Wait-and-see Optimism

I suppose it would be appropriate to say that I'm in a political holding pattern right now. It seems that wait-and-see is the best approach to the new administration.

There are some encouraging signs coming out of the President-elect -- but there are also plenty of discouraging ones. The message really isn't clear yet. Will it be the Pelosi/Reid line or will it be something else? Will political pragmatism rule the day or will it be ideology that determines the direction? Will Conservatives have any say in the next couple of years or will it be a left-wing steamroller? Today, the jury is out.

Why do I think the jury is still out? It is because I am an optimist at heart. I am optimistic that there remains enough balance in our country that we won't be captured by the socialist wannabes and instead will walk a somewhat centrist path.

In the interest of setting the stage for a second term, the President elect may choose such a path. At this date it remains to be seen.

Elitist Media and the Denigration of Conservative Thought

Don't you love it when someone tells you that you are stupid -- or, better yet, tells the President and his subordinates that they are stupid? Elitist attitudes are those which express the idea that you are stupid if you don't agree with them. That is exactly what we hear in articles such as the one linked below:

Brains Are Back!
After eight years of proud incuriosity and anti-intellectualism, we now have a leader who values nuance and careful thought.

One of the more interesting things in the article is that it begins to apologize for his "chosen one." He apologizes for his inexperience and for his expected submission to foreign influence. He apologizes for the expected inclusion of failed leadership in the new administration. Yet he hails him as the "savior" of the U.S. I can't decide whether to be angry or embarrassed. I would be amused if it wasn't such a serious issue. The Left's self-proclaimed intellectual superiority will destroy our nation if unchecked. Where is the William F. Buckley, Jr. of our generation? We need him desperately.

Of Course He Hasn't Shifted Positions

I don't know about you, but I believe Obama when he says that he hasn't shifted his positions on key issues in order to appeal to the political center. Of course he hasn't shifted his positions. He may be saying things that make it sound like he has, but that is something altogether entirely different.