Plot Turn #1:
One of the things you can always expect from the Left is an attempt to control the language of the discussion. Gay marriage? “Oh, it’s not a matter of behavior — it’s a matter of RIGHTS!” Abortion? “Oh, it’s not a matter of life — it’s a matter of women’s health!” Taxes? “Oh, it’s not about hurting or not hurting economic growth — it’s a matter of fairness!” Spending? “Oh, it’s not about the government wasting money doing things it’s not good at doing — it’s about helping people!”
You control the language, you control the discussion. That’s what political correctness is all about. It’s a form of cowardice, really — saying certain arguments are “offensive”. “Islamophobic” — “homophobic” — a lot of new “phobias” are thrown around by people who have no real qualifications.
That’s why it’s always rewarding whenever someone new — with some credibility — comes along to call them out on their nonsense. His Awesomeness, Chris Christie, is a golden example — as is the great Allen West, who is enduring smears from both the Left and, curiously enough, the Ron Paul crowd: “He’s a NEOCON!!!” (Another nonsense word thrown out pretty liberally — no pun intended …. )
Here’s the latest example of someone standing up without apology: Jose Rodriguez. Back in the day, he was one of the CIA’s big boys — Director of the National Clandestine Service, in charge of overseeing the interrogation of terrorists — sorry, suspects — at Guantanamo Bay. He’s out with a new book that challenges all the sentimental emotionalism the Left spews out about “torture!”— all the nonsense that it doesn’t work, that it’s unconstitutional, that it goes against “American values”, and so on.
So, he’s on 60 Minutes, describing the tactics his boys used — and the interviewer, Leslie Stahl, is shocked — shocked — that they fed the detainees with … brace yourselves, folks … Ensure! Dietary manipulation — and sleep deprivation with it! Leslie whines, “This is Orwellian stuff! The United States doesn’t do that!” Jose just shrugs, and replies, “Well, we do!”
My hero. Mitt Romney should seriously consider bringing this guy back on — we could use more guys unafraid of media flack, who call things as they sees them.
Plot Turn #2:
This is actually two turns in one—and they both concern CNN. See, the Boss, Ted Turner (who’s long made Gordon Gekko’s line about a great deal being “better than sex” his personal signature line) went on Piers Morgan’s show last Thursday — and said Mitt Romney wouldn’t be too bad as a president. This is fascinating stuff — considering how Ted’s the husband of none other than Jane Fonda.
Anyway, amid this is the big plot turn — CNN posted an article on Friday, entitled: “Why Obama can’t match the Reagan recovery.”
Here’s why it’s significant: how many times have we heard from the Left how “false” the Reagan recovery was? “The rich got richer and the poor got poorer!” And yet … here we have CNN — run, again, by by-and-large liberal Ted Turner — admitting that there was an honest-to-goodness Reagan recovery, and whining about how Obama won’t be able to match it in time for the election. Predictably, the article gives every excuse in the book — inflation was different, the debt load was a lot less, etc. I could pick apart those arguments one by one — especially considering how Obama didn’t do what Reagan did: cut taxes, de-regulate, and so on. The massive debt is due to extreme government spending — and the high inflation which really is happening (check your supermarket receipts, lately?) is being covered up by the Federal Reserve keeping interest rates at an arbitrary low.
But my point is — in order to defend Obama, the Left unintentionally exposed one of their big “refutations” of conservatism as the hollow ringer that it is. The Reagan recovery was for real — trickle-down economics was (and still is) for real. You cut taxes and regulation, you free up businesses — big and small — to invest in themselves, expand, and thereby create jobs for the populace. It’s called free-market capitalism — and it works, regardless of how the media tries to spin it.
By the way … I’m not getting my hopes up about Ted going Romney. Still, considering that he’s even suggesting it … gives me a great deal of hope for November. If he’s got second thoughts … who else does?