Louis Roney: So it goes...

• The longer our president displays to us his socialist politics and his supercilious personality, the more we ask ourselves: how did we ever elect this guy who seems now clearly to be such a loser? Obama seems to have given up on the presidency — Should we now give up on him?

• Party time: Saturday, July 19, was a day to remember for b.w. and me. The day was filled with interesting and cherished friends gathered together at the beautiful Lake Maitland home of Gene Hawkins to celebrate the birthday of Jeanne Rodriguez. Those of you old enough to remember Jeanne’s wonderful Villa Nova Restaurant, and her son Mark’s delightful Jordon’s Grove, would have enjoyed the conversation re: Old Winter Park that filled the air. You may remember that Jeanne worked with Paula Hawkins on the Florida Republican Goldwater Campaign. B.w.and I were gratified to spend time conversing with our dynamic U.S.

Congressman John Mica and his lovely wife Pat who have brought so much that is commendable to our state. Among other welcome friends were Jack and Ernestine Beattie, Gene Hawkins’ daughter Genean McKinnon, Tony Coleman, Fonda McGowan, Lorraine Wood, Linda Poulis, Virginia Saunders, Victor Morel, and Mark’s wife Kim.

• Nobody needs to tell me that the U.S. is exceptional. I have lived in a few other countries where things we take for granted are their “exceptional.” Wonder what happened to that “American hater” who as a young person blew up buildings and then became a professor at a big mid-western university — Bill something-or-other? We are all dissatisfied with something in our lives. That’s why there are so many lawyers and liquor stores in every community. But don’t blame America for your personal irritations — you’ll take them with you wherever you go!

• Here I sit, coffee in hand, with Bill Bennett’s radio program winding down. We are all creatures of habit, I believe, and my hope is to keep my habits productive and free from ever bringing harm where there is none. When I got my b.w., I no longer had to judge myself by myself. She has a quick mind, a sharp eye, and for some reason has never been scared of me. Am I scared of her? Well, let’s not discuss that right now.

My father was a wise and studious man who rarely raised his voice, whereas my mother’s presence was hard to miss. The world around her was seldom in doubt as to her frame of mind.

For me, politics these days are nothing much to celebrate. I expressed my profoundest thought to b.w.: “When you’ve got a so-so president in Washington, what can you expect to trickle down?” Since Eisenhower and Reagan, I have found little to warm any of my heart’s fondest cockles. I don’t say that it’s an easy job to run this country, but I also don’t say it’s easy for any of us to be good citizens if we do not have a good leader. One begets the other.

• Remember the following?: Fast and furious? The IRS scandal? The NSA scandal? The AP phone records scandal? The VA hospital scandal? Benghazi? The Stimulus package? Solyndra? ObamaCare? The immigration scandal? The Pipeline XL fiasco? Our unimaginable national debt? And you know the rest ... Oops, I forgot Obama’s handiwork: “the lines in the sand” in Syria, North Korea, Egypt, Iran, and where else?