Must Watch: Stanley Kurtz On The New Strategy Of Socialism From Below (Bumped -- And Much More)

PowerLine has done a great service and made this 40 minute video interview available of Stanley Kurtz on his new book "Radical-in-Chief: Barack Obama and the Untold Story of American Socialism". You have no idea what you're up against until you WTWT:

UPDATE: I have decided to bump this for a while. All the other content on this site is noise level until you understand O Duce thoroughly. This is the single best relatively short time investment to do that.

Norman Thomas, a leader of the American Socialist Party said:

Now, back in 1927, an American socialist, Norman Thomas, six times candidate for president on the Socialist Party ticket, said the American people would never vote for socialism. But he said under the name of liberalism, the American people would adopt every fragment of the socialist program…
One of the traditional methods of imposing statism or socialism on a people has been by way of medicine. It’s very easy to disguise a medical program as a humanitarian project…

Did I forget to mention that one of his relatives is Evan Thomas of Newsweek fame? You know, the rag that recently said we are "all Socialists now"? Is everything in your world a coincidence? (And how's this for a surprise?: You MUST at least read Marx's 10 point plan from "The Communist Manifesto". It's very short and you'll quickly see that we have fully implemented 3 of them, 5 are a battlefield we keep losing ground on and only 2 of them require discussion on their subtleties.)

A close second in importance is to re-watch Reagan's "A Time For Choosing" until it sinks in. (And if you're more of the libertarian/ atheist persuasion then you need to first go over and discover Eric Raymond's post on "Gramscian Damage" to get in sync with all of this.)

And something possibly even more stunning is David Ramsay Steele's article "The Mystery of Fascism". You simply don't have a clue about Fascism until you've read it -- well maybe that and Orwell's "Pacifism and the War" (And perhaps in yours also... ;) Sorry, but you've been completely brainwashed into believing that Fascism is a phenomenon of the right -- it's actually a schism of the left.

Finally, if you've never actually read "1984" please at least take the time to read the "book within the book": "The Theory and Practice Of Oligarchical Collectivism".

There. A powerful introduction to rational conservative/ libertarian thought you will find yourself shocked to know existed all in about 3 hours. (And for extra credit, go here.)

And yes, as long as we live in an imperfect world there will be conspiracies to guard against. The key is to spend enough of your time away from intoxicating substances so you can rationally assess them.

UPDATED AGAIN: OK, OK. Let's make sure nobody tries to excommunicate me from the "faith" before I catch my mistake! No post operating at even this level of conciseness can be allowed to ignore Hayek. Did you know you can download the official Reader's Digest version of "Road To Serfdom"? Yes, there was one and it is a great place to start for beginners -- just keep following my links... Here's the shortest tease possible:

CENTRAL. PLANNING. CANNOT. WORK. IN. A. MODERN. ECONOMY.
EVEN. IF. ALL. THE. PLANNERS. ARE. ALBERT. EINSTEIN. HIMSELF.

Have you ever looked at the difference between North and South Korea from space at night?

(Yes of course, virtually all of this has been on this blog for a while now...)

P.S. If mention of the secret protocol ever disappears from that Wikipedia article I just linked then you will know the Orwellian memory hole has truly expanded beyond tolerance. That's possibly the most famous conspiracy of the 20th century -- unless you consider Winston Churchill to be a massive conspiracy all by himself ;) (If you read the Orwell links I gave earlier you'll also realize that Orwell himself has already been stuffed down his own memory hole.)

ANOTHER UPDATE: Improved the Hayek update ;)

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About That Jumbotron

HT Gateway Pundit

American Thinker: Clarice's Pieces: Another Memo from Leni Riefenstahl: "From: Leni Riefenstahl

To: Barack Obama und Frau Obama

Subject: Politische Kundgebung getarnt als eine Gedenkfeier (Political rally masquerading as a memorial service)

It's been two years since I last wrote.  Then it was about the Invesco Field Rally in Denver.  Now it's about that rally in Tucson.  If you don't mind a few harsh words from someone seasoned in such things, no matter that you tried hard, the tragic incident in Tucson was no Reichstag Fire, and while you made as much of it as you could, you need to hone your shtick a bit better in future.  I keep writing to you out of admiration for your political inclinations and skills, of course."

And that applause prompt on the Jumbotron at the memorial service means you are forever and truly an a**hat.

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Oops

But he's really a genius constitutional lawyer I tell ya:

Obama speech undercuts federal charge for judge's murder - Josh Gerstein - POLITICO.com: "It may have been inadvertent, but a passage in President Barack Obama's speech to a memorial service in Tucson Wednesday night could undercut a criminal charge federal prosecutors have leveled at suspect Jared Loughner for the death of U.S. District Court Judge John Roll in a shooting rampage Saturday."

And don't you forget it! Oh, I forgot. Roll was a Republican so it's OK.

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Freezing In The Dark: Preview Edition

Gas Prices Under President Obama in Pictures | The Foundry: Conservative Policy News.: "Fact: President Barack Obama’s Energy Secretary Steven Chu wants to “figure out how to boost the price of gasoline to the levels in Europe.” At the time he made the statement, gas cost $7 – $8 a gallon in Europe.
Fact: Since taking office, President Obama’s entire energy agenda has made a gallon of gas more expensive:

Immediately after taking office in 2009, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, canceled 77 leases for oil and gas drilling in Utah.
The EPA announced new rules mandating the use of 36 billion gallons worth of renewable fuels (like ethanol) by 2020."

And exactly what part of this don't you understand?:

Premium is now over $3 in my neighborhood -- how about yours?

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priOrities

Obama calls Pakistani Prez to appeal for clemency for Asia Bibi -- no, wait... - Jihad Watch: "Actually, Obama has done nothing whatsoever about Asia Bibi, the Christian woman who faces judicial murder for blasphemy in Pakistan. But he did find the time to call the owner of the Philadelphia Eagles to congratulate him for giving Michael Vick a second chance."

We have a whack job for a President. But he is tall, nice looking and has a soothing voice. In short, our stupefied "voters" have elected an American Idol.

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A Rage For Paper Money

In case you wondered about what Madison would have thought of O Duce, here it is:

A rage for paper money, for an abolition of debts, for an equal division of property, or for any other improper or wicked project, will be less apt to pervade the whole body of the Union than a particular member of it; in the same proportion as such a malady is more likely to taint a particular county or district, than an entire State.

Did I forget to mention that Madison is widely considered the architect of the Constitution and that Federalist #10 -- from which this is a lynch-pin passage -- is considered one of the two most important of the series? And for that matter, the Federalist is argued by some to be on par in importance with the Constitution as it is the contemporaneous set of arguments published to convince the population to vote for ratification.

The lib loons will tell you it's hard to understand what the founders meant. I don't think so. (Time for a reminder.)

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Busted

Moonbattery: Obama Myths Busted: "Mythbusters will never run short of untruths to debunk so long as the Moonbat Messiah has a teleprompter to read:"

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Children At Play

Moonbattery: Open Thread: "Via iOwnTheWorld, on a tip from TED."

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The King O Junk

RTWT:

Belmont Club » Helplessly Hoping: "William Jacobson of Legal Insurrection argues that the latest Wikileak has shoved President Obama into Jimmy Carter territory. The leaks have shown him to be completely impotent, unable to even protect his own secrets or preserve his allies from embarrassment. The hard Left can push him around and take his money in a political dance apache. The Asia Times makes the same observation, but dryly notes that the loss of respect — AKA the failure of political deterrence — can cause much more serious international consequences. Barack Obama’s allies may already be starting to Finlandize themselves, convinced if proof were lacking, that Obama can’t even keep the deal he won’t honor secret. It is the political capstone of a meltdown. Obama’s credibility — and by extension America’s — has been downgraded to junk bond status."

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Norman Thomas Is Beaming

Moonbattery: Communist To-Do List: "The following list of communist goals appeared in the Congressional Record for January 10, 1963. It was taken from Cleon Skousen's 1958 book The Naked Communist. Let's check on communists' progress toward their ultimate objective of enslaving the entire human race:

[REAGAN MESSED THIS UP] 1. U.S. acceptance of coexistence as the only alternative to atomic war.
[REAGAN MESSED THIS UP] 2. U.S. willingness to capitulate in preference to engaging in atomic war.
[REAGAN MESSED THIS UP] 3. Develop the illusion that total disarmament [by] the United States would be a demonstration of moral strength.
[CHECK] 4. Permit free trade between all nations regardless of Communist affiliation and regardless of whether or not items could be used for war.
5. Extension of long-term loans to Russia and Soviet satellites.
[CHECK] 6. Provide American aid to all nations regardless of Communist domination.
[CHECK] 7. Grant recognition of Red China. Admission of Red China to the U.N.
[CHECK] 8. Set up East and West Germany as separate states in spite of Khrushchev's promise in 1955 to settle the German question by free elections under supervision of the U.N.
[CHECK] 9. Prolong the conferences to ban atomic tests because the United States has agreed to suspend tests as long as negotiations are in progress.
[TRIED] 10. Allow all Soviet satellites individual representation in the U.N.

[CHECK] 11. Promote the U.N. as the only hope for mankind. If its charter is rewritten, demand that it be set up as a one-world government with its own independent armed forces. (Some Communist leaders believe the world can be taken over as easily by the U.N. as by Moscow. Sometimes these two centers compete with each other as they are now doing in the Congo.)
[CHECK] 12. Resist any attempt to outlaw the Communist Party.
[CHECK] 13. Do away with all loyalty oaths.
[CHECK] 14. Continue giving Russia access to the U.S. Patent Office.
[CHECK] 15. Capture one or both of the political parties in the United States.
[CHECK] 16. Use technical decisions of the courts to weaken basic American institutions by claiming their activities violate civil rights.
[CHECK] 17. Get control of the schools. Use them as transmission belts for socialism and current Communist propaganda. Soften the curriculum. Get control of teachers' associations. Put the party line in textbooks.
[CHECK] 18. Gain control of all student newspapers.
[CHECK] 19. Use student riots to foment public protests against programs or organizations which are under Communist attack.
[CHECK] 20. Infiltrate the press. Get control of book-review assignments, editorial writing, policy-making positions.
[CHECK] 21. Gain control of key positions in radio, TV, and motion pictures.
[CHECK] 22. Continue discrediting American culture by degrading all forms of artistic expression. An American Communist cell was told to "eliminate all good sculpture from parks and buildings, substitute shapeless, awkward and meaningless forms."
[CHECK] 23. Control art critics and directors of art museums. "Our plan is to promote ugliness, repulsive, meaningless art."
[CHECK] 24. Eliminate all laws governing obscenity by calling them "censorship" and a violation of free speech and free press.
[CHECK] 25. Break down cultural standards of morality by promoting pornography and obscenity in books, magazines, motion pictures, radio, and TV.
[CHECK] 26. Present homosexuality, degeneracy and promiscuity as "normal, natural, healthy."
[CHECK] 27. Infiltrate the churches and replace revealed religion with "social" religion. Discredit the Bible and emphasize the need for intellectual maturity, which does not need a "religious crutch."
[CHECK] 28. Eliminate prayer or any phase of religious expression in the schools on the ground that it violates the principle of "separation of church and state."
[CHECK] 29. Discredit the American Constitution by calling it inadequate, old-fashioned, out of step with modern needs, a hindrance to cooperation between nations on a worldwide basis.
[CHECK] 30. Discredit the American Founding Fathers. Present them as selfish aristocrats who had no concern for the "common man."
[CHECK] 31. Belittle all forms of American culture and discourage the teaching of American history on the ground that it was only a minor part of the "big picture." Give more emphasis to Russian history since the Communists took over.
[CHECK] 32. Support any socialist movement to give centralized control over any part of the culture — education, social agencies, welfare programs, mental health clinics, etc.
[CHECK] 33. Eliminate all laws or procedures which interfere with the operation of the Communist apparatus.
[CHECK] 34. Eliminate the House Committee on Un-American Activities.
35. Discredit and eventually dismantle the FBI.
[CHECK] 36. Infiltrate and gain control of more unions.
[CHECK] 37. Infiltrate and gain control of big business.
[CLOSE ENOUGH] 38. Transfer some of the powers of arrest from the police to social agencies. Treat all behavioral problems as psychiatric disorders which no one but psychiatrists can understand [or treat].
[TRYING] 39. Dominate the psychiatric profession and use mental health laws as a means of gaining coercive control over those who oppose Communist goals.
[CHECK] 40. Discredit the family as an institution. Encourage promiscuity and easy divorce.
[TRYING] 41. Emphasize the need to raise children away from the negative influence of parents. Attribute prejudices, mental blocks and retarding of children to suppressive influence of parents.
[IN PROGRESS] 42. Create the impression that violence and insurrection are legitimate aspects of the American tradition; that students and special-interest groups should rise up and use ["]united force["] to solve economic, political or social problems.
[CHECK] 43. Overthrow all colonial governments before native populations are ready for self-government.
[CLOSE ENOUGH] 44. Internationalize the Panama Canal.
[TRYING] 45. Repeal the Connally reservation so the United States cannot prevent the World Court from seizing jurisdiction [over domestic problems. Give the World Court jurisdiction] over nations and individuals alike.

Any of these goals that liberals haven't already accomplished, they are working on as busily as termites. The supposed fall of communism when the Soviet Union imploded doesn't seem to have set them back very far."

Norman Thomas? You mean the one who said "The American people will never knowingly adopt Socialism. But under the name of 'liberalism' they will adopt every fragment of the Socialist program, until one day America will be a Socialist nation, without knowing how it happened."

Yes, that Norman Thomas.

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Scratched Out

You always knew it looked like this in the White House, didn't you?

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The Ben Bernank

Drop Everything And Watch This! ROFL!

Just wow...

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O Gandhi's "Footsteps"

Moonbattery: Kilometer-Long Air-Conditioned Tunnel to Be Constructed for Obama's Drive to the Gandhi Museum: "The tunnel would be a kilometre long and measure 12ft by 12ft — enough to let Obama's cavalcade pass through. The tunnel would be centrally air-conditioned, fitted with close-circuit television cameras, and will be heavily guarded at every point, including, of course, its entry and exit.
The insolent extravagance of America's worst president will be remembered for centuries.

The reason such an outlandish pageant is being made of Comrade Obama paying homage to Gandhi is the role the latter played in bringing down the British Empire. This is a big deal to the anti-neo-colonialist Manchurian Moonbat, who apparently sees himself as following in Gandhi's footsteps by bringing down America."

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Out Of The Ditch ... And Over The Cliff

Ramirez on the ditch analogy - Hot Air: "Barack Obama has a certain fondness for the analogy of the car in a ditch, which apparently comes with lots of optional accessories, like Slurpees, lattes, and so on. Michael Ramirez decides to take a test drive with a car analogy of his own, and the two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial cartoonist for Investors Business Daily discovers that it’s a clunker after all:"

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Drop Everything And Read This Before The Election

This is the best very short course on Stanley Kurtz' new book "Radical-in-Chief" that you're likely to read before the election. I'm far enough into reading Kurtz' book that I already can't recommend it highly enough.

I think the Strib is now regretting letting this particular piece of Samizdata through their firewall and will probably be taking it down soon. So I have reproduced it in its entirety here if you use the "Read more" link.

Katherine Kersten: Obama has been hiding his real agenda

It sounds far-fetched, but the president is the “Radical-in-Chief.”

By KATHERINE KERSTEN, Star Tribune

Last update: October 23, 2010 - 4:51 PM

In the heady days of 2008, Americans warmed quickly to the prospect of Barack Obama as our 44th president. Obama promised to be just what our fractured nation needed — a non-ideological, post-partisan consensus builder, guided by mainstream pragmatic thinking.

When the story broke about Obama’s relationship with Rev. Jeremiah Wright — his pastor for 20 years, a “black-power” radical and a fan of Fidel Castro — we raised our eyebrows. We did the same when we heard of Obama’s longtime connection to Bill Ayers, an unrepentant former Weather Underground terrorist. But Obama blew these relationships off as exaggerated or unimportant, and we trusted his assurances.

Now a new book by Stanley Kurtz — a senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center and a Harvard PhD — reveals why we should have probed the disconnect when we had a chance. Americans increasingly sense we were sold a bill of goods, and Kurtz explains why in “Radical-in-Chief: Barack Obama and the Untold Story of American Socialism.” Our president isn’t what he claims to be, says Kurtz. Obama’s plummeting approval ratings, and the electoral tsunami about to hit Democrats, reflect voters’ sense of betrayal.

In fact, Kurtz goes further, and makes an electrifying charge: Obama has purposely disguised what he believes, and is actively seeking to mislead the American people about his agenda. Obama, says Kurtz, is a socialist. He believes — not in state ownership — but in a savvier version of socialism that seeks to transform and undermine American capitalism through ever-expanding government control; irreversible entitlements; and a metastasizing public sector.

I know this sounds far-fetched. Even Kurtz says he didn’t expect it when he began his research. But the more we learn about “community organizing” — which Obama has called the “best education” he ever had — the more we see that Wright and Ayers were clues to a below-the-radar radical network that has shaped both the president’s worldview and the deceptive tactics he uses to disguise it.

Americans were lulled into ignoring Obama’s background because they think of “community organizers” as well-intentioned do-gooders. In fact, the father of community organizing was Saul Alinsky, a far-left icon and the author of the 1971 book, “Rules for Radicals.” Alinsky taught that community organizing is about accumulating the raw power necessary for the radical transformation of America’s economic and social structure.

Alinsky knew that the American people are not ready for socialism. To advance radical goals, he said, activists must pose as pragmatists and work within the system. While New Left radicals were rioting at the 1968 Democratic convention, Alinskyite community organizers were working behind the scenes, infiltrating Lyndon Johnson’s War on Poverty and funneling money to their far-left organizations. In dealing with “enemies” Alinsky was ruthless. He advocated the “politics of personal destruction”: “Pick the target, freeze it, personalize it, and polarize it.”

Obama began his career as a community organizer in Chicago in 1985. His teachers were Alinsky disciples, and he immersed himself in their ideas and methods. For years, Obama ran workshops on Alinsky’s methodology, worked with Alinskyite organizations, and served on radical boards.

Obama got his start in politics in 1996, when Illinois state Sen. Alice Palmer hand-picked him to succeed her. Kurtz describes Palmer as a “hard Marxist,” who had praised the Soviet Union in the communist People’s Daily World. Ayers and his wife, Bernadine Dohrn — another notorious Weather Underground alum — hosted an announcement party at their home. During his campaign, Obama promised to bring the spirit of community organizing to his new position.

In 2004, after Obama became a U.S. senator, Michelle Obama confirmed his Alinskyite intentions. “Barack is not a politician first and foremost,” she said. “He’s a community activist exploring the viability of politics to make change.”

Obama’s immersion in socialist organizing, and his mastery of the tactics of infiltration and disguise, explain both his agenda and modus operandi as president. He has relentlessly advanced the incremental strategy of his mentors — vastly expanding state control in the health care, energy, environmental and financial sectors. Cronies from his community organizing days have advised his campaign, crafted his grassroots strategy and lobbied for his programs, according to Kurtz. We see Alinsky’s ghost in Obama’s tactical ruthlessness, and his ferocious, unprecedented demonization of opponents.

Over the past two years, Americans have grown increasingly angry that Obama’s governance has differed so starkly from his campaign rhetoric. Kurtz reveals that Obama was intentionally deceiving us all along.

Katherine Kersten is a Twin Cities writer and speaker. Reach her at kakersten@gmail.com.

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What Should Be A Non-Political Post...

... about something that you already know will be blocked by O Duce's EPA or some equivalent lunatic Czar of his:

Thorium and Nuclear Power - Next Gen Nuclear Power - Popular Mechanics: "Thorium could recapture the lead if a Virginia-based company called Lightbridge (formerly Thorium Power) fulfills its promise. Lightbridge was founded on the vision that the existing fleet of nuclear reactors would continue to function for decades to come, so its proprietary nuclear fuel assembly—which features a small amount of uranium surrounded by a blanket of thorium—is designed to work in light water reactors, the most common variety in service worldwide. The company is also developing an all-metal fuel capable of incorporating thorium. 'This is like going from leaded to unleaded fuel for your car—the operation [of the reactors] is the same,' says Seth Grae, Lightbridge's CEO."

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The Chinese Professor

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Off Track

Opinion: Just How Lousy Is the Economic Recovery?: "But the evidence from past recoveries shows that things could be -- and arguably should be -- much better than they are now. Which strongly suggests that, however bad the recession was, something the federal government is doing today is putting a drag on the normal recovery trajectory.

Only by admitting there's a problem will we ever have a chance of getting the current recovery back on track."

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Chains

Moonbattery: Open Thread: "Via iOwnTheWorld, on a tip from TED."

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Umm, Because He Was Never *In* Touch?

The whole thing about whether he was born on American soil actually misses the point. He doesn't live on American soil. If you went to Harvard for anything other than a technical degree, you could have just as well attended La Sorbonne for how much you'll learn about you and me:

Obama’s Rolling Stone Interview Proves He's Out of Touch - Mary Kate Cary (usnews.com): "What is most startling is how the interview ends--the president, “repeatedly stabbing the air with his finger,” calls Democrats who sit out the midterms “inexcusable” and “irresponsible.” “People need to buck up” and “stop sitting on their hands,” he says to his supporters. Continuing on this theme later this week, he told a crowd at a Democratic campaign event to “stop sulking.” Gone are the days of “Yes We Can.” It’s become “You Better Not.” In other words, the beatings will continue until morale improves.

Meanwhile, the jobs numbers are out today showing unemployment stuck at 9.6 percent, and the Labor Department this week announced that middle class spending had its steepest one-year drop since records began. Taxes and healthcare costs are rising and incomes are not, so families are spending less on clothing and restaurant meals. Middle class Americans are cutting discretionary spending left and right, trying to make ends meet, while jobs keep disappearing--and our president continues his march to the left leading “the most successful administration in a generation in moving progressive agendas forward.”

How could a man who was such a galvanizing figure for many Americans two years ago have become this out of touch?"

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