Obama's own f-bomb: "fair"

Barack Obama has an odd attraction to the word “fair” and his own definition of it. This may be the one of the roots of his belief system – or perhaps psychology.

I first noticed this during what was, for me anyway, one of the seminal moments of the campaign – Charles Gibson asking the candidate about the correlation between a cut in capital gains taxes and an actual increase in government revenue. For a moment it seemed Obama didn’t know what Gibson meant or had never heard of this before, but then he covered himself with the f-word. Even if this were the case, Obama said, it wasn’t “fair” to cut capital gains. Peculiar, no, given that an increase in government revenues would be more money to spend on O’s pet programs that allegedly would help those people that were suffering? Oh, well, perhaps he missed his Jeremy Bentham at Columbia and Harvard. [Wazzat?-ed. Utilitarianism – the greatest good for the greatest number.]

Anyway, Obama dropped his f-bomb again… or perhaps the “un f-bomb”… during a recent healthcare discussion:

Now, I recognize that it will be hard to make some of these changes if doctors feel like they’re constantly looking over their shoulders for fear of lawsuits. I recognize that. (Applause.) Don’t get too excited yet. Now, I understand some doctors may feel the need to order more tests and treatments to avoid being legally vulnerable. That’s a real issue. (Applause.) Now, just hold on to your horses here, guys. (Laughter.) I want to be honest with you. I’m not advocating caps on malpractice awards — (boos from some in audience) — (laughter) — which I personally believe can be unfair to people who’ve been wrongfully harmed.

Unfair? Well, maybe, in a few instances. But most of the time wrongfully harmed people get rewarded with gigantic settlements many times what they could possibly need for a lifetime, simultaneously enriching their lawyers who work for huge contingency percentages. Meanwhile, the healthcare system is impoverished to such a degree, correcting this one inequity even to a small extent might have a greater impact than all the so-called reforms of HR3200 combined. Unfair indeed.

So what’s Obama’s attraction to the word “fair”? I submit it’s a means by which he can lie to us and, even more, to himself. It is a weapon of self-delusion. Watch for it – and cringe.