Tag Archives: Economy

Democratic National Circus!! Part 4

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Only 57 Days Remaining!

Who Says America is in Decline?

Transport yourself back to the historic moment.

It is Closing night at the Democratic National Circus.

Under the “Big Top,”  the two central figures of the Circus:  Joseph Biden, Vice President of the United States and Barack – “I am the President” – Obama.

Biden is leading the charge – preparing the way for his boss.  He leans forward on the podium, eyes of steel, jaw tight, finger jabbing in the air as if pounding the chest of an unseen enemy.

Then it comes.  Like a superhero lecturing a bully he has just beaten, he lets the hard words flow:

“Folks, there is one more thing — one more thing that our Republican opponents are just dead wrong about.  America is not in decline.  America is not in decline.  I’ve got news for Governor Romney and Congressman Ryan.  Gentlemen, never, ever –it never makes sense, it’s never been a good bet to bet against the American people. Never.”[1]

So powerful were these words that none other than Obama himself decided to borrow them in a campaign speech given during his two day Florida bus tour:

“When our opponents say this nation is in decline, they are dead wrong – this is America,”[2]

Obama was reportedly responding to a remark allegedly made by Vice Presidential candidate Paul Ryan, that our growing federal debt puts our country in decline.

Obama’s fans are beside themselves with pride.  Here is their president pushing back hard against the idea that America is in decline – Surely, he’ll show them!  Regrettably, while their candidate may be responding strongly to a narrowly focused economic comment by Paul Ryan, it is he, who long ago, began heralding the decline of America and then with a one-two punch, started pushing us in that direction.

First, there was the famous Obama “apology” tour.  Then were the Obama comments about America and about the:

“manic and self absorbed” “mood of the country,” [3] 

It was Obama himself, who reminded us:

 “…we went off course…”[4]

“…great country that had gotten a little soft…”[5]

It was Obama who scolded America, noting that:

“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.”[6]

And while he said all of these things, he was spending – always spending – until finally, our Credit Rating was gone.  But, even that wasn’t enough.  He was also dividing us – Poor against Rich, Blacks against Whites, immigrants against Republicans, citizens against police.  Was this the same guy who gave the 2004 Keynote Address for John Kerry?

“There’s not a liberal America and a conservative America – there’s the United States of America.  There’s not a black America and white America and Latino America and Asian America; there’s the United States of America.”

 Are you the same man who once called our Country “Mean-Spirited” and ungenerous?  Are you the man who has attacked and apologized for your country as President?

America is a strong, proud and exceptional nation with a history of achievement and generosity.  It is not a line in a campaign speech…Especially yours.

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[1] Joe Biden, (Sept. 6, 2012), FoxNews web-site, Transcript of Joe Biden’s speech at the DNC, retrieved September 10, 2012 from http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/09/06/transcript-joe-biden-speech-at-dnc/

 [2] Barack Obama, (Sept. 8, 2012), quoted by Lindsey Boerma, Sept. 8, 2012, CBS News web-site, Obama to GOP:America is Not in Decline, retrieved September 10, 2012 from http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-57508939-503544/obama-to-gop-america-is-not-in-decline/

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

 [4] 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/

 [5] 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/

 [6] 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

Reason 18 – Obama: A Rank Amateur

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149 Days Remaining!

Reason #18

Obama: A Rank Amateur

In her book, The Obama’s, author Jodi Kantor states that “…when it was time to order a swing set for the Obama girls, Rear Admiral Stephen Rochon, the chief usher, traveled to the factory in South Dakota where it was being made to inspect it.”[i]

According to media coverage at the time, the Obama’s paid for the swing set.  But, there is more than one kind of extravagance – and this is a particularly ugly and unnecessary one.  A Rear Admiral in the field would likely be in command of thousands of service members.  There are two levels of Rear Admirals, both of which are Flag Officers – a rank level attained by less than 1% of career military officers.[ii]

Sending a Rear Admiral across the country to inspect a child’s swing set – particularly, given current Defense cuts – is an insult and an embarrassment.  If the military was to have any role in this transaction, there are numerous enlisted skilled technicians in all branches who could have done a credible job.  Most probably, there was an Army base far closer to the South Dakota operation than Washington, DC.

How and why did this happen?  Who knows?  What we do know, is that President Obama seems more comfortable with high ranking titles.  The BP “Spill Commission” noted, for example that:

“During the Deepwater Horizon response…inter-agency groups [NRT and RRT] were activated but later marginalized when issues were taken out of their hands and decided by agency heads rather than through the established decision-making structure.  When the first National Response Team conference call was held, instead of the designated team members, the principals of the agencies were on the line and Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano chaired the call.” [iii]

In fact, on day two of the BP spill crisis, the Deputy Secretary of Interior was dispatched to the Gulf, in order – not to guide our response, but to provide Washington officials hourly updates on our disaster response.[iv]  Does this sound like a job for the Deputy Interior Secretary?

Are these lessons in applied Elitism?  Or, are they merely the actions of a rank amateur?

[i] Jodi Kantor, The Obama’s, (New York, 2012, Little Brown and Company), Kindle Version, p48

[ii] Pamela Barnett, About.com US Military web-site, Navy Rear Admiral, retrieved February 24, 2012 from http://usmilitary.about.com/od/navy/a/navyradmiral.htm

[iii] Staff, (October 5, 2010*), National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling, Staff Working Paper No. 2, Decision-Making Within the Unified Command, p7 – Available at http://www.oilspillcommission.gov/document/decision-making-within-unified-command

[iv] Posted by Heidi Avery, (May 5, 2010), White House Blog, The Ongoing Administration-Wide Response to the Deepwater BP Oil Spill, Retrieved September 23, 2010 from http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2010/05/05/ongoing-administration-wide-response-deepwater-bp-oil-spill

Memorial Day – 2012

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Memorial Day - 2012

On this Memorial Day and for all days and ages to come, may God bless and keep those who have bravely laid down their lives in the service of our country – to protect their brothers and sisters and to preserve the ideas and ideals that define America.