4 more years?
I was thinking what to say for my pre-election piece. I guess the best thing is to start at the beginning. 4 years ago, I couldn’t figure what was so attractive about candidate Obama. He was charming, articulate, even charismatic, and, yes, Black. OK, but is that all we want or need in a president?
“What in his background, what achievement, what success could you point to that would convince me he would make a good president?” I spoke to dozens, and I mean dozens, of wide-eyed, fervent Obama supporters. Without exception, I got only one answer. “He’s not Bush!” I got frustrated so I pressed the issue. “OK, but he has no practical experience as an executive. He’s never run so much as a candy store. He never had to meet a payroll, evaluate inventory, do marketing, negotiate a contract or a lease, etc. He’s just a teacher/community organizer with questionable associations, who spent 20 minutes in the Senate voting present. He certainly has no foreign policy experience. The Presidency is no place for on-the-job training. Please, convince me he deserves my vote.” Again, I got “He’s not Bush!”
For me, his presidency lived up to my expectations. This president clearly took Olinsky-inspired, classroom theories and applied them to the real world. Unfortunately, as often happens, theory and reality didn’t see eye to eye. Mr. hope and change was hoping to change is hoping to change a capitalist, free enterprise economy into a government owned and controlled one. An economy that punishes the successful for being successful. An economy that crushes personal ambition and celebrates mediocrity. History has shown that Capitalism works and Socialism does not. Period!
The record is clear. No speech or smile can change it. He spent $6 trillion of borrowed money. The results? Gas has doubled. Those on food stamps have increased 35%. Approximately 1 million jobs have been lost (he hasn’t created 5 million jobs as he claims. There are about 1 million fewer people working today than 4 years ago. Will someone please tell me how unemployment goes from 4 1/2 to 8 1/2% (really about 15%) and then tell me you’re a job creator?). He said he would cut the deficit in 1/2. Instead, he increased it from $10 trillion to $16 trillion. He has not passed a budget in 3 years. The first one he submitted was voted down 97-0 in the Senate. Not 1 dem voted for it!
Since then, Harry Reid hasn’t even brought an Obama budget to the floor (and he has the nerve to tell us Romney’s numbers don’t add up). He has no plan to balance the budget. Indeed, he plans $1 trillion in deficit in each of the next 4 years. He said he could keep unemployment under 5 1/2% by passing his “stimulus” bill. It would be used on infra-structure for shovel-ready projects. Six months later he confessed there were no shovel-ready projects! (Wait, Mr President. I know a shovel-ready project. The keystone pipeline. Oops, sorry. I forgot. You refused to OK that).
Moodys downgraded our credit raring. His foreign policy has been a stunning failure. I defy anyone to identify 1 country, just 1, where we are more admired, respected, or feared than we were 4 years ago. He labels his foreign disasters as “bumps in the road,” or “not optimal.” One stands out above the rest; Iran. After 4 years of Obama and sanctions, they are 4 years closer to a nuclear weapon. The truth is they get apologies and appeasement while we get excuses. They will continue until someone takes them out. Period!
They perceive, rightly or not, that we are too weak or unwilling to stop them, yet strong enough and willing to stop Israel. During the Iranian elections, there was fraud, intimidation, even murder. Thousands of people took to the streets, risking their own lives, pleading for help, support. Obama was silent. Had he done something, anything ( a covert op, a statement, even a UN resolution), maybe, just maybe, he could have effected a regime change. Incompetence, lack of leadership……..again!
