Obama and the Ruling Class

Obama and the Ruling Class in America

To paraphrase a Ross Perot quote about NAFTA, don’t look now, but that sucking sound you hear might be your voice in government being taken away. The administration’s race toward socialist programs, massive and irresponsible spending, and government intrusion into citizen’s lives, overshadows an even more alarming pattern… the growing efforts to control media and what the people hear.

Before you dismiss this as over-reacting, consider the quotes from Mark Lloyd, an Obama appointed, unelected Czar of “Diversity in media”. The “Diversity Czar” has been assigned the task of assuring there is the right balance of reporting in the news media. “Right balance”, according to whom? Since when did the State have the right to monitor and regulate political content in the media? Mr. Lloyd has suggested assessing 100% of the total operating budget as a fee on radio shows with political content that is too unbalanced, and use this money to see that “public” (read State run) radio has “at least as much, if not more” funding and air time. He said “Part of our proposal that gets the dittoheads upset is our suggestion that the (private) commercial radio station owners either play by the rules or pay.” Too unbalanced according to…You got it, the State. Whose rules... you got it, the State. By the way, if Mr. Lloyd and the State take money from the private radio shows and dole it out to the “public” radio…do you think they’ll have any influence on political content? Keep in mind, the “public” radio station is specifically being set up and funded to counterbalance what Mr. Lloyd and the State believe to be unbalanced or not giving the “correct” view of the issues. Mr. Lloyd called Hugo Chavez takeover “…an incredible revolution.” He went on to praise Chavez, saying that “Chavez began to take very seriously the Media in his country” and dealt with it. Please note that Chavez “dealing with it”, meant he shut down over 200 radio stations and now has the State regulate the political content of television broadcasts. This is the approach publically praised by the Administration’s unelected “Radio Ruler”. Go on the internet…look it up. I know it sounds crazy….I think it is crazy…but it’s actually being proposed by the Administration.

Another aspect of this issue is the management of television media. Here it is much easier, because most of the TV media is following the Obama rhetoric like sailors following the Sirens. This weekend’s march on the capitol is an excellent example. The pictures from overhead and aerial videos are dramatic. (See one example below).











This is clearly one of the biggest marches ever on the capitol, and a huge protest. Yet, most of the TV media gave it only passing mention and print media tried to downplay the size, estimating the crowd as “thousands” or “tens of thousands”. Clearly, when the videos and overhead shots are put together, this is hundreds of thousands of people. The MSNBC reporter at the scene gushed “but or own people estimate the crowd at hundreds of thousands” (wonder if he’ll ever be heard from again).
The more shocking part is the reaction of the Ruling Class (otherwise known as Congress and the Adminstration). Think about it…with hundreds of thousands of people in the capitol, trying to make their voices heard to their supposed representatives…the President was spirited off (his helicopter flew over the advancing crowd) to attend a managed friendly crowd safely in the Target Center. He was, of course, cheered by that crowd (of about 15 thousand), boosting his impression that most Americans are wildly enthusiastic about his programs. That speech received much more press coverage than hundreds of thousands of citizens protesting their government. Even worse, Congressman after Congressman criticized and demonized the protesters, and vowed not to listen to them! Congressmen were publically quoted saying things like “I’m not going to put up with them (the protesters)”, and “This is my town hall meeting”, and “I’m not going to give them (that would be the voters) a forum”. One even talked on her cell phone disdainfully while one of “them” tried to ask a question of her.

There’s an old Buffalo Springfield song, “For What it’s Worth”, that has lyrics that just might apply again today.

There’s something happening here, what it is ain’t exactly clear,
I think it’s time we stop children, what’s that sound,
Everybody look what’s going down.
There’s battle lines being drawn, nobody’s right if everybody’s wrong.
(Some) people speaking their minds, getting so much resistance from behind.
What a field day for the heat, a thousand people in the street,
Singing songs and they’re carrying signs…

I don’t know if this protest movement will succeed in causing political change as the one that did when that song was written, but either way, our system is at an inflection point, and the direction of the curve will change.

The Old Man