[kitchencabinetforum] OBAMA'S RELIANCE ON CLASS WARFARE

Libertarian Party Chairman Mark Hinkle points out Obama is currently caught in a bit of a scandal over his pledge not to take campaign money from pullpeddlers. Despite a pledge not to take money from pullpeddlers, President has relied on prominent supporters who are active in the lobbying industry to raise millions of dollars for his re-election bid.

Obamunism might deteriorate America to the miserable level of Greece, the land of kleptocracy, 23% VAT, persecution of dissident bloggers, and kangaroo justice. Mike Brownfield points out Obama's ideological heart lies in socialism. Obama is at his core a dyed-in-the-wool socialist who sees the federal government as the answer to all of America's problems. And he is charging full steam ahead on this far-left course toward Election Day 2012, despite the total failure of his big-government policies and an American people who have flatly rejected the message he is trying to sell. http://venitism.blogspot.com

Hinkle muses it's unfortunate that the president has added one more to his pile of broken promises. But it's not at all surprising. American government has far too much power and money at its disposal. The inevitable consequence is that businesses, organizations, and individuals will work very hard to guide that power and money in their own favor. In fact, it often seems like rabblerousers intentionally create incentives for people to try to bribe them.

Obama is a great orator. Brownfield notes that Obama delivers flowery speeches and flexes his rhetorical muscles. It's a talent that won him the presidency, but unfortunately it hasn't won the future for the American people. And that's because the President's underlying philosophy is terribly flawed. After three years of a massive expansion of government, the enactment of Obamacare, hundreds of billions of dollars in failed stimulus spending, government ownership of General Motors, a Big Labor/pro-unionization onslaught, threats of even higher taxation, the promulgation of more unnecessary regulations, and a total failure to confront the entitlement challenge, the verdict is in on Obama's record and the soundness of his socialist philosophy. Deficits are soaring, the economy is stagnant, 14 million Americans are out of work, and job growth is flat.

Hinkle notes businesses especially will fight for more corporate welfare, and also for regulations that stifle potential competitors. What choice do they have? If they don't fight for those special government favors, then someone else will, which will put them at an increasing disadvantage, and might drive them out of business.

Brownfield muses that instead of confronting the reality of America under his watch, President Obama hearkens back to the days of Bull Moose progressive Theodore Roosevelt, citing him as his model of good governance, quoting his 1910 "New Nationalism" speech and calling for fairness in America – along with more infrastructure spending, more federal education programs, more regulations, and higher taxation on job creators to redistribute wealth and pay for his big government programs. And in order to raise the temperature of his rhetoric – and inflame the passions of his audience – Obama falls back to his class warfare ways, demonizing the haves in order to win over the have-nots while painting a picture of an America where unfairness reigns and opportunity cannot be found.

Over the last ten years, companies that lobbied heavily had a much bigger increase in stock value than those that didn't. Executives might conclude that if you're not lobbying, you're ripping off your shareholders! And of course, these entities that stand to benefit from government favors will work hard and spend hard to get friendly politicians elected.

A sensitive issue cannot be fully explained in a post, but only in a speech, in that magic eyeball to eyeball contact, baring my soul, and declaring truths that cause shock and awe. That's why I look forward to the invitation of your organization to speak at your conference. Basil Venitis, venitis@gmail.com

Hinkle cautions that some people feel that massive campaign finance regulations will stop this unholy bargaining. It won't. When the dust settles, campaign finance restrictions usually just make life easier for incumbents and harder for challengers. Libertarians know that only too well.

Obama's reliance on class warfare and his perverted view of fairness is so contrary to what America is really about. There are no class distinctions in America. That's why Steve Jobs could start as an adopted child in a broken home, start Apple in a garage, and become a billionaire eight times over. The real distinction here is caused by the rise of a new governing class of experts, bureaucrats and political elites who insist on ruling us to enforce pseudofairness rather than letting us govern ourselves under the rule of law.

Indeed, the new pseudofairness inevitably leads to bureaucratic favoritism, inequalities based on special interests and undue political influence. The real class warfare is caused by a class of governing elites, exploiting the politics of division to pick winners and losers in our economy and determine our destinies for us. http://venitism.blogspot.com

Hinkle admits lobbying isn't essentially a bad thing. It's an expression of our right to 'petition the government for a redress of grievances.' It provides information to politicians. But when politicians get in the habit of handing out favors, you can bet everyone is going to run up to the trough. Throw them all out!

Ironically, Obama's conception of America – that it is a land of no opportunity – stands in stark contrast to his own personal story. Obama came from meager beginnings and now sits in the Oval Office. There are countless stories of other Americans who have risen and found success on their own merit in this fertile land. But speaking to America's rugged individualism and the notion of achieving success without the helping hand of the government would not serve Obama's socialistic agenda. In his world, the government is the giver of all things, the defender of the middle class, and the architect of prosperity. Likewise, success is not something to be championed but to be demagogued in the name of the expansion of the state.

Hinkle asserts the only way to reduce the power of pullpeddlers is to reduce the power of government. That choice rests with the voters. If voters keep electing Democrats and Republicans, then the power of government and pullpeddlers will continue to grow. If voters start electing Libertarians, things will change.

Gingrich got two million dollars in fees from Freddie Mac. Gingrich said he gave strategic advice to the mortgage giant. Gingrich also arranged meetings for companies to present their work to federal officials. Under federal law, those kinds of meetings are important because lobbying activity is defined as contacts with a government official and any advice or work connected with those contacts. But there are many exceptions, such as a request for a meeting, that do not trigger the law. There are many people lobbying who should register but do not because of the stigma surrounding the profession or the administrative burden. The number of registered federal government lobbyists is 15,000.