Monthly Archives: April 2014

Obama Already Running Out the Clock

12 Saturday Apr 2014

Posted by in 2014 Election

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By Greg Smith

“Elections have consequences. . .I won.” President Obama to congressional Republicans on, Jan. 23, 2009, three days after his inauguration.

Or did he?

For someone who regularly lectures on bipartisanship, President Obama can’t seem to open his mouth without bashing Republicans for having different opinions. On Wednesday Mr. Post Partisanship said Republican “obstruction” has led to “the least productive Congress in modern history, recent memory.”

The president has the bully pulpit, yet he uses it to attack Republicans at every turn rather than engage them in a manner that at least could be mistaken for an intellectually honest debate. Obama has regularly refused any compromise, such as on the debt ceiling, so what are House Republicans, who for good reason don’t expect bipartisanship from Obama, going to pass that either he or Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid will seriously consider?

Trust is a two-way street. Since Obama’s first term he has shown a complete disregard for the thoughts or beliefs of his political adversaries. That is what got him in such trouble in 2010 when Republicans picked up 63 House seats. With further Republican gains in 2014 all but certain, Obama’s term as far as domestic policy is effectively over. He will be relegated to, if Democrats hold the Senate, judicial nominations and the errant executive decision the White House will tout as legacy material.

Obama’s legacy will rest on a single unpopular piece of legislation Senate Democrats are still trying to alter four years after it was passed. Instead of choosing compromise to eek out new achievements, the president is choosing to run out the clock and hope history will judge him on his personality instead of his accomplishments, or lack thereof.

In 2008 Democrats nominated a charismatic person who thought his personal charm and fresh personality would magically bridge serious policy divides. He has completely failed and blames his opponents for not surrendering to his demands rather than accepting responsibility for his own unwillingness to compromise; his failure to lead.

“He believes he’s a game-changer, but I don’t believe the game has changed,” said chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee Tom Cole in 2008. “It’s captivating. It’s intoxicating, but it’s not going to last.”

Republicans don’t seem to have learned the obvious lesson of the previous six years. “The game” requires a solid, serious platform, as well as the ability to explain it to Americans. While the president relies on being Obama, Republicans seem to be running simply on not being Obama. Both strategies are doomed to failure.   ©

Greg Smith is a freelance writer and political consultant who lives in Bantam, CT. His blog is found at www.betterfatthanfascist.com.

Falklands and Crimea: Las Manzanas y Las Naranjas

05 Saturday Apr 2014

Posted by in Crimea, Falkland Islands

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By Greg Smith

Argentine President Cristina Fernández has used the Russian annexation of Crimea to repeat the tired argument the Falkland Islands, called the Malvinas in Argentina, are rightly part of her country, but using her reasoning a part of Argentina should be Chilean property. This is just another attempt to avoid the subject of her foolish economic policies that are ruining the Argentine economy.

A year ago the Falkland Islanders themselves voted they want to remain a colony of Great Britain. According to Reuters there were three votes “no” against over 1,500 “yes.” Fernández believes they have no say.

“What is the value of a referendum in an overseas colony that is 14,000 kilometers from the United Kingdom?” Fernández said.

It seems that distance should actually make the referendum more relevant. It must be a very important relationship to bridge that divide. If distance is an issue then the southernmost tip of Argentina should be part of Chile. The Straight of Magellan cuts off Argentina’s portion of Tierra del Fuego from the rest of Argentina, but the area is connected to Chile.

“Something that is fundamental for preserving world peace, for respecting international law, is to not have a double standard when it is time to make decisions,” Fernández said. “You can’t be in favor of territorial integrity in Crimea and against territorial integrity with the Malvinas in Argentina.”

If Fernández is actually in favor of territorial integrity Argentina must cede its portion of Tierra del Fuego to Chile. I hate to call her at this hour, so I’ll just assume that’s not going to happen. And perhaps Fernández should consult a map to see the Falklands are 300 miles from Argentina, so territorial integrity is not an issue.

Tierra del Fuego

The Falklands were not even settled by South Americans, but by the French, who were replaced by the Spanish, who were replaced by the British. Argentina claims it acquired title from Spain upon independence. By that argument it could lay claim to other former Spanish possessions in the region. Watch out Chile.

Deciding from a legal standpoint which nation has rightful ownership would be like a probate court attempting to sort out a vague and convoluted 250-year-old will, with the entire estate going to only one of two extremely distant relatives. To argue the islanders’ vote to remain British subjects doesn’t matter is imperialist. Their vote is all that matters. Even if Argentina’s claims were airtight, trying to right all the wrongs from previous centuries would involve putting, if Wikipedia is correct, 97% of Argentines back on boats bound for Europe and turning the nation over to indigenous peoples. Again, I’ll assume that is not in the offing.

Argentina should be alarmed that natives of an island so close would almost unanimously rather be part of a nation nearly 9,000 miles away. Who can blame them given the South American penchant for redistributionist, inflationary policies that cause their leaders to spend half their time cursing non-existent colonialism and the other half asking for bailouts? Given Argentine history, who in their right mind would choose to associate economically and politically with Buenos Aires?

Since Britain has expressed support for the islanders right to self-determination – Argentina refuses to recognize that fundamental international principle — if Fernández would switch to an economic model that values individual rights, freedom and markets, the Argentines would be in a better position in a generation to win the islanders’ consideration. Politicians are not known for their long-term concern.

The United States has abandoned a position of neutrality and has said Britain should hold talks with Argentina on the issue. Britain has correctly said there is no issue to discuss, the islanders, who should enjoy the right of self-determination, made their decision. It would be understandable for the U.S. to ignore its historic relationship with Britain if London was in the wrong, but it is shameful the U.S. is simultaneously ignoring its relationship with Britain as well as the overwhelming sentiment of the Falkland Islanders.   ©

Thoughts, comments or criticism are welcome.

Greg Smith is a freelance writer and political consultant who lives in Bantam, CT. His blog is found at http://www.betterfatthanfascist.com.

 https://betterfatthanfascist.com/2014/03/22/u-s-needs-to-back-u-k-to-head-off-falkland-war-ii/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethnography_of_Argentina

http://uk.reuters.com/article/2014/03/19/uk-ukraine-crisis-falklands-idUKBREA2I1H320140319

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Tierra+del+Fuego+Province/@-53.0602445,-68.0995855,6z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0xbc4c22cfd9432921:0x80ee54358cf0d88d

Carnac on Putin

01 Tuesday Apr 2014

Posted by in Crimea

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By Greg Smith

If only Johnny Carson were still alive to comment on the Russian annexation of Crimea.

Five weeks after Russia first invaded and two weeks after Russia officially annexed the region, Russia continued to mass troops on the Ukrainian border. With heavy armor and logistics lines in place, the only logical reason in the wake of the uncontested invasion was Russia wanted a bigger piece of the pie. Clearly the West planned no serious response, so why not a second helping? Soviet, uh, I mean Russian President Vladimir Putin may also be using the military buildup as a threat now that Russia is pressuring Ukraine to break itself into a federation of regions, which would make it weaker and more easily manipulated by Moscow.

Given the lack of any response other than words from the West at the original invasion, Russia has nothing to fear, and that is the problem. This is completely the fault of the Obama administration for taking military responses off the table right from the beginning. It made Putin’s calculations much more simple.

The U.S. response of, ‘We can’t do anything about it, so why bother trying,’ is exactly why Russian troops, tanks and aircraft continued to build along the border with Ukraine. Putin had been told point-blank his continued threat would draw no response from the West. The lack of a response is akin to the broken-window theory in criminology. Failure to respond to small problems will only lead to larger ones as criminals face no consequences, reminiscent of New York City in the early 1990s.

For decades the Big Apple had been degrading into a cesspool of poverty, drugs, and crime. During Mayor David Dinkins term from 1990-93 the city began to be called “ungovernable” and was better known for aggressive squeegee men threatening motorists for a few bucks than anything else. But in 1994 Rudy Giuliani took over as mayor and simply enforced the laws. His administration didn’t leave small crimes unpunished, which helped lead to a huge drop in serious crime.

If the U.S. and NATO do not offer a serious challenge to Putin, why shouldn’t he take over another piece of Ukraine, or maybe Poland or the Baltics?

That’s where Johnny Carson comes in because I can just picture The Magnificent Carnac putting the envelope to his head and saying “Vladimir Putin.”

Carnac then opens the envelope and says:

“What do you get when you cross a Bond villain with a squeegee man.”

“What do you get when you cross a Bond villain with a squeegee man.”   ©

Greg Smith is a freelance writer and political consultant who lives in Bantam, CT. His blog is found at http://www.betterfatthanfascist.com.