Topic category:  Government/Politics

National Review editor Rich Lowery:

"'The Good News for Obama' . . . is that, like Clinton in the wake of 1994, he has the opportunity to look and be authentically humble . . .

"He has the chance to reconnect to and with the American people and ask for their partnership instead of their acquiescence . . .

"We're a remarkably forgiving people (see Clinton, Bill — Lewinsky edition) who take pride in giving even rogues and scoundrels second and third chances (if they're authentically humble).

"Even though i'm a cynical ex-Washpost reporter, my jaw drops when i read the leaks that the president may 'double down' on health care 'reform' . . .

"This is a guy who campaigned — and won — as a post-partisan 'purple' state uniter who would appeal to what's best in americans and end the politics of cynicism.

"The idea that in the wake of failed intercessions in Virginia, New Jersey, and now Massachusetts, he's going to 'double down' on Chicago ward-heeler backroom politiciking beggars belief . . .

"A part of me wants him to try so that his arrogance snuffs out for a generation the idealism that brings the starry-eyed 'liberal fascists' to DC; the other part of me is an American who wants presidents to actually do a good job . . .

"I have no clue which path he'll take . . ."

Dick Morris: ""I don't think [Obama]'s going to say he's going back to the drawing board. I'll think they'll say something stupid, which is to say: 'The only reason we've lost is our base wasn't enthusiastic, and we have to move even further to the left to energize our base to win this election. You're talking about a committed ideologue here, and he's not going to move until he's absolutely forced to."

Dick Morris is not clueless and the clues that Obama is "a committed ideologue" are plentiful.

Let's be real:

1. Obama is the candidate of ACORN, SEIU and La Raza.

2. Obama is not big on authenticity and his "moderation" was an election pose.

3. Obama's real deal is "fundamental change" and that's a euphemism for transforming center-right America into a socialist country through wealth redistribution, amnesty for those who ignored Anerica's immigration law, Obamacare, Cap and Tax, judicial activism, etc.

4. Obama owes his election to the liberal media establishment and the likes of SEIU boss Andy Stern and won't turn course without permission.

Stern soon after "the Massachusetts miracle" was apparent:

"Today is no different than yesterday or the day before or the day before that. Pat DeJong will still wake up in Libby, Montana. Pat is still mourning the loss of her husband and the selling of his family’s ranch because of his medical bills. And, Pat will still go to the bed side of her patients each day, providing excellent care, still lacking coverage of her own. Pat’s reality is the reality millions of working people face every day. One political election does not change the fact that Pat and hardworking families across this country have been asking for and deserve fundamental reforms."

“'The reason Ted Kennedy’s seat is no longer controlled by a Democrat is clear: Washington’s inability to deliver the change voters demanded in November 2008. Make no mistake, political paralysis resulted in electoral failure."

“During the past year, Republicans refused to do anything but stand in the way of change and Democratic Senators took too long to do too little. And tonight, the Senate bears the consequences for its failure to act decisively but the American people are the ones left paying the price. If our elected officials don’t recognize that every day more working families fall victim to Washington’s failure to act, the elections next November will result in the same.

“Today’s vote must be a wake-up call that now is the time for bold action. Time to stand up to politics as usual. Time to stand up to Republican scare and stall tactics. And time to speak up for working families.

“The Senate may have squandered the trust the American people gave to Washington in 2008. But now, every member of Congress and the Administration must act with a renewed sense of purpose to show working families whose side they are on and deliver meaningful change to every American. This is not the time for timidity. It is time to show the courage and strength of conviction to move this country forward and bring working families the change they need. It starts by passing health insurance reform and giving Pat and millions of people like her the security and peace of mind they deserve.”

The Far Left has to effect "fundamental change" now or never, so Stern, who was backing Obama for President at least as far back as 2006 and holds the record for most visits to the White House during the Age of Obama, still wants Obama to proceed with the radical agenda, starting with Obamacare.

That's the same Stern who explained his organizing philosophy this way: “[W]e prefer to use the power of persuasion, but if that doesn’t work we use the persuasion of power.”

Incidentally Rich, thanks to ACORN whistleblower Anita MonCrief, there were clues even before Election Day 2008 as to what Obama really is. See "ACORN WHISTLEBLOWER: OBAMA’S THIRD STRIKE? (October 22, 2008) (http://www.webcommentary.com/php/ShowArticle.php?id=gaynorm&date=081022).

Ms. MonCrief simultaneously joined ACORN and Project Vote in Washington, D.C. in October 2005. With ACORN, she was a strategic writing, research and design consultant. With Project Vote, she was a development associate. She designed ACORN’s 2005, 2006 and 2007 political operations year end PowerPoint presentations.

There were plenty of clues in "Why Obama and ACORN Fear Anita MonCrief" (October 29, 2008) (http://www.webcommentary.com/php/ShowArticle.php?id=gaynorm&date=081029).

There, I wrote:

"Here is a link to a 2007 story from Politico.com: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0607/4664.html. 'Addie' is Anita's baby in the story and Anita is the one on the megaphone doing the chanting. As Anita emailed me, 'I lived and breathed ACORN with every fiber of my being at the time because I thought that I was doing something to make the world better for Addie.'

"But Anita learned what ACORN really was about and Anita and ACORN had a falling out.

"Of that, there is absolutely no doubt.

"What does Anita know that ACORN does not want the public to know, especially before Election Day 2008?

"Plenty!

"Anita made the following statements (basis or basis set forth in parenthesis at end):

1. Project Vote has violated its 501(c)(3) status by using government and private grants that ultimately go directly or indirectly to ACORN (based on direct knowledge).

2. ACORN, Project Vote and Citizens Services Inc. (CSI) are essentially the same organization with different tax designations that are used to facilitate the transfer of money between them (based on direct and indirect knowledge).

3. ACORN has promoted a culture of dishonesty motivated by reaching target Voter Registration goals and senior staff have portrayed an attitude that allows for some 'bad' cards in order to reach these goals (based on direct and indirect knowledge).

4. Karyn Gillette, Project Vote Development Director, Jeff Robinson, senior Project Vote 'money man' and Nathan Henderson James, Project Vote Research and Political Director are all employed by CSI and may have worked directly with anyone seeking the services of CSI and money paid to CSI would have obvious ACORN ties (based on direct and indirect knowledge and documents).

5. Zach Polett, former Executive Director of Project Vote and former director of ACORN Political Operations mentioned that Obama had worked for us and that he even supervised him during a ACORN Political staff retreat in November 2007 (based on direct knowledge).

"Obama in the last presidential debate: 'My only involvement I've had with ACORN was I represented them alongside the U.S. Justice Department in making Illinois implement a motor voter law that helped people get registered at DMVs.'

"That's a lie, not a fact.

"Yes, Obama represented ACORN in that lawsuit and the Clinton Justice Department predictably sided with ACORN.

"But that was NOT Obama's only involvement with ACORN.

"And Obama looked into the camera during the last presidential debate and flat out lied to the American people about it (in his calm, seemingly non-threatening manner).

"ACORN is the organization with which Obama has been associated throughout his adult life, as organizer, trainer, lawyer, funder and political beneficiary...and Obama's Achilles heel.

"Anita reports revealing connections between ACORN and the Obama campaign based on personal knowledge.

"In late 2007, Anita reports, Anita received a call from the Obama campaign asking if this was the same Project Vote that Obama worked for in the 90's. With the staff retreat fresh in mind, Anita answered yes and sent an email to Zach Polett, Karyn Gillette, Nathan Henderson James, and Kevin Whelan stating that the campaign wanted someone to call them back regarding some media questions that were being asked at the time.

"In late 2007, Anita reports, Karyn Gillette approached Anita to tell her that she had direct contact with the Obama campaign and had obtained their donor lists. This meeting took place sometime in November of 2007 and may have even been a conference call between the campaign and Project Vote. Anita was given an excel spreadsheet to work with for cultivation of new donors. When Anita had trouble because of the duplicates, Karyn stated that she would contact her person at the campaign and see if they had another one.

"Anita reports that Karyn Gillette also provided lists obtained from the Kerry and Clinton campaigns, as well as the 2004 DNC donor lists, and that these lists were shared with the Political directors of roughly 12 ACORN battleground states in order to raise money for a $28 million dollar (number as of 11/2007) voter registration drive (based on direct and indirect knowledge and documents).

"Anita reports that research uncovered after the Radke embezzlement scandal showed that persons demanded a forensic audit and suggested a well-known, credible firm to do it, but Bertha Lewis told them that the auditors came back with a contract that was 'too expensive' and that's what Dale Radke told funders back when they were hoping Arthur Anderson would take over auditing (based on indirect knowledge and documents).

"Anita reports that ACORN and Project Vote used CCI to transfer money between the organizations and may be guilty of violating RICO statues (based on indirect knowledge and documents).

"Anita reports that Sidley Austin, Obama's old law firm, is representing ACORN pro-bono and Mesirow Financial, the firm hired to provide financial advice to ACORN, is headed by a major Obama donor, Richard Mesirow (based on indirect knowledge and documents).

"Anita also notes that questions have been raised about the shredding or destruction of documents by ACORN's own lawyers (based on documents).

"Bottom line: ACORN has been improperly coordinating with and operating as an arm of the Obama campaign, and 'the Senator from ACORN''s involvement with ACORN has been much more than his lawful representation of ACORN in the motor voter case years ago.

National Review founder William F. Buckley, Jr. wisely came to greatly appreciate Whittaker Chambers.

Rich, Obama's personal popularity remains high only because the truth about him is little known and you need to know about Ms. MonCrief.

Michael J. Gaynor

Biography - Michael J. Gaynor

Michael J. Gaynor has been practicing law in New York since 1973. A former partner at Fulton, Duncombe & Rowe and Gaynor & Bass, he is a solo practitioner admitted to practice in New York state and federal courts and an Association of the Bar of the City of New York member.

Gaynor graduated magna cum laude, with Honors in Social Science, from Hofstra University's New College, and received his J.D. degree from St. John's Law School, where he won the American Jurisprudence Award in Evidence and served as an editor of the Law Review and the St. Thomas More Institute for Legal Research. He wrote on the Pentagon Papers case for the Review and obscenity law for The Catholic Lawyer and edited the Law Review's commentary on significant developments in New York law.

The day after graduating, Gaynor joined the Fulton firm, where he focused on litigation and corporate law. In 1997 Gaynor and Emily Bass formed Gaynor & Bass and then conducted a general legal practice, emphasizing litigation, and represented corporations, individuals and a New York City labor union. Notably, Gaynor & Bass prevailed in the Second Circuit in a seminal copyright infringement case, Tasini v. New York Times, against newspaper and magazine publishers and Lexis-Nexis. The U.S. Supreme Court affirmed, 7 to 2, holding that the copyrights of freelance writers had been infringed when their work was put online without permission or compensation.

Gaynor currently contributes regularly to www.MichNews.com, www.RenewAmerica.com, www.WebCommentary.com, www.PostChronicle.com and www.therealitycheck.org and has contributed to many other websites. He has written extensively on political and religious issues, notably the Terry Schiavo case, the Duke "no rape" case, ACORN and canon law, and appeared as a guest on television and radio. He was acknowledged in Until Proven Innocent, by Stuart Taylor and KC Johnson, and Culture of Corruption, by Michelle Malkin. He appeared on "Your World With Cavuto" to promote an eBay boycott that he initiated and "The World Over With Raymond Arroyo" (EWTN) to discuss the legal implications of the Schiavo case. On October 22, 2008, Gaynor was the first to report that The New York Times had killed an Obama/ACORN expose on which a Times reporter had been working with ACORN whistleblower Anita MonCrief.

Gaynor's email address is gaynormike@aol.com.