"Timeless wisdom versus hopenchangy socialism"

"So how do conservatives hold on to power when the population has been trained for two or three generations of Left-tinged rule to reflexively expect 'government to fix it' — whatever it may be?" wrote The Barrister at Maggie's Farm presciently back in October of 2006 in what we called, in our own post on the topic, "a tour de force essay that puts its finger on what ails us." (Unattributed image of Maggie and Ronnie, deep in conversation, on a brisk walk through the woods at [presumably] Camp David.)

"I never liked soaring rhetoric, and coupled with creeping (leaping?) socialism, I like it even less," we wrote in the comments of Texas Rainmaker's inspired imagining of what a Reagan/Obama debate would sound like:

Timeless wisdom versus hopenchangy socialism.

We imailed the link to Goomp, who writes back "Excellent and scary." Roger Kimball has a transcript of exerpts to whet your appetite. Be sure to treat yourself to the whole thing early and often, a cautionary tale that resonates and rouses our better angels. Our own personal favorite is this little holier-than-thou lecture/sermon of First Lady Michelle Obama's from February of 2008:

And Barack Obama will require you to work. He is going to demand that you shed your cynicism, that you put down your division, that you come out of your isolation, that you move out of your comfort zone, that you push yourself to be better and that you engage. Barack will never allow you to go back to your lives as usual, uninvolved, uninformed.

"GAK. I couldn't even listen to the whole thing," imails our sis:

She: Good God, Ronnie must be spinning in his grave at how short a time it's taken to come to this.

We: I know. The phoniness of Obama's "soaring rhetoric" is what gets me . . . vs. the calm, measured rhetoric of OUR RONNIE.

She: "Soaring rhetoric" interspersed with plenty of "uh, uh, uh"s.

As Vladimir Lenin would have said, "The lie that an insufferable blowhard is a "brilliant speaker" told often enough becomes the truth.

Update: Maggie's remembers.

Comments

[goomp]

Wisdom requires thinking and study of the past. Responding favorably to the enthusiastic presentation of unworkable ideas requires little besides gullibility and hope.

[Ted]

Obama’s stealing the census from Congress has suddenly awakened and enraged the Republicans. Maybe this will arouse them as well to challenge Obama for stealing the Presidency itself. They surely know he is not an Article 2 “natural born citizen” (which is more than merely being a 14th Amendment “citizen”) by virtue of either Obama’s birth to a dad of Kenyan/British citizenship or birth in Kenya itself — as manifested by his unwillingness to supply his long form birth certificate now under seal.

[phoenix life insurance]

The trouble with our nation right now is we lack enough conservatives with true courage.

[retriever]

Perhaps it's a cheap shot, but I am still amazed that such a self-righteous creature fails to see the irony in her own appearing on the cover of "Vogue" this month, and spending thousands on evening gowns, in such dire economic times, when millions of hardworking Americans are unemployed, and thousands more laid off each day.

Where I work (until the pink slips hit our cubicles too), what the blue collar workers have to say about her isn't printable. And the issue is extravagance and vain dumbshow, NOT race. Wasn't there an infamous queen with the initials MA who got into a lot of trouble for a similar preoccupation with vain fripperies while the masses starved??? Except that MA, tho misguided, was a true lady. Not playing at it.

[Sandy Brasili]

MO is one scary broad, and her husband isn't #44 as presidents go. He's 666.

[Connecticut Yankee]

One ray of sunlight in these dark times: the Tiny/Baby Cakes fan club will be delighted to know that Margaret Thatcher is a cat lady as well as an Iron Lady. According to the Daily Mail, she adopted a cat named Marvin at the end of 2007:

"Millions of people whose companion is a family pet will be delighted to know they have been joined by one of our most distinguished senior citizens... Margaret Thatcher.

"Lonely since the death of her beloved husband Sir Denis four years ago, Lady Thatcher has, I can reveal, acquired a cat.

The handsome tabby who has brought such joy to the former prime minister is a seven-year-old stray called Marvin rescued by an animal sanctuary.

"'She is delighted with him. She is quite lonely sometimes, but Marvin is a real distraction,' says a friend. . . .

"Lady Thatcher had made a donation to the Mayhew Animal Home in Kensal Rise, North London, before she visited earlier this month when Marvin took an instant liking to her.

"The feeling, I'm told, was mutual.

"In typical forthright fashion, Lady Thatcher - who was at No 10 when Humphrey, the famous Downing Street cat, arrived in 1989 - made the decision to adopt Marvin.

"'She decided not to re-name him. She is taking ownership of Marvin very seriously. She has even bought the paperback How To Look After Your Cat,' says a friend."

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/columnists/article-490636/A-purrfect-new-pal-Mrs-Thatcher.html

[boqueronman]

In regards to MO's warning that BO "will require you to work." Well, here comes the opening salvo. This report is from ESPN.com. "Its another call for public service from President Barack Obama. He says all Americans should help out in their communities. That could mean reading to children or repairing basketball courts." For all of you who may actually enjoy watching the athletically gifted play basketball, this bit of political theater is scheduled to run during the BB All-Star game half-time tonight.

[Connecticut Yankee]

Another sign of the times in regard to Anglo-American relations: According to the Telegraph, Obama has refused to keep the bust of Winston Churchill that was loaned to GWB by the British government as a sign of Anglo-American friendship after 9/11.

The bronze by Sir Jacob Epstein, worth hundreds of thousands of pounds if it were ever sold on the open market, enjoyed pride of place in the Oval Office during President Bush's tenure.

But when British officials offered to let Mr Obama to hang onto the bust for a further four years, the White House said: "Thanks, but no thanks." . . . .

The rejection of the bust has left some British officials nervously reading the runes to see how much influence the UK can wield with the new regime in Washington.

I miss Maggie and Ronnie more and more these days.

[Gayle Miller]

Empty suit indeed. The man cannot even stay put in The White House he spent the last 2-3 years of his Senate career campaigning to achieve! Talk about wanderlust. But then, staying home would mean he'd actually have to GOVERN!

What a total bonehead this lackluster Chicago pol really is!

[Venomous Kate]

Am I the only one who reads "hopeandchangy" and hears it mentally in the voice of the mouse from Disney's Cinderella -- the one who sang about Cinderelly, Cinderelly?