What's Wrong With The Left?

You know, there are times when it's easy to laugh at the Left, and there are times when you just really have to wonder what's wrong with them.

First, we have another blatant pledge to adopt systematic censorship and the silencing of dissenting viewpoints:

Congresswoman Anna Eshoo (pictured), D-Palo Alto, said Monday she will work to restore the Fairness Doctrine and have it apply to cable and satellite programming as well as radio and TV.

“I’ll work on bringing it back. I still believe in it,” Eshoo told the Daily Post in Palo Alto.

The Fairness Doctrine required TV and radio stations to balance opposing points of view. It meant that those who disagreed with the political slant of a commentator were entitled to free air time to give contrasting points of view, usually in the same time slot as the original broadcast.

The doctrine was repealed by the Reagan administration's Federal Communications Commission in 1987, and a year later, Rush Limbaugh's show went national, ushering in a new form of AM radio.

I suppose it's good that she wants to implement it across the board, but that will never, ever happen. Regardless, what's wrong with these people? Haven't they heard of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights? You know, that little freedom of speech thing...?

And how about those environmentalist wackos? They're always getting their panties in a bunch about something, aren't they? Here's something I find ironic about their entire crusade: they often gripe about how horrible it is that humanity is exterminating so many species of plants and animals through construction, farming, or whatever, and they love to throw around statistics about how many species they think have gone extinct...and then we read stories like this:

Scientists have discovered more than 1,000 species in Southeast Asia's Greater Mekong region in the past decade, including a spider as big as a dinner plate, the World Wildlife Fund said Monday.

A rat thought to have become extinct 11 million years ago and a cyanide-laced, shocking pink millipede were among creatures found in what the group called a "biological treasure trove".

So, we're supposed to take them at their word that a certain percentage of all bugs has been eradicated by humanity, but then we go and find 1,000 new species that we never knew even existed! Which is it, oh wise green zealots? Do you know everything about all species on the planet, or do you not? I think we all know the correct answer to that one.

One of the bright spots from this past election cycle is that the media has been completely outed as having sold their souls to the liberal Democrat establishment. There can be no doubt about that anymore, and little legitimate claim on objectivity. Things like this only reinforce that reality:

Their earnings have crumbled, the economy’s in chaos, and they’re still willing to turn down easy money the better to glorify The One.

Even a blackhearted nonbeliever like me can’t help admiring true religious devotion when he sees it.

“WashingtonPost Media is at the epicenter of the inauguration, and the Classifieds team is giving readers the chance to send a personal message of congratulations to President-Elect Obama that can be read by millions. The announcements can be placed though the call center or online, with prices starting at $10 for the combo. TWP anticipates about 2,500 - 3,000 announcements will be posted, to appear in the January 20 inaugural issue and live online from today until President’s Day.”…

BUT: Buried in the news is this curious tidbit…

“All ads must be congratulatory in nature. The Washington Post reserves the right to reject any notice.”

*sigh* The WaPo is still good for many things, though, like bird cage liners, packing filler, and kindling.

And what is it about the Left that they insist on elevating people who are at best unproven, and at worst actually suck? For example, Caroline Kennedy is on tap to be appointed to Hillary Clinton's open New York Senate seat. What experience does she have in elected office? None. What experience does she have in foreign policy? None. What experience does she have in running campaigns? None. All she has is the Kennedy name. Of course, the Obamessiah himself doesn't have any noticeable experience, either, so at least they're being consistent.

Another questionable appointment to Obama's cabinet is Carol Browner, his 'energy czar':

On her last day in office, nearly eight years ago, Browner oversaw the destruction of agency computer files in brazen violation of a federal judge’s order requiring the agency to preserve its records. This from a public official who bragged about her tenure: “One of the things I’m the proudest of at EPA is the work we’ve done to expand the public’s right to know.”

Asked to explain her track-covering actions, the savvy career lawyer Browner played dumb. Figuratively batting her eyelashes, she claimed she had no clue about a court injunction signed by U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth on the same day she commanded an underling to wipe her hard drives clean. Golly gee willikers, how could that have slipped by her?

According to testimony in a freedom of information lawsuit filed against EPA by the Landmark Legal Foundation, a Virginia-based conservative legal watchdog group, Browner commanded a computer technician on Jan. 19, 2001: “‘I would like my files deleted. I want you to delete my files.” Not coincidentally, the Landmark Legal Foundation had been pressing Browner to fully and publicly disclose the names of any special interest groups that may have influenced her wave of last-minute regulatory actions. Two days before she told her technician to purge all her records, EPA had gone to court to file a motion opposing the federal court injunction protecting those government documents.

Yeah, that's a person you want running things!

And how about Obama's pick for Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, who makes a grammatical error in a prepared speech? Yeah, that's the guy we all want running national curriculum.

What about the unions? It doesn't get much more liberal than unions. We have two stories of just how problematic unions have become, and how detached their leaders are from the American public. First is that the UAW refuses to give up its gold-plated golf course in Michigan. Never mind that people are losing their jobs, never mind that the company is staring bankruptcy or some other failure in the eyes, and never mind that the unions are blowing ultra-dark smoke up all our behinds...they've GOT to have their golf course! You know, if they were really afraid of what would happen in their industry, wouldn't they take some drastic measures that would help improve their bottom line? Like, maybe, selling this golf course and applying the funds to lessen the bailout? Ah, but it's not a reality thing; it's a political thing.

But it gets even better. Did you know that the biggest union in the country is the SEIU? Well, look here:

Some charities lose only a small percentage of their revenue in costs, while others soak up a majority of contributions on internal costs. Only those who commit outright fraud wind up spending none of their revenue on their stated purpose.

So what does that say about the SEIU’s low-income housing charity?

A nonprofit organization founded by California’s largest union local reported spending nothing on its charitable purpose — to develop housing for low-income workers — during at least two of the four years it has been operating, federal records show.

The charity, launched by a scandal-ridden Los Angeles chapter of the Service Employees International Union, had total expenses of about $165,000 for 2005 and 2006, and all of the money went to consulting fees, insurance costs and other overhead, according to its Internal Revenue Service filings.

How does that bailout sound now? Clearly, the UAW is expert at keeping its own house clean and pointing out everyone else's skeletons.

Finally, we come to that age-old question of ethics. As in, who has them and who doesn't. Hint: the Left doesn't have any! The New Mexico Governor and Obama Commerce Secretary is under investigation for corruption, the latest in a long line of Obama associations to undergo such scrutiny. You know, I understand that people make their own decisions, but at what point are we going to be allowed to start wondering if Obama was tainted by the whole crooked Chicago politics thing? It seems like almost every single person he spends time with or has tapped for a Cabinet position has some kind of vicious rumor or investigation abound them, and he just didn't know that about them. Oh, come on! Is he really that stupid that he didn't figure it out, or is this just part of the game?

Then, on those heels, we have uncovered reports of a pay-to-play fundraising scandal in Florida. Classy. Real classy. I can't tell you how confident I am in their ability to fix the economy.

Then we have another prominent Democrat who displays a total lack of scruples:

Well wonder of all wonders...
A top Democrat donor was just busted in what looks like the largest fraud case in US history.

Bernard L. Madoff is a big Democratic donor.
The Wall Street Journal reported:

Bernard L. Madoff, a former chairman of the Nasdaq Stock Market and a force in Wall Street trading for nearly 50 years, was arrested by federal agents Thursday, a day after his sons turned him in for running what they said their father called "a giant Ponzi scheme."

The Securities and Exchange Commission, in a civil complaint, said it was an ongoing $50 billion swindle, and asked a judge to seize the firm and its assets. "Our complaint alleges a stunning fraud that appears to be of epic proportions," said Andrew M. Calamari, associate director of enforcement in the SEC's New York office.

Go figure.

So you see. The question is not how strongly the Left resists the political affiliation; the question is why they don't have any set of standards to deal with anything. But that's no big secret, at least not to those of us with a functional brain and a serious deficiency of Kool-Aid.



There's my two cents.