49 Comments

1. srlucado:

Yeah, those unintended consequences can be a real pain.

As we’re all about to find out.

Scott

Nov 5, 2008 - 10:42 am 2. Choey:

I’m not sure they are all unintended..

Nov 5, 2008 - 11:02 am 3. John:

Are the troops home yet?
Are the troops home yet?
Are the troops home yet?

Nov 5, 2008 - 11:03 am 4. Mister Snitch!:

“All things come to God’s purpose.” Paraphrased from the Bible. Shorter, and no socialists were involved.

That said, there’s still a lot of real pain and loss between here and there. Some of us may not live to see the things we hunger for come about. Kind of like a Red Sox fan who dies in 2003.

Nov 5, 2008 - 11:06 am 5. MarkJ:

Here’s something a bit more uplifting from “The Crisis” by Thomas Paine. Change a word or two and it’s as relevant today as it was in 1776:

December 23, 1776
THESE are the times that try men’s souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives every thing its value. Heaven knows how to put a proper price upon its goods; and it would be strange indeed if so celestial an article as FREEDOM should not be highly rated. Britain, with an army to enforce her tyranny, has declared that she has a right (not only to TAX) but “to BIND us in ALL CASES WHATSOEVER” and if being bound in that manner, is not slavery, then is there not such a thing as slavery upon earth. Even the expression is impious; for so unlimited a power can belong only to God.

Nov 5, 2008 - 11:07 am 6. Mister Snitch!:

Nice, MarkJ.

Nov 5, 2008 - 11:09 am 7. Rob Sterling:

The concept of unintended consequences is the thing that’s hardest to explain to progressives/socialists. They seem always to think that the preceding generation of failed planners made one mistake in particular (if they even acknowledge a kindred preceding generation) and if they can fix that one mistake then their new grand plan will work. Inevitably their plan either creates perverse incentives, or undermines social mores, or simply costs far more than expected. Spontaneous social dynamism mystifies them.

Nov 5, 2008 - 11:13 am 8. BumperStickerist:

The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane.” — Marcus Aurelius

-

I escaped.

Nov 5, 2008 - 11:16 am 9. Ron Coleman:

Glenn Reynolds said this was the “quote of the day,” but I click through and it turns out to be from a day in 1800’s.

He has a lot of catching up to do.

Nov 5, 2008 - 11:25 am 10. rvastar:

“It is the liberals who fear liberty and the intellectuals who want to do dirt on the intellect.”

- George Orwell

“…psychologically, this talk of feeding the starving masses is nothing but the expression of saccharine-sweet sentimentality, characteristic of the intelligentsia.”

- Vladamir Lenin

The more things change, eh?

Nov 5, 2008 - 11:26 am 11. Kelly:

I maintain the troops won’t be home any time soon. Democrats would have been more than happy to stick Bush with a failed Iraq. Patriots that they are, they don’t want it for themselves.

Nov 5, 2008 - 11:29 am 12. tao9:

in war: resolution, in defeat: defiance, in victory: magnaminity
-Churchill

Nov 5, 2008 - 11:31 am 13. RebeccaH:

I voted for the other guy, but there are upsides as well as downsides to an Obama win.

1) The race card won’t work anymore.

2) The Democrats, and socialist liberals in general, are about to get four years’ worth of taking it in the shorts.

3) Bill Ayers is still, and will remain, one of the most hated men in America. Except for Emperor Chimpy McBush, of course.

Nov 5, 2008 - 11:37 am 14. Richard Aubrey:

If Obama wants to throw away Iraq and
Afghanistan, and I believe he does, he’ll have to do it fast so the libs and MSM can pretend it was Bush’s fault.
Take too long, some of it might rub off on him/them.

Nov 5, 2008 - 11:38 am 15. Dave Markowitz:

[N]ever give in, never give in, never, never, never, never-in nothing, great or small, large or petty – never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.

–Sir Winston Churchill, October 29, 1941, Harrow School.

Nov 5, 2008 - 11:42 am 16. Bullshark:

I’ll see your socialist and raise you a true patriot.Obama wants ‘Peace and security’ for the world, not ‘Freedom and Democracy’ as the current President wished.
So I give you Sam Adams, the man not the beer
‘If ye love wealth better than liberty,
the tranquility of servitude than the animating contest of freedom,
go from us in peace.
May your chains sit lightly upon you,
and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen!’

Nov 5, 2008 - 11:44 am 17. deek:

Dearest Leader will not take kindly to these comments.

Doubleplus ungood!

Nov 5, 2008 - 11:45 am 18. Achillea:

“The ducks aren’t ever going to line up. The ducks are trying to kill you.”

[i]John Derbyshire[/i]

Nov 5, 2008 - 11:47 am 19. jmod46:

Three of my favorite H.L.Mencken quotes:

The worst government is often the most moral. One composed of cynics is often very tolerant and humane. But when fanatics are on top there is no limit to oppression.

Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want, and deserve to get it good and hard.

Most people want security in this world, not liberty.

Nov 5, 2008 - 11:48 am 20. Jay Season:

Yes, great Winston Churchhill quotes. More!

An Honorary Citizen of United States of America, you know via JFK.

Who wrote “…anchored in tranquil waters, proof that courage and faith and the zest for freedom are truly indestructible”

Nov 5, 2008 - 12:04 pm 21. Seerak:

“The man who lets a leader prescribe his course is a wreck being towed to the scrap heap.”

–Ayn Rand

Nov 5, 2008 - 12:07 pm 22. Peter:

John:

The Troops don’t WANT to come home.

They want to finish the job.

Nov 5, 2008 - 12:17 pm 23. windy blow:

We in Britain have seen what the cold, lifeless hand of big-state socialism can do; I really hope you guys haven’t voted for what we did in ‘97.

It was all so positive then, a lot of hope and change for the better. Now we on this side of the pond live in an increasingly corrupt and authoritarian society (people with garbage spilling out are being prosecuted with the aid of anti-terrorist laws while the terrorist supporters can parade on the streets with placards calling for the death of non-believers) with more laws added relentlessly.

With luck the American people will only be duped for so long by a compliant media and all those promises without substance, and come through as they usually do before those unintended (and intended) consequences take over.

Nov 5, 2008 - 12:19 pm 24. Barry Dauphin:

OT I just read on NRO that Michael Chrighton has died. RIP. Very sad to see such a reasonable voice depart.

Nov 5, 2008 - 12:28 pm 25. Harry Eagar:

Well, thanks to Rob Sterling for my laugh of the day, anyway.

How are those unsupervised financial markets workin’ out for ya, Rob?

At least the outcome wasn’t planned.

Nov 5, 2008 - 12:51 pm 26. MIke Reynolds:

Let’s remember that Obama also wants to be re-elected. But of course he has raised a huge amount of expectation among the global Left. So when he fails to immediately surrender to the Taliban, apologize to al-Qaeda, kowtow to Hugo Chavez, and deliver up the Israelis on a platter, just watch how quickly the “Left” will turn on him (World Can’t Wait has already started). They will learn that their quarrel was not with that murderous fascist Bush (sarc) (who inexplicably handed over power to the opposition in a very milk-and-waterish display of fascism) but rather with the arrogant, greedy, coarse, unilateralist, capitalist-imperialist America people themselves, darn them.

I even predict that the Islamic “press” will soon be calling Obama an apostate from Islam and a “black cowboy” or perhaps even (with their usual cultural sensitivity and savoir-faire) a “n____r cowboy.”
And that is approximately when—-feeling so cruelly let down by BHO—-al-Qaeda will hit us again (HT to Joe Biden).

Nov 5, 2008 - 1:11 pm 27. Marc Malone:

Peter – The troops may want to finish the job, but their wives voted for Obama to bring them home.

John – Funny!

Nov 5, 2008 - 1:12 pm 28. WSL:

@13 RebeccaH: Another upside to add to your list:
4) There won’t be sore losers rioting in our streets.

Nov 5, 2008 - 1:18 pm 29. Michael:

Michael Crichton has died. Very depressing, for he was not only brilliant, but did not accept the blather of the nanny state masses. I suggest a search for the transcripts of some of his speeches he has delivered in the last 8 years. Simply amazing! We have lost another brilliant mind.

Nov 5, 2008 - 1:24 pm 30. chuck:

Wasn’t Morris actually a communist? Of course, that was back when is was still somewhat respectable. The romance between GBS and May Morris was also guite the little soap opera.

Nov 5, 2008 - 1:27 pm 31. opendoormedia:

Were it not for the media, would Obama not have won?
Can we become citizen activists and journalists to change the mainstream media? Hold them accountable by getting them on camera talking about their biases?!?! Become part of the ODM wiki and see for yourself: http://www.opendoormedia.org/wiki

Nov 5, 2008 - 1:29 pm 32. Paddy:

De Tocqueville said:

“Democracy and socialism have nothing in common but one word, equality. But notice the difference: while democracy seeks equality in liberty, socialism seeks equality in restraint and servitude.”

In Obama’s American its citizens are about to be transformed into subjects.

Nov 5, 2008 - 1:33 pm 33. Rosemarinous:

I am very sad to see America follow Australia down the socialist path.
We had a wonderful Prime Minister in John Winston Howard and Treasurer Peter Costello.

They paid off the 94 billion dollars debt left by the previous socialist govermnet.
Now we hae a team of reckless,dangerous and incompetant fools who also promised CHANGE, NEW IDEAS AND YOUTH, lead by an ear wax eating, lip licking, Mandarin speaking sinophile egoistical munchkin who cannot be trusted to keep conversations with other leaders confidential, so intent on big noting himself.

He has squandered in 10 months,half of our budget surplus paying back all the IOUs to get him elected.

The media here also, have from the start been partisan and totally biased, in fact I believe all the media is owned by communist sympathisers.

Conservaties are too busy trying to build businesses or working hard to get ahead whilst the socialists are mostly drawn from Union heavies, elitist academics and lawyers and an indoctrinated youth.

I am VERY sorry tosee the way George W Bush has been pillaried by the press and Democrats.

Those Democrats should hang their heads in shame for they all supported the removal of Saddam Hussein and believed he had WMDs.

Every where their is critism of GWB- AND YET NOT ONE OF HIS CRITICS HAS OFFERED ANY SOLUTION themselves.

Those who lost loved ones on 9/11 should be proud of GWB-7 months on the job half of which it seems he was deliberately inadequately briefed by the Clinton administration and who trashed the white house computers.

What could anyone else have done.

I am sorry that I won’t be around when the real history of this era is recorded some will remembered as complicit in enabling 9/11 and it will not be Mr Bush.

Sorry for length, but am very upset at this election outcome.

How blind are the American people to elect a man with the associates he has cultivated and kept company with, those that hate America, wanted to massacre her people and take money from a corrupt man with funds from Sadan Hussein,
We now see a First Lady, (although lady, is no thow I would describe her) a woman who was ashamed to be an American until her husband was selected as a candidate.

I think the West will lie to rue this day.

I wouldhave been delighted to see a Presidential candidate of colour, male or female with the appropriate skills and experience of Sarah Palin and a republican, but no doubt the left would neer allow that they would be only ‘Uncle Tom’s.
God Bless America she sorely needs it/

Nov 5, 2008 - 1:40 pm 34. Daniel in Brookline:

“This morning, as for some days past, it seems exceedingly probable that this Administration will not be re-elected. Then it will be my duty to so co-operate with the President elect, as to save the Union between the election and the inauguration; as he will have secured his election on such ground that he cannot possibly save it afterwards.”

– A. Lincoln, August 23 1864

http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/treasures/images/vc5.10.jpg

Will President Bush spend the next two and a half months sitting on his hands? Or will he do his utmost to clean things up so that even President Obama can’t snatch defeat from the jaws of victory?

Nov 5, 2008 - 1:47 pm 35. Bomb-a-rama:

1) The race card won’t work anymore.

Don’t bet your life on that.

Nov 5, 2008 - 1:55 pm 36. C Ward:

Roger et al
Thank you for providing both your insights and this forum. I am in Massachusetts. If all I had to rely on was the MSM and my neighbors, I would not know that there were others who believe so deeply in freedom, both economic and political, and who are distressed as I at the turn towards the Road to Serfdom.

But now I know I am not alone, and that gives me strength, and dare I say, hope, that we can work over the next several years to limit those infringements. It will be an uphill fight.

Nov 5, 2008 - 2:29 pm 37. neuromancer:

25. Harry,

Ah, how soon we forget. The markets are hardly unsupervised, and certainly not by any action of the Bush administration. Instead, it was the changes signed by Clinton in 98 that allowed Fannie and Freddie to destabilize our finance sector, while handcuffing private-sector lenders to equally bad debt.

Despite the best efforts of republicans over the past 5 years, the dems have stymied any attempt to make Fannie and Freddie abide by the same rules as the private sector. Had they been held to these standards, the past two months we would have seen the same unprecidented economic growth and low unemployment that we have seen the past 7 years. Hang onto your hats though, it’s going to be a thrill ride for the next couple of years until the mid-terms. While I can still afford gas, I’m going to be cutting a lot of wood to heat with next winter. Let me know how that works out for you this time next fall.

Nov 5, 2008 - 2:47 pm 38. Broadsword:

Have the sea levels begun to recede yet?

Nov 5, 2008 - 3:26 pm 39. Fen:

No worries. Obama will bring the troops home soon… just in time to begin rescue ops of what was once NYC.

Instead, it was the changes signed by Clinton in 98 that allowed Fannie and Freddie to destabilize our finance sector, while handcuffing private-sector lenders to equally bad debt.

True. They were called racists for refusing to offer home loans to minorities with bad credit. And the Democrats that brought you the Affirmative Action Credit Crunch just elected an Affirmative Action President. I hope it won’t be just as disasterous.

Just remember, next time they bring up reparations – you’ve already ponied up with your 401k.

Nov 5, 2008 - 3:28 pm 40. CaliLinda:

Instead of attending one of the universities he was accepted to, my son enlisted for 6 years in USAF and finished basic two weeks ago. He text messaged me this morning:

“Well Mom, Obama is going to be my new CIC. His election is proof that the U.S. is the land of opportunity & ANYONE can become the President of the U.S. if they have the money and a market crash. I am still proud to serve and listened to McCain’s words. I will respect the office and pray Obama governs to protect the nation. I can’t help smiling at all the hoopla & celebrating the airmen of color are doing. It is a day in history isn’t it? You’re not standing out on a ledge someplace are you? Remember, you kept telling me we survived Carter”

I was concerned about his decision to enlist with the election…but then I never would have thought we would elect someone with President Elect Obama’s resume… this was the 1st election my son voted in…as Carter’s was mine… sheesh

Nov 5, 2008 - 3:55 pm 41. Ben Franklin:

Speaking of erstwhile communists, the Russians wasted no time in declaring their intent to bully Obama about. They can spot one of theirs a mile away.

Nov 5, 2008 - 4:10 pm 42. Peter:

Marc

Doubt that you know any Army Wives.

Do you *really* believe Obama is going to pull the troops soon, lose the war, and then take the blame for it ?

Highly doubtful

The reductions are already scheduled and have nothing to do with the Obamanation.

Nov 5, 2008 - 5:04 pm 43. kcom:

“Have the sea levels begun to recede yet?”

Well, I looked out my front door and I can’t see the ocean so perhaps they have. Then again, I live in Missouri.

Nov 5, 2008 - 5:52 pm 44. Alan Kellogg:

kcom, #43

I live in San Diego and I can’t see the ocean, Coronado is in the way.

No, the ocean hasn’t gone away. New lands haven’t opened up for us. Around here such an event would be preceded by a strong off-shore earthquake, and succeeded by a serious of large waves raising home insurance rates up and down the local coast.

Nov 5, 2008 - 6:13 pm 45. John Galt:

rvaster,

I love the Orwell quote. I have read almost all of his essays and books, but I cannot place it. Can you help me?

BTW, now is a good time to reread his essay “Politics and the English language”.

Nov 5, 2008 - 7:37 pm 46. Chaz:

416,800 didn’t survive FDR.

Nov 5, 2008 - 9:14 pm 47. Kevin:

“The only thing that matters is how well you walk through the fire.”
Charles Bukowski

Nov 6, 2008 - 5:04 am 48. Don:

“God’s own country becomes stranger and stranger,” Enstein wrote [his son] Hans Albert that Christmas, “but somehow they manage to return to normality. Everything – even lunacy – is mass produced here. But everything goes out of fashion very quickly.”

— Walter Isaacson, ‘Einstein,’ pp 537

Nov 6, 2008 - 6:45 am 49. AlanC:

C Ward; your words are my words as I, too, am an inhabitant of Massaholia.

There are a few of us around but I think that we could all leave MA in the same plane. Pax

Nov 6, 2008 - 11:28 am

Write a Comment

Name:	(required, displayed)
Email:	(required, not publicized)
URL:	(optional, displayed)
Comments: