There are many similarities between the Carter administration and the Obama administration. A souring economy, a majority in both houses of Congress, the worship of diplomacy as the answer to all conflicts, and promotion of government programs for every imaginable purpose, to name a few.

 

What follows here is a comparison of the inaugural speeches. At times it is hard to distinguish Carter's 1977 entry from Obama's 2009 prose. See if you can correctly guess who is speaking in these excerpts:

 

Excerpt 1: "This inauguration ceremony marks a new beginning, a new dedication within our Government, and a new spirit among us all."

 

Excerpt 2: "What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility, a recognition on the part of every American that we have duties to ourselves, our Nation, and the world."

 

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Excerpt 3: "To be true to ourselves, we must be true to others. We will not behave in foreign places so as to violate our rules and standards here at home, for we know that the trust which our Nation earns is essential to our strength."

 

Excerpt 4: "Guided by these principles once more, we can meet those new threats that demand even greater effort, even greater cooperation and understanding between nations."

 

 

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Excerpt #5: "Time and again, these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked ‘til their hands were raw so that we might live a better life. They saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions, greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction."

 

Excerpt #6: "We cannot afford to do everything, nor can we afford to lack boldness as we meet the future. So, together, in a spirit of individual sacrifice for the common good, we must simply do our best."

 

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 And now, the envelope please, ... the answers are #1,3,6 belong to the peanut farmer turned president; #2,4,5 are statements made by the man with the "funny name" as he put it. The nation and the world have changed much since the 1970s. Isn't it strange that liberals have not changed? America is selfish, rogue nations can be tamed if we only sit down and talk with them, it's time for the rich to share with everyone else, and the citizens of the United States aren't smart enough to know what they really need or want.

 

Four years of incompetence by Jimmy Carter led to an inflationary monster consuming everything in its path, a former ally becoming a radical, sworn enemy of the West, and the roots of this current financial crisis by enacting the Community Reinvestment Act.  The question then is what friendly nation will turn venomous as a result of Obama's diplomacy? Also, what behemoth similar to the infamous Departments of Education and Energy will Obama saddle our nation with? Finally, who is it that is waiting in the wings to lead us, in 2012, to that shining city on a hill where, as Reagan believed and proved, citizens are seen as more capable than bureaucrats in spending their money?

 

Winning on the popular television show "American Idol" takes talent, hard work, personality, and even then one is not guaranteed a successful musical career. The winner must continue improving on their craft, continue working hard, and develop their personal success.  Sadly, politics and diplomacy seem to reward failure rather than success. Jimmy Carter, a.k.a. American Diplomacy Idol is a shining example of a politican who failed miserably during his presidency and yet was rewarded with a Nobel Peace Prize. Three decades later, a new contestant is exciting the crowds and judges in the ongoing competition. President-elect Barack Obama, a.k.a. Diplomacy Idol wannabe is crooning a lovely song for all to hear.

 

If Barack Obama can further destabilize the Middle East, give away areas of the world that are in our national interest, as Carter did with the Panama Canal, plead and beg with rogue nations to hold talks leading to peaceful solutions on subjects such as human rights, wimp out as commander-in-chief when American citizens are taken captive, suggest imposing import limits on foreign oil which will only worsen an energy crisis, go on television and proclaim how bad things are and will only get worse (hasn't Obama already been doing that?), cut defense spending and intelligence readiness in order to show our enemies we mean no harm, therefore they should do the same, then and only then does Barack Obama stand a chance at being the next American Diplomacy Idol.

 

In a Jerusalem Post article on June 20, 2007, Michael D. Evans writes: "The shah was terrified of Carter. He told his personal confidant, 'Who knows what sort of calamity he [Carter] may unleash on the world?'" Evans drives home the havoc left in the wake of Carter's actions during his presidency: "Carter believed then and still does now that evil does not exist; people are basically good; America should embrace the perpetrators and castigate the victims. ... Carter's belief that every crisis can be resolved with diplomacy-and only diplomacy-now permeates the Democratic Party. Unfortunately, Carter is wrong. There are times when evil must be openly confronted and defeated."

 

Now, almost 30 years later, president-elect Barack Obama appears poised and ready to make the same mistakes President Carter made during his administration. As Evans also states, current Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is assuming the role of Ayatollah. Barack Obama is casting himself as Jimmy Carter. The stage is set for yet another president who thinks talking about things will solve problems, change behaviors, and simply by persuasion make friends of our enemies.

 

Unlike the music industry where failure, though painful for a former star, is not catastrophic for the nation or the world, President-elect Barack Obama shows strong tendencies of wanting to win the current version of American Diplomacy Idol even if the nation and the world suffer at his expense.  He, Speaker Pelosi, and Senator Reid seem to delight in things getting worse, and in prolonging a crisis in order to implement more government programs which means more government control over everything, including We The People.

 

There was another contestant in the not too distant past, remember?  The man from Hope who spoke of his own version of hope and change. He and his co-president of a wife deregulated the mortgage industry and banks, strengthened laws to force lenders to make bad loans, endangered our national security, and of course, attempted the biggest power grab in recent times via the Hillary Healthcare debacle. Clinton's post-idol life, so far, has not been as dramatic a failure as Carter's, but can America afford to let Barack Obama try to win the title over these next four years? As citizens in this constiutional republic of ours, we-like viewers of American Idol-have a vote. Unlike viewers of American Idol, we the people must remember that we also are the competition judges. We are listening and we are watching, respectfully, Mr. President-elect, Mrs. Pelosi and Mr. Reid and the 2010 judging of your entries will soon be decided.  

 

Okay, everyone join with me in a melodious course of "Let's party like it's 1994, and elect a conservative Republican House and Senate majority once more!"