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Top Spin, awarded from time to time, goes to the politician who most brazenly distorts the truth on a political subject. To qualify for the Award, the distortion must benefit the politician and disadvantage the people he/she is sworn to serve.

April 15, 2011

This week’s Top Spin Award goes to President Barak Obama and a host of Democrats for flip-flopping on raising the Country’s debt limit. Obama, House Democrat Whip Steny Hoyer (D-MD), Senator Claire McCaskill (D-MO) and a bunch of others voted against raising the limit in 2006. But, that was when George W. was in the White House. Today, they’re not only for increasing it, but handily criticize Republicans who oppose it as “profoundly irresponsible.”

In an attempt to appear other than the rank politician he is, Hoyer tries to glorify his 180 with claims of protecting the poor. According to Steny, he voted against raising the debt limit to protest the Bush tax cuts for the “rich”. Now, of course, he’s all about raising the debt limit, this time to spend more to save the poor. You can always find Hoyer hiding behind the poor to shield himself against scrutiny of his actions. He’s a lot like terrorists who use civilians as human shields to discourage military strikes against them.

As for Obama, he admits his earlier vote against increasing the debt limit was a mistake. His excuse is more of the “if I’d known then what I know now” variety. His mea culpa today labels Senator Obama as stupid, or lazy, or just another nay-saying obstructionist because the bottom line issues haven’t changed. It also has more than a tinge of, “things are always different when it’s my ox that’s getting gored”.

Our best hope in all this is that people will tire of the bald faced political motivations of our so-called leaders. Better choices can be made the next time.

January 10, 2011

This week’s Top Spin Award goes to Congressman Robert Brady, D-Pa, for trying to spin a tragedy into a significant reduction of Free Speech rights. Brady intends to propose a bill that would make some of Sarah Palin’s website ads illegal, under the pretext that they incite violence.

The Congressman is attempting to capitalize on the shooting in Arizona on Saturday. There, Jared Loughner, a certifiable whack job, killed 6 people and wounded 14 others at an informal meet-and-greet-your-congressman. His target was Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz, on whom Loughner had been fixated for the past three years. As of this writing, she lies in critical condition in a Tucson hospital after sustaining a point-blank shot to the head. Her chances of survival are iffy.

Loughner has no discernible political affiliation and the shootings were not politically motivated. According to his own written records and the statements of acquaintances, his resentment against the Congresswoman began in 2007 at an earlier meet-and-greet. Three years ago, Loughner asked Giffords a question about the effectiveness of words, which he believed she ignored.

Now Robert Brady seeks to curtail words, claiming the political right and its alleged violent dogma motivated Loughner to act. There is no truth to Brady’s assertions, of course. Apparently, the chance to fire his guns at the political opposition was just too tempting.

August 16, 2010

This week’s Top Spin Award goes to Barack Obama for trying to spin his support for the mosque near Ground Zero into something else. The mosque, part of a $100 million Islamic Center, is slated to be built two blocks from the site where 3,000 people perished on 911. On Friday, at a White House dinner honoring Ramadan, the Muslim month of fasting, Obama gave his support for the mosque.

His statement ignited a firestorm of protest around the Country. In response, Obama “clarified” his remarks on Saturday by stating that Muslim worship is protected by freedom of religion. His “clarification” spin falls short for a couple of reasons. First, his Friday endorsement was of the mosque’s location. Second, none of the protest groups seek to deny freedom of religion to practicing Muslims. The protests center on the lack of sensitivity in the choice of location. One of the protestors, a former CIA agent who served in Afghanistan, sees the location as a national security threat. To him, its significance will make the mosque a “magnet for militants”.

There is something deeply troubling about Obama’s spin statement. Through it, he attempts to shield mere political issues in the armor of constitutional freedoms. Throwing a constitutional buzz phrase around to silence opposing views is a much bigger problem than just “clarifying” previous misstatements. There is no constitutional issue here and people should not be intimidated into silence. And one other thing. By bringing the office of the President to bear on a local Manhattan issue, Obama is attempting to force his will on unwilling city residents. What’s next? His Justice Department following suit by filing suit?

Extra!
Extra!

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