About halfway into his fifteen minute televised address on Monday evening, it occurred to me that Obama is literally boring Americans to death. He was elected to a great degree based on his eloquence and he delivers a speech well, but last night’s speech is the one we have been hearing since January and earlier.
I really don’t give a hoot about “millionaires and billionaires.” Heck, I want to be a millionaire!
“Corporate jets”? What’s that all about? Even Playboy’s Hugh Hefner once had a corporate jet. I would love to have a private jet if only to avoid having to go through airport security these days.
“Corporate taxes”? US corporations pay the highest tax rates of virtually every other nation. Yes, they look for loopholes. You would, too!
“Hedge fund managers”? I don’t know any. Are they doing something criminal? No. They are making bets on the economy. Better that than blowing the money in a casino.
Peggy Noonan, a former speech writer for Ronald Reagan, bestselling author, and now a columnist for The Wall Street Journal, last Saturday wrote “The president, if he is seriously trying to avert a debt crisis, should stay in his office, meet with members, and work the phones, all with a new humility, which would be well received. It is odd how he patronizes those with more experience and depth in national affairs.”
And then she said, “He should keep his face off TV. He should encourage, cajole, work things through, be serious, get a responsible deal, and then re-emerge with joy and the look of a winner...” Noonan concluded saying, “he should choose Strategic Silence. Really, recent presidents forget to shut up. They lose sight of how grating they are.”
Obama’s first year in office was distinguished by his being on television all the time, from The View to late night comedy shows. He loves the camera, loves the attention, and loves himself to the point of an unseemly, off-putting narcissism.
Instead of taking Noonan’s advice, he has become the National Mosquito, always buzzing around somewhere in the room.
Why was the Monday night speech necessary? Both Harry Reid, the Senate Majority Leader, a Democrat, and John Boehner, the Speaker of the House, a Republican, have concluded that Obama had to be cut out of the discussions regarding the necessity to raise the debt ceiling because he was a hindrance to achieving any deal. To put it more bluntly, both concluded that Obama could not be trusted.
Reid and Boehner have essentially cut Obama out of the process. They have asserted the independence and the role of the legislative branch. Together they will send Obama a debt ceiling bill and tell him to take it or leave it. If he finds a reason to veto it, they will over-ride his veto and the rest of us will know that Obama’s agenda has always been the destruction of the nation.
Obama’s polling numbers reflect the growing realization of his arrogance and his incompetence. The advisors he chose and the programs he initiated have all proved to be failures and very costly ones at that. Unemployment rates today equal those of the Great Depression. Millions are on food stamps. Economic growth is an anemic one percent or so. Even people who don’t listen to presidential speeches or follow the news that closely know he is a loser.
There will always be at least 20% of voters who will support Obama no matter what happens. They are the true believers, the core that Democrats have always depended upon, unions, minorities, and federal employees.
The political pundits all said that the speech was aimed at the independents, always the most critical factor in recent national elections. The problem for Obama is that the next election isn’t until November 2012 and people tend to have very short memories. A lot of voters don’t make up their minds until they are in the booth. A year and a half from now is an eternity for these “undecideds.”
The speech was a bore, a repeat of all the poll-tested words and phrases he will repeat between now and November 2012. He’s become a windup doll, the White House Chatty Cathy.
It would be nice if we could ignore him and millions of American wish they could. The bad news is that he’s not going away for at least a year and a half. The good news is that he’s about to be neutered by both the Republicans and Democrats in Congress.
© Alan Caruba, 2011
Well...I am impressed….I didn't last 15 minutes. Actually....I just happened to surf into his speech and immediately surfed right back out. I've see that show before. I can tell you everything he will say before he says it.
ReplyDeleteFirst you have to eliminate the logical fallacies, misdirection, lies of omission and lies of commission. What's left?
Nothing! He says ... nothing!
But he does it so well that the networks devote an inordinate amount of time to hear …. nothing! Of course we have to remember that the networks have been specializing in ‘nothing’ for so many years that to them it sounds like…. Something! It is a pity Dan Rather isn’t here to explain to all of us that ‘nothing’ actually means ‘something’. Maybe he could even say; “Questions still remain” once again to thrill the uninformed and misinformed.
Alan, you summed my thoughts up perfectly. I nearly threw up when I heard Obama was going to give another "speech" last night. I can't think of one person I am less interested in hearing drone on and on about about how our "evil" corporations' fail to pay enough taxes.
ReplyDeleteWe all know that any tax THEY pay is a tax WE pay. More taxes are NOT the solution. Reducing overhead, in government and the private sector, and making our business community more productive and profitable is the solution.
I know that, you know that, and the American people know that. All we need to do now is get that message to our legislators.
So, why WAS Obama talking to us last night? We don't have a damn thing to do with these negotiations, other than to approve or disapprove of the outcome. If he wants to talk to someone, he needs to talk to his Democratic comrades in Congress and the Senate. THEY ALONE are responsible for this financial meltdown in the first place, and they are also the people responsible for failing to fix it. They've held the Presidency, and a majority in both houses, yet they've let the American people down, kicking this can down the road and failing to pass a responsible budget for over THREE YEARS. They should be ashamed of themselves.
If Obama wants to lecture someone, I suggest he spare us, and focus on the people who got us in this mess in the first place. I would also suggest that, if and when our legislators finally see the light and execute the duties we elected them to perform, that he SHUT UP AND SIGN THE DAMN BILL.
If Obama chooses to play God and override the will of the American people AGAIN, I predict there will be serious and long lasting consequences.
Harry Reid was bold and cocky enough to call George W. Bush a loser in public. Wonder if he has uttered those same words lately about the 'National Mosquito'? (Alan, I love that!!). This ignoramus actually believes he can 'fool all the people all of the time'. The congressman from SC was spot on at the SOTU address....(Obama)..."You Lie".
ReplyDeleteWhen it started, I too wanted to throw up, but I left it on because I wanted to see what John Boehner had to say. I used the time while Obama spoke to go outside and feed my dogs. When he was done I watched Mr. Boehner make a excellent rebuttal.
ReplyDeleteOne minor point Alan; Obama didn't *deliver* his speech, he READ his speech...
ReplyDeleteHad he actually tried to *deliver* a speech, he'd still be standing there saying Ummm and Uhhh...
Obama is an outstanding reader, maybe he should have been one of those people that does the *books on tape*..
Just sayin'...
@Fred: Point well taken.
ReplyDeleteThere's considerable doubt he wrote either of his two memoirs", too.
He is the living definition of an empty suit.
" he has become the National Mosquito, always buzzing around somewhere in the room"
ReplyDeleteI Love it!