Special to The Clyde Fitch Report
stefanie@lipstickconservative.com
It’s been barely a week since the midterm elections and we watched the “Party of Yes” lose over 70 seats between the House and Senate. And, whether your ballot has been counted or not (see previous article), most sane Americans would agree that the reason for this much-anticipated political bloodbath is because of President Obama’s “they just don’t get it” agenda. The only places Democrats retained their seats were in extremely liberal pockets of the country — Kirsten Gillibrand, anyone? And more Democrats would have been on the chopping block had their seats been up this time around.
So why does it baffle me that the 20 percent of elitist liberals led by King Barack Obama and Queen Nancy Pelosi, can’t grasp the big picture? Is it just that Pelosi refuses to give up the wide-eyed-surprise look she consistently sported through her power-fueled four-year stint as Speaker of the House? OK, that was a low blow, but you’d think this lady could get the hint already. She’s got a 33 percent approval rating, lower than Obama’s, lower than most in Congress, but she continuously pushes forward like last Tuesday never happened, seemingly unaware that these newly unemployed Democrats are lining up for the free grief counselors and resume builders sent in to soothe their broken hearts and wallets.
Besides throwing a taxpayer-funded bash on Capitol Hill to celebrate the “accomplishments” of the outgoing 111th Congress and to simultaneously rub salt in the wounds of dozens of axed Dems, Pelosi actually believes she should continue to lead the Democrats into 2012 as the House Minority Leader. Maybe she’s just trying to get the lone survivors drunk so they’ll vote her in?
Pelosi’s plans are clear: “Our work is far from finished,” she threatened American people. “Driven by the urgency of protecting Health Care reform, Wall Street Reform, Social Security and Medicare, I have decided to run.”
I guess as a registered Republican I should be happy. Pelosi’s ego will be the demise of Democrats in 2012 as long as she continues touting Obama’s unpopular policies to exasperated folks who have repeatedly shunned them. I can’t help but wonder if there’s some sort of lesson I’m supposed to take from this woman. I can’t put my finger on it just yet, so I’ll move onto the King.
Jihad Rocks!
I’m paraphrasing President Obama here, when asked his opinion of jihad by students in Mumbai: “Jihad has so many meanings, it’s too hard for me to zero in on the so called ‘jihad’ that’s been on everybody’s mind. So I’ll just go into my usual monologue of what a great religion Islam is while isolating the extremists as only a few bad apples in the bunch.” Oh, wait, wasn’t that the Ground Zero mosque Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf? They sound so similar…
The president again lost a golden opportunity to speak on the world stage and tell it like it is. First and foremost, he lost it by not acknowledging that Muslim extremism is a problem of the Islamic religion, and then again by not challenging the silent majority of self-professed “peaceful” Muslims to get their house in order or we will do it for them.
Did we not just foil a plot involving dozens of mail package bombs set up to explode at the will of the terrorists? Imagine bombs going off on various flights, one over London, one over the U.S, one over in Japan, all at staggered times, maybe one every day of the week, just exploding at random. Then imagine the worldwide panic that would ensue, all in the name of Allah. The President can’t tell a bunch of college students in Mumbai what he thinks about Jihad, a city where Jihadist-coordinated attacks lasting three days shocked the world and claimed close to 200 innocent lives.
There was a reason for that question, Mr. President, leader of the free world. And it wasn’t to hear you pussyfoot around the answer, it was to know that America, the good guys, the champions of justice, have India’s back when it comes to fighting terrorism. Especially since India is the most populated developing democracy in the world and the only secular democracy in South Asia.
Again, why does Obama’s answer surprise me? It’s completely consistent with how he has handled all Muslim-fueled terror attempts and attacks since taking office. After his infamous Mideast apology tour in Egypt, he has time and time again downplayed the Muslim x-factor. During last year’s Christmas Day underwear bombing attempt, the White House told us not to worry, it was probably just a lone, crazy guy, not a jihadist trained by al-Qaeda. Then Obama scolded the nation for jumping to conclusions that a Muslim army doctor who opened fire at the Ft. Hood military base last November, killing 13 people, was motivated by his Islamic faith.
Ironically, the army doctor’s mentor turns out to be the American born cleric Anwar al-Awlaki (pictured at left), the head of al-Qaeda in Yemen and the mastermind behind the latest cargo bomb plot.
In fact, al-Awlaki just released a pleasing 23-minute video diatribe against America. It’s a video which, if fallen into the wrong hands, could shatter the ACLU’s case to remove a U.S. government bounty on al-Awlaki’s head. (That was a joke, people, but seriously, the ACLU is fighting his death warrant.)
Sticking To Your Guns
But back to the lesson I am trying to pull from the past few days of ridiculousness. I think it’s about not selling out. No matter what goes on in the world around Pelosi and Obama, they stick to their guns. They do not waiver from their beliefs, even when faced with insurmountable odds, even when over half the country has been against almost every new policy they’ve brought to the table. They don’t care — they’ll stand strong and push it through anyway. They have convictions and principles and that’s more important than, well, it seems almost anything. They’ll never give up or sell out to the other side, and I guess it’s something I can kind of respect and relate to.
I grew up in a typical New York middle-class family. We weren’t rich, we weren’t poor, but when I wanted something my parents couldn’t afford, I had to pay for it out of my own pockets. So, trying to make that fast buck, I started working in the restaurant industry in high school. Well, one summer, I got a job at a local raceway and wound up getting stuck working inside the employees cafeteria, where I had to wear this horribly sweaty polyester outfit and a hairnet while slopping some barely edible food on plates as steam wafted up in my face for hours. I managed to escape this fate a few weeks later and spent the rest of my summer wearing a cute shorts-and-t-shirt outfit (hey, I was 16 and boy crazy) while wheeling around a Fat Frog ice cream cart. Besides the constant sunburn on the back of my legs, I was thrilled, and it was then I vowed to myself, “I will never wear a polyester work outfit again, no matter what.” And for those that know me, I had dozens of waitress jobs over the next two decades, putting myself through college, higher education classes and supplementing my income when times were tight. Over the years I’ve made great memories, great friends and hell, I’d probably do it now just for fun. But one thing will never change: I will not wear polyester.
Stefanie Schappert is a freelance journalist based in New York. A staunch conservative in a self-professed city of liberals and the military wife of a Green Beret, she created Lipstick Conservative to share her unique viewpoint on politics and culture. This broadcast news veteran and former NFL Cheerleader is known to hang out with quite a liberal crowd and has been the buzz kill during many a dinner party. Contact Stefanie or learn more at lipstickconservative.com.
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Lipstick Conservative does not necessarily represent the views of The Clyde Fitch Report.