Peter Lemiska
Democrats are loyal to the bitter end
By Peter Lemiska
It was only six years ago that the country was absolutely jubilant – filled with hope, and inspired by a bright, articulate presidential candidate who promised some undefined change for the country. He had many critics, though, pointing to his inexperience, his obscure background, his nefarious associates, and his far-left ideology. They questioned his suitability, even his eligibility, for the presidency. But hope and change overcame objective reasoning and careful scrutiny.
After six years of Barack Obama's policies, things are indeed different today. According to a recent Rasmussen Poll, only 25% of Americans believe the country is headed in the right direction. That is no surprise, considering our record low labor participation rate, the abysmal state of race relations, the nation's economic woes, and the growing malaise in the country. Factoring in our crumbling southern border and vanishing sovereignty, along with international issues, like the increasing threat from an army of psychopaths and the escalating belligerence of America's adversaries, we wonder where those 25% find any encouragement at all.
But Obama didn't accomplish all of that alone.
Following his historic election, enthralled Democrats were determined to make his presidency a success by supporting him in every way possible. And although party loyalty has always been an integral part of politics, this was different. So fiercely loyal were the Democrats that they turned their backs on the American people and even the Constitution to help Obama.
History books are filled with examples of blind loyalty. We know how dangerous it is when ardent followers surrender, first their objectivity, and eventually even their ethics and values, to some charismatic leader.
The fierce loyalty to Obama has been painfully apparent throughout his presidency. We saw it when Democrats echoed his false promises about Obamacare, then forged selfish deals, ultimately resorting to underhanded tactics to pass an unpopular bill they had not even read. We saw it when Democratic IRS bureaucrat Lois Lerner and others abused their positions to target political opponents, and then destroyed evidence to conceal their crimes. We saw it when Democrats doggedly defended Obama from that and all the other scandals, including Fast and Furious, Benghazi, and the VA abuses.
To them, every legitimate congressional investigation became a "witch-hunt." During the IRS hearings, Democratic Representative Elijah Cummings did everything in his power to delegitimize the proceedings, going ballistic at the very suggestion of White House involvement, and even prematurely declaring the investigation closed. The Wall Street Journal called him "The IRS's best friend in Congress." We later learned that in 2012, Cummings had injected himself into the heart of the scandal through improper contact with IRS and one of its targets, and later lied about that contact.
In fact, in March, 2012 Chuck Schumer and six other Democratic Senators provided an impetus for those IRS abuses in a letter to that agency, ostensibly intending to regulate political spending by all tax-exempt nonprofit groups, but clearly aimed at Tea Party groups and other political opponents in anticipation of the 2012 election.
And their partisan defense of Obama was just as apparent during the other investigations. Given the opportunity to question his Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, about the killing of four American diplomats in Benghazi, Democratic committee members incredibly began by heaping praise on Clinton and thanking her for her service. Their line of questioning erased any lingering doubt about their real goal – to protect the President and to groom Clinton for 2016.
Then there's the immigration issue. Most believe the chaos on our border today is a direct result of Obama's implied promise of amnesty, which was offered as a substitute for the stalled Dream Act. That Democratic initiative would give citizenship to student immigrants who met certain conditions, and offer in-state tuition to students in the country illegally. For good or bad, loyalty usually works both ways, so Obama has now temporarily suspended that promise to shield vulnerable Democrats from irate voters in November.
New Hampshire Senator Jeanne Shaheen perhaps best exemplifies blind Democratic loyalty. She was a cheerleader for Obamacare and a cosponsor of the Dream Act. She also cosigned that 2012 letter to the IRS. In fact, in 2013, she voted with Obama 99 percent of the time.
But today, Barack Obama is falling out of favor with the American people. Although he has no more elections to win, Congressional Democrats do. After six years of groupthink, they are now struggling to find their own voices. Even Joe Biden, eying 2016, is overshadowing Obama's vacillating policies on terrorism and talking tough. He seems bent on replicating Obama's greatest accomplishment – rising from obscurity to the presidency overnight. And Senator Shaheen has apparently found herself a new charismatic leader. With Democrats working towards unrestricted immigration, Biden and Shaheen won't have to follow those terrorists "to the gates of hell." More than likely, they'll find them in our own back yard.
Throughout Obama's presidency, Democratic lawmakers have compromised their values to accommodate their party and protect the President's standing. They have shown only blind loyalty, not the courage and commitment we deserve from elected representatives. We'll know soon enough if the voters are willing to accept more of the same.
© Peter Lemiska
September 13, 2014
It was only six years ago that the country was absolutely jubilant – filled with hope, and inspired by a bright, articulate presidential candidate who promised some undefined change for the country. He had many critics, though, pointing to his inexperience, his obscure background, his nefarious associates, and his far-left ideology. They questioned his suitability, even his eligibility, for the presidency. But hope and change overcame objective reasoning and careful scrutiny.
After six years of Barack Obama's policies, things are indeed different today. According to a recent Rasmussen Poll, only 25% of Americans believe the country is headed in the right direction. That is no surprise, considering our record low labor participation rate, the abysmal state of race relations, the nation's economic woes, and the growing malaise in the country. Factoring in our crumbling southern border and vanishing sovereignty, along with international issues, like the increasing threat from an army of psychopaths and the escalating belligerence of America's adversaries, we wonder where those 25% find any encouragement at all.
But Obama didn't accomplish all of that alone.
Following his historic election, enthralled Democrats were determined to make his presidency a success by supporting him in every way possible. And although party loyalty has always been an integral part of politics, this was different. So fiercely loyal were the Democrats that they turned their backs on the American people and even the Constitution to help Obama.
History books are filled with examples of blind loyalty. We know how dangerous it is when ardent followers surrender, first their objectivity, and eventually even their ethics and values, to some charismatic leader.
The fierce loyalty to Obama has been painfully apparent throughout his presidency. We saw it when Democrats echoed his false promises about Obamacare, then forged selfish deals, ultimately resorting to underhanded tactics to pass an unpopular bill they had not even read. We saw it when Democratic IRS bureaucrat Lois Lerner and others abused their positions to target political opponents, and then destroyed evidence to conceal their crimes. We saw it when Democrats doggedly defended Obama from that and all the other scandals, including Fast and Furious, Benghazi, and the VA abuses.
To them, every legitimate congressional investigation became a "witch-hunt." During the IRS hearings, Democratic Representative Elijah Cummings did everything in his power to delegitimize the proceedings, going ballistic at the very suggestion of White House involvement, and even prematurely declaring the investigation closed. The Wall Street Journal called him "The IRS's best friend in Congress." We later learned that in 2012, Cummings had injected himself into the heart of the scandal through improper contact with IRS and one of its targets, and later lied about that contact.
In fact, in March, 2012 Chuck Schumer and six other Democratic Senators provided an impetus for those IRS abuses in a letter to that agency, ostensibly intending to regulate political spending by all tax-exempt nonprofit groups, but clearly aimed at Tea Party groups and other political opponents in anticipation of the 2012 election.
And their partisan defense of Obama was just as apparent during the other investigations. Given the opportunity to question his Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, about the killing of four American diplomats in Benghazi, Democratic committee members incredibly began by heaping praise on Clinton and thanking her for her service. Their line of questioning erased any lingering doubt about their real goal – to protect the President and to groom Clinton for 2016.
Then there's the immigration issue. Most believe the chaos on our border today is a direct result of Obama's implied promise of amnesty, which was offered as a substitute for the stalled Dream Act. That Democratic initiative would give citizenship to student immigrants who met certain conditions, and offer in-state tuition to students in the country illegally. For good or bad, loyalty usually works both ways, so Obama has now temporarily suspended that promise to shield vulnerable Democrats from irate voters in November.
New Hampshire Senator Jeanne Shaheen perhaps best exemplifies blind Democratic loyalty. She was a cheerleader for Obamacare and a cosponsor of the Dream Act. She also cosigned that 2012 letter to the IRS. In fact, in 2013, she voted with Obama 99 percent of the time.
But today, Barack Obama is falling out of favor with the American people. Although he has no more elections to win, Congressional Democrats do. After six years of groupthink, they are now struggling to find their own voices. Even Joe Biden, eying 2016, is overshadowing Obama's vacillating policies on terrorism and talking tough. He seems bent on replicating Obama's greatest accomplishment – rising from obscurity to the presidency overnight. And Senator Shaheen has apparently found herself a new charismatic leader. With Democrats working towards unrestricted immigration, Biden and Shaheen won't have to follow those terrorists "to the gates of hell." More than likely, they'll find them in our own back yard.
Throughout Obama's presidency, Democratic lawmakers have compromised their values to accommodate their party and protect the President's standing. They have shown only blind loyalty, not the courage and commitment we deserve from elected representatives. We'll know soon enough if the voters are willing to accept more of the same.
© Peter Lemiska
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