Obama Cedes the High Ground
I’m with Joe Biden on this one. Budget speeches make me fall asleep, too. Whether I was discussing them on the radio or debating them on the floor of Congress, the end result was always the same — I was bored to tears. I feel about budget talks the way Will Rogers did about rope tricks when he said, “There’s no such thing as a good one.”
There are probably two reasons most of us feel like dozing off during a budget battle. First, there is nothing in the present debate between Democrats and Republicans that we have not heard many, many times before. Substitute names and numbers, and the current confrontation between President Obama and Speaker Boehner could be a replay of Clinton and Gingrich or George H.W. Bush and George Mitchell or Reagan and Tip O’Neill. Yes, the deficits are now structural and not cyclical and the long-term consequences of doing nothing are more dire but it is still the same circus in a different tent. Higher taxes vs. deeper spending cuts, creating wealth vs. redistributing it, rich vs. poor … zzzzzzz.
The second reason is that unlike a good political dust-up over a war or a particularly divisive social issue, fiscal fights are almost always devoid of any passion or pageantry whatsoever. Military generals and attorneys general we pay attention to. Comptroller generals? Zzzzzz. The two notable exceptions to this rule are Ronald Reagan and the tea party activists who framed their budget issues as a struggle between individual liberty and big government tyranny. So you either need an extremely gifted messenger or an extremely agitated crowd to win your arguments, because government’s true staying power is not just that it’s so big. It is also that it is so mind-numbingly boring. Unless you are a committed partisan or feeding your family on a federal paycheck, after a while you tune out and the game defaults to the defenders of the status quo.
This is why I cannot join the growing chorus of conservative pundits and right-minded talk show hosts who were outraged by President Obama’s budget address. I loved it.
Knowing that a sober, adult analysis of revenues as a percentage of GDP would induce a coast to coast coma, the commander in chief resorted to what he does best: shrill personal and partisan attacks. Dude threw down. Instead of rebutting Rep. Paul Ryan’s proposals, the president reloaded and then strafed Republicans randomly with a barrage of ammo left behind by every Democrat since FDR. The GOP budget, he ranted, sends a clear message to our children, our seniors, and our poor. If you are in the dawn of life, the twilight of life, or the shadow of life, it’s lights out. Republicans only care about virgins and venture capitalists.
Paul Ryan was actually hurt by the president’s remarks. He expected better. He somehow believed he and the GOP leadership were now players in the budget game and not tackling dummies. What he and Speaker Boehner don’t seem to realize yet is what a gift the Republicans in Congress have been given. With his speech at GWU which was long on invective and short on inspiration, the president essentially ceded all the high ground on fiscal matters to the opposition. He announced he does not want a solution to America’s deficit and debt crisis. He’d rather have an issue for his re-election campaign.
The sooner Ryan,and the other republican dummies realize that they are dealing with a latent stalinist and demagogic street thug,the better prepared they will be to deal with him,and his criminal party.
Quite right. The Republicans continue to act as though Obama doesn’t want to destroy American capitalism and establish a socialist regime.
The Republicans are poor lawyers and worse politicians. They had Slick Willie Clinton down for an 8-count with perjury and obstruction of justice charges and the sleazy Socialist-Democrat Senators out-lawyered them in front of the entire country.
What do they have on Obama? Misappropriation of taxpayer funds. Using the military without getting congressional approval. Lying to the American people. Demeaning the USA in front of the world. (NOTE: Impeachment doesn’t require that the office holder actually commit a violation of a penal code).
First Boehner forced Obama to run to the center, then, when he realized he lost his base, Obama ran back to the left. This was both a tactical and strategic error. The way he could have won is by remaining above the fray and continue to spout platitudes that his followers could read into whatever they wanted.
Running back to the left to protect his flank does not make him appear presidential but petty and partisan. He can still correct for this blunder but I don’t think he will. There’s just too much pride. Less than three months after submitting a budget he’s trying to defend it by slipping into campaign mode. Doesn’t he realize that now that he’s the incumbent the rules have changed? He himself forgot what won him the office, his artful oratory that promised to transcend parties, now moulted away, exposing pride and a deep misunderstanding of the economy and budget he is charged with managing. What a major blunder.
Obama eagerly vacates his lofty presidential perch to roll around in the mud, to be now seen as a typical Pol instead of a unifying agent of change. Boehner’s and Ryan’s one-two punch knocked Obama off his pedestal. He is playing on our field now, and even though the short-term battles seem lost, the 2012 battle is ours to lose.
WHEN has the IDIOT in chief done anything PRESIDENTIAL?
Actually Fred’s spot on with the Two and a Half Men analogy, with Biden making up the other member of the trio. Cute but juvenile.
When did Barokeydoke EVER hold the ‘high ground’?
After he caned palin and mccain at the last election?
Well you know one thing for sure, at that level he’ll be good, and beat you every time with experience.
I love how he SNEERED at Paul Ryan saying he wanted to be the nation’s accountant”. Bambi doesn’t want to be bothered looking at the numbers. He is too high minded for all that. He just wants to run up $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ on all our credit cards. And our kids’. And our grandkids’. And out great grandkids’. And so on. I believe he thinks Americans are stupid and will continue to put up with this.
“Cedes” is the wrong term altogether. You cannot “cede” what you never had to begin with. If you had cited “low ground”, then I would have no argument.
This cynical, immature, ignorant, petulant, juvenile in chief, has not taken anything seriously.
He goes golfing when America’s allies are under direct threat of nuclear annihilation from either an aggressive country or a natural disaster. He doesn’t care.
He threatens legislators with the full force of his office and Congress when they threaten to make amendments to his policies.
He blockades spending cuts by threatening to cut the pay of OUR MILITARY if he doesn’t get his way.
He threatens State governments by promoting subversive union activity meant to defeat the States governors.
He states that “We must all live within our means”, while planning on vacations to the most lavish geographic areas on planet earth.
He displays outright disrespect to Americas allies by kissing them and bowing to them like an indentured servant.
He commits OUR MILITARY to confused obligations without consent of the highest military intelligence.
HE DOES NOT CARE!
It’s that simple.
Don’t forget how irritated and rumpled he’s looked when someone dragged him
off the golf course during one of his many vacations to MAKE him respond to the Ft. Hood murders or the Christmas bomber’s arrest. It takes him days to understand how to PRETEND to be Presidential. He has a very limited intellect and doesn’t think well on his feet. Fortunately for us, his handlers are just as stupid as he.
>> He has a very limited intellect and doesn’t think well on his feet. <<
You're talking about George W Bush, right? I thought this discussion was about Obama.
George Bush had a higher GPA than John Kerry. Let’s compare Obama’s GPA with . . . oh, Obama doesn’t HAVE a GPA? Double secret probation for HIM, then.
Just another example of how a narcissist reacts when his unwarranted self-esteem is threatened.
This performance was clearly personal – retaliation for Ryan handing BHO is own ass at the bogus health care “summit” months back.
O’Sputnik is certainly that petty.
The open mike audio CBS caught of Obama speaking to his donors is classic Obama, in that the only time he is willing to be in-your-face aggressive is when the either has the full audience with him (as he did with the roomful of Democratic loyalists) or when the opponent can’t fight back (as Ryan couldn’t while Obama was trashing him during Wednesday’s speech, or as the Supreme Court’s conservative wing couldn’t when Obama attacked them during the 2010 State of the Union Speech).
When it’s an open forum, or a truly controversial issue, Obama either runs off and hands all the dirty work to others (while being ready to step back in once a solution is reached so he can take the lion’s share of the credit), or he starts talking about bi-partisanship, as in “We shouldn’t be attacking each other as long as you have the ability to attack me back.”
That’s really what’s going on here — Obama’s 2012 campaign has to be a negative one because of his lack of accomplishments that the public approves of over the last 27 months, so you’ve got a president already in attack mode when he’s hanging with his peeps, while he also has the ego to think that because he calls for civility after those attacks, it goes beyond the pale when anyone from the GOP goes after either him or his policies.
It’s as if you crossed an NPR news show host with Richard Nixon, and if Obama goes down next year, the campaign and its aftermath isn’t going to be pretty, because he and his team truly believe any tactic they use is justified, because Republicans like Ryan and the presidential hopefuls really have no right to fight back.
“Obama’s 2012 campaign has to be a negative one because of his lack of accomplishments that the public approves of over the last 27 months”
He dragged the country through the mire that the previous guy drove it into. The next election will be fought on unemployment. If it’s down, people will believe he’s done the right thing and he’ll win. Keep an eye on the graphs.
Not every president can win a second term just by invading the wrong country. Doing it the right way is harder.
“He dragged the country through the mire that the previous guy drove it into.”
Mire like Fannie and Freddie (Barney’s pets) leading to the financial crisis? Mire like war with Libya (new) and Afghanistan (old)? Transparency, all debates on TV (campaign promise)? Eliminate lobbyists (campaign promise)? Eliminate “business as usual” on Capitol Hill (campaign promise)? All legislation on internet for 72 hours (campaign promise)? Rescind the Patriot Act (campaign promise)? An additional $4 trillion in debt in only 2 years? Close Gitmo (campaign promise)? Terrorists still tried by the military (campaign promise)? Obamacare, that lowers insurance costs (campaign promise)? Great job on the Gulf oil leak (incompetence)? Still blaming Bush? Giving GMC to the unions as a present? Housing still down? Can’t fix the economy? Unemployment still up?…..and on and on. If Obama is still blaming Bush, that means he is incompetent. Not only has he lied to get elected, but now, the next election will be about the “failed policies” and incompetence of the Obama administration. Maybe what he needs is a few more commie-czars in his administration.
The GOP has no right to complain about Obama exaggerating the cruelty of Republicans.
They want to kill medicare and reduce states to block grants which will lose them lots of votes.
But wasn’t it the GOP that ridiculously mischaracterized Obamacare because of ‘death panels’ that were actually a GOP idea and less cruel than existing corporate death panels?
Deflect. Distract. Change the subject. Typical Leftist tactics.
You’re a Lefty, because you do not know how to think logically. We are talking about the budget debate and Obama’s shrill, partisan rhetoric and hypocritical tactics. Try to address the subject at hand.
“Well, your guys did this other thing, so that makes Obama’s behavior okay.” Moral equivalence is all you have to offer? And an equivalence based on a falsehood?
Your efforts at adult conversation are pathetically puerile. Children should be seen and not heard.
“Moral equivalence is all you have to offer?”
I think he’s accusing you of hypocrisy, actually. Reading comprehension FAIL.
“Deflect. Distract. Change the subject. Typical Leftist tactics.”
The accusation applies to you as well as @10. By accusing “hypocrisy”, you are supporting @10 and “deflecting, distracting and changing the subject”.
“Reading comprehension FAIL.”
Mockery is not a debate. Debating, you FAIL.
Yes, he is accusing Pubs of hypocrisy. I acknowledged that. He is offering moral equivalence. “Your guys do it too, so it’s okay if Obama does it.” That is how children argue. “Three weeks ago, you called me a stinky-face, so it is okay if I call you a poopyhead today.”
What Obama did, was invite Ryan to sit in the front row, then while he was a captive member of the audience, proceed to insult him. It is incredibly RUDE… declasse. He’s the freakin’ President, and he should ACT like it! There is no excusing such boorish, thuggish behavior from the face of our nation. But you Leftists do not get this. You have no class, no manners, no civility, no nobility, no grace, no honor. These words mean nothing to you.
You want your death panels? I give you that 15-member panel Obama just proposed to decide which procedures are worth having.
You want your killing Medicare? I give you Obama et al. gutting it to the tune of, I believe, 3 billion, in order to pay for his health care travesty.
Hmm. I just read the speech:
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2011/04/13/2011-04-13_president_obamas_prepared_budget_speech_transcript_addresses_medicare_medicaid_d.html
I think he’s basically on the money. Rather than competently addressing the underlying market and structural problems, the reps just want to stop paying for them. That’s just dumb. The voucher proposal is pretty much an admission that they’re turning their backs and cutting people loose.
As for the president using the bully pulpit … sheesh, when did that become controversial? Reagan sure as heck did it, baby bush did it. I guess you COULD call it “leading”
The government IS the underlying structural problem. By diffusing government, we weaken its ability to do mischief.
The capitalistic system works like magic, but cannot function well with a lot of government. It is like a sports team. The referee (the government) is supposed to be neutral, just upholding the same rules for both sides. when the ref is biased, you can still overcome the other team, but it requires greater talent, skill, and execution. At some point, however, such bias cannot be overcome. No one is so good as to be able to overcome a totally rigged game.
Sending it too the States to deal with gets the FedGov out of it. States cannot just print money. Most have a requirement to balance the budget. They will have to become more efficient. They will be FORCED to do so.
As an example, in TX, they passed tort reform some years ago. Health insurance premiums then dropped 27%… because health care costs dropped 27%! That’s how much the lawyers were sucking out of the system! Doctors flocked to TX. There is no shortage of doctors there now. Small towns now have doctors who have hung up their shingles. They live in the small town with its lower cost of living, and can afford to charge less.
So, yes, it does address lowering the costs. Business is efficient, because there is a financial incentive to do so. States will have the same incentive. Unfortunately, you government-lovers on the Left think that if the government does not force the change, then no change will happen. You just fail to realize that the government has NEVER made anything less expensive. You cling to your fantastical faith in government despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary.
Ryan has offered a concrete plan. It will work. The President has NO specific plan, only rhetoric. Whose is the Party of NO ideas, now?
Yeah, this seems to be an intercollegiate battle:
sneering Mr. Obama from snob nob Harvard with ZERO accomplishments
and a habit of voting present
vs.
workmanlike Paul Ryan from Miami of Ohio with some significant work
product and a habit of standing up straight
So what do you think? Maybe boring is OK in this case. I yield my time back to the Honorable Grandy.
Do you really believe such things matter anymore to the average “me first” voter? The man has shown his evil stripes and they still love him. Like homeless alchoholics they support whoever gives them a free bottle.
Logic and truth, morality and freedom are incidental to our modern way of life – sexual depravity, free lunch, worship the eco-gods, hate our job producers, love politicians that will tickle our ears with faux foam pillars and Photoshopped haloes behind our head. Family, decency, and responsibility are now considered by far too many archaic values.
Tragically, Obama continues to successfully pummel the Republicans because not a single one of them has the moral courage to come out and say: Millionaire Peter is not responsible for the health care needs of Impoverished Paul. To force Peter to pay for Paul’s welfare is immoral, not just too costly.”
Obama, unfortunately, retains the faux-moral high ground here because the GOP accepts his basic worldview (at least, rhetorically; there’s some evidence that Ryan secretly doesn’t): that we are our brother’s keeper. He says this repeatedly, and not a single one of them challenges him on it.
I’m not so sure about that analogy for Paul Ryan. I think he’s really cute, as well as smart and interesting. I do hope he gets more savvy politically and learns how to fight hard, because he’s on the correct path.
“The voucher proposal is pretty much an admission that they’re turning their backs and cutting people loose”
As it should be.
Health care? Not Fedgov’s business, it’s State business. We shouldn’t even bother recycling “funding” through DC.
Design your health care system in-state, fund it in-state, keep Fedgov from skimming off the top. Let state govs talk amongst themselves and come up with solutions to inter-state portability via interstate compacts.
The heavy hand of DC is not necessary.
Beth: Oh, yes it is (if your plan is to destroy personal freedom, stifle free market economy and establish yourself as Commisar of Amerika).
Let’s have Obama’s (delete…that word, “series”) term end with his boarding a helicopter on this nation’s South Lawn, leaving for Chicgo, at last…at long last.
…..and, please let’s promote Paul Ryan’s career as steadily as possible….and please…..no more mention of the word “charisma”…….and no more “charismatic” empty suits with gleaming teeth elected to our Presidency.
I agree with your happiness at the Obama retreat to the left corner. Stated slightly differently, don’t get mad, get glad. Get glad at the opportunity to use non-boring humor to conquer the enemy of fiscal sanity.
What does Barack want to be when he grows up? He wants to become reborn, in Hawaii.
What will the President next assign to NASA? NASA is to sell GM to Muslim countries, where all Chevy Volts will come with a free Ipod, for detonation.
Why did the President cross the road? He was trying to escape the National Debt a little longer by hiding in a left-field.
Why didn’t the President bring his children with him? Because they have to stay home to pay off the debt the rest of their lives.
Why doesn’t the President pay off the debt in his lifetime? Neither the President nor any other Democrat has ever had a plan to pay off the debt, they only know how to raise it.
The children’s only hope is that all the current Democrats and old-line Republicans get bounced out of office and Tea Party associated fiscal conservatives take over the Republican and Democratic parties. And that will be the first real bipartisan event ever to occur in Washington.
” Neither the President nor any other Democrat has ever had a plan to pay off the debt, they only know how to raise it.”
To be fair, until the Tea Party elected some fiscal conservatives in 2010, the same applied to the majority of Republicans (and may still). Republicans just raise it more slowly. (Which I think you implied in your next paragraph with “old-line Republicans.”)
And again the Republican cliche – summoning some disciple of Ronald Reagan, who will increse American deficits even more than before, because that was perk he has learnt from his master.
Ryan is not quite perfect. But he is totally credible, something the American people find to be rare in Congress. He’s good enough to impress Sarah Palin and he puts the scare into Obama. His lack of slickness is a great virtue. We are lucky to have him.
He cedes the high ground only if it’s part of his strategy. He can’t wait for them to start cutting so that he can win in 2012 with his media ho’s screaming daily that the fiscally responsible are destroying the America he so loathes. He’ll win -the masses are the same fools they were when they elected this man. Where or where is the benevolent King we so need to replace this evil?
The system, grand as it was, has failed – man is indeed the measure and he’s a fallen creature willing to behave accordingly.