Some observations before the holiday weekend:

Shellacking? What Shellacking?

Was it just last month that the right wing of the right wing was crowing about the “shellacking” that he had received at the hands of the voters? That “shellacking” now appears to be headed to the dustbin of history as the accomplishments of the Obama Administration speak louder than words.

Many observers, me included, were skeptical of the tax cut deal that President Obama brokered with Republicans who were still drunk from the wine of electoral victory. It turns out that Barack Obama was indeed able to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.

By getting the contentious issue of taxes off the table the Republicans were bereft of any rationale for opposing the consideration of the balance of the Obama agenda. And then the ball started rolling – passage of an historic food safety law, the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t tell, the ratification of the START treaty and last, but not least, the passage of the 9/11 first responders health care bill.

In what seems like a blink of an eye, President Obama has indeed engineered the “change” that so many sought when they voted for him in November of 2008. When the Lame Duck Miracle is combined with the transformative national healthcare legislation, the rescue of the auto industry and the regulatory reform of the financial services industry it would seem that we are witnessing history.

I have no doubt that the disloyal opposition will seek to promote its obstructionist agenda in 2011. I also have no doubt that this President is fully capable of outmaneuvering that opposition.

Isn’t it great when the good guy wins every once in a while?

Rent A Slave Anyone?

This past week witnessed the shameful Secessionist Ball in Charleston, South Carolina. Grown men and women dressed up in antebellum costumes to commemorate the secession of South Carolina from the United States – the first step in what was the bloodiest war in the history of this country.

That secession and the ensuing Confederate States of America was all about the continued enslavement of black men, women and children is not subject to debate. The writings of the Founding Fathers of the bastard CSA were very clear that the intent of secession and the ensuing war was to preserve the damnable and peculiar institution called slavery.

Now, 150 years later, there are cretinous buffoons across the South who plan to celebrate the slavery, slaughter and residual animosities for the next 4 ½ years! There are mendacious and utterly false claims that secession and the confederacy were about state’s rights and a resistance to big government. Sound familiar?

It may sound familiar but it is a damned and damnable lie. That any person of goodwill, whatever their political persuasion, would celebrate such an awful aspect of America is a disgrace. That black Americans in particular have to bear witness to this blood libel for the next 4 ½ is a perversion.

However, since this is America, land of free enterprise, I have a proposition for these amoral secessionist revelers. Don’t stop at dressing up as slave owners and defenders of slavery. Get some black people to dress up as slaves – liveried servants, maids, butlers, personal attendants and concubines.

Make the entire celebration authentic and, in the process provide much needed jobs for thousands of unemployed black people throughout the South.

Rent A Slave should be a big hit with these undisguised bigots. There will be no need for field workers or heavy lifting, just “house” work. And, at the end of every assignment, the “slave” can be “emancipated” by the Rent A Slave customer. I can envision Frequent Slave Owner awards as well as Executive and Platinum Slave Owner status.

These maniacs have no respect for history, morality, black people or these United States. They might as well wallow in it.

Holiday Greeting

There is no way to wish away the harshness of this past year. But I do wish all the best to all of the Point of View readers in the new year (and to the right wing of the right wing as well).

Have a great weekend!