Thugocracy, Part 2

After last November's election, I wrote about my fear that then President-elect Obama's presidency may usher in a thuggish style of politics the likes of which we have never seen in America; a malevolence that would make Bill Clinton's administration seem tame by comparison. After nine months of the Obama machine in action, it appears, unfortunately, that my fear was well-grounded.

As this administration continues its bully-boy intimidation tactics against Fox News, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the health insurance industry, Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck and anyone else who dares to oppose its agenda, we can only hope that the silent-for-too-long majority in this country will wake up from their hyperkinetic yet cocooned lives long enough to take notice that something is badly awry in our once-great nation. If Obama's recent job approval ratings are any indication, then perhaps the awakening has at long last begun, and not a moment too soon.

What makes the recent salvos against the aforementioned entities and personalities more galling than any Clinton spin machine attempt at discrediting opponents, is the naked fury with which Obama's minions carry out their orders. No half-measures with this crew. After all, they have the arrogance to say with a straight face and millions watching, that Fox News is not a legitimate news organization. Come again? To put this in some context, when's the last time a Republican administration claimed that CBS News is not a legitimate news organization? On the heels of dastardly Dan Rather's phony National Guard documents story designed to take down George W. Bush's presidency? No, I don't think so, even though such a claim was richly justified at the time (and with CBS, NBC, ABC, CNN et al, most of the time). The National Guard documents fiasco was just the most visible recent example of ongoing, leftist media bias against Republicans in general and conservatives in particular. Needless to say, the instances of favorably biased network reporting on Obama are far too numerous to mention. Yet, who can point to any examples, recent or not, of blatantly false reporting on the part of Fox News? Hmmm? Time's up, didn't think so.

Even the dinosaur media felt sufficient indignation at the administration's refusal to allow Fox to participate in a recent press conference, that they held their collective noses and stood up for their upstart rival. Surprisingly (or maybe not), the Obama-ites backed down. And that may provide a lesson in one of life's timeless principles—a bully will stand down when he's challenged, more often than not. America, we've got a bully on our hands, and it's time to fight back.