When You Strike At A King

When you strike at a king, you must kill him - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Yesterday we read about the incohesive, nearly incoherent ramblings of President Obama during his 60 Minutes interview with Steve Kroft. These out takes reveal a man who is lost without a script. For bonus points I threw in a site that reports some rumors circulating around DC regarding scenarios for the replacement of Obama - a coup in other words.

Think of it. A freakin' coup in 21st Century America.

Now I am reading what Rush Limbaugh has to say about the events of the past week since Election Day. Mr. Limbaugh does not come out and say that the Dems are sharpening their knives, but he doesn't say they are not. See for yourself.

Look at what's just happened here. This is the biggest drubbing since the thirties, the biggest drubbing. This is not insignificant. I think the House leadership, the Democrat leadership in the Senate, I think this narrative to keep that leadership in both houses the same is an attempt to cover up something that is far worse. I think this party knows that it is in far greater trouble in the White House and on down than they want to admit. And I think there are members of the media covering the White House who know it. I think that deep in the bowels of the Democrat Party they realize, some people realize that Obama is an utter disaster and that they're going to have to do something about it. And I think this Politico story, "Obama Isolated Ahead of 2012," is made to look like a hit piece on Obama. I don't think it's a hit piece on Obama per se. I think it is the beginning of sort of setting the table for what might happen, set the foundation for what might happen as the months ahead unfold. [emphasis mine ~sig94]

If nothing else I trust Rush's instincts. His nose is up in the air and he thinks he has caught a scent of ... something.

[...]The Democrats making it clear here that they're going to stick with the same leadership team is an effort I believe to cover up what is really going on behind the scenes and that is a total shakeup some way to limit the damage of Obama going forward into 2012. Folks, I wish that I could tie this to something substantive that I know, 'cause there isn't anything. Common sense. This kind of drubbing is not reacted to in such a cavalier manner as they are reacting to this. You don't send the president out of the country for ten days after such a drubbing unless you want him offstage domestically. [emphasis mine~sig94]

One of the rumors deals with dems planning to declare the President incapable of discharging his duties and replacing him with the Vice President as per Section 4 of the 25th Amendment of the Constitution. It reads in part:

Section 4. Whenever the Vice President and a majority of either the principal officers of the executive departments or of such other body as Congress may by law provide, transmit to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives their written declaration that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, the Vice President shall immediately assume the powers and duties of the office as Acting President.

The real fun begins when the President contests this action. Basically, the matter is then decided by Congress. If this drags on past mid-January, the Republicans will be in charge of Congress. Rush continues:

[...]I've always trusted my instincts, particularly in matters political. But it just strains credulity for me to believe the Democrats think nothing's wrong here except messaging, that all they need is to go talk to George Lakoff and come up with a different way of presenting their case. They know full well why they got trounced. Now, they're not gonna admit it. They're obviously gonna come up with, "Yeah, bad marketing, bad packaging, bad messaging," but there has never been this huge a personal repudiation of a president in just two years, especially one who was messianic, he has fallen from heavenly heights.

Rush refers to a Politico story that he thinks was planted by democratic insiders. It is not complementary.

President Barack Obama has performed his act of contrition. Now comes the hard part, according to Democrats around the country: reckoning with the simple fact that he’s isolated himself from virtually every group that matters in American politics.

Congressional Democrats consider him distant and blame him for their historic defeat on Tuesday. Democratic state party leaders scoff at what they see as an inattentive and hapless political operation. Democratic lobbyists feel maligned by his holier-than-thou take on their profession. His own Cabinet — with only a few exceptions — has been marginalized.

And that's about as kind as it gets. The Politico story is a recitation of the slights and insults Obama has inflicted on his fellow Democrats. And they are multitudinous. It's almost as if Obama was deliberately seeking to alienate himself from his supporters. And if that's the case, what is he up to? Can it all be explained by a supremely arrogant, overachieving communist who cares not a whit if he gets re-elected as long as he trashes America?

Again, Rush thinks this is all a set up; there is movement afoot in the highest Democratic Party circles. I am no political prognosticator by any means, but Obama's trip to the Middle East at this time could be an attempt by the herd to isolate itself from what is perceived as a threat. Do wildebeests do this? Rush continues:

This Politico story shows there is something bubbling up way below the surface and it's getting closer and closer to reaching the surface -- and if it does, I think people are gonna be shocked and stunned at what might happen. Listen to this again: "[A]nd in his icy relations with Republicans, the media, and most important most voters, and it's easy to understand why his own staff leaked word to Politico that it wants Obama to shake up his staff and change his political approach." Icy relations? Let me tell you something: His own staff leaked word to Politico that "it" wants Obama to shake up his staff? That means they're making efforts behind the scenes to get Obama to shake up his staff, and he is rejecting it, and so they're going the route of the media.

[...]Boy, how times change, folks. I mean just a few weeks ago it was Obama looking around for asses to kick, and now it's his ass being kicked by unnamed Democrats in The Politico. Somebody needs to tell whoever leaked this all to the Politico that Obama's 9,000 miles away in India. If you want to make a change now's the perfect time. He's 9,000 miles away. If you think the adults need to step up here, this is the perfect time to do it. Change the lock on the Oval Office or worse.

curiouser and curiouser.