A lot of people have fond memories of those wonderful muscle cars built by Detroit in the late 60s and early 70s. Did you ever wonder what happened to them?  Why did car makers suddenly stop making them? It certainly wasn’t because they weren’t popular. We loved muscle cars then just like we love them now. Yet almost overnight Detroit stopped making them.

The answer is in the magic vehicle identification number or “VIN.”  While muscle cars were popular with young males they were not popular with the insurance industry, particularly when operated by young males. But there was a problem.  The insurance industry had difficulty verifying what engine was in a vehicle.  A Ford Mustang with an anemic six cylinder engine is a very different creature from one with a 351 Cleveland V8. I speak from experience.  It is also a very different insurance risk. So the insurance industry managed to lobby for a law that required all vehicles manufactured or sold in the United States to have a 13 digit VIN number and that VIN had to identify the engine size.  Once that happened, the insurance industry KNEW what engine was in a car and they adjusted pricing to reflect the risk.  Within a very short period of time people stopped buying muscle cars because it cost more to insure them then to buy them.

The point here is that congress didn’t ban muscle cars, they didn’t need to. The problem was solved with the VIN. Sometimes if you just identify the problem, it becomes much easier to fix the problem. President Obama is apparently planning on giving ID cards to illegal immigrants. He thinks that will make them all life-long Democrats totally dependent on the benevolent federal government. But what happens if we suddenly give millions of people currently living in the shadows an ID card that identifies them once and for all?

We all know there are millions of illegal aliens, but no one knows who they are. That is because there is a huge black market in fake identification documents. A company I worked for had a location raided by Immigration.  They discovered several illegal immigrants.  Yet, my company was at not risk of a fine, even though it was against the law to hire an illegal immigrant.  We had all of the proper documents on file.  It was just that none of the documents were real. We didn’t get fined because we were totally in compliance with the law.  By the way, we had to fire these people, but none of them were deported. They just found new jobs using the same fake documents. I fail to see how this raid benefited anyone.

So when you read about how President Obama is going to issue ID cards to every illegal immigrant and let them stay in the United States keep the VIN in mind. This may work out very different than he intends. Once everyone has an ID card what if congress passes a law making it against the law to hire an illegal immigrant without a valid work permit?  Any employer who violates the law has to pay a huge fine. Suddenly a whole lot of illegal immigrants find it impossible to get a job. We won’t have to deport them; they will reverse the migration process because the only point in coming to the U.S. is to get a job. Of we also have to stop giving them free stuff for not working. We don’t have to be mean and cruel about this.  We treat them with love,understanding and a free ticket back home.

Liberals, like Barack Obama, are wrong about everything.  What if they are wrong about this too? Liberals like to refer to illegal immigrants as undocumented.  So, document them and see what happens. If I were an illegal immigrant I would be terrified by Obama’s plan. Sometimes your worst enemy is the person pretending to be your best friend. In addition, do you know what happens to an illegal immigrant who becomes legal, gets a job and starts paying taxes? They morph into Republicans.

TDM

The only thing more disgusting then Barack Obama is the way he still manages to out maneuver the Republican leadership. They should all just shut up and refuse to speculate on what President Obama may or may not do.  They should remind the main stream media that President Obama himself has made public statements with regard to the limits on his authority to arbitrarily change immigration law.

Republicans must avoid being intimidated by irrational and potentially illegal threats from an incompetent President who was just trounced in an election. They should keep in mind that President Obama is famous for setting red lines that he then ignores. If he chooses to issue irresponsible and potentially illegal executive orders, they can deal with them.The most important thing for Republicans to do at this point is to refuse to let poor planning on Obama’s part constitute an emergency on their part.

I do not know what Obama will or will not do.  I do know that by responding to ridiculous threats Republicans are giving Obama more credit that he deserves. Republicans have an easy and obvious answer to anything Obama says or does. They should remind everyone that Democrats still control the Senate until January. Perhaps the media might want to ask current Majority Leader, Harry Reid, what he proposes to do if the President persists in taking action he himself has said would be illegal.

TDM

The new Senate in January 2015 will be very different from the Senate that voted for ObamaCare. We all know that Republicans will be in the majority and they will determine the rules.  That alone is a huge change.  But there is much more going on here. There has been an even bigger change in the makeup of Democrats in the Senate.

In January 2009 there were 58 Democrats and 2 Independents who voted for ObamaCare.  Not one Republicans voted for it. There are 29 Democratic Senators who voted for ObamaCare in 2009 missing from the next Senate. Not all of them were replaced by Republicans, but all are gone. If Mary Landrieu loses in the run-off election, that will make it an even 30. That means the new Senate will have either 43 or 44 Democratic Senators and a maximum of 15 of those will have survived voting for ObamaCare.

To understand how completely this changes things, let us reverse the numbers.  Of the 100 Senators in office in January, 83 of them did not vote for ObamaCare.  Everywhere you look the bodies of Democratic Senators litter the political landscape.  Some retired, some lost re-elections and three of them died in office.  Yet the Republican leadership remains largely intact. Of the six oldest members of the Senate, five are Republicans. I doubt that there has ever been a time in our nation’s history with such a massive change in political power.

I suspect that Harry Reid is going to find it difficult to push anything through this lame duck session of congress. He is going to find it impossible to push anything through in the new congress. The best he can hope for is to gobble up some crumbs Republicans offer to throw in his direction. Since he spent the last six years giving them the finger, I wouldn’t expect that to happen very often.

Change is coming at the speed of light and it is not limited to the Republican Party. No one really knows where this is headed, but we do know this.  The show of hands when the next Senate takes over will be very significant.

TDM

The Republican establishment is convinced that Republicans made two huge mistakes.  The first was when they shut down the government in a showdown with Bill Clinton.  The second was when they shut down the government in a showdown with Barack Obama.  In both cases the wiser heads said Republicans lost more than they gained. That is true, if the only measurement is the reporting by the main stream media.  But a closer looks reveals very different results.

The Clinton shutdown happened in 1995. Some “experts” have blamed the defeat of Bob Dole on this shutdown. However I remember that election and Bob Dole ran one of the worst campaigns in modern history. At times it was difficult to detect a pulse. When is the last time you heard someone say: “I really wish Bob Dole had won?” Exactly! The rest of the Republicans did quite well, in spite of Clinton’s re-election.  They only lost two seats in the House, maintained the majority and actually gained two Senate seats.  In addition, the shutdown resulted in the 1997 balanced budget agreement. For the next four years Bill Clinton signed a balanced budget.  Hillary Clinton is campaigning today on the balanced budgets signed by Bill Clinton.  But those budgets only happened because Republicans literally made Clinton do it. Incredibly the main stream media gave Clinton the credit for doing something Republicans forced him to do under protest.

Once again the conventional wisdom is that shutting down the government last fall was a huge mistake. However a lot of those new Republicans in congress got there with the promise to stop Obama. Is that a coincidence? At the time of the shutdown I literally texted Fox News and Brett Baer read my text on the air. I wrote that Democrats were the big losers because the shutdown forced them to go all in on ObamaCare. ObamaCare was already a problem for Democrats, but by allowing the government to be shutdown rather than to even consider any amendments, Democrats showed their true colors. Those Republicans who ran against ObamaCare are now awaiting their new offices in congress. Those establishment Republicans in supposed tight elections used opposition to ObamaCare to get back in the race.

It sure looks like the 2013 shutdown of the government was a major factor in the 2014 Republican wave.  It is quite simple. One of the reasons people are fed up with Republicans is that they don’t appear to be willing to pay the price to stop Obama. The government shutdown showed them that there are at least some Republicans with a spine and the voters just send congress a lot more of them.  The establishment Republicans only squeaked by when they promised to grow a spine too. Every Republican Governor who stood up to the liberal media and the public sector unions won election by big margins. Scot Walker, who the Democrats vowed to destroy and who the main stream media reported was in big trouble, won again, and again and again.

Republicans have a historic opportunity, unless they listen to the Republican establishment that remains terrified of criticism in the main stream media. Fortunately for all of us, Obama is stupidly making it nearly impossible for establishment Republicans to compromise with him on any issue. The Republican establishment is not all that smart, but the easiest strategy on earth is to just oppose Obama on everything. The odds of success using that strategy are extremely high.

TDM

If on this Veterans Day you happen to see a Vietnam Veteran, please be aware of something important. Vietnam Veterans were not exactly welcomed home during the anti-war protests. Instead, they were more likely to be attacked.  I was personally spit at by war protestors who called me a war criminal and a baby killer.  Around 1995 I won a nice jacket at a trade show, but didn’t like the logo. So my wife bought me a Vietnam Veteran patch and sewed it on the jack to hide the other logo. I actually debated whether I would even wear it.  Then one day while we were out shopping I felt a tug on my shoulder.  I looked down and there was an older woman. She looked me in the eye and said: “thank you for your service.”  I was absolutely stunned.  That was more than 25 years after I had returned from Vietnam and to the best of my knowledge it was the first time anyone ever thanked me for my service. Granted for much of that time period I wasn’t about to wear anything that would identify me as a Vietnam Veteran.

Thinks have changed a lot since then and it is no longer unusual to have someone do that. But keep this in mind.  At least now some of those naive anti-war protestors admit they were awful in the way Vietnam Veterans were treated. But just saying thanks for your service ignores the issue. Many Vietnam Veterans never experienced closure because they were never felt welcomed home. Almost any person who regularly works with Vietnam Veterans knows this.  That is why they don’t say thanks for your service, they say “welcome home.” It is still a work in progress. I remember the first time someone from the Vietnam Veterans of American said that to me. I was shocked. I suddenly realized that here was someone who really understood how I felt.  So, I have a simple request.  If you see a Vietnam Veteran on this Veterans Day go ahead and thank them for their service.  Then.do one more little thing.  Tell them “Welcome Home.”  It will mean more than you think.

TDM,

We are about to learn whether any Democrat currently in the Senate has residual elements of character.  Following is the alleged game plan of Harry Reid for the lame duck session of congress:

http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/223289-reid-plots-final-days-in-power

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) hopes to confirm 50 of President Obama’s nominees and move an omnibus spending bill in a last hurrah before Democrats give up power in the Senate.

The nominees are part of a packed lame-duck schedule that Reid is furiously planning and that will be a topic at Friday’s White House lunch meeting between Obama and congressional leaders.

It has long been a tradition in this country for a peaceful and orderly transition of power. That is true even after a bitter election defeat.  It is the recognition that elections matter. That is what distinguishes us from the rest of the world.  But now we apparently have a Democratic leader in the Senate planning to poison the well as much as possible before leaving office. This should not surprise anyone, as it is consistent with the way Harry Reid has operated for the last 8 years.

Democrats would be wise to stand up to Obama and Harry Reid and put the country first. They should limit the lame duck session to that which is absolutely necessary and end the politicking now. But of course that would assume that Democrats are capable of putting the country first or of even recognizing common sense.

Obama is also threatening to ignore the election. He refuses to realize that this election was all about him and he lost. Republicans were prepared to govern responsibly and Obama slide into retirement. However, the combined arrogance of Harry Reid and Barack Obama risk pushing this country into a constitutional crisis that will be devastating for the country. If they do that, Republicans will have to go to war with them. Democrats are acting like political terrorists. You cannot negotiate with terrorists, because they never consider abiding by any rules. That, unfortunately, describes the current leadership of the Democratic Party.

War is the worst way to solve any problem. But sometimes it is the only way to solve a problem. The alternative is to sacrifice our liberty and our democracy. In any war, there are always casualties on each side. That will be true in this war too, which is why if you fight a war you must be willing to do whatever it takes to win. As Douglas McArthur said: “there is no substitute for victory.” If Harry Reid and Barack Obama take the action they are promising today, Republicans have a duty to stop them, without regard to the political cost. They have the power, thanks to this election to do exactly that. The only question is do they have the character and resolve required to do the necessary.

TDM

The main stream media has been quick to point out that people went to the polls equally disgusted with Democrats and Republicans. But they missed the point. People were angry with Democrats for rubber stamping Barack Obama in his path to failure. They were angry with Republicans because they seemed incapable to even slowing him down.This vote was a mandate for Republicans to get this fixed. But another reason for these elections results may be voter ID laws.This may be that rarest of occasions where Nancy Pelosi accidently told the truth.She said that the reason Democrats lost was because of voter suppression. She may be spot on about that. But what Nancy calls voter suppression the rest of us call limiting voting to people actually eligible to vote and limiting them to voting only once. If we can achieve that standard nationwide, Democrats may find it increasingly difficult to win any elections.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/nov/5/nancy-pelosi-vows-to-stay-on-as-leader/

All through the night we saw vote totals where Republicans seems to be comfortably ahead, yet networks would not call the election.  This was because prior year’s elections always seemed to tilt toward Democrats with late arriving votes from Democratic districts.  That did not happen this time.  Instead, when the final counts were in Republicans won and they won big.

There has been a significant change since 2012.  There have been voter ID laws passed and massive efforts to purge voting records of inegible voters.This may have had more impact that anyone realized.  Certainly Nancy Pelosi thinks so.

If you look at a congressional map today you will discover that Republicans win almost everywhere, except for isolated packets with extremely dense populations.  You know the kind of places where a Democrat machine consistently delivers the votes. There are basically two kinds of places on this planet where candidates from the ruling party routinely receive overwhelming majorities of the vote.  Democratic districts in major metropolitan areas and dictatorships that only pretend to hold free elections.

There is a reason Democrats are fighting voter ID laws at every opportunity. What they really fear is an open and honest election limited to people actually eligible to vote. Now we know why.

TDM

Once again the main stream media pundits are missing the point.  Republicans aren’t going to have any major confrontations with Obama, unless he brings this on himself.  Instead they will inflict death by a 1,000 cuts.  They will pass small bills that will have bi-partisan support.  They will not allow Democrats to load up these bills with toxic provisions that could not pass on their own.  Harry Reid no longer has the ability to block legislation. No Democrat has the ability to block legislation. When Republicans controlled the Senate during the Bush Administration, minority Democrats were effective at using Senate rules to block things they did not want. Now Democrats are going to pay a terrible price for the new Senate rules, pushed through by Harry Reid, that render the minority party powerless.

This election wasn’t even close.  Not one single major Republican incumbent, other than the Governor of Pennsylvania, lost re-election.  Republicans not only won all the toss-ups, they won by huge margins.  Democratic bodies litter the landscape.  Even people like Jeanne Shaheen and Mark Warner, who survived, know that they barely dodged a bullet.

Change is coming at the speed of light.  The real Republican leader in congress is Ted Cruz and congress is about to go on Cruz control. Cruz is one of the most brilliant people to ever serve in congress and it would be a huge mistake to underestimate him.

There won’t be many headlines and no real confrontations. They won’t be necessary. Obama has been reduced to a powerless by-stander.  If he tries to veto legislation with bi-partisan support he risks being over-turned. If he tries to rule by executive order Republicans are now ready, willing and ABLE to challenge him. For the first time, ever, Republicans actually have the power to control legislation in both Houses. Now let’s hope and pray the use this power wisely.

TDM

Will Republicans win control of the Senate or will Democrats somehow snatch the narrowest of victories out of the ashes of despair.  Sometimes the best way to predict results is to listen to the idiots.  These are the clowns who are consistently wrong on nearly every subject.  If they predict something, odds are very high that the opposite will happen.  My nomination for 2014 goes to Debbie Wasserman Schultz.

http://www.breitbart.com/Breitbart-TV/2014/11/03/Wasserman-Schultz-Obama-Is-Democrats-Best-Asset-in-Election

She reminds me of Baghdad Bob, the spokesman for Iraq during the second Gulf War.  This guy kept going on TV reporting huge victories when it was more than obvious that the U.S. was trouncing the Iraq military.  Whatever he said we instantly knew the opposite was true.

She predicts that Democrats will maintain control of the Senate.  That greatly increases the odds of a Republican sweep.

She predicts that Charlie Crist will be elected Governor of Florida. I can’t imagine anything that would give Rick Scott more confidence.

Then, in the ultimate jaw dropper, she says that “the President is our best asset.”  That explains why so many Democrats running for election are desperately trying to distance themselves from Obama.

So if you start to worry, just remember that Debbie Wasserman Schultz has never been right about anything.  Why on earth would you expect different results this time?

TDM

Some people think that we won’t know the final results of this election until early next year.  I seriously doubt that to be the case.  I think people will be shocked at how early in the evening next Tuesday the results become very obvious. Once results in are in regarding the governor’s race in Florida and the Senate Races in Georgia, North Carolina.If Republicans win in Georgia and North Carolina and they win the Senate.

If Scott Brown wins in New Hampshire it is a bad night for Democrats.  If the Republican candidate for Governor in New York miraculously wins, which would be a shock, then we are looking at a rout.  I can’t imagine Cuomo losing in New York, but some people think it is possible.

If Republicans cannot win a big victory in this election, then we are in for a very long night and an even longer 2015 and 2016.  If the American people have not figured out Democrats and Obama by now, they will never figure it out. If Democrats somehow hold on to the Senate, then our worst fears about the changing American voting public will be realized.  If things are not already bad enough to kick Democrats out of power, we are doomed to more of the same.

I hope and pray that the American people will not repeat the act of national insanity we saw in 2012.  Fortunately there is reason for hope   Obama had basically won the election before anyone voted on Election Day in 2012.  That is because the Democratic get out the vote machine was in high gear and the early voting trends were so bad for Republicans that it would have taken a miracle to turn things around.  What makes this more pathetic is that Republicans were totally oblivious to what had happened.  Mitt Romney started the night believing he would be the next President of the United States.  He didn’t even get to finish supper before he knew the dream was over.

It looks like Republicans have learned their lesson.  Early voting is remarkably different this year.  In addition 30 states now require some form of voter ID, so blatant voter fraud is becoming more difficult. In addition, Obama has proven to be a tremendous campaigner, for Republicans. Every time he opens his mouth the odds of Republicans taking over the Senate increase geometrically. He is the gift that keeps on giving. For example the Ebola epidemic was a perfect opportunity for Obama to exploit a crisis.  All he had to do was to look Presidential and do something. But, for whatever reason, he ignored the obvious and embraced the ridiculous.  It is one thing to do that with regard to global warming or even a threat like ISIS.  It is something else when we are threatened by a horrible disease with no known cure.

Perhaps Democrats will pull this out and somehow keep control of the Senate.  If so they will stumble into the next term exhausted, angry and furious at both Harry Reid and Obama.  If they lose across the board, which is at least possible, then they will never forgive either Harry Reid or Obama.

John Kennedy once said that Victory has a thousand fathers but defeat is an orphan.  Democrats are heading for defeat, even if they somehow survive.  The clock is running out on Barack Obama and the only remaining question is how fast this will occur.  In Daniel 5:27 & 28 King Belshazzar asked Daniel to interpret the writing on the wal

“Mene, mene, tekel, parsin”

 Mene: God has numbered the days of your reign and brought it to an end.

Tekel: You have been weighed on the scales and found wanting.

 Parsin: Your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.”

Belshazzar was so thrilled that Daniel could interpret this that Daniel was clothed in purple, a gold chain was placed around his neck and he was proclaimed third highest leader in the kingdom.

It didn’t last long Belshazzar was killed that night and Darius the Mede took over the kingdom.

President Obama, thy kingdom has been found wanting

TDM