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There is a lot of chatter about the root cause of the loss of Anthony Weiner's former congressional district to Republican Bob Turner. Some are saying that it is a referendum against the Obama administration and its catastrophic economic policies. Some are saying it is a pro-Israel vote, which is ironic since New York Congressional district 9 is heavily populated with Jewish voters, Orthodox, Reform, and what-you-will. However, Turner came out with a strong "I Stand With Israel" message, which may have appealed to the sentiments of NY9 Jews, as opposed to the traditional Democrat Palestinian sympathizer position. I think these are factors that contributed to the Turner win, but I also believe that voters, when faced with a moral conundrum which pits degenerate behavior against the more virtuous candidate, will gravitate to Republicans and Conservatives. The Right is the only side of the political tug-o-war that believes morals matter, and which is unafraid to tackle social issues which impact families, children, and religion, in policy discussions.  It may well be that Weiner's disgusting behavior; the full frontal nudity tweets and online sex chats with numerous women, even after he was married, is so repugnant that even a distract that has unfailingly gone to Democrats since 1923, cannot stomach the thought, nor take the chance, that another sexual pervert might represent them.

New York Congressman, Republican Chris Lee, resigned almost immediately after he sent a photo of himself, waist up and shirtless, to a woman. He did not lie about his culpability, he took responsibility for his tacky and untoward behavior, and he got out of Dodge. Weiner first denied that the tweets were his, then he blamed them on a hacker, then he tried to minimize the offense, then he fought to hold on to his congressional seat after having been fully exposed as an immoral, narcissistic, troubled liar.  Perhaps the voters in NY9 have had it with the Weiners of the world. Bob Turner at 70 is certainly a safe bet, at least when it comes to decency.

Character does matter. America made the mistake with Bill Clinton of overlooking moral principle in exchange for a bit of economic security and prosperity. But the social decline of moral standards and behavior has never shifted from its downward trend since the Clinton/Lewinsky years. We can't afford sexual reprobates in positions of political leadership. One's sexual behavior and connection to a religious, moral identity in regard to the purpose and potential of sexuality, transfers to the overall character and conduct of an individual. Democrats in NY9, and perhaps elsewhere, are now feeling the sting of rebuke from an American electorate who still, to some degree, values the indispensable role of morality in a free society. 

One of the most challenging duties I have as an American citizen is to sit through a Barak Obama speech. But do my duty, I will, and I did so last Thursday evening.  Sort of.  First of all, the conventional wisdom that Obama is eloquent is false. He is not eloquent, he is not a master of communication, he is not as intelligent as we are told to believe. But he is clever, and he has a snake-pit of clever advisors behind him.  Obama’s September 8 speech is simply a political set up for him to run against a “do-nothing” Congress in 2012. Clever, yes.  More clever than the American people? No.

The content of Thursday’s speech was a rehash of former “stimulus” speeches. His “American Jobs Bill” is just another infusion of tax-payer dollars into the ether of his command economy. If he has his way another $400 billion will waft into the netherworld of socialist failure, just like the previous $3.27 trillion from previous stimulus packages.  There is nothing in his AJB that would create a single lasting job.  It is an attempt to pander to large swaths of his supporters, like teachers unions, government sector unions, the Teamsters and the AFL-CIO, who would all benefit directly or indirectly from his plan. 

Obama pandered to small businesses as well with talk about a “payroll tax cut.” But  it is corporate taxes, capital gains taxes, and  personal income taxes on the small business owners who make over $200 K per year and declare their business income on their personal returns, that are killing jobs. Obama did not address those, but instead promised again to raise taxes on “those Americans who can afford to pay more.”  In his mind that includes all of those small businesses and their owners who we know are not “millionaires and billionaires” but are ordinary Americans, struggling, cutting corners, pinching pennies, and fighting the federal government at every turn just to save the jobs they have created for their employees.  As usual, Obama’s plan will kill more private sector jobs in exchange for a small rebate to households that will go to pay down debt and will have no lasting impact on the economy. He will fortify the unions, they will grow in power, and in the end, the government will be bigger, and the individual much smaller. Corporations will continue to outsource to other countries because the costs of production are impossibly large.  And small businesses will continue to shutter their doors as the specter of Obamacare looms ever closer.

One  of the most ironic aspects of Obama’s duplicity is his avoidance of the most obvious and immediate answers to our failing economy.  As a resident of Western Colorado I know that in my region of this vast country, there lies underground enough natural gas and oil resources to fuel our nation and our economy for decades, if not centuries.  Obama’s pet agencies like the EPA and DOE have essentially corked the potential for energy exploration and development in the West.  If he were to ease the regulations, tell Interior Secretary Ken Salazar to take a long vacation to Fiji, and simply open the door for Americans to take advantage of the vast energy resources underneath our feet, the economy would receive the defibrillation it needs to get pumping again.  Thousands of private sector jobs would be created, and dependence on foreign energy would be dramatically decreased.

The American people will not fall for the “run against a do-nothing congress” ploy. The president can’t stay disengaged and ineffective for another 15 months. The economy cannot bear the strain of further taxation, regulation, and statist manipulations of the free market.  If Obama was sincere he would do the following.

• Open energy-rich regions of the United States to exploration and development
• Slash corporate and capital gains taxes and close loop holes for his crony corporate buddies like GE
• Cut taxes on the upper 8% of income earners, most of whom are small business owners
• Ask congress to immediately repeal Obamacare
• Offer  American corporations who are outsourcing or have moved overseas tax incentives to stay in country
• Decrease the collective bargaining power of public sector unions at the federal level
• Revisit the budget deal and adopt the Paul Ryan plan to address entitlement reform

But we know Obama is not serious about saving our economy or our standing of economic and military superiority.  He will continue to point the finger of blame, play the race card, and toy with the free markets of the greatest country the world has ever known, until he begins the longest vacation of his life in 2013.