BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR …
   
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2008-06-02

This weekend the Democratic National Party Rules and Bylaws committee meeting gave every American a glimpse into just what the next four years will look like if a Democrat succeeds in capturing the presidency this November. Once again the Dems are proving that in their world rules don't count.

It is pretty clear how the rules were constructed when this same group of geniuses met prior to any Democratic primaries being held. If any state, other than preapproved states, held its primary prior to Feb. 5, its vote would not count and delegates would not be seated. Seems simple enough doesn't it? Not in the world of a Democrat.

Florida and Michigan clearly were in violation of agreed-upon rules. Yet instead of punishment, the Dems get together for the equivalent of a political hootenanny – fiery speeches full of emotion as if straight from the pulpit of Rev. Wright. I watched for about two hours until the laughter actually started to hurt. The parsing of words, stretching of rules, warping of intent and just downright old-fashioned lawyering was more than I could bear.

And then it hit me.

This is what we are in for if America sends a Democrat to the White House. Rules will not much matter. If a Dem doesn't like the rules, he or she merely ignores them. And if called out on the mat for violating rules, in march the lawyers. Passion filled speeches, rife with nothing more than an attempt to play on emotion, will fill the air. Hey, they don't need any stinkin' rules!

Does anyone have the slightest doubt that if Queen Hillary, who was crowned the first female president prior to the earliest primary, was ahead in the delegate count this would even be an issue? But rules don't matter. This is the Clinton political machine we are talking about, and with Hill and Bill it is all about winning, not about competing according to the rules.

It appears a resolution will soon reach the headlines of all the news outlets heralding an agreement as the best since the Emancipation Proclamation. A party now unified to take back the White House, "stolen" by George Bush and five Supreme Court judges in 2000. Screaming Howard will be pouring the salve of money on the party for the healing between now and November when they hope to defeat the "players in the red jerseys." You see, to the Dems this is a game to be won regardless of how the win is achieved.

Soon the orchestra will return to the sheet music titled "Change." America needs change. We have to take a new direction – one that will restore America's moral authority. (Those are Dem buzz words to make all the people of the world love us again). It will sound just like the song the Democratic choir sang in 2006. Give us a chance at the wheel, and we will get America back on course.

And so, after the votes were counted in 2006, the year of change, we had a Democrat-controlled Congress with a female speaker of the House and a Democrat Senate majority leader who both promised to end the war and put America back on track. It makes sense to look at where we are now and where we were then to see what we are headed for in 2009 and beyond.

Did the change America wish for pan out?

In 2006, we were experiencing a two-and-a-half-year high in consumer confidence. The unemployment rate was running 4.5 percent, and gasoline was $2.19 a gallon. The housing market was booming, and most homeowners watched their personal net worth explode. Foreclosure rates were never talked about on the evening news, and most thought subprime was a cheap cut of beef at the butcher shop.

What a difference two years worth of Democrats repairing America makes.

Today, consumer confidence is plummeting, and unemployment is running 5 percent (a 10 percent increase). Nationwide, the average cost of a gallon of gasoline is $3.94 (an 80 percent increase) in the wonderful Democrat-led year of 2008. After the remarkable leadership of Harry and Nancy, American households are watching in horror as $2.3 trillion in equity evaporates due to stock and mutual fund losses. American homeowners have lost $1.2 trillion in home equity, and 1 percent of American homes are in foreclosure, and the number is rising daily. Most evening news programs lead with "the subprime crisis," and we are not talking about mad cow disease.

America voted for change in 2006, and we sure got change. But if you keep score like Democrats do, it is not their fault. It is that evil George Bush who did it – just like he caused wars and hurricanes and earthquakes and ... fill in the blank.

Only one problem folks: The Dems have been in charge. And George Bush didn't use his veto pen to stop them. The party of change controls the House and the Senate. So they should take the blame, right? Don't hold your breath.

My mom always used to tell me, "Be careful what you wish for. You just might get it." America is sure getting what it wished for. The Democratic Party, as always, was long on promises and short on results. It promised left-wing supporters that it would end the war. It has not. Now both Democratic contenders have promised to do what their pals who swept Congress in 2006 promised.

This song and the choir singing it has a familiar sound, doesn't it?

The last 15 months of nonstop Democratic campaigning has not been much different than in years past, with one exception. This time they have injected race and gender while telling America they want to bring people together. If people don't vote for Hillary, they are a sexist. Not joining the "change train" with Obama makes one a racist. And not voting for McCain makes you an American.

One can only hope that this year America will take a long, hard look at the ability of Democrats to do much more than whine and play the blame game. But then again, it is all about winning. If that means blaming all the ills of America on someone else, so be it. To a Dem, it is not playing by the rules that counts; it's winning.

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