...[The history of Obama calling for higher gas prices] has been so widely reported that one can even hear it at the gas pump — where those filling up mumble that Obama wanted these high gas prices.
In response to that political problem, the Obama team has not yet explained why they no longer believe the above. Secretary Chu merely concedes that he’s changed his mind, but that was an embarrassingly political concession. In other words, the public believes that Obama and his associates privately still think that high gas prices help the environment, cool the planet, make preferred subsidized green energy viable, and curb the gas-guzzling culture of the American middle class, but with a wink and a nod simply cannot say that any longer since they are now in a reelection cycle. And because Obama does not now either defend or refute his embarrassing remarks about the price of power needing to “skyrocket,” or similar views of his subordinates, voters believe that he will probably go back to his earlier positions if reelected or out of office.
Oh, but Obama did explain, although perhaps unwittingly so since he was not using a teleprompter at the time. The explanation was quite direct as to why Obama wants gas prices to go down. And voters can be reassured that it is all about the election.
Ed Henry, FOX News: Your critics will say on Capitol Hill that you want gas prices to go higher because you have said before that will wean the American people off fossil fuels onto renewable fuels. How do you respond to that?
President Obama: Ed, just from a political perspective, do you think the President of the United States going into re-election wants gas prices to go up higher? Is that -- is there anybody here who thinks that makes a lot of sense?
Of course not, Mr. President. Everyone knew that it's just political and only about the election. I'm just not sure many people thought you'd come right out and say it, though.
Obama 2012
The Most Transparent Administration In History
(Mostly Because We're Just That Bad At Hiding Our Intentions)
RNC Video: You wanna talk about the “war on women”? Let’s talk about it!
Good vid. Go watch. The focus of the video is the hypocrisy of calling out Rush Limbaugh on the one hand and accepting a million bucks from Bill Maher on the other. That was covered here as it relates to David Axelrod. The video also touches upon the subject of a 2011 book by Ron Suskind that portrayed the Obama White House as a "boys club".
Well. Let's offer a couple more points on the Obama woman problem to add to the catalog. In October of 2009, Obama began catching grief that all his basketball games were limited to men. So Obama invited Melody Barnes, his domestic policy advisor to join in one of his golf foursomes.
And for a trip even further down memory lane, let's point out this piece from Jim Geraghty from June of 2008 (believe it or not, this was in the full swoon of Hope and Change, though many weren't paying attention to stories such as this):
Defending Her Honor The-100-percent-sexism-free Democratic primary.
In the coming days, you will hear many asking whether Hillary Clinton’s bid for the White House fell short because of sexism. And there will be that related question, “is Obama sexist?”
There is really not much evidence that Obama is sexist. There is only, “Hold on a second, sweetie. We’ll hold a press avail,” which he told a reporter at an event outside Detroit. And perhaps his comment to a factory worker in Allentown, Pa., that “you’re gorgeous, you look like you might be a dancer.”
Okay, there’s also the time Obama, after a particularly tough exchange with Hillary, told a crowd, “You challenge the status quo and suddenly the claws come out.” And, “You know, over the last several weeks since she fell behind, she’s resorted to what’s called ‘kitchen sink’ strategies. . . . She’s got the kitchen sink flying, and the china flying, and the, you know, the buffet is coming at me.”
Also, “I understand that Senator Clinton, periodically when she’s feeling down, launches attacks as a way of trying to boost her appeal.” (This one is especially benign, considering he went with “periodically” instead of “every 28 days or so.”)
And when Obama offered the backhanded compliment “You’re likeable enough, Hillary” in a New Hampshire debate, some women may have wondered why we never heard this kind of jab at John Edwards or Bill Richardson.
So many clues so early on regarding Obama and yet so many unwilling to see it when it mattered.
“First of all, obviously, some of those things were vulgar and inappropriate and said over the course of years of a comedian’s life. It’s not language I would use or language we would use at Priorities USA,” Burton said
First, Axelrod took to twitter to express his dismay about such a response:
And when [he] says it's "not the language I would of used," what does that mean? What about the spirit of what [was] said? Was that OK?
"What about the spirit of what was said?" Axelrod asked ... "I thought that was a cowardly answer, and it was a test of leadership, and one that he failed."
Wait. What?
Oh, right. Axelrod wasn't talking about Bill Burton's answer regarding Maher. He was perched atop his high horse which was standing on his soap box regarding Mitt Romney's response to Rush Limbaugh's comments regarding Sandra Fluke:
Last week, Romney made a brief comment about the Fluke incident, saying that Limbaugh calling Fluke a "slut" was "not the language I would have used."
"What about the spirit of what was said?" Axelrod asked of Romney's response. "I thought that was a cowardly answer, and it was a test of leadership, and one that he failed."
So Romney and Burton used nearly identical words to respond to Limbaugh/Maher respectively. But Axelrod only views one of those responses as cowardly.
But of course. David Axelrod doesn't think Bill Burton is cowardly or a failed leader. Because Axelrod has standards. Two of them. You might even call them double standards.
The final financial challenge facing Mr. Obama's campaign is how fast it is burning through the cash it is raising. Compare the 2012 Obama re-election campaign with the 2004 Bush re-election campaign. Mr. Obama's campaign spent 25% of what it raised in the second quarter of 2011, while Mr. Bush's campaign spent only 9% in the second quarter of 2003. In the third quarter it was 46% for Obama versus 26% for Bush; for the fourth quarter it was 57% versus 40%. In January 2012 the Obama campaign spent 158% of what it raised, while the Bush campaign spent 60% in January 2004.
Ace concludes:
At least he's consistent. He spends his money like he spends ours.
I don't know if Ace realizes just how right he is.
During FY 2011, nearly equivalent increases in Federal tax receipts and outlays resulted in a cash-based U.S. budget deficit that remained essentially flat at $1.3 trillion. The Government’s net cost decreased from $4.3 trillion to $3.7 trillion due in large part to decreased estimated costs for federal employee and veteran benefits as well as a decline in projected costs for the Government’s economic recovery programs and a slight revenue increase from $2.2 trillion to $2.4 trillion.
So the U.S. raised $2.4T in revenue and incurred $3.7T in spending.
For those keeping score at home, the U.S. spent roughly 154% of what it raised in fiscal year 2011, compared to the Obama campaign spending 158% of what it raised in January 2012.
Let's do some conflationism, shall we? And let's use Jim Geraghty to do so.
Step One: WaPo tells us to relax about gas prices. Really, they're not that bad
In this post, Geraghty included this graphic from the Washington Post, arguing that the problem of high gas prices is mostly overblown:
And if you click through to the article and pull up the graphic there, you get this:
Gas prices are spiking, and a new poll found that seven in 10 of us find the issue very important ... But for most of us, a bigger number on the pump makes only a small dent in our annual expenses.
"So stop complaining all you bitter clingers" is the not entirely subtle message.
This old Dean Barnett article from 2008 is quite on point any time you hear non-bitter clingers spout off about gas prices.
Step Two: Sandra Fluke has given us the ol' woe-is-me lament that she and her fellow classmates can't afford (and shouldn't be expected to bear the costs no matter the cost of) birth control. Last I was seen on Geraghty's Campaign Spot was on this post in which we learned:
What is the cost of birth control? Planned Parenthood puts the cost at “$15–$50 a month.”
So, taking the midpoint of the Planned Parenthood estimates, we got to wondering...
(BTW - I cleaned up a typo in that graphic the layers of editing at WaPo missed.)
What does this mean? Well. According to WaPo and Obama and those on the left, birth control is so expensive that I have to pay for Sandra Fluke's. And according to WaPo $4 per gallon gas it is not so bad, really.
So I'm pretty sure that chart must be lying. And sexist. And it probably has declared a war on all women. Some charts are like that.
Wow, now here's a new format. I started playing with blogger.com's templates, and here we are. Nothing all that noteworthy other than it's a change. Not a fancy change, not a technological change. Not a change with any purpose than to, well, make a change.
Eh, why not. Obama's "Change" as promised in 2008 has proven illusory. No, wait. It's proven painful. Obama gave change a really bad name.
So for 2012, TheVIMH is going for painless change. We're taking Change back.
We'll alleviate President Painful Change come November.
Now, here’s the thing, though — this is not the first time we’ve seen gas prices spike. It’s been happening for years. Every year, about this time, gas starts spiking up, and everybody starts wondering, how high is it going to go? And every year, politicians start talking when gas prices go up. They get out on the campaign trail — and you and I both know there are no quick fixes to this problem — but listening to them, you’d think there were.
Obama's right about politicians getting out on the campaign trail talking about quick fixes. Like this guy in 2008:
Barack Obama will require oil companies to take a reasonable share of their record-breaking windfall profits and use it to provide direct relief worth $500 for an individual and $1,000 for a married couple. The relief would be delivered as quickly as possible to help families cope with the rising price of gasoline, food and other necessities.
So Obama was promising quick fixes in 2008. And what a fix -- because raising the taxes of oil companies would never, ever result in them raising their prices or anything, with Obama unilaterally repealing the Law of Unintended Consequences and all. Of course Obama was in that quick fix, promise-making mood when he was campaigning for office but not actually responsible for anything. And now that he is the one responsible, he's telling us there are no quick fixes.
Four years later and here we are with President Obama telling us what a cynicial, typical politician Candidate Obama was in 2008.
Why, I don't think Obama ever meant one word of what he said in 2008 on the campaign trail.
More than half of Obama’s 47 biggest fundraisers, those who collected at least $500,000 for his campaign, have been given administration jobs. Nine more have been appointed to presidential boards and committees.
At least 24 Obama bundlers were given posts as foreign ambassadors, including in Finland, Australia, Portugal and Luxembourg . . .
We need a President who sees government not as a tool to enrich well-connected friends and high-priced lobbyists, but as the defender of fairness and opportunity for every American. That's what this country has always been about, and that's the kind of President I intend to be.
You know what they say the road to hell is paved with.
Via Ed Morrissey, (and thanks for the h/t on that, Ed!) this is a fun tale weaving together Obama, Warren Buffett and lower taxes through the muscle of high priced and well-connected lobbyists for . . . corporate jet owners (you may remember how much I liked Obama's corporate jet owners shtick):
As the parties battle over taxes, the deficit and economic inequality, two arguments that have been marshaled to advocate for the Democratic position are that taxpayers should not be subsidizing private jet travel and that Warren Buffett’s tax bill is way too low — lower, Democrats and Buffett himself have repeatedly noted, than his secretary’s. ...
But when a Buffett company had a chance to tackle both problems, it chose to do the opposite. And it spent handsomely on K Street to get it done.
Berkshire Hathaway-owned NetJets Inc. spent more than $2.5 million on a squadron of lobbyists who successfully crafted tax legislation to benefit a handful of private jet companies, according to a HuffPost analysis of lobbying disclosure records.
When big business doesn't like something in the tax code, they can hire a lobbyist to get it changed, but most working people can't afford a high-priced lobbyist. Instead of honoring that core American value - opportunity for all - we've had a system in Washington where our laws and regulations have carved out opportunities for the few.
The American people have spoken out, and they are saying we need to move in a new direction... Are you really ready for change? Because if you are ready for change, then we can go ahead and tell the lobbyists that their days of setting the agenda are over.
...would have a lot of problems with President Obama. But then again, as I argued in 2008, the Obama of 2008 should have had a lot of problems with Senator Obama.
Four years later and here we are again, with Obama having lived down to my expectations as a cynicial, typical politician who would just as easily disown his lofty campaign rhetoric of 2008 as he did Reverend Wright.
Why, I don't think Obama ever meant one word of what he said in 2008 on the campaign trail.
THE POLITICS OF HATE: Dems Incite Death Threats Against Limbaugh. And Limbaugh’s already had to call the bomb squad to his house. That’s their approach. Marginalize, then brutalize.
When will President Obama speak out against this hatred and extremism? Probably never. But since it’s been established that this sort of thing happens via close coordination between the White House and Media Matters, etc., there’s no denying responsibility now. I call upon the President to denounce his supporters’ hateful violent rhetoric, to promise not to engage in or encourage it again, and to apologize to Limbaugh for stirring up this cesspit of hatred among his followers. A President is supposed to lead, not incite violence
has there been a double standard on this issue? Liberal commentators have made similarly provocative or distasteful statements and there hasn’t been such an outrage.
In response to this question Obama dodged the “double standard” aspect, not letting such a politically inconvenient question derail what he has seized upon as a politically advantageous issue. Obama knows that it remains advantageous only as long as the villains can be limited to his political adversaries.
In his response Obama did however invoke his daughters Malia and Sasha. Perhaps it’s part of his effort to prop up his campaign. Or not. We’ll give him the benefit of the doubt -- this was not so much a calculated campaign ploy as it is a standard line. If you'll remember, he brought his daughters up in his speech after the Virginia Tech shooting, in reference to Don Imus's remarks about the Rutgers women's basketball team as well.
But on the subject of little girls, is there another he has forgotten?
I believe we can be better. Those who died here, those who saved lives here - they help me believe. We may not be able to stop all evil in the world, but I know that how we treat one another is entirely up to us. I believe that for all our imperfections, we are full of decency and goodness, and that the forces that divide us are not as strong as those that unite us.
That's what I believe, in part because that's what a child like Christina Taylor Green believed. Imagine: here was a young girl who was just becoming aware of our democracy; just beginning to understand the obligations of citizenship; just starting to glimpse the fact that someday she too might play a part in shaping her nation's future. She had been elected to her student council; she saw public service as something exciting, something hopeful. She was off to meet her congresswoman, someone she was sure was good and important and might be a role model. She saw all this through the eyes of a child, undimmed by the cynicism or vitriol that we adults all too often just take for granted.
I want us to live up to her expectations. I want our democracy to be as good as she imagined it. All of us - we should do everything we can to make sure this country lives up to our children's expectations.
I have a hard time believing that Obama truly believes that as he remains conspicuously silent in the face of vitriol directed toward conservatives by liberals, but ubiquitously outspoken against the same when directed at liberals by conservatives. It seems what Obama really believes is that he should live up to the expectations of Christina Taylor Green unless it would be politically inconvenient or hurt the narrative, at which point Obama can be expected to ignore whatever it is he has imagined her expectations to be.
And since Obama is bringing up family here, let’s remember Obama’s love of quoting the Bible that we should be our “brother’s keeper”.
Because the thing is, he never gets that one quite right. I mean, sure the Bible has a lot of themes in it that can be related to the idea that we ought to take care of each other, to love another. But the story in Genesis from which the words “brother’s keeper” is being quoted has absolutely nothing to do with any of that. In fact it is quite the opposite.
In Genesis, Cain had just killed his brother Abel. God asked Cain where his brother was (knowing, of course that Cain had killed him, being ominiscient and all). "Am I my brother's keeper?" was Cain's effort to dodge the Lord's question and avoid revealing what he had done. And Cain's question was purely rhetorical, assuming that the answer was "no".
For once the quote would be appropriate were Obama to invoke it. When asked about hate-filled rhetoric from his own side of the ideological spectrum, Obama, by dodging such a politically inconvenient and narrative-wrecking question is implicitly asking us, "Am I my brother's keeper?" attempting to convince enough people that the answer should be "no".
But from all the evidence, Obama only shows a desire to be Rush's keeper -- conservatives' keeper -- when it comes to using his bully pulpit to denounce hateful violent rhetoric. And from that one can only conclude that it is entirely political.
A new Internet ad by the president’s reelection campaign features a portrait of the first family asking supporters to “help the Obamas stand up for working Americans.” The appeal, a departure from the typical Obama messaging, provides an early glimpse of the role the president’s wife and daughters are likely to play in his campaign.
In the months to come, political strategists expect to see the first family used as a political asset. [...]
“It’s a way to humanize them, and it’s also a way to signal youth and vitality,” Gillespie said. “It helps when you have an attractive family to use as a backdrop.”
Obama 2012
Do It For TheMy Children
But don't worry,the article is very careful to point out that Republicans do it too. You know, like Rick Santorum:
Rick Santorum left the campaign trail in Florida to be with his sick daughter and speaks often of his family.
See! Santorum brought his daughter into the campaign by letting her get sick so he could leave the campaign trail. So the same thing as Obama.
And Obama's words of encouragement to his daughters should leave everyone impressed with just how important this election is:
And I always tell Malia and Sasha, ‘Look, you guys, I don’t worry about you.’ I mean, I worry the way parents worry — but they’re on a path that is going to be successful, even if the country as a whole is not successful.
I think a second Obama terms takes the "if" out of the equation.
But nevermind that -- look at those girls' dimples! Aren't those two just adorable?
Stephen Hayes at the Weekly Standard draws the contrast between Obama's kineticism in Libya and ostrichism regarding Syria:
On March 28, 2011, Barack Obama defended his decision to intervene days earlier with military force in Libya, arguing that for the United States to stand by without responding would have been “a betrayal of who we are.”
"To brush aside America's responsibility as a leader and—more profoundly—our responsibilities to our fellow human beings under such circumstances would have been a betrayal of who we are," Obama said. "Some nations may be able to turn a blind eye to atrocities in other countries. The United States of America is different. And as president, I refused to wait for the images of slaughter and mass graves before taking action."
Amnesty International reported at the time “hundreds have died in Libya since unrest began.” Others put the death toll in Libya as high as 1,000.
The death toll in Syria today is at least five times that number, with some opposition and human rights groups putting the figure as high as 8,500.
The United States, it seems, is suddenly very capable of turning a blind eye to atrocities in other countries. Why is our inaction now not a betrayal of who we are?
What if the difference between our response to Libya and Syria is found in these Obama words: "I refused to wait for the images of slaughter and mass graves before taking action"?
What if Obama is refusing to act unless or until there are imminent images of slaughter and mass graves?
Over at Just One Minute, Tom Maguire wrote about Team Obama trying to come up with a new slogan since Hope has left the building and Change has been abysmal.
WASHINGTON, Feb 18 (Reuters) - Winning The Future. Greater Together. We Don't Quit.
They may not be official but those are all phrases that could in one form or another be candidates to become President Barack Obama's re-election slogan.
So TM put out the call to his readers:
I know we can help.
I am nothing if not helpful. And besides, TM called me out specifically:
Over to Hit et al...
Aaaaaand...we were off to the races. Figured I collect and re-print my offerings here for posteriority.
Obama 2012
Change is...Painful
Obama 2012
You wouldn't like me as a scorned ex-President
Obama 2012
Fore More Years
Obama 2012
Over the precipice together
Obama 2012
Having second thoughts? Doubts? Regrets? It's not me, it's you.
Obama 2012
If you strike me down I shall become more pitiful than you could possibly imagine
Obama 2012
Like none of the other presidents on the dollar bills
Obama 2012
Check the Box Marked "Present"
Just like me
Obama 2012
Don't Vote for Some Rich Old White Dude.
Vote for the Rich Black Guy.
He's way cooler
Obama 2012
In 2008 you proved you weren't a racist.
It's all on the line again in 2012.
Obama 2012
You Can't Spell America without "Me" and "I"
Obama 2012
We're Like So Almost Out of the Ditch
Obama 2012
If The Last Four Years Didn't Kill You, It Only Made You Stronger.
You're Welcome.
Obama 2012
I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a nation who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the free shit that I provide, and then questions the manner in which I provide it. I would rather you just said thank you, and went on your way. Otherwise, I suggest you pick up your free contraceptives, and shut the hell up. Either way, I don't give a damn what you think you are entitled to.
Obama 2012
A Tyranny Sincerely Exercised for the Good of Its Victims
Obama 2012
This is going to hurt you more than it hurts me
Obama 2012
I Do Think At Some Point, You've Made Enough Money
Obama
Lasciate ogne speranza, voi ch'intrate
Obama 2012
A Republic, You Can't Keep It
Obama 2012
We Hold These Truths to Be Self-Evident, That Some Men Are Created More Equal Than Others
Obama 2012
It Takes a Pillage
Obama 2012
Let the Wookie Win
Obama 2012
We can do this the hard way or the easy way. Or the medium way. Or the semi-medium-easy-hard way. Or the sort of hard with a touch of awkward-easy-difficult-challenging way.
America: ...
Obama 2012: So that's how you wanna play it?
Obama 2012
Because Kate Upton is not 35 years old
Obama 2012
OPM for the Masses
(OPM = Other People's Money)
Obama 2012
The Arc of History Is Long, But It Bends Toward Just Us
Obama 2012
Get All You Can, Can All You Get and Sit on Your Can
Obama 2012
An election of biblical proportions. Old Testament, real wrath of God type stuff
Fire and brimstone coming down from the skies! Rivers and seas boiling!
Four years of darkness! Earthquakes, volcanoes.
The dead rising from the grave!
Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together... mass hysteria!
Obama 2012
Your Lips Say No, But Your Eyes Say Yes
Obama 2012
Like Reagan Said, I'm From The Government And I'm Here to Help
Obama 2012
OK (ok ok ok). Just A Little Pin Prick. There'll Be No More . . . AAAAAHHHHHHH . . . But You May Feel A Little Sick
Obama 2012
Like You Really Have A Say In The Matter
Obama 2012
Somebody Somewhere Is Happy And I Must Put A Stop To It
Obama 2012
You Don't Have To Fall In Love, You Just Have To Fall In Line
Obama 2012
Come On Baby, I Promise I'll Respect You In The Morning
Obama 2012
If I Don't Win And The Oceans Start Rising Again, That's On You
Obama 2012
Now With 62% More Cynicism
Obama 2012
We Are The Folks Whose Policies Helped Devastate Our Middle Class. We Drove Our Economy Into A Ditch. You Know What, We Really Screwed Up
Obama 2012
I Don't Care. I Am Awesome.
Obama 2012
Four More Years And I'll Introduce You To The Concept Of A Quadrillion
Obama 2012
Don't Make Me Steal All The "O's" Off The White House Keyboards
Obama 2012
It's Not The Economy, Stupid. It's Stupid Economy
Obama 2012
Try Not To Think Of An Elephant
Obama 2012
'If I Don't Have This Done In Three Years, Then There's Going To Be A One-Term Proposition' Was Totally Not What I Meant To Say
Obama 2012
Creating Or Saving Millions of Jobs . . . For Strawmen
Obama 2012
Membership Has Its Privileges
Obama 2012
My Therapist Tells Me I Need This
Obama 2012
Some Say That This Is The Most Important Election In Our Nation's History. I Agree. I'm Mean, Come On, It's Got Me In It.
Obama 2012
You Can No More Disown Me As Your President Than I Can Disown My Own Typical White Grandmother
Obama 2012
Don't Worry - If Polls Show It Will Help, I'll Totally Bomb Iran
Obama 2012
Have You Looked At The Crease In My Pants Lately?
Obama 2012
Let Me Put It This Way. Have You Ever Heard Of Plato, Aristotle, Socrates? Morons.
Obama 2012
Eric, Don't Call My Bluff
Obama 2012
If You're Not Better Off Than You Were Four Years Ago That's Probably Because You Didn't Donate To My Campaign Last Time. Don't Make That Mistake Again.
Obama 2012
You Liked The Greek Columns, Didn't You? I Can Get Columns Again, Bigger Columns. I'll Totally Go All Out On The Columns.
Obama 2012
Espoir Et Changement Sont Morts. Vive Le Espoir Et Changement
Obama 2012
Have I Told You Lately How Important It Is To Preserve The Status Quo?
Obama 2012
No More NewD irection. That's Obscene.
Obama 2012
This Time We're Taking The Training Wheels Off
Obama 2012
You Can't Possibly Fathom How Important This Is. It's Probably Beyond Your Capacity. So Don't Even Think About It. Just Do As I Say.
Obama 2012
What If I Promised To Play More Golf And Give Fewer Speeches?
Obama 2012
I Promise That In My Second Term I Will Not Pass Obamacare
Obama 2012
Look, Let's Cut To The Chase. I'm Screwing The Country No Matter What. If You Give Me Four More Years, I Promise To Be Gentle. But If You Don't, Well, Let's Just Say That A Lot Can Happen Between November and January.
Obama 2012
The Best Things In Life Are Free. For Everything Else There Are Federal Subsidies.
Obama 2012
No Pain, No Gain.
Obama 2012
Let's End Once And For All The Idea That Washington Shouldn't Control Your Every Decision
Obama 2012
Look, It Could Be Worse. And It Probably Would Be If The Strawmen I Have Erected To Run Against Were In Charge.
Obama 2012
I'll Piss On Your Leg And Tell You It's Raining
Obama 2012
If I Need To, I'll Create A Crisis So We Can Not Let It Go To Waste
Obama 2012
You Change Your Mind Now,We Will All Know You Were Racist All Along. Don't Be A Racist. You're Better Than That. Unless You're Not. In Which Case I Don't Think You're Even American. You Want To Be American, Don't You?
Obama 2012
It's WJWD
Obama 2012
America? Things got a little out of hand. It's just this do nothing Congress and that lying son of a bitch Bush and...I would never hurt you. You know that.
Obama 2012
If Everything I've Said To This Point Hasn't Convinced You, I'll Say A Bunch More Shit That I Think Will
Obama 2012
I Think America Has A Great Personality
Obama 2012
Stop Whining Already
Obama 2012
Either You Are With Us Or You Are With The Terrorists
Obama 2012
So This Is How Liberty Dies - With Thunderous Applause
Obama 2012
He Killed A Fly With His Bare Hands
Obama 2012
Would I Lie To You?
Obama 2012
You Should Totally Be This Brother's Keeper
Obama 2012
Let's Make America A Shining City On A Hill. Powered By Wind And Solar.
Obama 2012
If You Don't Re-Elect Me, My Farewell Address Will Be Six Hours Long.
Obama 2012
I'm Pretty Sure You Can Be Bought. Let's Start The Bidding.
Obama 2012
If It Comes To It, I'm Totally Prepared To Gin Up An October Surprise No Matter Who My Opponent Is.
Obama 2012
Homeland Security Has Collected A Lot Of Data On All Of You. Vote Accordingly.
Obama 2012
You Have To Re-Elect Me So My Successor Doesn't Go Around Talking About The Mess He Inherited From Me Like My Incessant Whining About Bush
Obama 2012
If You Don't Re-Elect Me My Presidential Library Will Consist Of Nothing More Than A Couple Of Memoirs And a 2,000+ Page Health Care Bill Bearing My Name That Even I Haven't Read
Obama 2012
If You're Honest With Yourself, Really Honest, I Think You'll Agree: You Need The Firm But Gentle Hand of a Benevolent Government Telling You What To Do
Obama 2012
We Got Off On The Wrong Foot. Can't We Just Wipe The Slate Clean And Start All Over?
Obama 2012
Hey, America: You Mad, Bro?
Obama 2012
Some Of You May Be Disillusioned By The Volume Of Campaign Promises I Failed To Deliver Once In Office. I've Got Good News! It's Campaign Time Again And I'm In A Promise-Making Mood.
Obama 2012
Nobody Has Ever Done More To Serve Than Me. Mostly Lip Service, But Still.
Obama 2012
The Difference Between 1996 And Now Is, You've Got Me
Obama 2012
Punishing Your Enemies Starts At Home. And Pretty Much Stays There.
Obama 2012
I Am A Very Big Believer In Capitolism. And No, That Is Not A Typo
Obama 2012
I Signed Don't Ask, Don't Tell Into Law. But It Is Much More Than Just Words On Paper. In Fact, My Administration Has Long Believed In And Exercised The Very Priniples Of Don't Ask, Don't Tell. Starting With Eric Holder.
"Some politicians, they see this as a political opportunity. I know you're shocked by that. Last week the lead story in one newspaper said, 'Gasoline prices are on the rise and Republicans are licking their chops.' That's a quote. That's the lead. Licking their chops. Only in politics do people root for bad news. They greet bad news so enthusiastically," Obama said.
I wouldn't be shocked if there are some Republican political operatives whose lips are moist from their own tongue, any more than it would surprise me to hear that certain Democrats felt the same way in the fall of 2008.
What would be shocking is if actual Senators licked their chops -- not behind closed doors and not about gas prices -- but about the deaths of U.S. troops, openly to reporters.
As Democratic leaders in Congress brace for a showdown with President Bush on Iraq war funding, they issued a blunt threat to GOP colleagues: Challenge the White House strategy or be wiped out in 2008.
"We're going to pick up Senate seats as a result of this war," Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (Nev.) told reporters yesterday. "Senator Schumer has shown me numbers that are compelling and astounding."
Harry Reid gave his chops that particular dab of saliva in front of reporters on Friday, April 13, 2007. Not satisfied with just a prediction of political opportunity, he then began practically drooling in eager anticipation of turning the prediction into a self-fulfilling prophecy.
CNN Interviewer: "General Petraeus is going to come to the Hill...and make it clear to you that there is progress going on in Iraq...will you believe him?"
Reid: "No. I won't believe him because it isn't happening."
The Democrats saw escalating violence in Iraq as a political opportunity. They licked their chops. They not only rooted for bad news, they worked to bring it about.
What Obama describes as the American Dream can seem a spare, fundamental aspiration, tailored for a campaign that looks to be fought over who is best equipped to safeguard the interests of middle-class Americans. ...
"That's all most people want," he said. "Folks don't have unrealistic ambitions. They do believe that if they work hard they should be able to achieve that small measure of an American Dream."
It would be easy to draw the contrast between Obama's 2008 lofty rhetoric, as Ace does, by alluding to Obama's "...this was the moment when...the rise of the oceans began to slow and our planet began to heal."
You know what else we could do?
[TheVIMH: Quote Michelle Obama from 2008 for the third post in a week?]
Ok, if you insist.
Michelle Obama's words back during the last campaign sound eerily similar to President Obama's now:
Most Americans, she said, don't want much.
"They don't want the whole pie," she told the women. ...
"There are some who do, but most Americans feel blessed just being able to thrive a little bit."
Birds of a feather, those two. But here's the kicker. Michelle knew back in 2008 what would have to happen if America were to implement the policies of her husband. Eerily prescient:
"The truth is, in order to get things like universal health care and a revamped education system, then someone is going to have to give up a piece of their pie so that someone else can have more."
In Barack Obama's America, the American Dream is smaller than ever. And you can trust Michelle when she tells you it's probably going to need to get smaller still. The government's ambition to control ever larger aspects of your life comes at the expense of your personal ambitions.
Hmmm: "According to Planned Parenthood, birth control pills cost between $15 to $50 a month, depending on health insurance coverage and type of pill. On an annual basis, that means the Pill costs between $160 to $600."
The federal government absolutely believes that it must step in to ensure no citizen pays that fee herself. Seriously?
Yes. Last week in announcing his compromiseattempt to blur his march toward a benevolent tyranny*, Obama said:
“Let me repeat: These employers will not have to pay for, or provide, contraceptive services. But women who work at these institutions will have access to free contraceptive services, just like other women, and they'll no longer have to pay hundreds of dollars a year that could go towards paying the rent or buying groceries.”
Rent and groceries? As if President Food Stamps doesn't already view it as a universal "right" to have your rent and groceries (what is more fundamental than food and shelter!) paid for by the federal government.
Well. It was just a couple of days ago that I pulled out the old 2008 quote from Michelle Obama. Since we're dealing with $600 here, let's go back to that well:
[If the government forced your insurance company to pay for your contraception...] "You’re getting $600. ... Not to be ungrateful or anything. But maybe it pays down a billfor your contraception, but it doesn’t pay down every bill every month.
And speaking of Michelle from 2008, she told us back then where President Obama would go to pay for handing out more free stuff. Pie.
"The truth is, in order to get things like universal health care ... then someone is going to have to give up a piece of their pie so that someone else can have more."
Giving up a piece of the pie you worked hard to earn in order to give it to someone else who did nothing (because the government told him it was his right to receive it without working for it) is what is considered Obama-fairness. And if you are not willing to give it up, it will be taken from you. By force if necessary.
One point, though, that seems to have been overlooked by the Beltway media is that the position of president of the Senate is held by the Vice President of the United States. And currently that man happens to be former Senator Joe Biden, a man who up until 2009 served in the greatest deliberative body for almost the entirety of his adult life.
While occupants of the vice presidency have typically only alighted on their Constitutionally prescribed Senate perch to cast tie breaking votes, as Senate.gov notes the position of vice president (itself created only as a vague notion) has one explicit duty: to serve as of president of the Senate: “The framers also devoted scant attention to the vice president’s duties, providing only that he ‘shall be President of the Senate, but shall have no Vote, unless they be evenly divided’ (Article I, section 3).”
Interesting angle! But, remember the Biden-Palin debate in 2008? Biden rejected the idea that the Vice President could have any role in the US Senate unless it was to cast a tie-breaking vote.
The idea [Cheney] doesn't realize that Article I of the Constitution defines the role of the vice president of the United States, that's the Executive Branch. He works in the Executive Branch. He should understand that. Everyone should understand that.
And the primary role of the vice president of the United States of America is to support the president of the United States of America, give that president his or her best judgment when sought, and as vice president, to preside over the Senate, only in a time when in fact there's a tie vote. The Constitution is explicit.
Biden was wrong, of course. Article I deals exclusively with the Legislative branch, and that is where the role of President of the Senate is defined for the Vice President. The Executive branch is only found in Article II. And as to when the Vice President actually presides over the Senate, we'll turn to Wikipedia for this:
The presiding officer may be the President of the Senate, who under Article One of the United States Constitution is the Vice President of the United States and may vote when the Senate is "equally divided" - that is, when a tie occurs. While some early Vice Presidents regularly presided over the Senate, in modern times the Vice President has only actively presided over the chamber when it is anticipated that he may be able to use his casting vote to break a tie, or on ceremonial occasions, such as the counting of electoral votes following a presidential election and the swearing-in of new members.
We'll give Biden partial credit in terms of what the modern practice of Vice Presidential involvement has been in the Senate, to which Holmes also refers. But Biden's notion that "as vice president, to preside over the Senate, only in a time when in fact there's a tie vote. The Constitution is explicit" is simply inaccurate. But that's just our Joe.
Holmes' continues:
So, why has the White House declined to dispatch such an able lieutenant to corral the troops and deliver the 51 votes needed for legislative victory? The answer certainly can’t be lack of “access.”
Perhaps the answer is that Biden is Constitutionally illiterate. That's just our Joe.
President Barack Obama again pushed Congress Tuesday to extend payroll tax cut legislation “without drama and without delay.”
...
“I’m asking the American people to keep their stories coming. Tell us what $40 means to you,” Obama said. He has repeatedly said that losing the payroll tax cut would mean 40 dollars less in the average pay check. “Call, tweet, write your congressmen, write your senators, tell them, do not let up until this job gets done,” he said.
One citizen talked about what an extra $40 per paycheck meant when viewed of a span of several months:
"You’re getting $600. What can you do with that? Not to be ungrateful or anything. But maybe it pays down a bill, but it doesn’t pay down every bill every month.
“Barack’s approach is that the short-term quick fix kinda stuff sounds good. And it may even feel good that first [few] months when you get that [extra $40 in your] check. And then you go out and you buy a pair of earrings.”
That was Michelle Obama in 2008. It could not be confirmed whether she tweeted it to her congressmen. Perhaps it will come up over dinner?
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A few days ago came word that David Axelrod decided to drag Obama's former pastor and spiritual mentor Reverand Jeremiah Wright into a speech. From BigGovernment:
David Axelrod, chief political strategist for President Barack Obama’s re-election campaign and former White House political adviser, defended Jeremiah Wright on Tuesday evening in a speech in Thousand Oaks, CA.
Axelrod described the initial news reports in 2008 on Obama’s long-time family pastor and mentor as “ninety seconds of vitriol plucked from thirty years of sermons by some enterprising opposition researcher.”
The link in the quote above takes you to a March report from ABC.
However, even earlier than the ABC report, the Baltimore Sun reported on a Reverand Wright sermon . . . on this date in 2008:
Man should not put limits on what God can do, but that's what people always do, [Reverand Wright] told the crowd. Just as God made five loaves and two fishes feed thousands, God has provided liberators for blacks in the past - from Nat Turner to the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., and now Barack Obama. But, Wright said, there were always reasons not to follow them.
Some argue that blacks should vote for Clinton "because her husband was good to us," he continued.
"That's not true," he thundered. "He did the same thing to us that he did to Monica Lewinsky."
It was 61 days from the Baltimore Sun report until Obama gave his Major Speech on Race in America -- the speech where he confidently declared, "I can no more disown him than I can disown the black community. I can no more disown him than I can my white grandmother." It was then an additional 42 days from that historic speech to Obama disowning his former pastor and spiritual mentor out of political necessity.
Via Hot Air Headlines, here is Mitt Romney at the January 7 Republican debate in New Hampshire:
“The president is going to try to take responsibility for things getting better. It’s like the rooster trying to take responsibility for the sun rising.”
Well. Maybe someone on Team Romney has read this, a piece I wrote at American Thinker comparing Obama to Chantecler -- the rooster who believed he made the sun rise.
Perhaps it's time to revive my efforts to get "Barackadoodledoo" added to the political lexicon.
