Recovery Summer: Never underestimate parallel reality

The economic news continues to chronicle the funerary march toward the economic Elysian Fields.  Where once the American economy was the literal engine of global growth the Obama leadership now concedes that under its leadership the United States no longer drives the global economy.

The economic statistics speak for themselves; during the first month of the season President Obama has labeled "recovery summer" the United States shed another 125,000 jobs, the dramatic decline in consumer confidence has accelerated, housing starts continue to plummet, orders for durable goods are in free fall and the stock market lost a thousand points last quarter.  Even the lone bright spot, a decline in unemployment from 9.7% to 9.5% is a false positive resulting from a staggering 652,000 Americans' abandoning both the hope for employment and the national labor force.

The Labor/socialist/Democrats have labeled the summer of 2010 as "Recovery Summer".  Administration officials and L/S/D talking heads are on the speaking and talk show circuit describing the "unprecedented turnaround" in "the worst economy since the Great Depression".  The inconvenient truths, to borrow a phrase, are as inconsistent with the L/S/D claims of economic revival as are the words "chakra" and Al Gore".  Barack Obama has presided over more than three million lost jobs, jobs that his Vice President says are not going to return. 

Fear and Loathing in these Christian United States

My daughter will be a junior this fall at the University of Iowa. I've watched her grow immeasurably over the last two years in terms of maturity, critical thinking skills, time and money management, and goals. All in all, her Iowa City experience been a whirlwind of challenges met, objectives attained, and knowledge expanded.   She's a Hawkeye football season ticket holder, works at Nate Kaeding's bar and grill, and even shares her apartment with her new dog, Ruka. She's meshed well in the trendy, cosmopolitan, liberal hotbed of our state.   And yet for all this, she remains as flummoxed by liberals as she was the day she moved into the dorms her freshman year.

"They're NEVER happy, Dad. They're always angry."

Breaking News: Todd Stevens has joined TRS!!

We here at TRS are downright pleased to announce that Todd Stevens, formerly known as the leading sports columnist at a number of Iowa newspapers, among them the Mason City Globe Gazette and the Ames Tribune.

Todd Stevens holds both Bachelors and Masters degrees from Iowa State University, but is a die-hard Oklahoma Sooners fan (for which we have forgiven him).  Todd spent more than 12 years as a sports columnist and talk show host at a variety of publications and radio stations during his tenure in sports media, and was also a frequent guest on WHO-TV's Soundoff and WHO radio's Soundoff.  Todd's unapologetic conservative sporting stance during his writing days brought him legions of enemies....but even more fans.

In his new career, Todd works as a human resources trainer in the insurance and financial services industry. Todd has also been an adjunct faculty member at William Penn University, and previous experience in public relations and corporate communications. Todd is also a published author and public speaker.

We are thrilled to have his input here at TRS.  Welcome aboard.

Gallup: Conservatives ounumber liberals two to one: advantage growing!

We here at TRS have long relied on Gallup polling data as a fairly and consistently reliable indicator of public sentiment (slightly different than voter sentiment where Rasmussen has proven quite reliable).  Gallup has continued to report that self-identified conservatives continue to outnumber liberals by more than two to one, 42%-20% and that the conservative advantage has grown by 2% in 2010.

Moreover, self identified "moderates" (voters who believe little or nothing and can be persuaded either way) have shrunk to an eighteen year low of 35%. 

Conservatives still have the chance to change the culture; but it will not change by itself.  Political opportunism can pander to the moderates lack of ideological conviction and gain a temporary electoral advantage.  More than a temporary change of mood in about half of the 35% of "moderates" is necessary to reverse the direction of American culture, however.  America needs a generation of a permanent governing small government constitutional conservatism-from the school house to the White House.

If the cultural direction is to be changed and the trajectory of our cultural evolution is to be reversed, "moderates" must become convicted in the belief that small government constitutional conservatism both identifies the correct problems in the voter's daily life and provides the solutions to the problems that have been correctly identified. 

The question is will we even try?