Pray for America Then Fasten Your Seat Belts The Next Four Years Are Going to Be a Bumpy Flight

As it will be in the future, it was at the birth of Man
There are only four things certain since Social Progress began.
That the Dog returns to his Vomit and the Sow returns to her Mire,
And the burnt Fool's bandaged finger goes wabbling back to the Fire;
-The Gods of the Copybook Headings-Rudyard Kipling

During the 2008 campaign, I explained to my friend and teacher Professor Barry Rubin, that people will not realize what Barack Obama was all about until he is elected but by then it will be too late. By the end of 2009 Rubin (a traditional liberal) was agreeing with me that the presidency of Barack Obama was turning into a disaster.

Today America chose to reelect Barack Obama for another term as President and just as I said four years ago, I believe that America will now learn about the real Barack Obama, the one who never has to worry about getting voter approval, satisfying campaign donors.  This Obama will be more radical then he has ever been before.

Allow me to provide some insight into what happened, and take a look into the future:

Negative Advertising Works: Obama’s “machine” accused Romney of causing a steel worker’s wife to die from cancer, not paying taxes, hating poor people, wanting bad air, hating sick children, wanting to ban contraception and wanting to kill grandma.  Romney’s supporters were accused of being racist and in at least one case (me) of being anti-Semitic.  While the Republicans were still fighting it out in the primaries Obama was already bombarding the swing states with the negative ads.  In the end they were too hard to overcome.

Benedict Arnold: Also known as NJ Governor Chris Christie.  While many of us were trying to get power and looking for a way to stay warm, Christie was giving Obama a platform to look presidential at disaster for the first time (with BP for example it took months before Obama visited the Gulf).  Christie’s motivation was not to help his state (it didn’t-- New Jersey is much worse off than Long Island) but to help his own reelection chances.  Thanks to the Governor’s efforts for five days the Romney campaign couldn’t “buy” coverage and all we saw was that same picture of the Republican Governor and the Progressive President walking arm in arm.  The exit polls mentioned the President’s handling of Hurricane Sandy as a big positive and influencer.

The Jewish Vote: Exit polls showed that Obama received 68% of the Jewish vote, the lowest percentage since Michael Dukakas received 64% in 1988.  Based on his track record on Israel and the First Amendment that number is way too high.  While the Orthodox voters tend to vote more conservatively, the Reform movement which doesn’t have the same theological connection to the Jewish State as the other branches, and the Conservative movement which claims a strong connection abandoned the future of Israel to continue worshipping the “golden calf” of big government.  Many Jewish organizations did the same, such as the ADL, the Jewish Federations and the AJC.

The Economy:  The “Fiscal Cliff” is coming January first.  Increased taxes because of Obamacare (also known as Taxmageddon) and the tax increases that will be coming because of the end of the “Bush tax cuts.”  Analysts say this fiscal cliff will drive us back into recession. 

What about Grandma? Sorry Folks, but enjoy your grandparents now, because unless someone finds a way to get the courts to strike it down--Obamacare is now the law.

In an August interview with Chris Wallace, Presidential advisor Robert Gibbs admitted the existence of what Sarah Palin called “death panels,” who’s official name is the IPAB.

Gibbs: "If Medicare providers continue to do what we are doing. Right now, under the old program, Chris, if a senior got readmitted over and over and over to the hospital for the same illness, they got paid every single time the senior got admitted into the hospital. Why not strengthen the benefit by adding preventive health care to it and trying to ensure that the patient gets accountable care and treated before they get that disease."

Wallace: "If the providers don't do it, then what happens is, under your plan, this unelected board, 15 bureaucrats come in and they decide what, well, you are laughing at it but that is it. The IPAB."

Gibbs: "I guess I am laughing at your characterization of it."

Wallace: "Are they an elected board?"

Gibbs: "They are medical professionals, they are people we trust to make medical decisions."

Wallace: "Are they elected by anybody? They are an unaccountable unelected board that comes in and will make decisions on what the providers and what hospitals have to do and Congress either has to vote it all up or all down."

There are certain things that will happen in the near future as a direct result of the Obama victory:

Justice Ginsberg will resign. She is the most progressive Justice on the Supreme Court and has been fighting serious illness for years.  With a liberal Justice guaranteed to replace her, look for Ginsberg to announce her retirement at the end of the present court year.

Israel will attack Iran before the end of the year. With an unfriendly president, reluctant to place additional sanctions on Iran as commander-in-chief of her biggest ally; look for Israel to strike while the iron is hot.  Remember the bomb drawing Netanyahu showed at the UN?  It’s getting to that time and now Israel knows it cannot expect political help from America leaving her no alternative.

A fight for the future of the Republican Party.  Beginning tomorrow there will be a fight for the soul of the GOP.  The issue will be whether the party will be an “almost as liberal as the Democrats” party, or will be dominated by the more conservative members—giving Americans a real two-party system. Look for the apex of the battle to be the vote for Speaker of the House as many conservatives are calling for John Boehner’s head.  If the Boehner wing wins out, you may see a third party arise.

Gridlock.  During the debate over the stimulus plan, the GOP asked to participate in crafting the stimulus, they were rebuffed and told “elections have consequences.” The same thing happened during the health care debate.  Obama has refused to engage the other side of the aisle. That will not change, the gridlock we saw for the past two years will continue.

When I was a child my Mother, of blessed memory, used to tell me over and over that I could be anything I wanted to be providing I worked hard enough. I passed those feelings to my children.  As we enter another four years of an Obama presidency I wonder if my kids will be able to say the same thing to their children, or will it be more of a progressive, “when you grow up, you can be the same as everybody else.”

Near the end of the first year of the Obama Presidency, my friend and teacher Barry Rubin told me my predictions about Obama were true.  I pray that a year from now he wont say the same thing to me regarding my outlook for the next four years, but fear I will be correct. 

So pray for the future of this great experiment we call the American Republic, pray for the future of Israel and as Bette Davis said in All About Eve, “Fasten your seatbelts, it’s going to be a bumpy flight.