Did Obama really admit to failing?
By Robert Ringer - Wednesday, October 5, 2011
In answer to George Stephanopoulos asking him how he can convince people that they’re better off than they were four years ago, teleprompterless Barack Obama answered:
“Well, I don’t think they’re better off than they were four years ago. They’re not better off than they were before Lehman’s collapse, before the financial crisis, before this extraordinary recession that we’re going through.”
Republicans are giddy with joy and anxious to use BHO’s seeming admission of failure for ad fodder. But not so fast. I can read Obama’s mind like an open book, and, trust me, he was not admitting to any failure on his part.
First of all, keep in mind that four years ago was October 2007, about sixteen months before BHO even took office, so it was the wrong question (possibly on purpose to set up his clever answer). Obama immediately seized on the fact that Stephanopoulos had failed to ask him the right question, which would have been: “How can you convince people that they’re better off than they were two-and-a-half years ago?”
The reason he quickly threw in “before Lehman’s collapse” was to remind people that the current economic problems started while George Bush was still president. Remember, Lehman filed for bankruptcy in September 2008, four months before Obama took office. Ditto with “before the financial crisis,” which also began under George Bush.
In his typical lie-with-a-straight-face fashion, he also bodaciously threw in, “What we’ve seen is that we’ve been able to make steady progress to stabilize the economy.” Really? Hmm … wonder why your printing pal Ben Bernanke just said that the economy is “close to faltering?”
Obama intends to weave together his class-warfare strategy with his simplistic blame-game strategy and pound voters with this combo all the way to next year’s election. And he might just pull it off if Republicans don’t start confronting him with the one point they have seldom made, and certainly not explained very well, to wit:
It doesn’t matter what George Bush or anyone else did in the past. We elected you to be president because you made grandiose promises about fixing things. That’s why a new president is elected every four years — to do a better job than the previous one whom voters threw out of office. Forget what Bush did. It’s your job to fix things.
A similar comeback should be used whenever Obama blames Congress for blocking his progress. He should be hammered with the fact that the Democrats had full control of both houses of Congress for the first two years of his presidency, and didn’t even say good morning to their Republican counterparts when they passed them in the halls. Obama got everything he wanted for two years and made things many times worse than they were during the last year of Bush’s second term.
Finally, BHO said to Stephanopoulos, “And that’s why it’s so critical for us to make sure that we are taking every action we can take to put people back to work.” His sob story is that if he could just get some cooperation from Republicans in Congress, everything would be fine.
Translation: “C’mon, guys, just pass another stimulus bill … er, I mean, jobs package … and I’ll turn this thing around in no time (heh, heh, heh — suckers). Forget about the $4 billion in deficits I’ve run up. I had to do it to keep the economy from getting worse.” Kind of like a serial killer saying he had to keep killing in order to save lives.
As is usually the case, it’s the Republicans’ election to lose … and they have a remarkable talent for doing just that — especially by nominating safe, moderate (i.e., progressive) candidates. Unfortunately, if they make that mistake again, they won’t have another chance to prove they can get it right.
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Copyright © 2012 Robert Ringer
ROBERT RINGER is a New York Times #1 bestselling author and host of the highly acclaimed Liberty Education Interview Series, which features interviews with top political, economic, and social leaders. He has appeared on Fox News, Fox Business, The Tonight Show, Today, The Dennis Miller Show, Good Morning America, The Lars Larson Show, ABC Nightline, and The Charlie Rose Show, and has been the subject of feature articles in such major publications as Time, People, The Wall Street Journal, Fortune, Barron's, and The New York Times.
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18 Responses to “Did Obama really admit to failing?”
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I agree, Obama is going to sermonize a populist message of class warfare, and then he’ll attempt to cast all those who disagree as morally bankrupt.
Blame the languid economy on Bush and Cheney and Wall Street and big business and banks and the U.S. Congress and EU and etc. ( a message which is partly true) will be a big part of the reelection strategy; and, frankly, anybody can see that one coming.
Currently, the Republican front runners are looking weak. And, as the electorate discovers just how phony the Republican establishment candidates are—think Rick Perry—then Obama will not be looking so bad in a choice between two evils.
However, there is a wild card: I call it the Jerome Corsi wild card. Jerome Corsi dropped some real bomb shells and made some accusations about Obama which I’ve never heard him make. He did this yesterday in an interview with Alex Jones. Mr. Corsi also announced his new book; and, frankly, I’ve never, Never, EVER listened to Mr. Corsi sound so conspiratorial.
Normally, Alex Jones sucks all the air out of the room on the subject of conspiracy theories and “The Obama Deception.” But even Alex was taken back by Cosi’s conspiratorial predictions.
The first part of the interview is linked here: http://www.youtube.com/user/TheAlexJonesChannel#p/u/20/rEt4lnzA60M
Here’s the second part of the interview with Jerome Corsi:
http://www.youtube.com/user/TheAlexJonesChannel#p/u/19/dbzR39dNgPQ
Just like you and me, the President is evaluated, scored if you will, by a set of benchmarks which measure results. Now there’s a good word for the Republicans to use: “RESULTS.”
If the Republicans would pound away at his results – especially those with which he asked us to measure him – then the people would be able to clearly see his abject failure. Do not allow him to maneuver around the facts. Do not allow him to tell half-truths. do not allow him to blame others. He alone is responsible for certain, key Executve Branch results, period.
To use a football analogy: Back in 2008 we hired a new coach to helps us get a winning record. Our team had fallen on hard times and wanted to get a new coach and new direction.
Now after nearly three years we have seen how this new coach is leading and the team and it is terrible. The win-loss record has not improved. If anything it has stayed the same to be nice, but actually is worse.
Now if Obama was the coach of a this football team he would be fired right now.
I’m from Michigan and Obama is sort of like RichRod when he took over Michigan. Richrod through all the tradition under the bus and rode over it with thoughts he knew better than those who came before.
Well you know what? He was fired.
Obama did the exact same thing with the USA. He thought his plan was better (actually lack of plan). He stomped on the great tradition of the USA of individual freedom and liberty.
I feel bad about lumping Richrod with Obama because Richrod actually was successful before he came to Michigan. Obama was never led a successful team, organization or committee.
Obama needs to fired.
Teddy: as RR has pointed out before, BHO has been quite successful if measured by other benchmarks, criteria having nothing to do with being the Chief Executive.
But, when it comes to being President of the United States, he is such a failure as to be considered dangerous. Remember though, he asked us to evaluate him on, among other things; unemployment rate being below 8%, shrinking, not expanding foreign wars, growing economy > 1.75% quarter to quarter, expanding American (not foreign) green energy economy directly benefitting the American people etc., etc.
“Forget about the $4 billion in deficits I’ve run up”
That would be 4 Trillion…with a T.
Interesting to see these community organized Wall Street protests…right up this dudes alley, aren’t they? I mean, that’s who he is…
Bravo, Topeka….bravo..
I would trade my humble personal estate “kingdom” for the next 10 years spending summers in Sweden (all they have are Muslim Terrorists running around), and winters on the Riviera (all they have are painted ladies strolling the Rue Macarrani day and night), just for some good ole peace of mind and body.
The answer to crony capitalism is not crony socialism.
The answer to big government isn’t bigger government.
The answer to Muslim extremism is not amerikan extremism.
The answer to less freedom is not less and less freedom.
The answer to 14 trillion in debt is not 15, 16, 17… trillion more in debt.
The answer to Obama is not some RINO-establishment insider.
The answer to 1984 IS 1776…….
Ron Paul for President……..
End the Fed! Bring home the troops! Reinstate gold, silver and copper as official U.S. currency!
We have only ourselves to blame. Our apathy and lack of activity is directly responsible for our situation. The patriot act, tarp, seizure of privately held businesses, and a general lack concern of the founding documents of the nation, have led us into this abyss. Now we are blaming everything and everyone except our own actions. Time to stand up, rise up, and form up, for the nation and its principles. We can rehash the problems, or get busy solving them, whatever it takes. Molon Labe. Resist tyranny, oppose the fascist form of government of which we are rapidly descending.
“Forget about the $4 billion in deficits I’ve run up.” (?)
“It’s your job to fix things.”
Admittedly, Obama made things worse. But does anyone really believe that a president’s job is to “fix things,” or that he could if he wanted to?
class warfare strategy? really? when various groups are competing for larger shares of stolen property, loot, are those groups accurately referred to as “classes”? let’s call it what it is: gang warfare.
yes, agreed. forget what bush did. and obama is doing . and what paul might do. vesting solution (absolution?) in one mortal against the institutionalized dark matter that is the gov interlock, is fantasy. atop another fantasy: the number 1 draft pick for “team empire” (and his body double stand-in) is actually an infiltrating double agent for liberty.
good cop, bad cop…both, still, cops. paramilitarized, posse comitatus-less cops….and if you think any of that can be blamed on a recent titular or few, think again…
as for the financial crisis, just because a larger percentage of people are just starting to notice does not mean it just recently arrived: even juggernauts were once motionless, and this one started at the very beginning of “american” history – itself merely a continuation of history…the early adopters brought roaches and kudzu seeds with them, hiding in their packing crates……
This emphasis continues to be feng shuing the deck chairs. “chi” is a topside thing; there ain’t no chi at the bottom of the deep blue sea….
Reunion,
I love your morality, but I’m sure that you’re aware of the fact that Galt’s Gulch is currently accessible to the barbaric mob( i.e. Democracy). Yes, indeed, democratic-globalization has reached the Gulch, and there is not too much room left for a retreat. It is sill possible for some to run away; however, two wolves and a sheep are currently voting on what’s for dinner…. psssst, and the main course is individuals just like you and me.
Let me put it to you another way: If you’re thrown into The Big House(i.e. amerika) with a mob of butt-rapping criminals, then you have six options:
1) Stand alone
2) Choose solitary confinement (if that’s even offered)
3) Pick a side in the general population.
4) Become somebody’s bitch.
Of course, there is always suicide as the fifth option, and a growing number are opting in.
Or, maybe you’re an escape artist, reunion.
Whatever happens to amerika, I hope that you keep your morality, even if it kills you. History needs people like you, reunion.
Me: as of now, I’m picking a side, i.e. Ron Paul, Lew Rockwell, Alex Jones, Dr. Paul Craig Roberts, The NRA, GOA, Oath Keepers, and many, many other truth-telling-liberty lovers.
It’s Alamo time……
rs…i like your stuff, too (have come to, early on, you were a head scratch…). but, as you may have already said, “been there, done that”. frontal assaults used to suit me fine. and if everybody died, that suited me, too. i was a pup then; not now.
corner-dom is one thing; martyrdom is something else. not interested.
besides, you could just as easily choose to side with those who kicked santanna’s ass as those who chose to be speed bumps (leaving aside that maplines id‘d alamo as being in the mexican dirt patch, at the time…now its a car rental agency, with offices deep in the heart of the currently delineated mexican dirt patch…)…spartans at thermopylae is compelling stuff, but for all that, still just ellipses, or a comma. this damn run on sentence needs a period. and i do think evacuation equals punctuation.
“Forget about the $4 billion in deficits I’ve run up.” (?)
“It’s your job to fix things.”
Admittedly Obama has made things worse, but can a president “fix” an economy?
no, pete, he/it cannot…but what thug & the boys CAN do is put IN the fix, and in fact, they do it all the time……
Thanks Reunion. That’s my point.
I think you meant 4 Trillion!