Hot Air Mobile
Home The Vault Gear About
Hot Air -- get your fill


Obamateurism of the Day

posted at 8:05 am on May 15, 2009 by Ed Morrissey
Share on Facebook | printer-friendly

Thanks to Jim Hoft at Gateway Pundit for catching this jaw-dropping hypocrisy from Barack Obama during his commencement speech at Arizona State University. Perhaps the heat in Tempe got to the President, but then he repeated himself in Albuquerque yesterday. Either way, this line should have gotten laughs rather than applause:

We’ve become accustomed to our economic dominance in the world, forgetting that it wasn’t reckless deals and get-rich-quick schemes that got us there; but hard work and smart ideas -quality products and wise investments. So we started taking shortcuts. We started living on credit, instead of building up savings.

He then scolded a town-hall audience in Albuquerque about borrowing money from China:

President Barack Obama, calling current deficit spending “unsustainable,” warned of skyrocketing interest rates for consumers if the U.S. continues to finance government by borrowing from other countries.

“We can’t keep on just borrowing from China,” Obama said at a town-hall meeting in Rio Rancho, New Mexico, outside Albuquerque. “We have to pay interest on that debt, and that means we are mortgaging our children’s future with more and more debt.”

Holders of U.S. debt will eventually “get tired” of buying it, causing interest rates on everything from auto loans to home mortgages to increase, Obama said. “It will have a dampening effect on our economy.”

Just a reminder about the spending plans for the President who derided the American habit of “living on credit”:

See all that red going downwards? That’s Obama having America live on credit for the next decade at a higher rate in terms of real dollars and percentage of GDP than any American president since FDR. He has the least amount of standing to talk about spending within one’s own means of anyone in Washington DC.

Feeling “dampened” yet?  We’re positively soaked, and there’s a big storm a-comin’.

I’ll be on vacation for the next week, but that doesn’t mean you can’t send your suggestions for an Obamateurism of the Day! If you see a foul-up by Barack Obama, e-mail it to me at obamaisms@edmorrissey.com with the quote and the link to the Obamateurism. I’ll post the best Obamateurisms on a daily basis, depending on how many I receive. Include a link to your blog, and I’ll give some link love as well. And unlike Slate, I promise to end the feature when Barack Obama leaves office.

Illustrations by Chris Muir of Day by Day. Be sure to read the adventures of Sam, Zed, Damon, and Jan every day!


Blowback

Note from Hot Air management: This section is for comments from Hot Air's community of registered readers. Please don't assume that Hot Air management agrees with or otherwise endorses any particular comment just because we let it stand. A reminder: Anyone who fails to comply with our terms of use may lose their posting privilege.

Trackbacks/Pings

Trackback URL

Comments

Comment pages: 1 2

I woke up thinking maybe the last 8 months was all a dream. Something I had made up in my own mind.

Perhaps a fabrication. Perhaps a cruel joke that was over.

Nope. He’s still here!!!!!!! :[

blatantblue on May 15, 2009 at 8:08 AM

reckless deals and get-rich-quick schemes

This is a metaphor for electing a nitwit President who has never held a paying job before.

Jaibones on May 15, 2009 at 8:14 AM

Jaw-dropping is right! How does he get away with such baldfaced hipocrisy? Oh, never mind.

KS Rex on May 15, 2009 at 8:14 AM

Again. Not amateur.

He’s simply a charlatan.

bluelightbrigade on May 15, 2009 at 8:18 AM

wow – amazing how all this power has affected his short-term memory. or maybe what’s amazing is his unmitigated gall.

blish on May 15, 2009 at 8:19 AM

I woke up thinking maybe the last 8 months was all a dream. Something I had made up in my own mind.

Perhaps a fabrication. Perhaps a cruel joke that was over.

Nope. He’s still here!!!!!!! :[

blatantblue on May 15, 2009 at 8:08 AM

What you fail to understand is that this is all an elaborate hoax being performed by the CIA. They are lying to us and trying to convince us that Obama is the president and is doing all of these crazy financial things to the country.

That is why when Obama gives a speech or the Democrats claim fiscal responsibility, they actually mean it. But the CIA is making all the financial decisions and them making up fraudulant documents to make it look like it Obama and Congress are trying to destroy us.

The CIA lies!

myrenovations on May 15, 2009 at 8:21 AM

Buying Liberals votes,and throwing America
under da bus,me thinks!

And not one Liberal says a peep,not one!!

You would think,that there might be one
Liberal,just one,that finds Obama’s Ad
ministration Unsustainable!!

canopfor on May 15, 2009 at 8:22 AM

This is not an Obamateurism. It is part of a carefully coordinated, fraudulent, marketing campaign to pose as someone who has the interest of fiscally conservative Americans (like the Tea Partiers!) at heart.

He is using, say, Michelle Malkin’s language about generational debt to achieve his ends. But his “solution” will be the polar opposite of a conservative solution.

Buy Danish on May 15, 2009 at 8:22 AM

Well-to-do Obamas lived off of credit cards and home equity loans??

Monday, May 11, 2009

ZeroHedge has the story:
Was Obama A Subprime Borrower? Posted by Tyler Durden at 9:31 PM A humorous if somewhat serious post by scrivener.net, which analyzes whether the current President would have benefited from the ongoing mortgage relief plan, assorted bankruptcy initiatives and other programs set in place to make life for subprime borrowers easier, especially if a butterfly had flapped its wings in China between 5 and 10 years ago. The answer is…
Not quite. But it seems that during his pre-Senator years, he and Michelle spent substantially more than their income and made up the difference by repeatedly taking out loans against the rising value of their home during the home-price bubble. At least according to this story…
In April 1999, they purchased a Chicago condo and obtained a mortgage for $159,250. In May 1999, they took out a line of credit for $20,750. Then, in 2002, they refinanced the condo with a $210,000 mortgage, which means they took out about $50,000 in equity. Finally, in 2004, they took out another line of credit for $100,000 on top of the mortgage.

Tax returns for 2004 reveal $14,395 in mortgage deductions. If we assume an effective interest rate of 6%, then they owed about $240,000 on a home they purchased for about $159,250….And they weren’t exactly “poor” during this time. They were what they now call “the rich”. Apparently they were just free with their money, not rich enough, spending more than they had coming in …

During the presidential primary campaign, Michelle Obama complained how tough it was to make ends meet … “I know we’re spending – I added it up for the first time – we spend between the two kids, on extracurriculars outside the classroom, we’re spending about $10,000 a year on piano and dance and sports supplements and so on and so forth.”…

The Obamas’ adjusted gross income averaged $257,000 from 2000 to 2004. This is above the threshold of $250,000 which Obama initially used as the definition of being “rich” for taxation purposes during last year’s election campaign.

The Obama family apparently had little or no savings during this period since there was virtually no taxable interest shown on their tax returns.
… until he got elected to the Senate in 2005 …

the Obamas were living off lines of credit along with other income for several years until 2005, when Obama’s book royalties came through and Michelle received her 260% pay raise at the University of Chicago.

This was also the year Obama started serving in the U.S. Senate … Michelle explained, “It was like Jack and his magic beans.”

JiangxiDad on May 15, 2009 at 8:23 AM

What got me about the ASU speech was when was saying, “Do you have a business degree? Go work in a non-profit! Do you have a nursing degree? Go work in a poor neighborhood!” And all the students were screaming with glee.

I mean, working in non-profits and serving poor communities are very honorable things, but that is not how I describe inspiration from a presidential commencement address.

BigD on May 15, 2009 at 8:24 AM

Borrowing from Peter China to pay Paul leftist allies.

jgapinoy on May 15, 2009 at 8:24 AM

I keep praying everyday, dear god please dont let this man actually be the anti-Christ, and every action Obama takes speaks back to me, your prayers are in vain.

doriangrey on May 15, 2009 at 8:25 AM

Just a reminder about the spending plans for the President who derided the American habit of “living on credit”:

The same one that insists we need to be bilingual, but isn’t? I wonder how you say “bankrupt” in Austrian.

Pablo on May 15, 2009 at 8:26 AM

What got me about the ASU speech was when was saying, “Do you have a business degree? Go work in a non-profit! Do you have a nursing degree? Go work in a poor neighborhood!”

I wish he’d go work in a poor neighborhood.
He’s making my neighborhood poor.

jgapinoy on May 15, 2009 at 8:26 AM

doriangrey, I’m holding on to the hope that the Antichrist can’t possibly be this stupid.

Pablo on May 15, 2009 at 8:27 AM

Obama switches from we to I elegantly. Turd rich.

the_nile on May 15, 2009 at 8:27 AM

How about having a ‘Cutting Up of Government Credit Cards
Party’!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And pressure Team Obama to lead by example,and share
the pain!!

Step/1 tho,is to shut off the flow of Kool-Aid!

canopfor on May 15, 2009 at 8:28 AM

I mean, working in non-profits and serving poor communities are very honorable things, but that is not how I describe inspiration from a presidential commencement address.

BigD on May 15, 2009 at 8:24 AM

Well , today almost every industry are a non profit…

But its not what will make America rich again.

the_nile on May 15, 2009 at 8:29 AM

My post from a related thread:

And from Obama’s radio address:

“Americans know that they have a responsibility to live within their means and pay what they owe.”

I guess this proves it – Obama admits he is a citizen of Kenya.

fred5678 on May 15, 2009 at 8:30 AM

What’s truly unsustainable is this junta occupying the White House and Congress.

progressoverpeace on May 15, 2009 at 8:31 AM

Well , today almost every industry are a non profit…

But its not what will make America rich again.

the_nile on May 15, 2009 at 8:29 AM

Aaaaah, you beat me to it. Today’s non-profits include most of the S&P 500, thanks to the Democrats and their economic policies.

rockmom on May 15, 2009 at 8:32 AM

Well,look on the brightside,its off to the next
Maufactured Crisis,

HealthCare!!!!(Sarc).

canopfor on May 15, 2009 at 8:33 AM

doriangrey, I’m holding on to the hope that the Antichrist can’t possibly be this stupid.

Pablo on May 15, 2009 at 8:27 AM

You are assuming that Obama is stupid because you cannot see the rational logic behind his actions. You cannot see that logic because you assume that no American president would intentionally destroy America.

Change your assumption to that of Obama willfully and deliberately destroying America and his actions cease to appear stupid, but take on a truly elegant logic.

doriangrey on May 15, 2009 at 8:33 AM

He should have read the stimulus porkulus package as Palin told him to.

the_nile on May 15, 2009 at 8:34 AM

Oh, no dorian. I see all that (Alinksy, etc…), but I also see stupid. World class stupid.

Pablo on May 15, 2009 at 8:34 AM

See also Joe Biden.

Pablo on May 15, 2009 at 8:35 AM

There is no difference whatsoever between people living on credit and the government using deficit spending.

This truly is JAW DROPPING HYPOCRISY. My jaw dropped, for real.

e-pirate on May 15, 2009 at 8:39 AM

Oh, no dorian. I see all that (Alinksy, etc…), but I also see stupid. World class stupid.

Pablo on May 15, 2009 at 8:34 AM

Yep. The Precedent is the dumbest person to ever sit in the White House. He’s just lucky that his desire to destroy our nation only requires that he foment chaos, which is easy. Anyone can do chaos.

If we had an actual press, instead of the neo-Pravda we do have, this wouldn’t be happening, as The Precedent is stone cold dumb and one of the worst liars I have ever seen in my life.

progressoverpeace on May 15, 2009 at 8:40 AM

Yet, people are stumbling to stick their heads up the butt of this jerk.

boomer on May 15, 2009 at 8:42 AM

And all the students were screaming with glee.

BigD on May 15, 2009 at 8:24 AM

As sad as that is, they have just come off of four years of hearing how horrible Bush is, how wonderful European socialism is and how older generations have killed off all the natural resources. So if the man who has come to save them stood up there and coughed for an hour they would have been screaming with joy just as loudly. This is his base and I presume in a couple of years, this type of crowd will be the only ones standing and cheering for him. He will never see the roaring crowds of all ages like he saw on the campaign trail. His magic act is wearing thin.

sherry on May 15, 2009 at 8:45 AM

Instead of this JAW DROPPING HYPOCRISY, Obama should be encouraging graduates to live well beyond their means. Run up everything on credit cards and HELOC loans.

e-pirate on May 15, 2009 at 8:46 AM

Yep. The Precedent is the dumbest person to ever sit in the White House. He’s just lucky that his desire to destroy our nation only requires that he foment chaos, which is easy. Anyone can do chaos.

If we had an actual press, instead of the neo-Pravda we do have, this wouldn’t be happening, as The Precedent is stone cold dumb and one of the worst liars I have ever seen in my life.

progressoverpeace on May 15, 2009 at 8:40 AM

You must not have heard: Bush is gone now.

There’s a new guy on the job.

e-pirate on May 15, 2009 at 8:47 AM

President Barack Obama, calling current deficit spending “unsustainable,”

Translated: I got mine, now YOU’ve gotta cut back.

snickelfritz on May 15, 2009 at 8:48 AM

myrenovations on May 15, 2009 at 8:21 AM

lol
false flag op

blatantblue on May 15, 2009 at 8:49 AM

Translated: I got mine, now YOU’ve gotta cut back.

snickelfritz on May 15, 2009 at 8:48 AM

Yes, it’s all about the two classes… the ruling government class and the impoverished welfare class.

Upstater85 on May 15, 2009 at 8:49 AM

I’m Mr. Bad Example, intruder in the dirt
I like to have a good time, and I don’t care who gets hurt
I’m Mr. Bad Example, take a look at me
I’ll live to be a hundred and go down in infamy

I bought a first class ticket on Malaysian Air
And landed in Sri Lanka none the worse for wear
I’m thinking of retiring from all my dirty deals
I’ll see you in the next life, wake me up for meals

– Warren Zevon

rockmom on May 15, 2009 at 8:49 AM

Maybe the Chicago Jesus can go tell those folks that just lost their Chrysler dealerships that they can go do some charity work.. or better yet make sure their tires are inflated!!

Dire Straits on May 15, 2009 at 8:50 AM

Instead of this JAW DROPPING HYPOCRISY, Obama should be encouraging graduates to live well beyond their means. Run up everything on credit cards and HELOC loans.

e-pirate on May 15, 2009 at 8:46 AM

Read the article , before you fail on sarcasm.

“Obama said that restrictions “shouldn’t diminish consumers’ access to credit.” ”

How do you think you can improve production if all people work “non profit”. And how do you think Obama tries to increase consumption/spending.

the_nile on May 15, 2009 at 8:50 AM

Instead of this JAW DROPPING HYPOCRISY, Obama should be encouraging graduates to live well beyond their means. Run up everything on credit cards and HELOC loans.

e-pirate on May 15, 2009 at 8:46 AM

What’s good for the goose, isn’t it?

It’s like having Paris Hilton call you a slut.

It’s like having Perez Hilton tell you to ‘man up.’

It’s like having Joe Biden tell you to stop exaggerating.

It’s like having an internet troll tell you to ’stop avoiding the issue.’

snickelfritz on May 15, 2009 at 8:50 AM

Im just waiting for the first obama propaganda movie to come out

you know

like the ones of stalin and lenin

blatantblue on May 15, 2009 at 8:51 AM

The difference is that Obama can print more money. We, the average can’t.

/snark

SouthernGent on May 15, 2009 at 8:53 AM

Yet, people are stumbling to stick their heads up the butt of this jerk.

boomer on May 15, 2009 at 8:42 AM

Let this be a lesson to all about how absolutely insane a society can get, in no time, and how it can turn on itself and commit suicide without batting a lash. We are seeing the most vulnerable aspect of human society (being used against ourselves) right before our very eyes. This should send chills up everyone’s spines, and I’m sure will do so for many, many years into the future. The most powerful and most stable society on Earth was turned upside-down by a borderline retard and a bunch of guilt-ridden lunatics and set on a path of self-destruction. Unreal.

progressoverpeace on May 15, 2009 at 8:54 AM

Maybe the Chicago Jesus can go tell those folks that just lost their Chrysler dealerships that they can go do some charity work.. or better yet make sure their tires are inflated!!

Dire Straits on May 15, 2009 at 8:50 AM

Heh, I forgot about that one… seems small potatoes compared to the recent gaffes

Upstater85 on May 15, 2009 at 8:54 AM

JiangxiDad on May 15, 2009 at 8:23 AM

I heard a snippet of one of his demagogic speeches yesterday, and he admitted to playing the credit card game. I’m trying to find the exact quote…

Buy Danish on May 15, 2009 at 8:56 AM

Im just waiting for the first obama propaganda movie to come out

you know

like the ones of stalin and lenin

blatantblue on May 15, 2009 at 8:51 AM

Hitler had Leni Riefenstahl

Obama will have all of Hollywood grovelling to produce/direct/film/act in this…

I’m thinking Oprah could do dialogue…

Upstater85 on May 15, 2009 at 8:56 AM

e-pirate on May 15, 2009 at 8:47 AM

Huh?

progressoverpeace on May 15, 2009 at 8:57 AM

Let this be a lesson to all about how absolutely insane a society can get, in no time, and how it can turn on itself and commit suicide without batting a lash. We are seeing the most vulnerable aspect of human society (being used against ourselves) right before our very eyes. This should send chills up everyone’s spines, and I’m sure will do so for many, many years into the future. The most powerful and most stable society on Earth was turned upside-down by a borderline retard and a bunch of guilt-ridden lunatics and set on a path of self-destruction. Unreal.

progressoverpeace on May 15, 2009 at 8:54 AM

Sadly it now looks like there is going to be a time when future generations no longer ask, “How could the German People have gone along with Hitler” and instead will be asking “How could the American People have gone along with Obama?”

doriangrey on May 15, 2009 at 8:57 AM

JiangxiDad on May 15, 2009 at 8:23 AM

I love the Motley Fool. Collectivist wisdom.

BadgerHawk on May 15, 2009 at 8:58 AM

Sadly it now looks like there is going to be a time when future generations no longer ask, “How could the German People have gone along with Hitler” and instead will be asking “How could the American People have gone along with Obama?”

doriangrey on May 15, 2009 at 8:57 AM

Ah, but don’t forget that Bush was the Bushitler and Obama was going to bring America back to its roots… Yeah, OK, even I have trouble finishing that one.

Upstater85 on May 15, 2009 at 8:59 AM

Im just waiting for the first obama propaganda movie to come out

you know

like the ones of stalin and lenin

blatantblue on May 15, 2009 at 8:51 AM

That’s what was being filmed on-board Scare Force One over New York City.

PatMac on May 15, 2009 at 8:59 AM

I read this late last night on Bloomberg and my blood pressure will never be the same! Just who does O think is running up the deficit and living beyond their means? Who is borrowing from China at a rate that makes your head spin?

You all know what comes next don’t you? This was O’s introduction to new, gargantuan taxes!

katablog.com on May 15, 2009 at 9:00 AM

He is counting on half the idiots who have no clue to what is really going on to believe him. And they will!

We have a severely uniformed population who cares more about who won on American Idol than how the wonderful president is going to pay for all the free stuff he is giving out.

ctmom on May 15, 2009 at 9:01 AM

One last thought before I run off to the salt mines… What do Adolph Hitler and Barrack Obama have in common… They were both democratically elected… Yes folks, we have chosen the name of our destroyer, his name is Barrack Obama and he shall not fail to deliver us straight to hell…

doriangrey on May 15, 2009 at 9:01 AM

Sadly it now looks like there is going to be a time when future generations no longer ask, “How could the German People have gone along with Hitler” and instead will be asking “How could the American People have gone along with Obama?”

doriangrey on May 15, 2009 at 8:57 AM

I was going to write that exact same sentiment but couldn’t find the words this early in the morning. Thanks for expressing it so clearly. What is happening in America is far worse, and much stranger, than what happened in Germany.

progressoverpeace on May 15, 2009 at 9:02 AM

You all know what comes next don’t you? This was O’s introduction to new, gargantuan taxes!

katablog.com on May 15, 2009 at 9:00 AM

The sooner he taxes us, the sooner people might start waking up and smelling what was shat out by Dear Leader… hopefully we can put this embarrassing part of American History behind us quickly and move on.

Upstater85 on May 15, 2009 at 9:02 AM

That’s what was being filmed on-board Scare Force One over New York City.

PatMac on May 15, 2009 at 8:59 AM

lol and someone would narrate:

Look at the power of persuasion our Great Leader and Prince of Thinking has over the people!!

blatantblue on May 15, 2009 at 9:02 AM

Maybe he doesn’t see this as hypocrisy. Maybe he truly believes that all this happened on Bush’s watch. He did inherit a deficit, but then what he did was blow it up and make it absurdly unmanageable for decades to come. If he’d admit this was a boneheaded decision (which, in essence is what he is quoted as saying, although I guess he’s not smart enough to get the connection) perhaps he could reverse himself and work on making it right. Lord knows he’s reversed himself on a lot of other things.

scalleywag on May 15, 2009 at 9:03 AM

e-pirate on May 15, 2009 at 8:47 AM

How much do you want to bet, if President Obama’s grades ever come out, that they’re worse than Bush’s? I’d say it’s a pretty good bet, otherwise they would have already been released.

BadgerHawk on May 15, 2009 at 9:03 AM

JiangxiDad on May 15, 2009 at 8:23 AM

Hey, did you notice this about the author of that article, “Richard Henry Lee”?:

Lee, writing under a pseudonym, is an elected official in California.

Buy Danish on May 15, 2009 at 9:04 AM

How much do you want to bet, if President Obama’s grades ever come out, that they’re worse than Bush’s? I’d say it’s a pretty good bet, otherwise they would have already been released.

BadgerHawk on May 15, 2009 at 9:03 AM

Yeah, point on. I think the left knows this too. They are mum on this.

Upstater85 on May 15, 2009 at 9:06 AM

the most powerful and most stable society on Earth was turned upside-down by a borderline retard and a bunch of guilt-ridden lunatics and set on a path of self-destruction. Unreal.

progressoverpeace on May 15, 2009 at 8:54 AM

The most powerful, but certainly not the most stable. Three-hundred odd years isn’t sufficient to claim that crown.

JiangxiDad on May 15, 2009 at 9:07 AM

If he wants to be a good president, and I think he does, he’d better start listening to his own advice. How he can stand there and tell us we shouldn’t do what HE JUST DID? He can’t possibly be that dense. What happens when he gets back home from these trips? Does his wife giggle and say “honey, that was a good speech, but…hello?”

scalleywag on May 15, 2009 at 9:08 AM

He’s positioning for massive tax increases and nationalization of industry.

mr.blacksheep on May 15, 2009 at 9:09 AM

Does Barry ever sit down and actually read these speeches before he gets up in front of a crowd to deliver them? Does he have any idea what he’s saying or is he just mindlessly reading off TOTUS?

I couldn’t agree more with the message. However, he should have given this speech to Nancy and Harry BEFORE they wrote the Porkulous Bill. Or, he could have kept his campaign promise and gone through the bill line by line and eliminated the big bucks that went to all his personal and very special interest groups.

Barb Dwyer on May 15, 2009 at 9:10 AM

I’ll be on vacation for the next week

Have a great time – and try not to think about us poor bastards who are going to be stuck with a week’s worth of Meghan McCain and robot sex posts.

Mr Purple on May 15, 2009 at 9:10 AM

Buy Danish on May 15, 2009 at 9:04 AM

Funny thing is, I remember reading some of that info a few months ago, yet all these articles are recently dated. I’m not entirely sure now who actually wrote the original, but there does seem to be some copying going on without crediting the original.

JiangxiDad on May 15, 2009 at 9:12 AM

The most powerful, but certainly not the most stable. Three-hundred odd years isn’t sufficient to claim that crown.

JiangxiDad on May 15, 2009 at 9:07 AM

We are a young nation, but we have been the most stable for all of the 20th century. While all sorts of chaos, social and political turmoil affected the rest of the world, the US marched on without a scratch – which is part of what led us to this problem. Many Americans took our stability for granted and assumed that all the insanity that we had seen in the rest of the world couldn’t happen here, especially as we were the rock upon which most other nations leaned to rebuild themselves after problems almost destroyed them.

Your point on our youth is well taken, but our system (unique as it is) has proven itself, to my mind, the most stable and strongest the world has ever seen. That is what makes our descent into insanity such a dire warning to be echoed through the ages.

progressoverpeace on May 15, 2009 at 9:17 AM

O/T Obama lied about the 2 Trillion in alleged savings from health care providers for funding his massive takeover of the health care industry, as politico reports:

“The president of the American Hospital Association said Thursday that a deal with the White House to cut the growth in health care spending has been “spun way away from the original intent.”

President Barack Obama described the agreement this week with six major health care organizations as a “watershed event,” hailing what the White House said was their promise to reduce spending by 1.5 percentage points annually for a decade, which he said could save as much as $2 trillion over that span.

But in a conference call Thursday, President Richard Umbdenstock told 230 member organizations that the agreement had been misrepresented. The groups, he said, had agreed to gradually ramp up to the 1.5 percentage-point target over 10 years – not to reduce spending by that much in each of the 10 years, .

“There has been a tremendous amount of confusion and frankly a lot of political spin,” Umbdenstock said on the call. “And I want to assure you that the American Hospital Association is at the table and a responsible part of this, but that we’ve been very clear on what we have committed to.”

So once again the prevaricator in Chief has misrepresented and lied to the American public in order to sway the public to support his radical agenda.

eaglewingz08 on May 15, 2009 at 9:17 AM

The most powerful, but certainly not the most stable. Three-hundred odd years isn’t sufficient to claim that crown.

JiangxiDad on May 15, 2009 at 9:07 AM

We are a young nation, but we have been the most stable for all of the 20th century. While all sorts of chaos, social and political turmoil affected the rest of the world, the US marched on without a scratch – which is part of what led us to this problem. Many Americans took our stability for granted and assumed that all the insanity that we had seen in the rest of the world couldn’t happen here, especially as we were the rock upon which most other nations leaned to rebuild themselves after problems almost destroyed them.

Your point on our youth is well taken, but our system (unique as it is) has proven itself, to my mind, the most stable and strongest the world has ever seen. That is what makes our descent into insanity such a dire warning to be echoed through the ages.

progressoverpeace on May 15, 2009 at 9:17 AM

The sooner he taxes us, the sooner people might start waking up and smelling what was shat out by Dear Leader… hopefully we can put this embarrassing part of American History behind us quickly and move on.

Nah, his base doesn’t pay taxes and they will welcome soaking “the rich”. Higher taxes will have no effect on them.

katablog.com on May 15, 2009 at 9:18 AM

When is that graph going to be revised to show that Porkulus is having no effect on employment, growth or revenue? Surely the CBO and for darn tootin’ the White House assumed that Porkulus would create some kind of recovery.

gridlock2 on May 15, 2009 at 9:21 AM

doriangrey on May 15, 2009 at 8:33 AM

He’s an America Hater, for sure.

But he’s also appallingly dumb.

bluelightbrigade on May 15, 2009 at 9:21 AM

But to the average person sitting in that audience, Obama made it sound like there’s NO WAY he could be in favor of running up massive deficits. So it must be someone else’s fault. Hrm…. I’ll bet.. maybe…

It’s those damned hypocritcal Republicans! This all started under Bush, anyway!

See how easy it is to keep the morons in check?

hawksruleva on May 15, 2009 at 9:24 AM

Nah, his base doesn’t pay taxes and they will welcome soaking “the rich”. Higher taxes will have no effect on them.

katablog.com on May 15, 2009 at 9:18 AM

Not immediately, but eventually income (and thus tax revenue) generating activity will disappear or move offshore. Inflation, high unemployment and punishing interest rates will bite everyone as the government runs out of other peoples’ money to give away. Obama, if he’s still in office, will try to point to those conditions as evidence that free market principles have failed, and that the only way forward is central control of a nationalized economy. Think I’m kidding? Wait for it…

mr.blacksheep on May 15, 2009 at 9:24 AM

What is happening in America is far worse, and much stranger, than what happened in Germany.

There’s a remarkable difference. Hitler made the trains run on time. Hitler put people to work. Hitler took a demoralized people with a depressed economy and took them on a path that made them feel good about their economic prospects and their prowess on the world stage.

Barry is running America directly into the ditch. Shiny hopenchange is only going to fly for so long before the results begin to speak for themselves and the electorate decides it’s had enough of the policies of this incompetent boob and his idiot sidekicks. A lot of people are in for a rude awakening.

Pablo on May 15, 2009 at 9:24 AM

I haven’t read the thread yet, so forgive me if I repeat, but isn’t this the man who took more equity out of his first Chicago home than he managed to accrue, then “bought” his second, more grandiose home with the help of a mobster?

Isn’t this the guy whose wife wears $540 pink lame tennis shoes? (That’s la-may, not lame, in this context).

WTF?

Obama Hypocrisy Watch needs to be a new daily feature here. Forget the amateurism. It’s the ongoing, blatant hypocrisy, stupid.

Not that the media will ever note it.

ILB on May 15, 2009 at 9:25 AM

We are a young nation, but we have been the most stable for all of the 20th century. While all sorts of chaos, social and political turmoil affected the rest of the world, the US marched on without a scratch – which is part of what led us to this problem. Many Americans took our stability for granted and assumed that all the insanity that we had seen in the rest of the world couldn’t happen here, especially as we were the rock upon which most other nations leaned to rebuild themselves after problems almost destroyed them.

All true.

Your point on our youth is well taken, but our system (unique as it is) has proven itself, to my mind, the most stable and strongest the world has ever seen. That is what makes our descent into insanity such a dire warning to be echoed through the ages.

progressoverpeace on May 15, 2009 at 9:17 AM

Can’t quite agree here. Liberal democracy has been a wonderful and glorious and liberating system, but seems to be proving itself to be unstable and short-lived. I wish it weren’t so.

JiangxiDad on May 15, 2009 at 9:26 AM

Surely the CBO and for darn tootin’ the White House assumed that Porkulus would create some kind of recovery.

gridlock2 on May 15, 2009 at 9:21 AM

The CBO did not assume that Porkulus would create a quick recovery. One report said that the money would hit too lowly. In Feb. the CBO reported that it looked like stimulus would hurt over the long run. In the short run:

The agency projected the Senate bill would produce between 1.4 percent and 4.1 percent higher growth in 2009 than if there was no action. For 2010, the plan would boost growth by 1.2 percent to 3.6 percent.

Of course, you can see by the range of the estimates how much uncertainty there is in this sort of projection. At the end of the day, taking dollars out of the economy by giving dollars to government, so that government can inject money into the economy, doesn’t work. It’s even more absurd than it sounds, since you’re not just moving money back and forth, you’re moving money through the hands of lazy, or corrupt, or just plain incompetent government officials.

hawksruleva on May 15, 2009 at 9:29 AM

There’s a remarkable difference. Hitler made the trains run on time.

I agree with the gist of your comments. But that statement is generally associated with Mussolini. And even in his case, it’s not actually true.

hawksruleva on May 15, 2009 at 9:31 AM

What is just utterly astonishing is just how brazen this guy is. I don’t think he is stupid. I think he is a very calculating, cold, conniving, evil genius who is hell bent to destroy America as we know it. What is even more astonishing is how there is very little blowback as he does it so brazenly. Jawdropping!!!!!!!!!!!!!

karenhasfreedom on May 15, 2009 at 9:33 AM

Can’t quite agree here. Liberal democracy has been a wonderful and glorious and liberating system, but seems to be proving itself to be unstable and short-lived. I wish it weren’t so.

JiangxiDad on May 15, 2009 at 9:26 AM

The populace, as a whole, was not ready for the responsibility. It’s a principle that can’t be short-circuited: freedom and responsibility must be commensurate. When liberty becomes license, the responsibility deficit turns into a debt, the repayment of which is inevitable, and its currency is misery and suffering. The shameful part of that is that the feckless and irresponsible minority of the population drags down the honest, hard-working, law-abiding majority.

mr.blacksheep on May 15, 2009 at 9:35 AM

JiangxiDad on May 15, 2009 at 9:26 AM

I hear you. I meant ’stable’ in terms of impervious to the chaos infecting the rest of the world. We are killing ourselves, but that is something that no sort of governmental system can stop, really. If a society becomes suicidal, that’s pretty much it. I liken this to banking systems – even the best, most conservative, stable, and well-capitalized banking system cannot withstand a run on the banks. An insane, and suicidal, population is the one risk that no system can defend against.

progressoverpeace on May 15, 2009 at 9:37 AM

The Teleprompter thought it was April 1st.. Whaa haaahaa haa What a gag!

Jason Gillman on May 15, 2009 at 9:38 AM

He’s managing expectations. When the SHTF, he’ll say, “I warned you back in May that this could happen!” and then he’ll throw his Democrat Congress under the bus for spending so much.

Rae on May 15, 2009 at 9:40 AM

mr.blacksheep on May 15, 2009 at 9:35 AM
progressoverpeace on May 15, 2009 at 9:37 AM

yep.

JiangxiDad on May 15, 2009 at 9:42 AM

mr.blacksheep on May 15, 2009 at 9:35 AM
progressoverpeace on May 15, 2009 at 9:37 AM

Would a benevolent monarch, or benevolent oligarchs(assuming such things existed) be preferable to our system of universal suffrage with it’s potentially built-in short lifespan?

I wonder if what we’re bemoaning and grieving , is as natural as Fall changing to Winter, or aging and dying.

JiangxiDad on May 15, 2009 at 9:49 AM

It is misleading to think of President Obama as your inexperienced teenage son to whom you have just given the keys of your new Ferrari with the caveat to ‘be careful’.

A Community Organizer (CO) is one who establishes groups so that they can demand money from the County, Ward, State or Federal coffers. This flow down of funds, allows the CO to achieve his original objective – to buy votes and accumulate more power and control.

This is what motivates Obama, not a desire to destroy America. He is just repeating what he did in Chicago It worked there and put him in the White House. And he did not have to deal with the wreckage he left in Chicago.

Uniblogger on May 15, 2009 at 9:52 AM

Would a benevolent monarch, or benevolent oligarchs(assuming such things existed) be preferable to our system of universal suffrage with it’s potentially built-in short lifespan?

JiangxiDad on May 15, 2009 at 9:49 AM

I would say not. We’ve discussed this before. The problem is universal suffrage and allowing people to vote who have no idea what they are voting for and have no stake. Requirements of holding land/paying taxes for whatever level of government the vote is for, along with proving one is qualified to make an informed decision (knowing the bare minimum about our nation and its governance) is a must. Universal suffrage, without any requirements is a sure recipe for disaster.

progressoverpeace on May 15, 2009 at 10:02 AM

Would a benevolent monarch, or benevolent oligarchs(assuming such things existed) be preferable to our system of universal suffrage with it’s potentially built-in short lifespan?

I wonder if what we’re bemoaning and grieving , is as natural as Fall changing to Winter, or aging and dying.

JiangxiDad on May 15, 2009 at 9:49 AM

I don’t know the answer. Maybe one way would be to exclude from voting those who depend upon the government for their living: a sort of “pay to play”.

Ultimately, however, I think it’s going to take a sea-change in our moral standards. Economic efficiency through competition among businesses is good; greed, power-lust and selfish ambition are bad. Some people would contend that the latter are perennial simply because they are a matter of human nature. I happen to believe that people can rise above those unworthy motives: for example there are many mothers and fathers who sacrifice their own gratification for the benefit of their families. Sadly, it takes only a few small stains to make a white shirt look dirty.

mr.blacksheep on May 15, 2009 at 10:03 AM

Barry excels at talking out of both sides of his mouth, or is it his ass?

GarandFan on May 15, 2009 at 10:04 AM

progressoverpeace on May 15, 2009 at 10:02 AM

We seem to think alike.

mr.blacksheep on May 15, 2009 at 10:04 AM

They already made the movie about the Obama Presidency. It’s called “The Sting”.

***Spoiler Alert****

You remember, in the end, the American people are led out of the gambling house, shell shocked from their losses, screaming “My Money is in there!” while the grifters who played the “Big Con” make off with the fortune.

GunRunner on May 15, 2009 at 10:06 AM

mr.blacksheep on May 15, 2009 at 10:04 AM

Great minds :)

I’ve been a proponent of basing votes on taxes paid and the percentage charged for a long time. If people want a progressive tax system, then there must be a progressive voting system to go along with it. I termed this, “No Taxation Without Commensurate Representation”.

The idea of competency tests for voters is a no-brainer, to me. What use is an uninformed vote to anyone?

progressoverpeace on May 15, 2009 at 10:11 AM

What’s jaw dropping, is that half of America, including almost everybody in the media, will applaud him for saying the obvious truth, without recognizing the blinding irony.

Star20 on May 15, 2009 at 10:20 AM

progressoverpeace on May 15, 2009 at 10:11 AM

There are those who would claim that such a system is “undemocratic”. I would respond with “exactly: that’s the point”.

Money buying votes? It already happens, so let’s just formalize it so that everyone plays by the same rules.

Does it disenfranchise the “poor”? Probably no more than they are under the status quo, and, if they really are motivated, it provides an additional incentive for them to move up the ladder.

There are many advantages to the Taxation/Representation formula; unfortunately I don’t think we’ll live to see it.

mr.blacksheep on May 15, 2009 at 10:21 AM

mr.blacksheep on May 15, 2009 at 10:21 AM

And that system has the added advantage of forcing Congress to think three times before just raising tax rates on anyone.

progressoverpeace on May 15, 2009 at 10:26 AM

Ah yes, run up the highest deficit and debt % of GDP, borrow more money from China – while paying a higher interest rate for that “loan”; then go around talking about fiscal responsibility and the need to get off debt and not look to CHina.

Does this dolt realize in 1 major move – China can crush the purchase rate, dollar value and T-Bill auction within a week?

And note to dopey students and liberals eating this liar up – no one from America borrows from China – it is the government who borrows from China. The fact the Menatal Midget in Office even brought up China lets us know how dumb he really is and gullible the masses are.

And a nice foreign relations touch also… make China, the key financier – the “boogeyman”

Odie1941 on May 15, 2009 at 10:26 AM

Comment pages: 1 2


You must be logged in to post a comment.