"SHAM, WOW!!"

I listened to part of President Obama's national address this past evening and for some reason his speech reminded me of that television commercial for the super absorbent cloth product "SHAMWOW".  From what I understand about the beginning of this speech regarding the debt ceiling increase our esteemed president still blames President Bush for much of the current whopping over 14 trillion dollar federal budget deficit. From what I have read, President Obama is trying to portray himself as a pragmatic centrist results oriented political man as he used the phrase "balanced approach" seven times and "compromise"  six times. To this I say "SHAM, WOW!!" In President Obama's case instead of absorbing great amounts of water like the shamwow cloth; this president is full of baloney and hot air. This president (Obama) still thinks he has that magic of old when he could play the class warfare card  and charm the audience with his perceived whit, passion, style, and intelligence and hypnotise his listeners with how great an orator he is so the listening audience will blindly follow his platitudes and nonsense. President Obama thinks that he is as great a communicator if not greater  than President Ronald Reagan. Well, President Obama, I've heard President Reagan speak many times over the eight years of his two term presidency; and you are no President Reagan.

Now, why do I think of "SHAM, WOW" after hearing  President Obama speak last evening? Well, the definition of "sham" is something false or empty that is purported to be genuine,a spurious imitation; the quality of deceitfulness, empty pretense. And, the "WOW" comes from my astonishment at the audacity of this president to truly believe that the American people will once again fall under his spell as he tries to paint himself as the voice of reason, moderation, and compromise; this same president who has skyrocketed the national debt more than all the preceding presidents combined!

A lot of politics is trying to define the opposition in an unfavorable light. The nerve of the "extremist tea party" members to want to reign in federal spending and try to get the federal budget on a path to a balanced budget. How "radical" can you get to try to balance income and outgo on the federal budgetary level. Far better to spend approximately 43 cents per dollar over what is generated in tax revenue by relying our friends the Chinese to pay for our spendthrift ways. This of course, according to our president is the prudent and moderate path to take. We can't dare try to reduce the size of the federal government as this would be a cruel ,heartless, and extreme position even though almost half of Americans pay no federal income tax. No, let us focus on the people with corporate jets and limousines as if these few uber rich people even if they were taxed at a 100% RATE would make much of a dent in the federal revenue shortfall.

"SHAM,WOW!!" President Obama, you sure are a con man, (oops!, I mean a confident man).

High Over Cape Cod

This evening I noticed this unusual object up in the sky; high over Cape Cod. I had just finished cooking a couple of cheeseburgers on my gas grill when this UFO to me at least appeared in the sky. I rushed to find my camera to take this picture. After "blowing up" this image on my computer I was then able to identify this flying sphere as a "Hanger 1 Vodka blimp". I had never personally heard of "Hanger 1" Vodka prior to this blimp  arriving on this "Summer's Eve" so I felt kind of stupid and kind of like a douche bag.

I remember one misty morning on the Cape over twenty years ago I was driving around in my car and a large Fuji blimp appeared in front of me hovering right ahead just above the treetops right as the fog started to clear. "Whoa!", I said; "That was INTENSE!!"  Also, kind of EXCELLENT!! Ya Know? It was the start that day of a great adventure.

I searched "Hanger 1" on the Internet and found out that this blimp tour is lasting about six months and going from coast to coast with bartender contests along the way at each stop to see who can make the best drink using "Hanger 1" vodka.

I always enjoy a good blimp siting and today was no exception. I used to see quite a few blimps at the New England Patriots football games. Also,Led Zeppelin is one of my favorite rock and roll bands. I have never seen the "Goodrich blimp"  though for some reason.

Praying Hands Hosta

Here is a photo of the 2011 Hosta variety of the year; the "Praying Hands Hosta". With all the weather and economic turmoil currently affect the world the "praying hands hosta" is a fitting variety.

A Lotta Hostas

While inspecting a home located in West Dennis on Cape Cod today; the owner showed me his Hosta garden. He had many varieties of hostas and I said "Wow!, That's a lotta Hostas".

Como Estai?

I have a fax line that rings a distinctive tone on the same land line phone that I have at my house. Tonight I decided to practice a new invented language on the caller who dialed my fax number. So the conversation went like this:

Me: "Como Estai?"

Caller: "Hello?"

Me: "Zenga son bob bob bobuda?"

The caller then had no answer to my last question so I had to hang up.

I do hope that my new language got the caller thinking about the role of words and different languages and perhaps my reply to his "Hello" will get the caller to research what possible language I was speaking. Then again, maybe at least I provided this caller with a good "story" that he can tell his fellow telemarketers.

This somewhat reminds me of a "Seinfield" episode where "Jerry" received a call from a telemarketer and asked for the telemarketers home phone number so that he could randomly call the telemarketer back, preferably at dinner time. The telemarketer wouldn't provide his personal phone number to Jerry and Jerry didn't think that was fair as the telemarketer did of course call Jerry.

"Bluffmeister in Chief"

Interesting to see in the recent Obama debt extension crisis where our learned president was meeting with congressional leadership that President Obama said to House Majority leader Eric Kantor (R-VA), "Eric,Don't call my bluff" as he left in a huff from the meeting. This president thinks quite highly of himself and his ability to manipulate the "masses" to his point of view; perhaps because he sometimes enunciates properly words and sometimes can appear to be "inspiring" when he reads certain messages and speeches from his teleprompter. President Obama is not however quite so "polished" in his speech during interviews or press conferences where he has to "think on his feet" and often assumes the role of a wind bag pedantic professor.

For those of you who don't know what a "bluff" is: A bluff in poker terms is a representation of a "strong hand" when you actually have a substandard hand. When you "bluff" you try to get the other poker players to fold their hand by betting an amount that the other players will not match so you win the pot by default. By saying "Don't call my bluff", President Obama is acknowledging that he has a "weak position or a weak hand" and is trying to get the Republican congressional leadership to agree to tax increases during a high unemployment weak economy. This "Bluffmeister-In Chief" thinks he can "win the crowd" as actor Russell Crowe did in the movie "Gladiator" where the gladiator won the crowd away from the corrupt Roman emperor.

A Gallup poll released today said that "Republican" would beat President Obama if the election were held today. Now, it is a long time in political terms between now and November 2012; and who knows for sure who the Republican nominee will be at this time but this poll does show that the "crowd" is not currently with President Obama.

What President Obama probably should have said to House Majority leader Eric Cantor before he "took his ball and went home" like a little pre-adolescent child is; "Eric, I'm not bluffing on this. I am going to take my case directly to the American people and we're going to tax the rich folks and close all their tax loop holes so my administration can keep spending (oops I mean "investing") in the future for social justice and a more fair society and to "spread the wealth around".

It is tough I understand to think on your feet without  your teleprompter, Mr. President, but as "Bluffmeister -In -Chief; You have to know when to "hold'em and when to fold'em" and the current polls suggest you are truly holding a weak hand.