Bill Clinton's Golden Globes

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association has been passing out awards since 1944.   This vacuous group of snooty foreigners makes its choices in a narrow, but effective, way.  Golden Globes are given to the person/film studio/organization who gives them the most money or the best parties.  Golden Globes are put up for sale and awarded to the highest bidder.  My goodness, what an honor that must be! 

            Actually, if you want to fill a vacuum with—well—another vacuum, could you really do better than Hollywood, the press and their fawning minions? Hollywood lightweights are frantic to appear relevant in some way.  Your average Hollywood entertainment worker isn’t particularly bright, but they do realize they are paid disproportionate to their worth to society.  When it comes to what this nation needs you aren’t going to hear many people say that what would really straighten out the mess is another good actor.  We need droves of superlative teachers, scientists, economists and, gracious Lord, how we need good politicians, but actors, probably not.

I do love movies and every year there are some worthy efforts that make our lives better by dramatically portraying our better angels and worse demons.  But when you get to these self-congratulatory awards, let’s face it; we are looking at insecure people willing to pay money for self-affirmation.  Add to all of this a strong bias toward the left and an inflated sense of entitlement and you have the Golden Globes.  

            Just when the award show was bubbling over with hubris, the producers decided to toss in a strong chemical presence to show how humble and relevant the participants could be, like adding rennet to the starter bacteria in cheese to get the acidified mixture to curdle.  Out walked President Bill Clinton.  The men cheered, the women got dewy, and the body rose to their feet as one.  Here was their President.   Heck, they like this guy more than Obama.  He played the sax, played with them, played with drugs and played with Monica.  At last, a man who understands Hollywood. 

            I have presented the compelling reasons to discount the Golden Globes, but I think it is high time to break the bubble surrounding the mythic Presidency of William Jefferson Clinton.  Let’s look at just a few:

            Economy:  Clinton inherited an improving economy protected by a Republican Congress that guarded taxes and spending.  It was his failure to regulate the profligate financial-service markets that led to the housing collapse and financial meltdown of 2007.  

            Foreign Policy:  Clinton was so averse to the Democratic prohibition against military action that he dithered away time during genocide in Rwanda and a half million Tutsis’s were savagely murdered.  He granted China Most Favored Nation status and gave North Korea concessions on their word that they wouldn’t continue with nuclear weapons. 

            Odds and Ends:  Clinton cut NASA’s budget, recognized the dangers of a social security and Medicare system running amok but chose the coward’s way out and didn’t attack either of them.  He raised gasoline taxes by 4.3 cents/gallon, which hit the middle class hardest, then proceeded to try to raise taxes on the Democrats’ favorite bad guy, successful people.

            National Security:  Clinton knew about Bin Laden and discounted his importance.  He issued orders that the terrorist be captured alive and thus lost both Bin Laden and a chance to kill him—all of this in the midst of the Lewinsky scandal, screwing us as well as a barely legal intern.

            What is there to like about this Nero who fiddled while Rome burned?  Oh, yes, I forgot, it’s Hollywood.

            Reject style over substance and keep the faith.