How bad is it, really? President Obama and his soundbite messaging insist that we’re “winning the future”. Adam Baldwin, actor and conservative begs to differ. He talks about where we really are as a country, right now.

Adam and I had a “big picture” discussion about where the country is financially. It’s not the most uplifting conversation. But then, if you want sunshine and delusion, watch an Obama presser. Here’s a link to the podcast. It’s about 30 minutes long.

Over the past couple of weeks, I haven’t been writing. I decided to just take a break. I needed perspective. The big picture gets murky when lost in the depths of policy but since the devil’s in the details, many watchdogs stay there. And yet, the big picture needs to be understood to put the details in context. Sometimes one can swim so deep and lose which end is up.

While thinking about politics in the greater context, I’ve been reminded, yet again, that the most important discussions are happening elsewhere. What are people learning at church? What are people seeing on TV? What beliefs are being transmitted directly into the minds of people which completely trump any political and economic reality?

The fact is, in modern American life, even with the country and currency on the brink of economic disaster (and this is not just hand-wringing–nearly every expert I’ve spoken with believes that the dollar is weakening, that trust is nigh unto lost), most people cannot seem to care.

To pull a nerd reference, it’s like the Star Trek episode where everyone is playing that sunglasses video game–utterly blind to the world around them. With our modern ability to control so much of our media experience the illusion is that we control the message, but it’s not true. We don’t even fully grasp the extent to which we’re controlled; all of us, including those of us fighting it.

President Obama knows this. So while political activists deride his obsession with his NCAA bracket, President Obama knows that more people care about that than they do about the fact that the President is responsible for their job losses if they’re oil workers, as an example. They care more about that then his selling out of the taxpayer interests in service of greedy union bosses. So, President Obama golfs knowing that the press will shrug their shoulders. He knows that the war isn’t won in the political realm at all.

Serious issues like the budget are treated as ideological fights rather than a something tangible and real and with consequences. Anyway, it seems the real fight is outside of politics and in the popular culture. The real fight is in the realm of ideas and philosophy. And our immediate gratification, neutered culture is teaching one message and our political class, well half of them anyway, are fighting that message in order to make responsible decisions.

It’s an epic battle. We risk losing the future if we don’t fight on the real battlefield.

Well, there’s one way to get a male’s attention: make sure he doesn’t make the Top Twenty Hottest Conservative guys (in case you guys think you don’t want to see that nonsense, I would suggest that you look at the judges). I have received direct messages, emails and got regaled by the bitter Matt Lewis on his podcast this morning [30 minutes of hilarity]. Somehow I doubt that John received the same sort of hew and cries from the women. Women are stoic that way.

If nothing else, objectifying men in this shameless way has revealed the gender differences. Women are unsure of their beauty and few would dream of nominating themselves, much less complain when they don’t make the list…it would be a confirmation of what they secretly suspect.

For men, who all seem to view themselves as incredible specimens no matter the package, it’s an affront to not be nominated and worse, to not be on the list.

As my friend Stephen Kruiser says, if men weren’t confident like that, men and women would never hook up.

Anyway, the women judges were all kinds of wonderful. They had diverse tastes and some of the people who didn’t make it scored well–they may have just inspired strong feelings both ways.

The list of men is great from the perspective of getting to know what people are up to in the movement. There are many great men and women doing impressive work.

In the second half, another, less successful religion is discussed: Global Warming. Charlie Martin, now the science editor at Pajamas Media discusses the latest happenings and the bitter clinging to a discarded belief.

Listen here

Andrew and Melissa contemplate whether Obama has a chance in 2012, the consequences of health care reform, his humiliating evening with Karl Rove and Benjamin Netanyahu’s humiliating evening with the President.

Listen here. Do it now.

Why were the 80s great? Ronald Reagan and Prince, that’s why. Also, my high school friend Joey Wright has written a great anthem for the Tea Party movement. His website is here. Listen to the podcast for the world-exclusive.

Talk 80s music with Leon Wolf of Redstate, Still Stacy of StillStacy.com, Tabitha Hale of Freedom Works and Jimmie Bise of The Delivery. Then John Hawkins of Right Wing News discusses getting rid of Democrats and the state of socialism. Finally, Ryan Gill talks Tea Party Express and their upcoming kick-off tour in Searchlight, Nevada home town of Harry Reid.

Listen here or better yet, click below and subscribe to the Right Doctor on iTunes. Thanks! P.S. If you have done this before, please do it again, because the iTunes link has changed.

Eric O’Keefe of the Sam Adams Alliance talks about tyranny and how to keep government accountable even after the Republicans take over again. In the second half, Tom Reed who is running for Eric Massa‘s seat in New York talks about his conservative district, federal and state mandates and why all politics are local.

Listen here.

Dr. Melissa Cloutheir discusses Pixar and the great success of a American company within a American industry. She is joined by Dan Riehl to discuss his current residence in the 7th level of hell.

James Lileks of The Bleat and Nathan Wurtzel of The Catalyst Group talk Pixar and other animated movies. I argue for The Iron Giant and Wall-E. Much disagreement ensues.

And then the Dan Riehl lobs more bombs–talking Christianity, God in government, the fall of the Republic and does America have hope?

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