I believe in signs. Signs are indicators that signal the good or the bad to come. They can be helpful. They can also serve as a warning.
Growing up, my mother would occasionally throw salt over her shoulder or “squeak” if she stepped on a crack on the sidewalk. She still does. She is superstitious, to say the least. She doesn’t want to incur the wrath of whatever "bad luck" ogre happens to be out there in the world. Despite that she’s Christian, she reasons, “Why take the chance?” Consequently, yes, her propensity for over-the-shoulder-salt-throwing has continued. It’s fine – just as long as I’m not standing in back of her. In my own life, I’ve experienced bad luck too. And when it hits, it usually comes in waves. You've heard the old adage, "When it rains, it pours." Ever notice how true that is?
It’s looking very bad for Obama. Yesterday, his presidential seal even fell off his podium. (Photo: Associated Press)
“Karma” is the Eastern version of the “bad luck” concept and it has its incarnations in Hindu, Buddhist, Jain, and Sikh philosophies. Some view karma as “retributive justice” – i.e. your actions or conduct sets off a chain of events that come back to you in a negative way. In other words, if you lie, misuse your position in life, slander a person’s reputation, etc. you can end up with “bad karma.” It’s the universe’s payback for negative conduct. Other philosophies view karma, not as punishment or retribution, but simply an extended expression or consequence of natural acts. Either way, whether it is bad luck or bad karma, President Obama has had an unusual run of it lately.
However, this entire election season has been particularly strange. It’s been strange for the President and strange for the Democrats. In fact, it seems that all that bad luck, bad karma, and bad political decision-making is coming to a head now. It's happening at the worst time for the Democrats - right before the November mid-terms.
The polls can only tell you so much, especially if, like the President, you tend to disregard them. So how can you, especially if you are President, tell if you are really in trouble? Here are few recent examples that might help President Obama discern the tell-tale warning signs:
You know you are in trouble when you are the President and…
1. You are speaking at Fortune’s Most Powerful Women Summit and your presidential seal “accidentally” pops off your podium. That's quite a sign.
2. A new Wall Street Journal/NBC poll shows that impeached former President Bill Clinton is more popular than you. (So much for the “Chosen One,” eh? Well, it looks like they’re definitely not choosing you.) Sign!
3. Loser Democrat presidential candidate Michael Dukakis is giving you campaign advice. Sign!!
4. Democrat Vice Presidential candidate Walter Mondale tells you to “lose the idiot boards.” But you love the idiot boards! Yup, it's a sign.
5. The Dems hire Gloria Allred to help Jerry Brown win the Governor’s race in California. She ends up “outing” an illegal immigrant. There goes the Hispanic vote, Mr. President. Another sign.
6. You can’t go to a backyard BBQ without getting skewered by constituents. Sign!
7. Your British friends try to help you win the “cap and tax” argument with a new TV ad featuring school children that explode if they don’t agree with climate changers. Environmentalists exploding kids...not a good sign!
8. You are surrounded with Democrat candidate for federal office who can only ramble incoherently when asked the question: How do you create a job? (That Blumenthal is an idiot, isn’t he?) Sign!!
9. You are down on the count and the only answer for America that you can come up with is…solar panels. (That and, oh yeah, Christine O’Donnell is a witch.) Give up? It's a sign!
10. Vice President Joe Biden appears in public (again) and says he wants to “strangle” Republicans, which is not a viable political strategy. (Sign!)
All these occurrences should prove to President Obama that he is in trouble this election season. If I were him, I would take it as a sign.
Conservative satirist and commentator William J. Kelly is also a contributor to Breitbart's Big Hollywood and Big Government and edits the Tea Party Reports for the Washington Times. He is a native from Chicago's Southside. Email questions to him at williamjkellyrebuild@gmail.com.
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