Friday, October 23, 2009

An American Tragedy


I've often pondered and occasionally stated in this blog that Barack Obama was not ready to be President. He lacked the experience, especially the Washington experience to handle the complexities and the political maneuvering of the job.

Sadly, I have once again been proved right. But much, much worse, he lacks the temperament and intelligence to handle the job. What we are watching this past few weeks is simply heartbreaking.

Now I must stop this essay for a moment and say that we all must support President Obama to the very best of our abilities. He is OUR PRESIDENT. And we all need him to succeed. Our success as a country is tied directly to his success as a President.

But that doesn't mean for even a millisecond that we should not criticize his mistakes, and point out his failings. We also should compliment his successes and, most important, we should give him our advice and council.

But now Barack Obama has made a potentially tragic error. Although he has already broken almost every single campaign promise he made in 2008, he is now breaking his most important promise and violating his trust with the American people. He has decided he will not be President of all the people, but only of the people who agree wholeheartedly with his every mood and policy swing.

So Barack Obama has decided to make enemies of FOX News, The Chamber of Commerce, and various media pundits. More importantly, he has made enemies of everyone who watches FOX, runs a small business or occasionally even rarely agrees with a Limbaugh, Hannity or Beck.


Why is this happening?

Timothy P. Carney writes today in
The Washington Examiner, "Chamber lobbyist Bruce Josten told me that White House is picking a high-profile fight with his group because, given Democratic supermajorities, Obama "needs an enemy" to blame for the difficulty he's having in getting his policies approved."

"But there's another reason Obama is running low on enemies: He's already bought off many of the most powerful industries and businesses."

"Look at health care, where Obama has brought the name-brand drug makers on board to his reform with promises of subsidies and pledges not to attack the industry's special favors. Look at cigarettes, where Obama signed a tobacco regulation bill with the firm backing of Philip Morris."

"And of course, look at climate-change legislation, where Obama has on his side coal giants like American Electric Power, manufacturing giants like Nike, agribusiness giant Monsanto, and lobbying giant General Electric, to name a few. The Democrats have bought off these special interests by rigging the legislation so that taxpayer and ratepayer money is funneled into corporate coffers."


Indeed, much of what is happening here is done to distract Obama's critics and especially his supporters. And it's working. The Press is eating this up. Virtually every newscast is covering Obama's fight with FOX News and The Chamber.

But, We the People are the losers. In creating a class warfare between Americans, Obama is dividing the country as it has never been divided before.

Wesley Pruden writes today in his essay Obama's
Third World Press Rant. "Mr. Obama and his White House can't seem to get their brains around the fact that the election of '08 is over, and he won. A candidate feeds on red meat, but a president is the president of everyone, and must set a different table."

"Mr. Obama campaigned with promises of a post-racial, post-partisan, post-rancor administration, and millions of Americans responded with enthusiasm. The candidate who said he took inspiration from Abraham Lincoln of Illinois now acts as if he takes inspiration from the distinguished statesmen of the Third World, where press opposition to the leader is usually a bloody no-no. The remarkable White House attempt to define which news organization is legitimate and which is not began in August, as Mr. Obama's poll numbers began a dramatic slide."

The press from the other networks are beginning to see the light and many are questioning the Presidents actions and motives.

And the public is appalled. Obama's poll numbers are sinking at an alarming rate. Frankly they should be sinking faster because this level of betrayal of the American people is tragic.

The British newspaper
The Telegraph writes, "The decline in Barack Obama's popularity since July has been the steepest of any president at the same stage of his first term for more than 50 years."

Peggy Noonan, a liberal leaning Republican in name only, who has generally been supportive of the President
writes in The Wall Street Journal, "At a New York fund-raiser this week, Obama said to the Democratic audience, are "an opinionated bunch." They always have a lot of thoughts and views. Republicans, on the other hand—"the other side"—aren't really big on independent thinking. "They just kinda sometimes do what they're told. Democrats, y'all thinkin' for yourselves."

"It is never a good sign when the president gets folksy, dropping his g's, because he is by nature not a folksy g-dropper but a coolly calibrating intellectual who is always trying to guess, as most politicians do, what normal people think. When Mr. Obama gets folksy he isn't narrowing his distance from his audience but underlining it. He shouldn't do this."

"But the statement that Republicans just do what they're told was like his famous description of unhappy voters as people who "cling to guns or religion." (What comes over him at fund-raisers?) Both statements speak of a political misjudgment of his opponents and his situation.They show a misdiagnosis of the opposition that is politically tin-eared. Politicians looking to win don't patronize those they're trying to win over."


Sadly, Peggy Noonan has misread the President's intent. He has absolutely no desire to win over the other side. He really wants to simply destroy them. Failing that, he wants to ignore them or bully them into compliance. He is a Blue State Only President. We can support the President best by simply turning a majority of states back to red.

14 comments:

Oso said...

Hi Wizard,
I'm hearing a lot of people say Obama wasn't ready to be president although almost exclusively among Republicans.I agree in principle,to the extent that IMO none of the past four or five presidents has been qualifed.Not in the way that a Johnson or a Nixon was qualified. Veteran political infighters,people who know how to get things done.

I disagree with most of his domestic policy and all of his foreign policy.I view him as Bush Lite.So I criticize him consistent with my criticism of Bush.

What annoys me is people (ranting here,not directed at you Wizard)who seem to have just discovered the fact of deficit spending and think it started with Obama.It really got outta whack years ago.Clinton left a budget surplus only due to the bubble and wrongheaded fiscal policy so I consider him part of the problem.We have not had well managed fiscal policy in years.

Some say it's due to our position in the world but I think that's a copout.No one is willing to take on special interest groups and along with lobbyists they are probably too entrenched for anything to be done short of torching their asses like one would a tick.

OTOH what the hell do I know. Hope things are well with you man.

Vigilante said...

Wellll...... Wizard, you're a funny guy.

Bipartisanship never meant buying what the (uncomprising) partisans on the other side wanted, like stall, stall and more stalling.

And what's this one-liner zinger sneakily sandwiched in the middle of this superficial column? You're accusing Obama of starting class warfare?

That's a howler!

What do you think, Oso?

Oso said...

The idea of the compromising,backtracking,trying to please everybody Obama trying to destroy or bully anyone is silly.

The President is like Mikhail Gorbachev in many respects.The Soviet leader tried to maintain a middle course between polar opposite groups during changing times too.

I see the Right exploiting class differences for partisan reasons rather than work with the President.Standard US politics.The Dems don't often do this,less from principle than low testosterone.
For many reasons minorities won't buy in so it's doomed to be a Whites only thing,not really the intention.

Fox has always been Obama's enemy,he didn't make them one.They play the martyr and their Angry Guy viewership gets angrier.Fox is just the right edge of the corporate media,they exploit this Dunn thing like they (MSM)exploit the Saucer Kid.

Vigilante said...

"Dunn thingie" & "Saucer kiddie"? I clearly don't watch enough teevee to comment on this thread.

Bob Keller said...

Oso and Vigilante - Thanks for stopping by and adding to the discussion.

I am less concerned with bi-partisanship than Obama's marginalization and outright demonization of his critics.

I am deeply concerned that you can't see what is happening. For all the fears we both expressed about Bush and the "Imperial Presidency," what Obama is doing and attempting to do is much worse. And it's worse on several different levels.

At first I wrote it off as a childish temper tantrum, frankly not the sort of thing you want to see in our President, but only a minor worry.

But it is, in fact, much worse. Thankfully, NBC, CBS, ABC and CNN have basically called the Administration out. They drew a line in the sand last week and dared the President to cross it. He blinked first. Thank God for a free and brave press.

I don't give a rat's ass about FOX News and never watch Beck or Hannity. Any Liberal who thinks this is about Fox has completely missed the point or is being willfully mislead by the administration.

Anita Dunn is another matter entirely. She needs to be fired instantly. But, because of her husband's expected promotion, that's not going to happen.

Regardless, Barack Obama needs to either mature and learn quickly to "man up" or he needs a strong opposition in Congress to control his egomanical instincts.

Unknown said...

Wizard, I wonder if David Limbaugh reads your blog?

Kentucky Rain said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Kentucky Rain said...

Wizard I think we have had this discussion but just in case.....Rupert Murdoch's Fox News is not a legitimate branch of America's mainstream media. It is to the Republican party what Joseph Goebbels was to the National Socialists. Again, I don't know where you get this "temper tantrum" comment. I have looked everywhere and I can't find one word of tempers lost or tantrums thrown. I have to assume this is your own slant. If so that is very "Foxlike" of you...

As to the qualifications of the president I am not sure what those would be in the first place. It is not as if you can get OJT. The president is smart, level headed, compassionate, and a visionary. He will get health care, with a public option. He will end the war in Afghanistan and will withdraw the troops from Iraq. He has already started that process. He has made veteran's benefits more accessible to all veterans and not just the few. The list goes on and on and on. As to his campaign promises are you so naive to think this is something he can get done in 8 short months?

When it comes to people being unqualified I think it is safe to say that good ole' Dubya would pretty much fit that description. He was a religious fanatic, dumb as a rock, and lacked compassion and good sense. He was dangerous to America and I am glad he is gone.

Vigilante said...

He's not gone, Mike.

Unknown said...

Nice Tantrum there MM.. ;P

Of course Fox is a legitimate news organization, sure it has its own slant. So what? It is what the most people are watching, so its mainstream as it gets. It is just a legit as the Raving liberal MSNBC (even more legit).

You kind of missed your metaphor, as MSNBC is to the Democrat party what Joseph Goebbels was to the National Socialists. (You probably mean Libertarianism but couldn't find anything provocative)

And of course Obama is not qualified to run anything other then organize a community and a political campaign, unfortunately he continues to campaign, instead of doing anything. Of course the non-existent Republicans are probably blocking him in the house right? Oh wait, they do not have the votes... Or maybe it is the Senate Republicans blocking him... Oh gosh, what is stopping Obama from keeping his promises? Makes you go hmmm?

Of course GW Bush was more qualified. I just wish he did not show all those liberal tendencies. As for Obama lets hope the Man-Child grows up fast.

Unknown said...

Fox News Viewed as Most Ideological Network

Bob Keller said...

The Republican victories in New Jersey and Virginia this week are a good start. We need many more Republican victories until either 1.) Obama decides to be President of the entire United States and not just the blue states, OR 2.) he is rendered impotent and unable to inflict continued damage on our country.

It is tragic. I held out geat hope for President Obama as my many posts in this blog illustrate.

He has certainly betrayed me.

Bob Keller said...

MadMike, The misguided attacks on Fox are silly and meaningless. While I'll stop short of saying Fox is the News Source of Record, they come damned close. Here are the election night ratings.

FNC: 4,043,000 in total viewers (1,130,000 in A25-54)

MSNBC: 974,000 in total viewers (308,000 in A25-54)

HLN: 842,000 in total viewers (341,000 in A25-54)

CNN: 826,000 in total viewers (227,000 in A25-54)

While I understand my fellow liberals and Democrats decrying the popularity of conservative pundits like Hannity and Beck, we just look stupid when we claim Fox isn't the a news network. In fact we look downright insipid when we fail to acknowledge that Fox is the "most powerful name in news."

While I can grin and joke along with you and other progressive bloggers in their attacks on Fox, it is simply beneath the President to engage in such sophistry.

And we love to place President Obama on a pedistal while tearing down former President Bush. I want to do that too.... but, Bush was always dignified and even handed. Even as MSNBC and Olbermann destroyed and vilified him nightly with potent criticism, Bush still granted Brian Williams open access to the WIhte House and lengthy interviews. Bush had both maturity and confidence. Obama is behaving like a child. Not a characteristic I want in a President.

Bob Keller said...

It is a good sign that White House Media Director Anita Dunn is resigning.

Drudge Report is also reporting that President may grant an interview with FOX's Major Garrett, although that announcement might have been premature.

Still, I am hopeful that adults will reassert control at the White House sometime soon.