In an effort to support the launch of PonderPost, I wrote an article that I would usually publish on Ponderstorm so I wanted to tell Ponderstorm readers about it. Entitled The Obama & Biden Gaffe Machine, this post discusses a top ten list of gaffes committed by our President and Vice President as compiled by a British journalist at the Telegraph. Special emphasis is placed on Obama’s recent gifting fiasco with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Obama’s Special Olympics joke last night on the Jay Leno show that offended many. There are two embedded videos.

Now that I’m more focused on preparing my own income taxes, some of the latest tax evasion scandals in the Obama Administration are even more frustrating. I think the two political cartoons below put the sins of Tom Daschle and Tim Geithner into a more proper perspective. It does seem that those with political connections are held to a lower standard than “the rest of us” who make the country work. What think you?

(Click images to enlarge)

As I write this I’m distressed to say it looks like there is no path to victory for John McCain. But since I prefer to see the glass as half full, I’m searching for something positive to write about tonight’s election. Is there anything positive to consider right now?

After careful thought I think so. I think there is still reason for conservatives to hope.

This 2008 election cycle has a remarkable number of parallels to 1976 when Democrat Jimmy Carter beat Republican Gerald Ford. As you may recall, Ford became President following the resignation of scandal-plagued President Richard Nixon. With the Republican brand tarnished by Watergate and the messy war in Vietnam fresh on voters’ minds, Carter eked out a 50.1% popular vote and a 297 to 240 electoral win.

As things now stand, Obama appears to be headed for a similarly narrow victory over McCain. As in 1976, the 2008 Republican brand is deeply tarnished by six years of squandered opportunities, wasteful spending, an unpopular Republican President and war that seems to drag on and on. Add in a candidate who had difficulties mobilizing his base and energizing people with a clear vision and you have a recipe for Republican electoral disaster. For Democrats, though, these factors created the perfect storm to sweep into power.

Rewind to 1976. Carter, like Obama was very inexperienced. Little was known about Carter just as little is known about Obama. Contrasting these Democrats were Republicans Ford and McCain who were both tested and experienced leaders. They were, however, dragged down by sweeping calls for change and widespread desire to put a new face and political party in Washington.

That was the setting in 1976 and again in 2008. As history shows us, though, the four years after 1976 were not pretty. Carter was tested with an international crisis by Iran and he failed miserably. Instead of acting decisively, he focused on talks and cut the military. Furthermore, the economy grew worse as inflation, unemployment and interest rates rapidly climbed.

Ironically, in 2008, Iran is again at the forefront of the international agenda and the economy is extremely weak. Like Carter, Obama puts a huge amount of trust in the power of talks to resolve aggressive conflicts with unreasonable people like Islamic extremists and dictators. Honestly, I fear for our future as a nation.

As Joe Biden warned, the next President will be tested with an international crisis within a short period of time. The response of that unavoidable test remains to be seen. Will Obama continue to look and sound like Carter or will he prove my analogy wrong and lead wisely?

That’s the dark side of my analogy. Is there a silver lining you might ask? Is there anything to give conservatives reason to hope? I think so and here’s why.

After four years of failure under Carter, the nation was fed up with international weakness, unemployment, inflation and failed Democratic leadership. In 1980 the nation was ready to elect a new leader who was proud of America and willing to tackle the problems instead of just talk about the symptoms. In short, the nation was ready to embrace conservatism and his name was Ronald Reagan.

So my question tonight is who will be our Ronald Reagan in 2012? Who will step forward and lead this nation out of the mess that liberalism and socialism inevitably bring? Who will be or next Ronald Reagan? Will it be you?

The woman speaking in the 26 second video below, Peggy Joseph, is shockingly honest in her thoughts about what a Barack Obama Presidency means to her. Peggy Joseph is convinced that she will not have to worry anymore about putting gas in her car or paying her mortgage because Barack Obama is going to help her. Watch for yourself.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Sadly, Peggy Joseph believed Barack Obama’s spread the wealth thinking and now believes, not in earning more money through work, but in government transfer payments from the “rich” to those with less. This Marxist mentality amounts to legalized stealing. Thanks to Barack Obama’s two-years of campaigning and his promise to give tax cuts to 95% of Americans when only about 65% pay any income taxes, millions of Americans now believe they are entitled to a share of other people’s wealth. Sadly, many of those who currently pay no income taxes now expect a socialistic government check to cover their gas and mortgage.

It’s true, Obama is about change. However, it’s not the kind of change most people think they will be getting. Peggy Joseph is in for a surprise when her government check disappears after there are no more rich people to tax into poverty to pay for her gas and mortgage.

Barack Obama already told us his plan for bankrupting coal power plants. Now with his spread the wealth gone wild way of thinking, a more likely scenario, I fear, will be bankrupting the whole nation.

Here’s an insightful political cartoon by Rick McKee that a Ponderstorm reader sent me. It does a great job of putting Barack Obama’s socialistic income redistribution notion into perspective.

As the rich candidate, would Barack Obama want his “spread the wealth around” scheme applied to his campaign contributions? What do you think? Should the government force the successful Barack Obama to share his campaign contributions with John McCain who is behind on fundraising? Wouldn’t that give John McCain a chance at success just like Barack Obama told ‘Joe the Plumber’ he wanted to do for those who earned less? (Click image to enlarge.)

P.J. Gladnick reported today on NewsBusters that the San Francisco Chronicle failed to mention that Barack Obama had told them on January 17, 2008 that he was willing to bankrupt the coal industry. Here’s a transcript of Obama’s statements (emphasis added):

Let me sort of describe my overall policy.

What I’ve said is that we would put a cap and trade system in place that is as aggressive, if not more aggressive, than anybody else’s out there.

I was the first to call for a 100% auction on the cap and trade system, which means that every unit of carbon or greenhouse gases emitted would be charged to the polluter. That will create a market in which whatever technologies are out there that are being presented, whatever power plants that are being built, that they would have to meet the rigors of that market and the ratcheted down caps that are being placed, imposed every year.

So if somebody wants to build a coal-powered plant, they can; it’s just that it will bankrupt them because they’re going to be charged a huge sum for all that greenhouse gas that’s being emitted.

That will also generate billions of dollars that we can invest in solar, wind, biodiesel and other alternative energy approaches.

The only thing I’ve said with respect to coal, I haven’t been some coal booster. What I have said is that for us to take coal off the table as a (sic) ideological matter as opposed to saying if technology allows us to use coal in a clean way, we should pursue it.

So if somebody wants to build a coal-powered plant, they can.

It’s just that it will bankrupt them.

Listen for yourself. Hear Obama say under his plan building coal-powered plants will bankrupt the builders:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Senator Obama is basically promising to put an entire American industry out of business. I guess you could argue he is talking about killing it slowly each year but the effect is the same. Remember that 49% of the nation’s electricity comes from coal-powered plants. This notion of his is staggeringly dangerous and extremely arrogant, especially when we don’t have enough energy production as things are now.

Also, watch Obama’s May 14, 2007 statements on this subject. He admits it will raise power bills.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Earlier this year (July 2, 2008 in Colorado Springs, CO) Senator Barack Obama called for the creation of a Civilian Security Force in addition to the military. What exactly does he mean by this and what are the national security objectives he has set out to achieve by such a force? Listen to this statement for yourselves:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Obama’s own words:

We cannot continue to rely only on our military in order to achieve the national security objectives that we’ve set. We’ve got to have a civilian national security force that’s just as powerful, just as strong, just as well-funded.

Just what does Barack Obama plan to do with this force? Redistribute wealth by force? Assist ACORN with fraudulent voter registration efforts to get another four years and who knows what else? Terrorize the rich and those who oppose the Democratic Party or its leader? Put fear in the hearts of his political opponents? What?

A Civilian Security Force concerns me greatly. We already have the National Guard made up of militias from each state. They do a superb job so why do we need another force?

To create such a domestic security force on par with the military is both dangerous and suggests something sinister. It reminds me of the Hitler Youth which was a paramilitary Nazi group. It also reminds me of Saddam Hussein’s special Republican Guard before Operation Iraqi Freedom dispanded them in 2003.

Obama cannot be trusted with power. He is not good for American and is dangerous as ideas like this suggest. Obama is about change for sure but is it the kind of change that we need? Watch and listen to his whole speech here.

The embedded video below shows what is at stake in this election regarding the right to life. Hear Senator Barack Obama and Senator John McCain in their own words state their positions on this foundational issue. I urge everyone to look deep within their heart and ask themselves if he or she really wants a pro-abortion President of the United States.

Click here to view the embedded video.

For me the choice is clear and John McCain is the only candidate who gets this fundamental issue right. No amount of poise, polish or eloquence from an amazing candidate can change my mind. On the contrary, when I see the candidates on this issue, John McCain is the one who displays eloquence and grace while Barack Obama stumbles around or calls for a bloody genocide. For this, Barack Obama is a sellout to black people and the whole nation.

Embedded below is a powerful video with an inspiring message about freedom and hope from the perspective of an Iraq War veteran. It is his personal message to Senator Barack Obama on why he is supporting Senator John McCain for President.

Click here to view the embedded video.

This video has been viewed over 11 million times as of Oct. 30, 2008.

I regularly read Obama 2.0 and just learned of some very interesting commentary by the talented founder of Macho Sauce Productions Alfonzo (Zo) Rachel. In his own words, Zo is a “musician, martial artist, amateure movie makin’, Christian conservative republican.”

His latest video is entitled 1 More B4 11 04 and builds a strong case for electing a conservative as President. He also describes very well the differences between liberals and conservatives, Democrats and Republicans, and Obama and McCain in ways that are very compelling. His logic is tight (I would dispute his dinosaur comment given some historic and scientific evidence that may suggest otherwise) and his reasons for supporting conservatives and John McCain in particular are some of the best I’ve heard. He is passionate about freedom and excessive government involvement in our lives. It’s well worth watching.

Click here to view the embedded video.