The bloom is off the rose, says the Fresno farmer-turned-historian:
(Nearly) half the country is not merely distrustful of him, but increasingly viscerally angry at him as well. Actually, “him” is a construct: At times there seems to be no “him.” Instead, the people don’t know whether the kindly Dr. Barack is their president, or his unpredictable double, Mr. Obama.
They never expected the president to show mastery of economic affairs or reveal much expertise in matters abroad, and accordingly were not disappointed when he did not. His critics concede that he inherited two wars and a dismal economy, though they argue that he may be making these bad situations far worse.
Instead, the real anger from independents arises over disappointment, false merchandising, and hypocrisy. It is real and deep — as is true of any animosity that arises from a sense of betrayal of former trust.
Well, it was always going to be a rough road. Candidate Obama was something of a magic mirror – everyone saw in him what they wanted to see. Not nearly partisan and left wing enough for the hyperventilated left. Entirely too left for most on the right. And increasingly something of shock to those in the muddled middle who thought that all change – any change – was progress. But people were made uneasy by the extraordinary sums spent in economic stimulus, unnerved by becoming unwilling owners in major automobile manufacturers whose stock they would otherwise eschew, uneasy at his imperiousness at home and obsequiousness abroad and increasingly alarmed at the costs attaching to a health care scheme whose contours can only be guessed at:
In serial fashion, Obama has accused his opponents of lying and distortion — and yet himself still cannot clearly demonstrate in detail whether our existing health plans will change, whether illegal aliens will be included in his reform, how we are to pay for this new entitlement, and why there is need for revolutionary change in the next 60 days.
Obama has given us several figures on the number of uninsured; they change weekly. There was to be a public option; now there is not; and then there is sort of not one. He knows no more than we do what exactly lies hidden in a 1,000-page plan.
Tort reform? Perhaps; but not likely; or is it suddenly kind of? A bigger deficit? Not by a dime — as if more people can get better coverage (remember no rationing!) at less cost. Billions in waste and fraud will soon be saved to pay the costs — if so, why not right now and banked instead?
In almost every statement on health care, Obama uses the conditional or optative mood (may, could, would, should, etc.). And for good reason: When he resorts to the indicative mood of fact he is rarely being fully truthful. The problem is existential: The American people like their health-care system and want it at most only tweaked. All the invocations of God, threats, distortion, and assigning of guilt over the dead to come cannot make them accept in a democracy what they do not trust or want.
The liberal wing of the Democratic Party has always been passionately full of wonderful ideas, the trick has always been trying to find a way to pay for them while not creating a dependency society.
Of course, we can always soak the rich. Probably will. But that’s analogous to discovering, in G.K. Chesterton’s delightful turn of phrase, that there are too few hats to go around, and deciding to solve the problem by chopping off some heads.
Bill Clinton ran up against the same realities, stumbled and tacked back to the center. If he had only kept his private life more, well – private – he might be more fondly remembered all around. Mr. Obama seems to lack Clinton’s insatiable appetites. Perhaps there’s time for him yet if he gives up on trying to drag so many of us where so many refuse to go.
The American people can not for long be deceived, but they are willing to be led.
They will, I think, steadfastly decline to be driven.
Anyone with a tenth of a brain cell knew where this was going this time last year. It seems there are times in every civilization where the people go insane. Alas, enough have done so now to do serious and long lasting damage. Personally, I’m quite negative on this. My circle at church is of the opinion the country is finished. Too much has piled up before this, and the messiah is pushing it over the cliff.
Indeed. That’s why Monsieur Barbancourt and I have become such pals. Nothing good–NOTHING–is going to come from all of this. I’ve always been sort of a congenitally “don’t look back” no obsessing over spilt milk kind of guy, but I had dire, dire forebodings about all this from jump street (as the terminally hip are wont to say) and NOTHING that has transpired so far makes me want to change my mind. The ONLY question is whether the Obamassiah will put us so far behind the power-curve that recovery will be well neigh impossible even at max grunt full burner.
Oh, something good may come of this. For years now, the country has been like the proverbial frog in a pot of boiling water. The lefties have slowly but surely undermined the nation’s institutions while Joe Sixpack just grumbled and went off to work, if he noticed at all. What was going on wasn’t enough to get the frog to jump from the pot. Now the frog feels the heat. How many frogs were protesting on the Mall in D.C. a few days ago?
We have a long way to go, but if there is a start, this is it.
And the truth of the matter is that this is all unconstitutional. Our institutions have grown corrupt and the Supreme Court is just as corrupt as the others.
Yep. Funny how many people still think that the SC is still “above the fray”.
Too many also think the SC is “above” the other two branches.
Good Point Coco.
“…the trick has always been trying to find a way to pay for them while not creating a dependency society”
What leads you to believe that isn’t the desired end state?
Seconded. They want us to be dependent on them, the state, and that is why Obama has been heralded as being so European.
In the immortal words of (I forget who)
There is no there, there!
We have a professional rabble-rouser, a “community organizer”, whose sole political activity was to vote “not present” and leave no record, before achieving the highest office in the land.
I judge him both by his actions, those with which he surrounds himself, and those whom he befriends in the international community.
This is not a man to die for, but simply a man who can kill many through his foolishness.
God help us all.
Edward, the phrase is Gertrude Stein’s–sneering at Oakland from across San Francisco Bay. And The Won has been sneering at us every since he made that remark–also in San Francisco, about bitter clingers clinging to guns and religion.
President (and Candidate) Obama is a fellow who gave, and can still give, a heck of a good speech. When I analyzed this race relations speech to end all race relations speech (in which, among other things, he conveniently dumped Revered Wright under the bus) I found it to be a nice piece of rhetoric–but as for substance thought it was a Potemkin Village. Predictably my liberal San Francisco sister was enraged at my “cheap lawyer trick” of actually reading what the man said–and analyzing it. She prefers to swallow The Won’s bullshit whole without tasting it.
I’m sure not ready to write the whole country off; we’ve survived some awful times, and I trust and pray that we will get through this administration and have a peaceful change of government in 2012. Course I intend to get my licks in at the polls in 2010!
Mike,
Thanks for giving me the source.
You did what Hari Seldon did to the Empire ambassador’s speech to the First Foundation (Volume 1 of Isaac Asimov’s great trilogy). As the Empire was crumbling, the ambassador made a visit to the Foundation government and gave a stirring speech to put their minds at ease. After he left, Seldon performed an analysis of the presentation and determined that the ambassador actually said nothing—every sentence was canceled by another in his oration.
Of course VDH has personal reasons to be ticked off–Obama’s minions at EPA are turning the western part of the Fresno ag.area into a desert and bankrupting farmers (not to mention contributing to food scarcity and rising prices) by diverting H20 to save a minnow that thrives in abundance elsewhere.
Yeah, like that was really a random environmentalist act.
If there’s any good that’s to come of this flailex, it is, as stated above, that Joe Sixpack has finally had his chair kicked out from under him. As a nation, we simply cannot afford to ignore what Chairman B-rock is doing. This
boyman-child is nothing short of duplicitous and, I believe, looking to get some good people killed. Maybe a lot of them.I remember seeing Obama’s mug on the cover of Time magazine during the campaign, and asking myself “Who is this guy?” After clearing my mind and staring at the cover photo for a moment to see what kind of impression came, what I got back were two words – Mirthless and ruthless. I was puzzled for a moment by the first impression, but when the second emerged and connected with the first it made me shudder. All ideology aside, I see Obama as one truly dangerous character. We’ve only just begun to see the things this man and his cohorts will resort to, and I’m not talking about the superficial garbage that MSM is spewing our way.
VX,
I’m afraid its the Judicial Branch that is laying waste to California agriculture and the San Joaquin Valley.
I’m afraid he, Obama, just doesn’t like us very much. He’s like some guy in a 19th-century English novel who went all-out to marry a girl he didn’t even like and had very little in common with, because she was beautiful and had a big dowry attached. The girl (us) let herself be seduced into marrying him by his smooth lines, and is now slowly beginning to realize just what she has gotten herself into.
Curtis – Please elaborate. I just happened to watch the Hannity show last night and it seemed that the “Delta Smelt” as declared by the federal EPA was to blame for turning the water off. What about the salmon upstream that the dissenter claimed?
Which “judicial branch?’
I don’t want to be drawn by one partisan program however, seeing the fields basically burned up and fallow in the San Joaquin valley really did make me sick.
If you have further info I would really like to hear it.
Babs,
A panel of judges now control the flow of water out of the delta. They “listen” to the scientists who talk about the devastation to the smelt if water levels fall to low and then they issue judicial edicts regulating the flow of water south. You might say that the ecos are running the show but it really is the justice system weighing the well-being of farmers and the California economy on one balance and the health of the delta smelt in the other. The judges have notoriously favored the smelt and shown complete indifference to the farmers.
Long time lurker, requesting permission to come aboard.
Off topic but on trend.They have a slogon up in the “valley”.”Where water flows,food grows”.
Stop the water and save the flee’s and salamanders,great idea. Are the masses really ready for soylent green with brawndo to wash it down? I hope not.
“The American people….decline to be driven”
Thats a keeper
Thanks,Alan
Chesterson’s analogy is spot on.
Another post that puts accurate fire on the target. Too bad those pesky little facts are ignored by the emotionally motivated left.
Oops; typos galore…
To be honest, Lex, I am beginning to miss “Slick Willy.” At least he had the brains to tack with the wind. Not to mention his Arkansas Chamber of Commerce background helped him focus on more business-friendly approaches.
In other words, Bill backed off where Barry doubled down.
Just think: we have three more years of this goober. Sigh…
It amazed me that he carried the Upper Midwest, because we know what Chicago Machine Politian means. And yet, we elected one.
I’m being laid off in 3 weeks. I’ve a 2 year-old daughter, a stay-at-home wife, and a new child on the way come February. The responsibility of providing for them weighs heavily upon my mind each hour.
But I’ve a rifle, we shall not go hungry. I’ve a windbreak with some deadfall and a chain saw, we shall not freeze to death this winter. We’ve two acres of garden and canning supplies, we will lay in provisions for months. We’ve a freezer stocked with beef, pork, fowl, and venison now, and pheasant and deer seasons will soon be upon us. The only recurring bills are for the telephone, the water, and the mortgage, and I believe those take months to end.
I will survive. I will find work, I’ll contract out my services, I’ll do what it takes.
Were I living in a brownstone bungalo in Chicago dependent upon public transport, or working an assembly line in Detroit with only a GED and a history of fitting hubcaps on my resume, I might well have bought the line that any change is good because I could hardly sink lower, and for me change can only lead upwards.
For the rest of the country with jobs and paying taxes? They’re not buying it.
The President, and his party majority in Congress, are about to find out there’s pride to be found in hard work and there’s more of us than there are freeloaders. And pride overcomes the logic of living on the welfare if it puts you a few dollars ahead. Most people must feel useful.
I give Obama one term, I give Congress a very slight democrat majority next election. Four years from now the Congress will be majority republican and there will be a republican president. And about 5 months after that, the pendulum will swing left once again.
– Max
In that commentary, the prediction of not only a change of amplitude, but also frequency. I think something of the “instant gratification” society comes into play here. We need something to dampen both parameters.
Xformed, you may be very well on to something. We are an instant gratification society, our GDP and standard of living have made it such that whatever we wish we can generally get, paying it off on installments or on the credit card, and we’ve no idea how tough maintaining a basic existence can be. I mean, in the grand scheme of things, we have an industry devoted entirely to botox injections and breast implants, which you have to be pretty darned well off to spend money on those rather than, say, deciding between steak or liver for supper as the paycheck offers. And let’s leave alone the decision for tin or tar-paper for your living quarters.
I was raised by Depression-era parents, we threw nothing away and repaired rather than replaced. I am probably an outlier in that regard. For most of our peoples, savings and self-reliance are not ingrained, they’ve known nothing but a safety net and consumption as a way of life.
Job interview on Wednesday with a local telco, might not pay what I want but they’re making a position for me so I can’t be ungrateful, I’ll take the job and move up in another month or two as budgets get refined. Speaking of an instant gratification society, when did it come about that it takes a week to get a nibble on filling a job? When did it come to pass that offering $30/hr to the applicant actually meant $45/hr to the employer so the taxes could be paid? I’d opine the reason is in the tax code. We no longer know what we earn, we know what we take home, and we no longer know what it costs to employ somebody, we budget and drill down to what we can afford to tell them the after-tax income will be.
There is something fundamentally wrong when what I earn and what I cost my employer are different by 30%. Since when has my retirement, my health insurance, my life insurance, been the responsibility of anybody but me?
Nanny state indeed, instead of taking the money directly from me at the point of a gun they coerce my employer to do it before I ever see it.
– Max
My thoughts are with you Max.
We’ve been lucky so far, though we are also in a field/position where we have been able to make changes and significantly minimize losing good staff. Cuts in some people that were coasting, no pay increases, more $$ for insurance, a bit more time spent at work, that kind of thing. Small company, pretty darned talented and a nice bunch of guys so the teamwork is great. Most of us are, umm, seasoned, so we see the world a bit more pragmatically than others might. We are fortunate. So far. Constantly concerned though, as we know it could change tomorrow.
Best of luck.
Regards,
Geez, Max, that’s a hell of a way to pass along some good news.
Follow it right up with the bad. So congrats on the new baby. Perhaps this one will be a mini Max?
And I’m really sorry about the employment situation.
Although “knowing” you as I do, I have no doubt that you and your family will survive okay. Still sucks though.
Michelle, I have learned two things from this.
1) when the boss calls your desk phone, your cell phone, and sends a text message within 2 minutes, or calls you into his or her office, it will probably not be to announce that you’ve just been granted a 2-week paid vacation aboard a cruise ship to Brazil.
2) It’s good to be away from the flagpole, but avoid becoming an unknown to management.
There is a saying among military folks that’s it’s nice to be away from the flagpole, by which they mean the HQ folks have an office with a flagpole out front, and hence to be away from the flagpole is to be away from the direct interaction with your HQ. Unfortunately, if they don’t know what you do, and how you contribute, it will become their problem only after it has become your problem.
– Max
Max,
That is terrible news. I hope that your future is much better than you fear at the moment. You have the courage and will that will make that happen. Best wishes to you and your family.
Best of luck to you Max. You are an American in the John Wayne tradtion. I don’t mean that flippantly. I admired the late American Icon’s values. I think he and Ronald Reagan were cut from the same bolt. My brother, a Vice President for Operations in his former company found himself in the same situation last week. His wife was laid off earlier this year. God be with all those who find themselves unemployed right now.
Damn, if Obama can get to Max, he can get to ANYBODY. So Obamanomics has reached your neck of the woods, eh, Max?
Sad to hear. But here’s a tip tho. The greenie eco-crazies that sit on California’s “Energy Board” are set tio ban the sale of ALL plasma TV larger than 50″ in 90 days under the belief they are harmful energy hogs. Should give you time to crank up a first-rate smuggling operation. Isn’t that how old Joe Kennedy started it all off? (the smuggling thing, not the plasma thing) A golden opportunity in the Golden State, that’s how I look at it Max. Give up their giant TVs in the land that INVENTED the “big screen?” I think not.
Get yourself a web-site and start takin’ orders.
Virgil, while I do appreciate the suggestion, I’ve worked out an income of nearly $20K/mo smuggling cigarettes into New York in the back of the F-250 and just undercutting the tax difference. If I don’t get caught, of course, the one wrinkle in an otherwise-perfect plan.
Which is a pittance compared to what I can earn cooking up meth.
Flat-screens to California?
I find it more noteworthy that TV’s and a carton of smokes are as much a part of profitable smuggling as bricks of weed and bags of coke. Somebody is really fighting the wrong war here.
– Max
The real profit is going to be in smuggling CRT’s out of California and throwing them away legally or putting them in containers bound for India or Manila.
Ouch, Max. Keep posting and keep updating. Will be praying for your provision.
dw