IM
(an American citizen with an inquiring mind):
Gadfly, I know you are working on a strategy for dealing with Obama’s
and the progressive movement’s march toward imperialism, but I must share a
quick observation.
Old
Gadfly: Is this observation regarding
the Rose Garden speech
this morning?
IM: Yes. Positioned
in front of the standard props (i.e., human instruments), the President claimed
that, while the rollout of the Affordable Care Act (i.e., Obamacare) was not as
smooth as he had expected, there were many features of the Act already in
place, benefitting Americans. For
example, some of the props were young people still under 26 and still on their
parent’s healthcare policy.
Old
Gadfly: This sounds like a good thing.
IM: Sure, but it also indicates how difficult it
is for young people to get a job and their own healthcare policies in the Obama
economy.
Old
Gadfly: I have not heard the current economy
characterized that way—the Obama economy.
IM: He’s had nearly five years at the helm. He deserves credit for it.
AM (an
American combat aviator with an inquiring mind): I have to chuckle at the thought.
IM: Why?
AM: Harding and Obama have a lot in common: both have been associated with scandal and an
ailing economy. Harding is known for the
Teapot Dome Scandal. He had little to do
with the Teapot Dome incident, but was held accountable for it. He also inherited a recession, yet successfully
led the country beyond this severe economic contraction by cutting government
spending in half and employing no fiscal or monetary stimulus, because he had
faith in the capacity of the market system to quickly adapt and self-correct,
which it did.[1] Obama, on the other hand, is not held
accountable for far more egregious scandals (i.e., the attack on Benghazi, the
IRS harassment of Tea Party organizations, etc.). Further, Obama has insisted upon government
tampering of the economy with significant spending based on Keynesian theory
and more government control over the private sector. Just today I read in The
New York Times about a pending $13 billion settlement between JP Morgan
and the Department of Justice, which will set a terrible and chilling precedent. JP Morgan’s CEO, Jamie Dimon, appears to be a
target for his open criticism of the Obama economy. Essentially, the government is on a deliberate
path to control the financial sector without technically “owning” it. This is a pattern described by Jonah Goldberg
in Liberal Fascism: The Secret History of the American Left, From Mussolini
to the Politics of Meaning. And, despite claims of being the champion
for the middle class, Obama’s economy has produced the lowest percentage
of Americans working in the past three decades, more people in poverty, and
lower median incomes.
IM: Great points, AM. The tampering is not solely focused on the
economy. It deeply extends into our culture
as a society. Just this morning, I
visited a Planned Parenthood website that targets young people. Planned Parenthood receives annual federal
funding in the range of a half billion. This
represents our tax dollars. The site
offers advice from free
birth control, thanks to Obamacare, to how to engage with other partners, to promiscuity. I showed the site to my wife--she immediately
blushed from anger and the total lack of decency. Here’s a (mild) screenshot from the website:
Old Gadfly: This whole Obamacare affair is not a pretty
picture.
IM: The picture we describe is considered absurd
to those who still believe in Obama’s Messianic power. Aside from his oratorical persuasiveness,
something seemed to be missing in his Rose Garden speech.
Old
Gadfly: What do you think was missing?
IM: After all the droning at Americans (no pun
intended), Obama did not say: “Despite a lot of pressure from lobbyists and
other special interest groups, I resisted the pressure to
grant any waivers, exemptions, or exceptions to my signature law.”
AM: Ouch! Does hypocrisy have no limits?
[1] For excellent historical analysis,
see John Hendrickson (2010). The Wisdom of President Warren G. Harding. Policy Study No. 10-5. Mount Pleasant, IA: Public Interest Institute. Retrieved on February 27,2012 from http://www.limitedgovernment.org/publications/pubs/studies/ps-10-5.pdf.
See also T. E. Woods, T. E. (2009). Warren Harding and the Forgotten Depression
of 1920. The Intercollegiate Review, 44(2), 22-29.
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