Isn't that special: Among weekly Mass attendees, Obama took 49% of the vote (McCain took 50%). Among those who do not attend weekly, Obama prevailed 58% to 40%.
And one of the first items on his agenda: expand embryonic stem cell funding. Yup, he's the pro-life candidate alright.
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Perhaps the best prediction piece I've seen about the coming leftist wave: Barack Obama, Fabian Socialist. Excerpts:
So here is the playbook: The left will identify, freeze, personalize and polarize an industry, probably health care. It will attempt to nationalize one-fifth of the U.S. economy through legislative action. They will focus, as Lenin did, on the "commanding heights" of the economy, not the little guy.
As Obama said, "the smallest" businesses will be exempt from fines for not "doing the right thing" in offering employer-based health care coverage. Health will not be nationalized in one fell swoop; they have been studying the failures of Hillary Care. Instead, a parallel system will be created, funded by surcharges on business payroll, which will be superior to many private plans.
The old system will be forced to subsidize the new system and there will be a gradual shift from the former to the latter. The only coercion will be the fines, not the participation. A middle-class entitlement will have been created. . . .
Will Obama's be the strong-man socialism of a Chavez, or the soft socialism that Clement Atlee used to defeat Churchill after WWII? I don't know, but I suspect something kind of in between. Despite right-wing predictions, . . . we won't see Rush shut down by Fairness Doctrine fascists. We won't see Baptist ministers hauled off in handcuffs for anti-sodomy sermons. It will more likely be a matter of paperwork. Strong worded letters from powerful lawyers in and out of government to program directors and general mangers of radio stations. Ominous references to license renewal.
The psychic propaganda assault will be powerful. The cyber-brown-shirts will spew hate, the union guys will flood talk shows with switchboard-collapsing swarms of complaint calls aimed at those hosts who "go beyond the pale" in their criticisms of Obama. In concert with pop culture outlets like The Daily Show and SNL, Obama will use his podium to humiliate and demonize those of us who don't want to come together and heal the planet.
You've heard of the bully pulpit, right? Well, then get ready, because you're about to see the bully part.
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In response to my feature essay yesterday, a TDE reader sent this email along: "Thought I'd chime in by saying vestiges of anti-Catholicism were present in the '60's as evidenced by a bumper sticker I remember from the 1960 election where we elected JFK as our first Catholic president. Anti-Catholic, yes, but in a rather light-hearted way: ELIMINATE THE MIDDLEMAN!!! ELECT THE POPE!!!"
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Hell freezes over. MSNBC posts something half-way funny: How to in-law proof your house over the holidays. Excerpt:
Your frat brothers might be totally impressed by your extensive, top-shelf bar, but if your in-laws see it, they're going to spend the rest of the night researching Al-Anon groups on the Internet. Streamline your liquor selection and keep just a few select bottles out on display. Don't worry about thinning out a heavily stocked wine rack if you have one. Whether it's actually true or not, it suggests you're mature, cultured collectors, not party animals.
