Gov. Palin’s latest Facebook note hits the nail on the head, I think:
We’ve now seen three landslide Republican victories in three states that President Obama carried in 2008. From the tea parties to the town halls to the Massachusetts Miracle, Americans have tried to make their opposition to Washington’s big government agenda loud and clear. But the President has decided that this current discontent isn’t his fault, it’s ours. He seems to think we just don’t understand what’s going on because he hasn’t had the chance—in his 411 speeches and 158 interviews last year—to adequately explain his policies to us.
Instead of sensibly telling the American people, “I’m listening,” the president is saying, “Listen up, people!” This approach is precisely the reason people are upset with Washington. Americans understand the president’s policies. We just don’t agree with them. But the president has refused to shift focus and come around to the center from the far left. Instead he and his old campaign advisers are regrouping to put a new spin on the same old agenda for 2010.
Americans aren’t looking for more political strategists. We’re looking for real leadership that listens and delivers results. The president’s former campaign adviser is now calling on supporters to “get on the same page,” but what’s on that page? He claims that the president is “resolved” to “keep fighting for” his agenda, but we’ve already seen what that government-growth agenda involves, and frankly the hype doesn’t give us much hope. Real health care reform requires a free market approach; real job creation involves incentivizing, not punishing, the job-creators; reining in the “big banks” means ending bailouts; and stopping “the undue influence of lobbyists” means not cutting deals with them behind closed doors.
Instead of real leadership, though, we’ve had broken promises and backroom deals. One of the worst: candidate Obama promised to go through the federal budget “with a scalpel,” but President Obama spent four times more than his predecessor. Want more? Candidate Obama promised that lobbyists “won’t find a job in my White House,” but President Obama gave at least a dozen former lobbyists top administration jobs. Candidate Obama promised us that we could view his health care deliberations openly and honestly on C-SPAN, but President Obama cut deals behind closed doors with industry lobbyists . Candidate Obama promised us that we would have at least five days to read all major legislation, but President Obama rushed through bills before members of Congress could even read them.
Candidate Obama promised us that his economic stimulus package would be targeted and pork-free, but President Obama signed a stimulus bill loaded with pork and goodies for corporate cronies. Candidate Obama railed against Wall Street greed, but President Obama cozied up to bankers as he extended and expanded their bailouts. Candidate Obama promised us that for “Every dollar that I’ve proposed [in spending], I’ve proposed an additional cut so that it matches.” We’re still waiting to see how President Obama will cut spending to match the trillion he’s spent.
More than anything, Americans were promised jobs, but the president’s stimulus package has failed to stem our rising unemployment rate. Maybe it was unfair to expect that an administration with so little private sector experience would understand something about job creation. How many Obama Administration officials have ever had to make a payroll or craft a business plan in the private sector? How many have had to worry about not having the resources to invest and expand? The president’s big government policies have made hiring a new employee a difficult commitment for employers to make. Ask yourself if the Obama Administration has done anything to make it easier for employers to hire. Have they given us any reassurance that the president will keep taxes low and not impose expensive new regulations?
Candidate Obama over-promised; President Obama has under-delivered. We understand you, Mr. President. We’ve listened to you again and again. We ask that you now listen to the American people.
—Sarah Palin
Maybe it was unfair to expect that an administration with so little private sector experience would understand something about job creation.
And that one statement is precisely the problem.
No surprise that someone with actual executive experience with actually balancing a budget could zero in on the single biggest flaw of our President with such laser pin-point accuracy.
db
Agreed.
Obama State of the Union Predictions:
1. He will freeze spending, temporarily, maybe.
2. He will violate the Stimulus Package Law and spend the TARP money instead of putting back in the Treasury.
3. He will let Bush Tax cuts expire.
4. He will move forward with Obamacare.
5. He will NOT cut spending.
6. He will blame Bush for the economic crises in spite of the fact that Democrats have controled congress and the economy for the last three years.
6. He will not rein in the Fed and tell them to do their job (stop printing fake money. Raise the interest rates to wring inflation out of the economy instead of keeping them artificially low so his Wall Street buddies can get Securities at 0% interest, hold the money, not lend it out and make 3% guaranteed interest off the U.S. Tax payer. After all, he needs to pad his Goldmen Sach's buddies bottom line so they can continue to pump money into DFL coffers for re-election in the next election. Of course, raising interest rates will only work if Spending Cuts are made, but, as I've stated, he's not going to do that.
7. He will talk about something involving MORE spending (not including Obamacare)
8. If he does make cuts, it will be defense, but he will turn around and divert that money elseware to another uneeded welfare project.
Let's see how right I am. I make these predictions based on his record.
Ok, there are 9 predictions, not 8.
I messed up.
Also, #1 is absolutely useless without #5 and #6 (rein in Fed), because that's exactly what Reagan did.
Hmmm, I need one more prediction to make it an even 10….
I got it! He will take credit for pulling out of Iraq on time…even though this is Bush's timeline, Bush's original plan and set date.
db
11. He will do nothing about Iran's nuclear weapons development.
12. He will do nothing about North Korea lobbing shells into South Korea.
13. Some of the proposed spending in #7 will have to do with Education or Global Warming and Green Jobs.
db
My summarization of the SOTU Speech:
1. My predictions were correct.
2. He learned nothing from the Massachusetts massacre.
3. Admitted to massively increased spending on several projects for special interest.
4. Obamacare full speed ahead.
5. Cap and Trade full speed ahead.
6. There will be zero domestic power increases of Nuclear, Clean Coal or drilling because of #5 and because he didn't repeal his Executive Order banning construction of Clean Coal plants (Like Big Stone II here in MN & South Dakota. Yes he lied to your face.)
7. Budget Rationing. Just like Obamacare's Benefit Rationing. Sound familiar? Ummm, pardon me if I don't believe you are going to deliver on anything 1 or 4 years from now. When my household does a budget, it takes effect immediately, not a year from now.
I told you he was an economic invalid. I can’t believe he actually proved it on national TV! Wow. So many whoppers I stopped keeping count.
I pretty much agree with the prosecution of the WOT. We arn't serious about winning it, so bring the boy's and girls home.
I could say more but to sum it up in a nutshell…Bid'ness as usual. We are screwed.
db
"There was no "pivot to the center," no serious accounting for the Massachusetts miracle or his misfortunes. Instead, there was an innumerate, inaccurate and distinctly unpresidential whine — blaming George W. Bush for nearly all of his problems (leaving out, among other things, that the Democrats have been controlling Congress and crafting budgets since 2006)."
Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/obama_answer_for_america_more_of_1IboSZ3t6WFW12qZnpv10J#ixzz0dwy5Y82I
Sumbody's been channelin' my predictions…
db
"Underwhelming" seems to be about the most positive assessment I've seen of the SOTU so far . . .