Category Archives: Patriotism

Reason #38/39 – Obama: America has Shown Arrogance/Obama’s Respect for Israel Can’t Survive Open Mic

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Reason #38

America has shown Arrogance

Obama had been President for less than four months, when he appeared in Strasbourg, France’s Rhenus Sports Arena, to tell the world that America fails “to appreciate Europe’s leading role in the world,” that the United States shares the blame for what has happened in the world, and that there have been times when Americans have “shown arrogance and been dismissive…”  While he spoke also of future shared responsibilities, he laid much of the blame for past problems squarely on the shoulder of America – an interesting charge against one’s own nation – a nation that liberated France from the Nazis and helped restore it to a position of prominence,  largely through the blood of American soldiers and the largesse of the American government and its people.

“…but we also know that there’s something more that has crept into our relationship. In America, there’s a failure to appreciate Europe’s leading role in the world. Instead of celebrating your dynamic union and seeking to partner with you to meet common challenges, there have been times where America has shown arrogance and been dismissive, even derisive.” (Emphasis added)[i]

(Excerpt from 203 Reasons Not to Vote for Barack Obama)

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Reason #39

Obama’s Respect for Israel Can’t Survive Open Mic

A great deal of speculation has surrounded President Obama’s personal position towards Israel.  Perhaps some clarification was provided at the 2011 G20 conference, when a private exchange between French President Sarkozy and U.S. President Obama was unintentionally exposed through an open microphone.  According to ABC News, the captured conversation went as follows:

President Sarkozy:  “I can’t stand him anymore.  He’s a liar.”

President Obama:  “You may be sick of him, but me, I have to deal with him every day.”[ii]

How could we doubt President Obama’s sincerity?  Is this the type of duplicity that the President exercises in his dealings with the American people?  Recall his open microphone in San Francisco capturing his comment about voters who “get bitter,” and “cling to guns or religion…”[iii] 

Perhaps, away from the cameras and microphones, he doesn’t really fly so high above the fray.

(Excerpt from 203 Reasons Not to Vote for Barack Obama)

[i] President Barack Obama, (April 3, 2009), White House web-site, Speeches & Remarks, Remarks by President Obama at Strasbourg Town Hall, Retrieved December 5, 2011, from http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/Remarks-by-President-Obama-at-Strasbourg-Town-Hall/

[ii] President Barack Obama, quoted by ABC News (Nov 8, 2011), ABC News web-site, ABC News with Diane Sawyer, Sarkozy to Obama: Netanyahu Is a ‘Liar’, retrieved January 4, 2012 from http://abcnews.go.com/International/sarkozy-obama-netanyahu-liar-israel/story?id=14903750

[iii] Barack Obama, (April 6, 2008), Transcript of Obama remarks at fundraiser in San Francisco, posted by Mayhill Fowler, (April 11, 2008), The Huffington Post, Obama: No Surprise that Hard-Pressed Pennsylvanians Turn Bitter, retrieved January 13, 2011 from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mayhill-fowler/obama-no-surprise-that-ha_b_96188.html

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Reason #37 – Obama Sees Better America as Election Nears

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Only 135 Days Remaining!

Reason #37

Obama Sees Better America as Election Nears

The same President Obama who has so often denigrated, or vilified America, was focused on bringing a different take as he twisted the 2012 State of the Union Address into just another campaign speech.  Particularly striking was his very accurate statement that:

“…anyone who tells you that America is in decline or that our influence has waned, doesn’t know what they’re talking about.”[i]

Regrettably, those beautiful and very true words are far from his normal disapproving, apologetic, arrogant and condescending rhetoric.  Here’s a few of his other observations on America’s success and influence:

“…we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass;….”[ii]

“…we’ve lost our ambition, our imagination…”[iii]

 “Instead of strategically applying our power and our principles, too often we set those principles aside as luxuries that we could no longer afford.” [iv]

 “The way I think about it is, this is a great, great country that had gotten a little soft…we need to get back on track.” [v]

“We used to have the best stuff. We used to be the envy of the world. People would come to our countries and they would say, look at — look at the Hoover Dam, look at the Golden Gate Bridge. Now people go to Beijing Airport and they say, I wish we had an airport like that.” [vi]

Funny how things change according to audience and timing.  Should he be re-elected in 2012, I’m sure we’ll hear how he really feels about America.

(Excerpt from 203 Reasons Not to Vote for Barack Obama)

[i] President Barack Obama, (Jan 24, 2012), White House web-site, Speeches & Remarks, Remarks by the President in State of the Union Address, retrieved January 25, 2012 from http://www.whitehouse.gov/photos-and-video/video/2012/01/25/2012-state-union-address-enhanced-version#transcript

[ii] President Barack Obama, (January 21, 2009), The White House web-site, White House Blog, President Barack Obama’s Inaugural Address, retrieved April 21, 2010 from http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/inaugural-address/

[iii] President Barack Obama (Oct. 26, 2011), White House web-site, Speeches & Remarks, Remarks by the President at a Campaign Event at W Hotel, San Francisco, CA, retrieved January 5, 2012 from http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2011/10/26/remarks-president-campaign-event-0

[iv] President Barack Obama, (May 21, 2009), White House web-site, Speeches & Remarks, Remarks by the President on National Security, retrieved December 5, 2011, from http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/Remarks-by-the-President-On-National-Security-5-21-09/

[v] Jake Tapper, (September 29, 2011), ABC News web-site, Obama: U.S. Had “Gotten a Little Soft” in Last Couple Decades, Lost Competitiveness, retrieved December 5, 2011 from http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2011/09/obama-u-s-had-gotten-a-little-soft-in-last-couple-decades-lost-competitiveness/

[vi] President Barack Obama, (October 11, 2011), White House web-site, Speeches & Remarks, Remarks by the President on the American Jobs Act, given at IBEW #5 Training Center, Pittsburg, PA, retrieved December 16, 2011, from http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2011/10/11/remarks-president-american-jobs-act

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Reason #35/36 – Obama: Americans Short on Ambition and Imagination/Obama: Ignorance and Arrogance of Americans

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Reason #35

Obama: Americans Short on Ambition and Imagination

A study of Obama’s speeches, fundraisers, press conferences and other interactions – especially with foreign countries and targeted audiences here at home – will lead even the most casual observer to the conclusion that Obama sees a great deal wrong with America.  He has called us “Mean-Spirited,” [i] “manic and self absorbed,” [ii] “soft” [iii] and more.

His Inaugural address seemed to offer a glimmer of decency, when he said:

“Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began. Our minds are no less inventive…”[iv]

But, he quickly returned to normal.  Speaking at an October, 2011 fundraiser in San Francisco, President Obama couldn’t resist the urge to ring that bell still another time, as he addressed his followers:

“Anybody been to Beijing Airport lately? Or driven on high-speed rail in Asia or Europe? What’s changed? Well, we’ve lost our ambition, our imagination, and our willingness to do the things that built the Golden Gate Bridge and Hoover Dam and unleashed all the potential in this country.”[v]

These are the words of the President of the United States, Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces, who sends America’s men and women to war and sometimes death, believing in his heart that they – that we – are without ambition, or imagination.

(Excerpt from 203 Reasons Not to Vote for Barack Obama)

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Reason #36

Obama: Ignorance and Arrogance of Americans

Obama asserts early in his first book, that while living in Indonesia, he was taught by his mother, Ann Dunham:

“…to disdain” what she saw as  “the blend of ignorance and arrogance that too often characterized Americans abroad.”[vi]

He also found the innocence of German, Japanese, British and American tourists in Kenya, “…vaguely insulting” and was angered by the attention they received from Kenyan waiters in a restaurant. [vii]

Perhaps these feelings account for some of his apologies for our Country – odd that his comments about Americans who cling to their religion and their guns, probably closely mimic the types of elitist condescension about which his mother was talking.

(Excerpt from 203 Reasons Not to Vote for Barack Obama)

[i] Allison J. Pugh, Associated Press, (Cambridge, MA 1990), “Law Journal’s Leader Wants to Help Poor,” appearing in National Section of Altoona Mirror, April 16, 1990, p. B7, retrieved from Newspaper Archive.com http://www.newspaperarchive.com/PdfViewerTags.aspx?img=70515705&firstvisit=true&src=search&currentResult=5&currentPage=0&fpo=False, using search terms “Barack Obama” “between years 1987-1995”, (Retrieved June 8, 2010)

[ii] Barack Obama, Dreams From my Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance, 1st pbk Edition, (New York, 2004, Three Rivers Press), 133

[iii] Jake Tapper, (September 29, 2011), ABC News web-site, Obama: U.S. Had “Gotten a Little Soft” in Last Couple Decades, Lost Competitiveness, retrieved December 5, 2011 from http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2011/09/obama-u-s-had-gotten-a-little-soft-in-last-couple-decades-lost-competitiveness/

[iv] President Barack Obama (Jan 20, 2009), White House web-site, The White House Blog, President Obama’s Inaugural Address, retrieved January 13, 2012 from http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/inaugural-address/

[v] President Barack Obama (Oct. 26, 2011), White House web-site, Speeches & Remarks, Remarks by the President at a Campaign Event at W Hotel, San Francisco, CA, retrieved January 5, 2012 from http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2011/10/26/remarks-president-campaign-event-0

[vi] Barack Obama, Dreams From My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance, 1st pbk Edition, (New York, 2004, Three Rivers Press), 47

[vii] Barack Obama, The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream, (New York, 2006, Three Rivers Press), 312

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Reason #33/34 – Obama: Rewriting History/Obama: America has “Gotten a Little Soft”

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Only 137 Days Remaining!

Reason #33

Obama: Rewriting History

Speaking before the Cuban American Foundation, then Presidential Candidate Obama once again launched a verbal assault on then President George W. Bush.  Based on Obama’s purported intellect, we can only presume that he knew the first portion of this statement to be  a lie.

“…Since the Bush Administration launched a misguided war in Iraq.  Its policy in the Americas has been negligent towards our friends, ineffective with our adversaries, disinterested in the challenges that matter in the peoples’ lives and incapable of advancing our interests in the region.  No wonder then, that demagogues like Hugo Chavez have stepped into this vacuum.”[i]

“His predictable, yet perilous mix of anti-American rhetoric, authoritarian government, “checkbook diplomacy,” coddling the repressive regime in Cuba, offers the same false promise as the tried and failed ideologies of the past.”[ii]

Hugo Chavez was elected President of Venezuela in 1998.  He “stepped into this vacuum” on Clinton’s – not Bush’s watch!  Here, Obama talks judgmentally about “coddling the repressive regime in Cuba,” when he called for flexibility in dealing with Cuba at the Summit of the Americas.  This might fit the definition of Hypocrisy!

As to the second portion of Obama’s statement, can you tell whether he is speaking about Bush, or Chavez?  Did he know?  Did he care?

(An excerpt from 203 Reasons Not to Vote for Barack Obama)

Reason #34

Obama:  America has “gotten a little soft”

Apparently, Obama does sometimes consider America to be a decent  country.  On occasion, he has even – as shown in the following quote – called us “Great.”  On September 29, 2011, speaking with Orlando WESH-TV’s Jim Payne, the President noted:

“The way I think about it is, this is a great, great country that had gotten a little soft and we didn’t have that same competitive edge that we needed over the last couple of decades.  We need to get back on track.”[iii]

This is probably one of the nicest things Obama has ever said about America – before, or after becoming President.

(An excerpt from 203 Reasons Not to Vote for Barack Obama)

[i] Barack Obama, quoted in Jack Kelly, (May 27, 2008), Real Clear Politics web-site, Obama Obfuscates on Chavez & FARC, retrieved February 6, 2012 from http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2008/05/obama_obfuscates_on_chavez_far.html

[ii] Barack Obama, shown on YouTube video posted by “econalc”, (Aug 25, 2008), Obama’s Funniest Bloopers, retrieved February 6, 2012 from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QxXh6ZWfbDg&feature=related

[iii] Jake Tapper, (September 29, 2011), ABC News web-site, Obama: U.S. Had “Gotten a Little Soft” in Last Couple Decades, Lost Competitiveness, retrieved December 5, 2011 from http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2011/09/obama-u-s-had-gotten-a-little-soft-in-last-couple-decades-lost-competitiveness/

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Reason 32 – America Sought to Dictate Terms

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Only 138 Days Remaining!

Reason #32

America Sought to Dictate Terms

In his first address to the Summit of the Americas, Obama affably responds to comments by Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega – a man responsible for death, destruction and the economic plunder of his own nation.  Obama notes that we should not be trapped by history and suggests the need for flexibility in dealing with places like Cuba.

“…All of us must now renew the common stake that we have in one another. I know that promises of partnership have gone unfulfilled in the past, and that trust has to be earned over time. While the United States has done much to promote peace and prosperity in the hemisphere, we have at times been disengaged, and at times we sought to dictate our terms. But I pledge to you that we seek an equal partnership. (Applause.) There is no senior partner and junior partner in our relations; there is simply engagement based on mutual respect and common interests and shared values. So I’m here to launch a new chapter of engagement that will be sustained throughout my administration. (Applause.)

“To move forward, we cannot let ourselves be prisoners of past disagreements. I am very grateful that President Ortega — (applause) — I’m grateful that President Ortega did not blame me for things that happened when I was three months old. (Laughter.) Too often, an opportunity to build a fresh partnership of the Americas has been undermined by stale debates. And we’ve heard all these arguments before, these debates that would have us make a false choice between rigid, state-run economies or unbridled and unregulated capitalism; between blame for right-wing paramilitaries or left-wing insurgents; between sticking to inflexible policies with regard to Cuba or denying the full human rights that are owed to the Cuban people.[i]

Interestingly, while he strikes an apologetic tone by voicing his perception that the U.S. has, “at times been disengaged, and at times sought to dictate our terms,”(in Latin America),  he makes no similar apology for attempting to overrule the Honduran Constitutional process by demanding the return to power of their ousted President, Manuel  Zelaya.

[i] President Barack Obama, (April 17, 2009), White House web-site, Remarks by the President at the Summit of the Americas Opening Ceremony, retrieved December 7, 2011 from http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/remarks-president-summit-americas-opening-ceremony

Reason #30/31 – America is “Just downright mean!”/Obama: Americans “Manic and self-absorbed”

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Only 139 Days Remaining!

Reason #30

America is “just downright mean!”

In 1990, Obama called our Country “mean-spirited,” and ungenerous.  Some might think this ancient history – as ancient as Obama’s association with Bill Ayers and Jeremiah Wright.  But, In 2008, campaigning for her husband, before parishioners of a predominantly black South Carolina church, Michelle Obama gave her own view of life in America.  According to Michelle:

“…life in America in 2008, and life is not good.  We’re a divided country, we’re a country that is ‘just downright mean,’ we are ‘guided by fear.’ We’re a nation of cynics, sloths, and complacents.”[i]

* * *

Reason #31

Obama: Americans Manic and Self Absorbed

In Dreams From my Father, Obama tells us that he decided to become a community organizer in 1983 and provides a few insights into his thinking.  The first is that he was dedicated to “change” – change in everything from the White House to the Congress, to what he called the “manic and self absorbed” “mood of the country.” [ii]

[i] Lauren Collins,(March 10, 2008), The New Yorker.com Profiles, The Other Obama: Michelle Obama and the Politics of Candor, retrieved November 2, 2010 from http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2008/03/10/080310fa_fact_collins?currentPage=1

[ii] Barack Obama, Dreams From my Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance, 1st pbk Edition, (New York, 2004, Three Rivers Press), 133

Reason #28/29 – The Threat of Fundamental Transformation/America – A “Mean-Spirited” Country

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Reason #28

The Threat of Fundamental Transformation

Obama has never changed his attitude towards America.  Just as he hoped in 1990, “…to reshape America in a way that is less mean-spirited and more generous,” [i] on October 30, 2008, he told a University of Missouri audience that:

“We’re five days away from fundamentally transforming the United States of America.” [ii] 

He didn’t say he would fundamentally transform the way Washington did business.  He said he would fundamentally transform our nation…and people cheered.  They should have run.  No man should ever seek to “fundamentally transform” a country that recognizes the God given “unalienable rights” of all men to “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.”[iii]

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 Reason #29

America – A “Mean-Spirited” Country

Barack Obama established long ago, that he views America , not as the land of opportunity, but, as a “mean-spirited,” ungenerous nation that looks down on minorities.  In 1990, Shortly after being elected the first black President of the Harvard Law Review – a great honor afforded him by his Harvard peers – Obama was quoted as saying:

“There’s certainly racism here [at Harvard]…

“Hopefully, more and more people will begin to feel their story is somehow part of this larger story of how we’re going to reshape America in a way that is less mean-spirited and more generous.” [iv] (Emphasis Added)

Obama’s opinion however, does not stand up to the facts.  As he and his fellow Democrats have grown so fond of saying, “You’re entitled to your own opinion, but not to your own facts.”

It is in this “mean-spirited” country that Obama became President of the Harvard Law Review, a State Senator, a U.S. Senator and President of the United States.  It is in this ungenerous nation that “…charitable giving has generally risen faster than the growth of the American economy…”[v]  In fact, according to The American, “no developed country approaches American giving.”[vi]

Commenting on a survey by the Charities Aid Foundation in Britain, the Philanthropy Roundtable’s Adam Meyerson called this “…consistent with many other studies showing that America is by far the most charitable country on Earth.”[vii]

We need look only as far as our own soldiers, who historically have given of their own limited resources to help children and others in the nations in which they have served.  I can remember interviewing a U.S. Navy Corpsman in Vietnam, who sent a large portion of his paycheck home to purchase clothing, soap, food and over the counter medications that could be given to the local population.

Given our rich history of giving and of opportunity, it is difficult to explain a President who sees our people as “mean-spirited” and ungenerous, and who sees a need for “fundamentally transforming the United States of America.”

[i] Allison J. Pugh, Associated Press, (Cambridge, MA 1990), “Law Journal’s Leader Wants to Help Poor,” appearing in National Section of Altoona Mirror, April 16, 1990, p. B7, retrieved from Newspaper Archive.com http://www.newspaperarchive.com/PdfViewerTags.aspx?img=70515705&firstvisit=true&src=search&currentResult=5&currentPage=0&fpo=False, using search terms “Barack Obama” “between years 1987-1995”, (Retrieved June 8, 2010)

[ii] Barack Obama, (October 30, 2008), the Missourian Web-site, Thousands cheer Obama at rally for change, retrieved January 1, 2011 from http://www.columbiamissourian.com/stories/2008/10/30/obama-speaks-crowd-40000/

[iii] Declaration of Independence, (July 4, 1776)

[iv] Allison J. Pugh, Associated Press, (Cambridge, MA 1990), “Law Journal’s Leader Wants to Help Poor,” appearing in National Section of Altoona Mirror, April 16, 1990, p. B7, retrieved from Newspaper Archive.com http://www.newspaperarchive.com/PdfViewerTags.aspx?img=70515705&firstvisit=true&src=search&currentResult=5&currentPage=0&fpo=False, using search terms “Barack Obama” “between years 1987-1995”, (Retrieved June 8, 2010)

[v] Arthur C. Brooks, (Mar/April 2008), “The American: The online magazine of the American Enterprise Institute, A Nation of Givers, retrieved January 29, 2012, from http://www.american.com/archive/2008/march-april-magazine-contents/a-nation-of-givers

Enterprise Institute, A Nation of Givers, retrieved January 29, 2012, from http://www.american.com/archive/2008/march-april-magazine-contents/a-nation-of-givers

[vii] Jason L. Riley, (December 23, 2011), Wall Street Journal web-site, Opinion: Political Diary, America the Generous, retrieved December 24, 2011, from http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204464404577116710690931258.html?mod=rss_opinion_main