My further point is, when we do win, which we occasionally do, how do we further our agenda when the mass media plays on people’s emotions and makes our agenda look evil?

We need to stay very far away from the idea of taking away anyones right to vote, or to control the media by government fiat. Controlling the media is precisely what the so-called ‘fairness doctrine’ is all about. It can only end up in cutting of what few conservative voices there are.

Instead, I am merely suggesting that the rebublicans not get caught up in why we lost, and instead focus on how we can bring the muddled middle to our side. The muddled middle did come over to our side in 2002 and 2004 largely based on concern for our national security. But they left before we could get the job done.

Either we learn somehow to shape the agenda and influence the culture or our ideas will never get a chance to effectively change the direction of this country.

The muddled middle will always be with us. My point, again, is how do we govern and get anything done with a fickle public?

Daily life in America has lost most of its struggle so people are by and large on cruise control. Oh they complain a-plenty, they just are not exactly sure why or what to do about it. I see a disturbing lack of concern for how “things work.” It will take a crisis of staggering proportions to wake them from their sleepwalking. Those of us at least trying to understand will have a distinct advantage as we watch things unfold. At least that is my hope.

Here is my take, SpeakEasy:
5% of the people make things happen
15% of the people watch things happen
the rest wonder what happened…
FLAPJAWMAN

And I do not lump all Obama voters in with the muddled middle. Many people who voted for Obama thought through the issues and happen to agree with his political bent. That I can respect. At least you can engage some of these people in discussion.

Oh sure, eventually the pendulum will swing back. Something bad will happen when a democrat is president and then the muddled middle will help swing the vote the republican way. But the damage the democrats will do may be irrepairable.

The muddled middle will always be with us. I understand that. My point is that a media that is solidly on the side of the leftists will always drag that muddled middle to the left.

Plus this: “Federal appetites may know no bounds. But the federal government’s ability to borrow is not limitless. Already, our nation’s unfunded liabilities total $52 trillion — about $450,000 per household. There’s something very strange about issuing debt to solve a problem caused by too much debt.”

You think so?

Nicely said. I’ve been thinking about that subject for awhile but I couldn’t find the words to do it justice. So now in addition to raising kids and finding the Parking Lot without the psycho killer attendant (and navigating the freeways which is a worthy subject of it’s own), we have to be Asian scholars or Russian scholars. The modern US is floundering for lack of a coherent foreign policy “paradigm.” American Exceptionalism is well let’s just say not fully supported by the empirical meltdown of the last two months. Isolationism, while hugely attractive (to me) is not realistic. But my preference is some derivative of non-intervention except in self-defense. At some point this country has to decide how tall the average Jihadist is – 12-ft or something less.

Obviously there is some blowback downwind to the general population – the credit card debt is one, if it is true, but my black and white view is that the “elites” – if that is what they’re still being called – failed. I particularly blame the regulatory agencies who failed to give warnings and Congress who failed to heed the warnings that were given – much more so than Wall St and investors, both of whom were doing what they do, what they will always do. The former were not.

By firing the perpetrators, these government agencies’ administrators risk falling a-foul of Ohio’s established employees-union rules for “undue termination.”

You can bet that the union will fight the government every step of the way. Superficialities like the terminated employees’ skin colors, sexual preferences or genders will feature highly in the union’s attempts.

Just a prediction. But the Helenic meritocracy as we knew it has been stood on its head…anything could happen.

Frankly, living 21st Century life in NY or LA or any city is complex enough just getting to work in the morning, figuring out where to park so you don’t get towed, making it home without crashing into anything, and being able to get a meal on the table without having to take the time to also worry about what Putin’s up to and whether or not Ayers is a terrorist or repentent.

Then if you throw in other not-daily details like figuring out your income taxes, whether little JOhnny is building a pipe bomb in his bedroom, or whether it’s more important for little Susie to be a cheerleader or to wear a McCain t-shirt, there *really* isn’t a lot of IQ or time left over to be fighting the 51% of your neighbors and colleagues who voted for Obama.

In the hierarchy of life’s needs, politics would be at the very tippy-top of the pyramid and not something that people would perceive need attention on a daily basis. As long as people have food on the table (even if it is just Ramen noodles) and a car in the garage and a color TV set, their basic needs have been taken care of.

Safety / security is a 2nd basic need and most people will not pay attention to politics or Putin or the Taliban unless they see those things being directly linked to their own personal safety; i.e., 9/11 was a pretty good link for most Americans.

I don’t think it’s fair to lump Americans into a huge ignorant mass just because they’re living their lives and are focused on those lives. Americans hire or elect people to take care of politics and wars just like we hire or elect people to put out fires and arrest criminals. So if you want more Americans to participate, you really have to answer the question, “what’s in it for me” and not just depend on guilt trips and “ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country”.