democratic Party. Most like this will happen this next summer when Hillary declares her intentions to run for 2012.
Republicans NEVER miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity.
Huckebee!? You got to be kidding me, Floyd.
Oh Lord, I should have read the article more carefully before I commented.
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