"Obama is an eloquent speaker. And that’s what is so confusing. He speaks just well enough to hide his true intentions. He never truly commits to one thing or another. It’s a master stroke in politics, but if the American voter would open their eyes just a little bit, they’d see the truth behind what he’s saying. They’d realize that Obama is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Sure he looks good on TV, but we’re not electing a public speaker, we’re electing a leader.
And frankly, Obama is not that leader." - The Right Wing, October 16, 2008
I wrote that nearly two years ago, as Barack Obama was making his push to be President. As you know, hopefully (unless you've lived under a rock for some time), Mr. Obama succeeded in his quest. Now, eighteen months into his presidency, we can look back.
To revisit the above quote, consider Obama's speaking ability. When he has a teleprompter or a prepared speech, he is one of the best speakers since Kennedy (take your pick, they all seem to get people to like them). However, when Obama is sans teleprompter, his speaking ability trails off to awkward teenager trying to pick up a date.
Still, speaking ability alone does not a president make. Often, presidents are judged on the merit of their tenure in office. So let's examine the Obama high/low point list:
1. Economic Stimulus. Obama and the Democrat-controlled Congress passed $787 Billion in stimulus spending. Key to remember in this matter is that a majority of the Democratic congress subscribes to Keynesian Economics. A (very generalized) overview of Keynesian economics states that if you have no money, just keep spending until money magically appears in your account. This is exactly what Congress did. Instead of trying to save our money, or putting our money into the private sector, which is the backbone of our economy, Congress decided that they knew better than us and became a sweeping government takover of health care, the auto industry, and (if reports are true) eventually individual, private 401(k) accounts.
2. Health care reform. If you saw any of the town hall meetings, you'll know that most Americans were against the health care plan. They may have supported health care reform, but not the version that Obama came up with. Then, when a reporter asked Nancy Pelosi what part of the Constitution authorized Congress to pass such reform, her indignant answer was "Are you serious?" Pelosi later topped herself, saying that we had to pass the bill to find out what was in it.
3. The Tea Party. This thing has been the bane of liberalism since April of 2008. I've written a few times about the TeaParty and the mostly negative portrayal it has had in the media. Just peruse back a while on this blog to find those things. Of course, the media will have you believe that the Tea Party is merely the offshoot of a racist nation that despises having a black man in the White House. I give the Tea Party more credit than that.
4. Immigration. Arizona authored a law that enforced the federal law, while almost exactly mirroring the language of the federal law. Then, the federal government sued Arizona. Their case: Arizona was usurping federal authority. Apparently, the federal government does not have to enforce their own laws, but you better not dare to try to enforce those laws, because the Fed will sue you. Nevermind that the majority of Americans side with Arizona in this debate, desiring to stem the tide of illegal immigration, the federal government cannot anger those illegal immigrants, or as they now call them "displaced foreign travelers."
Obviously that's not all. In fact, we've barely scratched the surface. The media is still trying to convince people that a Senator who never one completed a full term in any office is possibly the best president ever. His opponents would have you believe that he is the worst president ever.
I'll say this: I don't think he's the worst, and he's far from the best. I still think he's an inexperienced Socialist looking for a chance to fundamentally transform America into a socialist utopia.
