Heartland

Field Notes
Loyal readers know that RedStateVT periodically hits the road to do on-the-ground research so as to better reflect the tenor of the the average American, i.e. not people in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago. This past week RedStateVT traveled to the mid-West. What did we find? Football, faith and firearms. Yes, as much as it rankles coastal Liberal elites, these are the things that middle America holds dear and they have nothing to apologize for.  


In other news while we were gone, we noted the following:
--Another green energy company folded (how many is that now?). Crazy Joe, the VEEP, called it Enron 1. 
--Indiana is close to passing a "right to work" law. For those of you not up on this, such laws prohibit unions from automatically deducting dues from your paycheck. Liberals are in favor of "choice" except when it comes to payroll deductions for dues to fund contributions to Democrats.
--Oakland exploded in another wave of violence from the peace-loving Occupiers.


Keeping Secrets
Newly disclosed details of the millions of dollars flowing into political groups are highlighting not just the scale of donations from corporation and unions but also the secrecy surrounding “super PACs” seeking to influence the presidential race. (NYT, 2/1/2012)


The Times comes clean on the union money supporting politicians but then spends the bulk of the article talking about hidden rich Republican donors. 


Sands of Nevada
...(unemployment) is 13 percent today, the highest in the nation. The optimism and political spirit that enlivened Nevadans as they found themselves at ground zero in the fight for the White House have been replaced with gloom and apathy. Voters speak of abandoned homes, dispiriting battles in Washington and disappointment with President Obama. (NYT, 2/1/2012)


Two words to Nevadans: Harry Reid.


High Anxiety
Mr. Obama may not know much about the private economy, but he knows a lot about the uses of human anxiety. Proposing to replace his own bad economy with a virtual substitute "built to last" allows Mr. Obama to place himself outside the White House and on the street making common cause with the genuine economic anxieties of the American people. It also lets this president put in motion what he thinks he knows best—empathy. In "The Audacity of Hope" he put empathy "at the heart of my moral code." Practice makes perfect. 


It is beyond audacious. How can a president simultaneously hammer real job creation with the Keystone XL pipeline decision, then go into the country and claim kinship with the anxieties of the jobless? No problem. Just do it. (Daniel Henninger, WSJ, 2/2/2012)


Good column from Henninger although we disagree with his concern that people will be snowed by Obama's tactic. We think that after three plus years, the folks pretty much see through Obama.