Just got back from a rousing event in Erie, PA at the Erie Manufacturer's and Business Association.

A most excellent event, it featured GE's Jack Welch as the featured speaker.  Acting as host and moderator was Fox's own Stuart Varney.  8)

Before the Welch segment, the gracious host made note that "The capitalist system is the best economic system in the history of the world" and also proclaimed the United States as "the greatest nation on the face of the Earth."  Heady praise indeed.

Welch and Varney opined on various aspects of the economy and politics.  Varney tried to get Welch to call President O'bama a 'socialist',  But Welch declined and simply said "I do not like his policies" and drew paralells to the Carter Administration. Varney, tongue in cheek, referred to CNN as the "Clinton News Network" and NBC as "Nobody But Communists".  CBS was left out in the cold because, apparently, nobody watches the CBS News since Rather and Couric killed the franchise.

The irony was not lost on me that one of the sponsors of this event, a successful capitalist friend of mine, in his younger years was a card carrying Commie.  (I have seen his party card and have also seen a pic of him at an event with Leonid Brezhnev back in the day, but no more of that nonsense for him.)

Additional entertainment was provided by The Victory Belles, who were flown in from N'awlins.  :-* These gals did an excellent job at a WW2-era medley of military branch theme songs and a nice Andrews Sisters medley.  Hey, any time some chicks can pose with an M-2 machine gun, I'm in.

Wish y'all could have been there, as I am sure you would have thoroughly enjoyed the night.  8)

http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/221935_217609684916358_165745556769438_968385_6396589_n.jpg

^ Cute gals!  

Jack Welch is a UMass alum.  He graces the university with his presence now and again.  Stuart Varney is a twit.  He would ask Welch those kinds of callow questions.  Welch is former chairman and CEO of GE.  Kind of an influential guy.  Of course he's not going to trash the President.  It might have occurred to Varney that NBC (Nobody But Communists) is a GE company before he opened his yap!

Hey, ex-commies make great capitalists.  Marx wrote the book on it -- literally!  

When people say Obama's a socialist, I say,
"Yeah, I wish."  

What is in bad taste is for Mr. Welch to stand there in the middle of the Rust Belt and laud American capitalism as the greatest economic system in the world.  Now, I know Jack would blame the boarded up factories and crumbling slums on too much liberal gummint intervention, but I'm  not convinced.
::)