A full-page ad in The New York Times Monday, paid for by the far-left ACLU, gently reminds President-elect Obama that he must dismantle just about every terrorism-fighting device put in place by the Bush administration.
That ad comes on the heels of a press release last week by the radical-left MoveOn organization that reminded Obama he owes MoveOn big for all the financial support during the campaign.
So it is quite clear that the far left expects the Obama administration to do its bidding.
But "Talking Points" believes most Americans oppose that. Making it easier for terrorists to operate puts all of us in danger. And exit polling clearly shows that Obama was not elected to be a liberal ideologue. He was elected to fix the economy, which should be his primary concern.
However, the left-wing zealots don't really care much about the economy. They'd prefer to have the federal government run it and set up a quasi-socialistic system, but social issues are what the loons really care about.
Barack Obama well understands the pressure that he faces. The left wants radical change, but the folks want economic stability, and the folks far outnumber the zealots.
Based on watching him campaign, "Talking Points" believes President-elect Obama will throw the red-meat left a few bones, most likely closing Guantanamo and issuing some new interrogation guidelines. Obama will try to buy some time doing that while he concentrates on the economy, which will eventually define his first term. If things don't get better in a year, Barack Obama will have major trouble.
That being said, the media must get under control. The USA is in a recession, but non-stop comments on how bad things are will only make the pain worse. We have to report the grim news, but we don't have to hype it. This is not 1929.
When folks are frightened they get angry and act irrationally. Certainly, we should all be cautious and save as much money as we can. We should also continue to cut down on our fuel consumption, which has helped bring down oil prices.
But come on, we have to live our lives. We are not in Doomville here. Commerce is happening. Things will get better.
President-elect Obama would be smart to ignore the nutty ideologues and lay out a rational plan for a big economic comeback — and that should include no more bailouts. Spending discipline and holding corrupt financial people accountable will restore confidence in the U.S. economy. That is usually not a liberal tactic, but Obama would be wise to employ it.
And that's "The Memo."
Pinheads & Patriots
Our pals the Beach Boys were down in Galveston, Texas, last week doing a benefit for those hurt by Hurricane Ike.
Mike Love, Bruce Johnston, and the guys raised more than $40,000 for the United Way down there.
The Beach Boys are American icons and patriots to boot.
On the pinhead front, a group of monks — religious people — may have committed a few sins at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem.
Apparently a disagreement between Armenian and Greek Orthodox monks resulted in a brawl very close to the tomb of Jesus.
Bill Maher might find this funny, but it certainly is not a great moment in Christianity, and these guys are pinheads. Unbelievable.
Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox