CPT Flashback - Ten Years ago CPT Predicts Obama will Win Presidency - A Day for the Ages - Lincoln's Dream Fulfilled by Obama

It has been ten years almost to the day that the bitterly fought Democratic primary in 2008 changed, and suddenly Hillary Clinton faced the prospect of defeat.  On Super Tuesday, March 4, the Clinton machine got their first inkling something was amiss when her march to the presidency failed to crush the young upstart Barack Obama.

By May 6 when the North Carolina and Indiana primaries took place, it was Hillary's last stand.  She needed significant wins to stop the Obama momentum.  Instead she barely won Indiana by 2 percent and was crushed in North Carolina by Obama.

On June 3rd Hillary officially withdrew from the race.  Obama was nominated at the 2008 Democratic Convention on August 28 and won the historic race for president on November 4, 2008.  Finally, on January 20, 2009 Barack Obama became the first African American president in American history.

May 8 of the primary year the Coltons Point Times declared Obama would win the presidency in seven months, before he was even nominated by the Democrats (August 28) and while Hillary was still fighting for the presidential nomination.   The following articles ran May 8, 2008 and November 6, 2008 in the Coltons Point Times with the prediction and the proof.

Thursday, May 08, 2008

AN OPEN LETTER TO BARACK OBAMA

As you stand on the threshold of history 148 years after a fellow Illinois favorite son named Abraham Lincoln did I would appreciate a moment of your time to remind you of the expectations we Americans have of our leader.

Image by Coltons Point Times

When the dust has settled from your very trying primary campaign, the confetti has been swept away from the boisterous national conventions and the final tally certified from the general election we have elected a president who instantly becomes the most powerful person in the world.

At that point in time you assume the mantle as the leader of all Americans, Democrats, Republicans, Independents and non-voters alike. You will lead a nation that is the citadel of freedom, the defender of human rights, the provider of equal opportunity, and yes the melting pot of the world where diverse people, cultures, ethnic backgrounds, religions, philosophies and politics can flourish. No other place in the world can make such a claim.

When you take the Oath of Office as the President of the United States you will become the 44th person in history to accept the responsibility inherent in the office. All Americans will be watching you, and so will all of the people of the world. The path you choose to follow as president will determine how many of the 300 million Americans will stand firmly behind you.

It won’t be easy but it does not have to be hard if you realize as so few politicians do that you, as our chosen leader, represent the heart and soul of what is good about the United States.

As a people far removed from the egos and thirst for power so often seen in our nation’s capital we long for a leader who cares, who possesses genuine empathy and compassion, who will create an administration dedicated to helping people and solving problems rather than perpetuating a bureaucracy, and who will bring about long overdue meaningful change.

We want a leader willing to learn about our needs rather than tell us what is best for us. Someone who can accept responsibility and admit mistakes and then you will always receive our support and forgiveness.

We are a people whose Declaration of Independence and Constitution made clear that we are One Nation Under God while distinguishing the difference between God and religion and we hope and pray you will not shrink from the rights and responsibilities inherent in being One Nation Under God and the inalienable rights we enjoy.

Our nation was founded out of love of freedom, respect for God and justice for all. The path has been bumpy at times but our strength comes from the will of the people to never lose sight of our goals. If you lead the people down that path you will discover the secret of our nation, the power of the people.

We the people in defense of our country and other nations are willing to sacrifice our sons, our daughters and ourselves to preserve our precious freedom and way of life and we have proven it throughout our history. We are the most charitable and forgiving people on Earth who will never hesitate to help another in times of need. No nation on Earth comes close to the unselfishness of Americans to volunteer their time, donate their money and offer their prayers for the good of mankind.

We expect you Mr. Obama to be yourself and Americans will stand behind you. Be America’s First Family looking out for all families in America and you will earn our respect. Show your devotion to your wife and children so the world will know what is important in America and you will earn our trust. Let the First Lady be an advocate for the forgotten needs of our people and your children a model for the love so desperately needed everywhere and you will earn our support.

Be our heart and soul, the heart and soul of all Americans, and you will take your rightful place in history as one of our greatest presidents of all time, not just the first African American to be president. We expect a lot, but we are willing to give a lot in return. Together we can return America to its rightful position as the model and leader of the world. Together we can demonstrate the strength of our conviction, the power of our will, and the value of our freedom to a world in need of hope.

God Speed,

Your fellow Americans

     Wednesday, November 05, 2008

A Day For The Ages - Obama & Lincoln

Image by Coltons Point Times

THE DREAM FULFILLED

Abraham Lincoln - 16th President

Barack Obama - 44th President

Just 23 days after he takes office as the 44th President, on February 12, 2009, Barack Obama will celebrate the 200th anniversary of the birth of Abraham Lincoln, a fellow president from Illinois whose dream that all people are free was fulfilled with the historic election of Obama. Lincoln sacrificed his life so that Obama could serve. Here they are both sitting before the Illinois Statehouse where both began historic political careers.  Image created by The Coltons Point Times.

Who Gets Credit for Backing Joe Biden's Line of Credit?

With credit card reform being debated in Congress our "people's" Vice President Joe Biden has been unnaturally silent on the bill and the criticism of the credit card companies. He should be silent. It is much harder to stick your foot in your mouth when your mouth is closed, or is that sealed shut.

Maybe it is for good reason. Look at the position of his boss, President Obama, who has railed against lobbyist money and attacked the unscrupulous practices of the giant credit card companies.

The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal have reported that Joe Biden, D-Del., took more than $200,000 in campaign contributions from Delaware based credit card giant MBNA during his 35-year career in the U.S. Senate.

Consumer advocates may take a harsh view of Biden’s vote in favor of the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005. The law was the first major re-write of the bankruptcy code in over 30 years, and, according to critics, made it harder and more expensive for lower and middle-class consumers to file for bankruptcy. Biden may have reason to regret that vote.

Robert Lawless, a bankruptcy law professor at the University of Illinois-Champaign, said Biden and other legislators apparently viewed that bill "as a 'free vote' to benefit their corporate constituencies. Now most people think that law was a disaster and that vote is coming back to haunt them, especially with this ongoing consumer credit crisis."

The credit card and banking lobby, including Biden-donor MBNA, pumped millions of dollars into Congress over 10 years to help get approval of that bill. Biden worked for the bill for ten years and voted for it in 2005, while Obama was one of the 25 senators who voted against it.

During the same time Biden's son was getting a very lucrative job and lobbying contract from MBNA. Needless to say Biden insists the fact his son was a hired lobbyist at the same time his dad was championing the MBNA bill and stripping consumers of their rights had no relationship, nor did the $200,000 MBNA poured into his federal campaigns.

So can somebody please tell me what is transparent and new about this Administration? The only change I see in this new Administration it that fat cat Senators or Vice Presidents can now change their vote and act like they really didn't take all those contributions, act like their son really is not a lobbyist for the same credit card companies and be comfortable with such a house of cards because the liberal media will never be able to question the real record of our VP.

Did I mention MBNA also purchased a million dollar house from Biden? I wonder what kind of line of credit Biden earned after all those years of protecting the credit card industry?

The Price of Being President

I guess it is too much to expect the new royalty of American politics to get it all right but at least we know they do make mistakes.

Like Michelle Obama addressing workers at a food program for the poor in $546 sneakers.



Or maybe what happens to our President when the teleprompter fails to work. Without the script he is just another clumsy speaker.



Of course there is also the next in line for the presidency, just plain Joe Biden.



Even the late night rulers have found fun with Obama on occasion.



Finally there was the top secret challenge between Obama and McCain to decide who would win the election, the Dance Off for President.



Have a good day.

Obama's Sorry State of the State

Now that the new president is almost the president we should take a look at the state of the state he will be inheriting before we get too caught up in the euphoria of the historic moment. Make no mistake, the challenges facing Obama are among the most difficult ever faced by an incoming president. If he succeeds he will have earned his place among the greatest presidents in our history.

While Obama gets a lot of mileage out of his humble beginnings and life, the fact he went to Columbia and Harvard and his wife went to Princeton belies some of the impact. These Ivy League schools are among the best and most expensive schools in the USA and world. Let us hope he didn't lose his ability to stay humble while rubbing shoulders with the aristocrats. He certainly did acquire the ivy league taste for the good life starting with his home of well over a million dollars.

As a candidate for president Obama spent three times more than any previous candidate in history, about three quarters of a billion dollars to win 53.5% of the vote. His speech the night of the Democratic convention cost $8 million, just one speech mind you. This inauguration will cost more than $150 million, three times more expensive than any in history. Add to that the economic bailouts he already has supported to the tune of over a trillion dollars, and he isn't even president yet, and we have ourselves one very high maintenance newcomer on the political scene.

Then we get to the problems he faces. There is the economy. Big money, big banks and big fat investors are lined up waiting for the new president to bail them out of the trillions and trillions of our dollars they lost, squandered or stole the past couple of years. Seems funny that if you rob a bank you go to jail but if you steal all the money from inside the bank the government bails you out.

Why is it the financial experts guiding us out of this mess are the same financial experts who got us into the mess in the first place? If we put into jail all the people who masterminded the bankruptcy of America and the takeover of the US Treasury New York City and Washington, DC would be ghost towns, Wall Street and Capitol Hill would be surplus property, the Money God would not have a blank check on our tax dollars and unemployment would be greatly reduced because the bad guys would be locked up.

Today 1 out of every 54 mortgages in America is facing imminent foreclosure and everyone in Congress is scrambling to find ways to save the poor citizens. Now if you listen to the politicians, media and Wall Street you would think that means every other house in America is in foreclosure. The truth is less than 2% of the homes with mortgages are in foreclosure, about 2 million out of over 100 million mortgages.

If you look a little deeper at the sub-prime mortgage mess that brought down our economy, a program of waiving the normal mortgage requirements so anyone could buy a home in the mid-2000s that was the brainchild of Barney Franks and other Democratic leaders, things get more interesting. There are over 7.5 million sub-prime mortgages, mortgages in which minimum down payments were accepted, excessive fees were paid, credit fraud was tolerated, balloon interest payments were built in and inflated home values were inherent.

About 25% of the sub-prime loans are in foreclosure meaning nearly 100% of the foreclosures were not the typical citizen buying a home but the people taking advantage of the sub-prime scam and now that they are defaulting on the loans the government is now trying to figure out how to use taxpayers dollars to save them. In short, we are all going to pay for the fraud. It was these loans that were packaged by Wall Street greed mongers and sold through stock offerings that brought the banks, mortgage and financial institutions down and triggered our current recession. Trillions of dollars have been lost by investors to the very institutions claiming responsibly for managing our wealth, pensions funds, savings and so on.

Many other aspects of the economy from AIG and bank bailouts to oil price increases, the futures markets, swaps, derivatives and others were created for the purpose of getting away with what should have been illegal. Is it so important we spend trillions of government dollars to save the very people who created the scams in the first place?

In other areas there is the latest threat from Osama Bin Laden to continue his terrorist actions against the USA while wars continue in Afghanistan and Iraq. Pakistan is ready to fall to insurgents waiting to deliver it to the Taliban. India is being attacked by Pakistan. Did I mention that Pakistan, home to Bin Laden and headquarters for many terrorist groups, really has nuclear weapons unlike Iraq. Russia is testing it's strength against the Ukraine and Europe. Israel is battling the Palestinians, killing them at a rate of 71 dead for every Israeli killed. You get the international picture, just add to the violence the reality of worldwide recession and many more nations could get desperate.

Now beyond the economy, wars and international affairs there remains a health care system that is the most expensive in the world and 56 million people with no health coverage. Schools that don't teach. States that are going broke. Auto and other industries that can't efficiently produce or sell. Energy policy that leaves us subject to the pricing and manipulation of others. Immigration issues with Mexico and the threat of drug cartel warfare in Mexico crossing the border into the USA not to mention the corruption of our southern neighbor.

Wow, come to think of it do you think Obama would have become the greatest spender in campaign politics history if he knew what he was getting into once he won the election? At least we will find out real soon if that Harvard education was all it is supposed to be. If he can solve the mountain of problems and issues he inherits he should be entitled to every award like the Nobel Prize offered.

Lastly, let us not forget the other thorny issue Barack has already raised that may prove more difficult than many I listed. Our new president has already signaled the NCAA that he wants to push for a National College Football playoff and championship, something long overdue. Good luck Mr. President.

Election Wrap up - Democrats - What Now?

Suppose you made a wish list last New Years and you got everything you could ever dream for all in one year. Well that was the fate of the Democrats as they swept the presidency while taking much stronger control of the House and Senate, a politicians delight. But remember the caution, be careful when you wish as you may get what you want. Add to that be specific as well.

The Democrats got control of the government, filling Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid and Barney Frank's stockings to the top. Unfortunately, they were not clear enough in their request and they forgot to say no recession, Wall Street collapse, credit crisis, auto collapse, war in Iraq, war in Afghanistan, violence in the Middle East and overall pretty bleak domestic and world economic, political and military situations.

The new president will inherit all these and untold more situations that have been kept hidden from the public for good reason. Had we known about the crooks on Wall Street and Washington, D.C. earlier in the year, not to mention throughout the nation and the world, most of our incumbent politicians who got elected would have been taken to the woodshed and lashed.

In addition there were all those many campaign promises, health coverage for all, tax reductions for 95% of the people, clean green cars, more unions, more social programs, more abortions, mortgage forgiveness and restructuring, more genetic engineering, well, more promises than I have room to spell them out, still what will happened to all those promises? The last time a Democrat made such promises was when Pelosi said we would be out of Iraq in a couple of weeks and a laundry list of other promises back in 2004 if we gave Democrats control of Congress and they got it but we didn't. So I guess this is déjà vu all over again.

Did anyone hear the victorious Democrats say they would pursue prosecutions against all the Wall Street crooks who caused the economic collapse or did they all take too much campaign money from them to get serious? Any word about how we will get meaningful campaign reform or was that also buried under the avalanche of special interest campaign contributions? Why are they going to extend health care to everyone when our medical system is broken down already? Shouldn't it be fixed first?

How can we believe Barney Frank and the Democrats that they are going to fix the mess when they were the ones that caused the mess in the first place? How many politicians will be leading the nation who stood by and watched the economy go up in flames in recent years? And how many staff and elected officials were personally involved in many of the crooked deals but remain in power?

We are just at the beginning of the reform promised by Obama. First he had to get elected. Now he has to drive out the demons of government and Wall Street and that will be a much more difficult task. I believe all those liberal groups and hardcore Democrats will be in for a shock when the Obama program is finally disclosed and it will not be fully disclosed until 2010 when the next round of Congressional elections takes place. That will be the first chance he gets to go after the patron saints of corruption still leading Congress.

You can always count on a rambunctious time when the Democrats take control of the government and I expect we will see more of the same. Still, something tells me Obama is a lot more than a politician but someone really committed to changing the nation for the better knowing full well the amount of pain that will cause in the short term. My prediction is a very short honeymoon for the new president as it will not take long for the crooks in Congress to realize they are the targets of the new Administration and when they see the truth they will fight Obama every step of the way against reform. Let's hope they are so drunk with greed they miss the warning signs.

Pictured in the article are Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, Barney Frank and Pelosi with Steny Hoyer, the House Majority Leader. These are the people we have entrusted with our government and our future. Yes, Pelosi and Hoyer are from Maryland though Pelosi long ago moved to California.

For those interested in history, the Democratic office holders in line to become president are 1. Joe Biden, Vice President, 2. Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House, and 3. Robert Carlyle Byrd, President Pro Tem of the Senate (at 92 years old this year he would be the oldest president in history).

Election Wrap Up - Republicans & GOP Stars

The Republicans actually did quite well this election cycle as the economy, wars and lack of faith in George W. seemed to have little effect on the party results. McCain earned an astonishing 46% of the popular vote with all these problems.

Much to the chagrin of the liberal media a new star was born in Sarah Palin whose experience and battles with campaign staff will help her immeasurably in future elections. Make no mistake, Palin is a force to be reckoned with in the future.

The Palin factor left Biden out in the cold for most of the fall election, caused Obama to address the comments of a vice presidential opponent for the first time in memory and left the liberal media totally exhausted in the end, having floated every lie and innuendo they could dredge up on Sarah with little effect on her popularity.

Not only was Palin the greatest individual draw for much of her three months of campaigning, but her very presence forced many Democratic female candidates out of the woodwork knowing that Palin was now a front runner to campaign for being first female president in 2012. Thus Hillary had to take a far more visible Secretary of State position, Caroline Kennedy came out of nowhere and other prominent women are now positioning themselves in case Barack fails to heal the nation.

However, the most amazing thing I found with the election was the vast number of Republican female spokespersons who dominated the media. Never have so many quite attractive and eloquent younger women dominated news coverage for the Republicans, known much better for the conservative old men, and this bodes well for the future direction of the party.

Throughout this article you will see their photos and the women featured include Sarah Palin, Janine Turner, Laura Ingram, Michelle Malkin, Ann Coulter, Monica Crowley, Debbie Shussel, Jeri Thompson, Elisabeth Hasselbeck, Judith Giuliani, Dana Perino, Sarah Evans, Kirsten Powers, Cindy McCain, Chrei Jacobus, Megyn Kelly and Martha MacCallum. You will be hearing a lot from them in the future as they rallied around women and conservative issues.

A Day For The Ages - Obama & Lincoln

THE DREAM FULFILLED

Abraham Lincoln - 16th President

Barack Obama - 44th President

Just 23 days after he takes office as the 44th President,

on February 12, 2009, Barack Obama will celebrate the

200th anniversary of the birth of Abraham Lincoln, a fellow

president from Illinois whose dream that all people are free

was fulfilled with the historic election of Obama. Lincoln sacrificed

his life so that Obama could serve. Here they are both sitting before

the Illinois Statehouse where both began historic political careers.

Image created by The Coltons Point Times.