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CAN WE AFFORD GODLESS LIBERAL-MARXISM-LENINISM????

I get long lunch breaks with few readable materials, so today I was relegated to reading Forbes. And I’m reading and stumble upon this: Can We Afford Liberalism Now? by Paul Johnson. I’m assuming just another article about how fucked up Wall Street is and how we can’t overreact with too many regulations cuz unregulated capitalism rocks! Especially if you’re rich and like exploiting others! But, lo and behold, Paul Johnson has more for us in store:

The financial crisis, detonated by greed and recklessness on Wall Street and in the City of London, is for the West a deep, self-inflicted wound. The beneficiary won’t be Russia, which, with its fragile, energy-based economy, is likely to suffer more than we shall; it will be India and China. They will move into any power vacuum left by the collapse of Western self-confidence.

Sweet, so China will benefit and so will India. Interesting, maybe we’ll get an article about the coming shift in the global economic hegemony:

If we seriously wish to repair the damage, we need to accept that this is fundamentally a moral crisis, not a financial one. It is the product of the self-indulgence and complacency born of our ultraliberal societies, which have substituted such pseudo-religions as political correctness and saving the planet for genuine distinctions between right and wrong and the cultivation of real virtues.

Oh shit! Whole new ball game. It wasn’t greedy, fucked up old white men who ruined our economy. It was those fucking PC values. You heard right. Mother fucking PC values. Here we all are, trying to be all moral and shit, and here comes some tree hugger with his pseudo-religion about climate change and how we should respect other cultures. And boom, like that, the stock market crashed.

India and China are progress-loving yet morally old-fashioned societies. They cannot afford liberalism. Their vast populations have only recently begun to emerge from subsistence living. Their strength is in the close, hard-working family unit in which parents train their children to work diligently at school and go to university when possible so they can acquire real and useful qualifications to then go out into the world as professional men and women determined to reach the top.

China is so old-fashioned! Their brand of Marxism is sooooooooo 1930’s Soviet Union. I mean, come on, encouraging capitalist production and exploitation to foment continual proletarian rebellion in a yet-to-be developed nation where socialism is inhibited by the lack of capitalist infrastructure??? So old school, shit bitch.

In short, if you couldn’t tell, Paul Johnson is tired of America not being full of exploitable Chinese. Because owning exploitable Mexicans is like owning the Denver Broncos, when you really wanted the Dallas Cowboys. It just doesn’t feel the same.

[tags]paul johnson, forbes magazine, current events, can we afford liberalism, federal bailout, moron, environmentalists, climate change, pc, political correctness, columnist, worst column ever, blame liberals for wall street, economy, recession, greed[/tags]

Election Reactions from the Blogosphere

Andrew Sullivan:

I know Obama isn’t going to fix the economy overnight, I know he won’t be able to provide healthcare to all Americans by February ’09. I know Obama isn’t a Messiah who four years from now will have turned this country into a fabled utopia. But I also know Obama will make moral decisions. I know Obama will try to unite where others try to divide. I know Obama will help to make America the beacon of hope it once was to others. I know that at 27 years of age, I witnessed one of the most important and hopefully glorious chapters in American history.

Rob Dreher:

1. The modern conservative movement began with the crushing defeat of Arizona Sen. Barry Goldwater in the 1964 presidential race. The modern conservative movement ends with the crushing defeat of Arizona Sen. John McCain — who took Goldwater’s Senate seat upon his retirement — in the 2008 presidential race.

2. Modern liberalism began its implosion with riots in Chicago’s Grant Park at the 1968 Democratic Convention. Tonight, modern liberalism is reborn at Chicago’s Grant Park, where a black Chicago Democrat will celebrate winning the presidency.

John Cole:

I am still in shock. This was a damned landslide. It seems so long ago that I was the skeptical one, mocking Obama as the Magical Unity Pony- I think people forget that I was one of the folks who was simply going to support Hillary as the alternative to the GOP disaster.

This is just stunning. This changes everything. He treated us like adults, he converted the skeptics, and now he has a chance to make his mark. I was an Obama skeptic, and mocked him as the Magical Unity Pony, and mocked him “transcending” things. People forget that, I guess.

But now, no more fake nicknames- this is President-Elect Barack Obama. And I am so very, very proud.

Megan McArdle:

This is a strange election in another way–it’s not really close, but people are watching it as if it is. In 1996, my office had to use a point spread, and post a hefty premium, to get people interested in betting on the Clinton-Dole matchup. We’ve all known for a while that Obama was going to win, wistful dreams notwithstanding. But everyone’s watching as if this were the seventh game of a tied world series.

Me, I was hoping that Obama would win, but without much boost in Senate support or a large vote mandate; I like me some hamstrung politicians. Wan hope, now dashed. I’ll just have to take solace in Being There While History Is Made.

Marc Ambinder:

President Bush and Republicans were sent to the doghouse. This was a huge opportunity year for Democrats, and Obama took advantage of it in every possible way — great campaign, virtually no mistakes (dealing with the controversy over Rev. Jeremiah Wright and the “bitter/cling” remarks are the only two I can think of.), they built a huge organization (the DNC and Howard Dean deserve some credit here too) and an unbelievable $630 million+ financial machine. Two times as many voters said they were personally contacted by the Obama campaign as by the McCain campaign.

Obsidian Wings:

Tonight’s win is hard to put into words. The historical significance speaks for itself. But for all its rich history, tonight is also about far more than Barack Obama.

Any way you slice it, the 2008 election should be seen as a massive repudiation of the George W. Bush administration. Karl Rove’s project failed miserably. Bush is instead bequeathing large Democratic majorities to the next president. And that’s no accident. It’s the inevitable byproduct of a political strategy based on polarization. That strategy may win in the short term (indeed, it did) – but it’s a long-term loser. That’s because this type of strategy inevitably rallies forces against it. It’s just a matter of physics – every action brings an equal and opposite reaction. In this sense, the 2008 election is simply the ripple effects of the 2002 election.

For this reason – and somewhat ironically – George W. Bush is arguably the father of the modern progressive revival. Tonight’s victories — and the infrastructure that made them possible — would simply be unthinkable in the absence of Bush. That’s not to say, of course, that the nation is better because Bush was president. It’s not. But the birth of the new progressive infrastructure is the silver lining of that long eight-year cloud.

Feministe:

I love living in New York, but this is maybe the night I’ve loved it most. Everyone is in the streets cheering. People are yelling “Yes We Can!” to strangers. I watched two girls hug on a street corner, and a smiled as a car full of cheering boys drove past me. Taxis are honking. Before the election was called for Obama, I was in my office in midtown working late, and every hour and a half or so, all the way up on the 30th floor, I would hear a huge swelling cheer from the street — and a quick click over to NBC would show that Obama had just won one state or another. I haven’t seen people this excited any other time in my life; I also haven’t ever heard a speech like the one Obama gave tonight. New Yorkers waited in two, three, and four-hour-long lines today to cast ballots overwhelmingly for a candidate we all knew was going to win our state. That’s an incredible show not only of patriotism and of support for this one man, but, to use a popular word this year, of hope.

Feministing:

Obama wins! OMFG! I don’t know that I ever thought I’d write these words, but here it is: The US has elected its first African-American President. And I’m an emotional mess. Like many of you, I’m celebrating with family. I’m sure I’ll have more to say tomorrow, but for now, I’m going to go do a happy dance and cry some more with my nearest and dearest.

Pensitoreview:

[tags]reactions to the election, election 2008, blog reactions to the election of barack obama, historic election, blogosphere, blogs, famous blogs, andrew sullivan, feministing, marc ambinder, reactions to election, 2008, barack obama election[/tags]

Barack Obama Is Mother Fucking President

Time to party:

Struggling Lower-Class Still Unsure How Best To Fuck Selves With Vote

🙁

As election day nears, millions of the nation’s poorest voters have reportedly yet to settle on the most profound and enduring way to completely fuck themselves over when they head to the polls this year.

“On the one hand, I’m pretty sure Barack Obama will undermine my best interests by maintaining the same centrist, pro-corporate policies of previous Democratic administrations,” said Jim Estey, 34, a recently laid-off assembly-line worker. “Conversely, I agree with McCain and Palin on abortion, which might just balance out the fact that they’ll further marginalize people like me by supporting deregulation and slashing social programs. So it’s pretty much a toss-up at this point.”

Though such behavior appears to directly undermine their own well-being, lower-income voters have historically supported candidates determined to screw them six ways to Sunday, including Bill Clinton, who incarcerated them in record numbers and cut the welfare benefits many depended on for day-to-day sustenance, and George W. Bush, who widened the gap between them and the rich and sent thousands of them to die in Iraq. This year’s election is reportedly unique in that the nation’s poor must not only weigh how deeply and painfully their chosen candidate will penetrate their rectums, but must also consider unforeseen outside circumstances—such as economic collapse and terrorism—that might allow the next president to bend them over and brutally rape them in ways they never thought possible.

The latest polls indicate that a majority of lower-class citizens might choose not to vote at all Nov. 4, preferring instead to leave the details of how they get fucked to the moneyed classes.

My Election Predictions

Presidential Election: Obama will win the election decidedly due to higher than anticipated 18-30 year old and African-American turnout, both of which are not being captured by current polls. Nationally, Obama will come away with a 6-8 percent margin in the popular vote, and will pull off some electoral surprises on the way.

Obama will carry 2 of 5 of the following states: South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana, Georgia, or Arizona. Georgia is the greatest possibility while Arizona is the least likely to flip, and if Obama does lose Georgia, it will be by less than 2 percent, leaving some to question the wisdom of pulling out his ground game following Palin’s nomination. South Dakota and Montana both have been trending positively towards Obama and upticket support from popular Democratic Senators will also help in providing an upset in one of these two states.

Among battleground states, Ohio and Florida will be split between McCain and Obama, with Obama more likely to pick up Ohio and McCain Florida. Obama will pick up Nevada while McCain will hold onto Missouri, though by the slimmest of margins. Similarly, Indiana will be a contest decided by less than 2 percentage points that goes to John McCain.

Other surprises will include the margin of victory in Virginia, where Obama will win by high single digits to low double digits, much due to the up-ticket swing provided by Democrat Mark Warner (who will win his Senate race by approximately 30 percentage points). Less of a surprise will be Obama comfortably winning North Carolina in the 7 to 10 percent range.

Other non-surprises will include Obama sweeping the Midwest except for Indiana, including a double digit victory for Obama in Pennsylvania, despite recent polls showing tightening. Obama will also win Colorado and New Mexico by high single digits and will pull away in New Hampshire with a double digit victory.

Predicted Final Electoral College Outcome: 343 for Barack Obama, 195 for John McCain. Map below:

Senate Races: In my estimation, there will be two Senate “surprises”.

One is in Georgia, where incumbent Republican Senator Saxby Chambliss will be defeated by 2 to 3 points by Democratic challenger Jim Martin. I attribute this to two factors: the eventual commitment of African-Americans to the Democratic brand and the continuation of current momentum that sees Jim Martin picking up 2 to 3 additional percentage points, namely from independent whites voting for McCain and yet ‘undecided’ African-Americans.

The other will be in Minnesota, where Democratic challenger Al Franken will lose in the high single digits to incumbent Republican Senator Norm Coleman, with Independent Dean Barkley taking approximately 20 percent of the vote. Democrats will be kicking themselves for putting up an unprepared, novelty nominee in a state where Obama will win by double digits. This will be especially bitter as they will sit on 59 Senate seats, just short of the Super Majority, for the next 2 years because they didn’t run a serious candidate in Minnesota. Unfortunately for the Democrats, Republicans will hold onto the Kentucky and Mississippi Senate seats more comfortably than expected.

Some other things to watch will be Elizabeth Dole’s campaign come crashing down in flames, contributing to much up-ticket resentment against the Republican brand. I’m currently foreseeing her losing by 8 to 12 percentage points — much higher than currently polled. Similar (very foreseeable) things will be occurring to the Stevens and Sununu campaigns, with both losing in the low-to-mid teens, percentage wise.

The final composition of the Senate is estimated to be 57 Democrats, 41 Republicans, and 2 Independents.

Some things to note: The election in general is highlighted by a strong rejection among right-centrist voters for the Republican brand. As such, I am expecting a significant decrease in straight Republican voters, especially in typical conservative strongholds, leading to wider margins of victory for Democrats in both national and senatorial races. Conversely, Democrats will be kicking themselves on Wednesday morning for overreacting to Palin’s nomination by pulling out of Georgia and not vetting out a stronger candidate for the Minnesota Senate race.