Obama: I could fix tons of things, but those darned Republicans have stopped me
This fundraiser speech of Obama’s has gotten attention for his suggestion that a million New Yorkers moving to North Dakota, Nebraska, and Wyoming would help him and the Democrats out immeasurably.
In fact, it wouldn’t have to be as many as a million. Despite the fact that those states are strongly Republican, they are also very small in population.
But Obama was joking, of course. However, the only reason it was a joke—the only reason—is that New Yorkers aren’t going to do that. Their cultural suffering and dislocation would be too great. Only the most dedicated of political operatives would make the sacrifice, and fortunately (at least so far) there aren’t enough of them yet. But make no mistake about it: if Obama could compel people to do it, he would.
Another interesting part of his speech was the following. It’s interesting not just because it repeats Obama’s favorite blame-the-Republicans excuse, but because its language (“we’ve got tons of them”) is an example of something I first noticed about Obama back in April of 2008, his sloppy youth-oriented mode of speech when speaking off-the-cuff, combined with arrogance. I wrote back then that these are not very charming traits, but they’re even less charming in a two-term president who’s supposedly older and wiser. Nor is passing the buck, which Obama’s been doing for his entire presidency—not to mention his mischaracterizing the positions of Republicans, another favorite activity of his.
Here he is again at yesterday’s fundraiser:
It’s not as if we’ve got no good ideas on policy. We’ve got tons of them. I’ve got a drawer full of things that we know would create jobs, help our middle class, boost incomes, make us more competitive. But we have a party on the other side that has been captured by an ideology that says no to everything because they cling to a rigid theory that the only way to grow the economy is for government to be dismantled and let the market sort things out, and folks at the top doing very well will somehow automatically trickle down to everybody else.”
If only they would let me—I could do it! We could do it! Forget that the Senate has been in Democratic hands for his entire presidency, and the House in Democratic hands for the first two years of it. If only they had full control, everything would be perfect.
Those darned external enemies. I mean internal enemies.
POTUS:
But we have a party on the other side that has been captured by an ideology that says no to everything because they cling to a rigid theory that the only way to grow the economy is for government to be dismantled and let the market sort things out.
Wingnut:
But we have a party on the other side that has been captured by an ideology that says no to everything because they cling to a rigid theory that the only way to grow the economy is for government to grow until it strangles all private initiative and let overregulation sort things out.
I find it really amusing that Obama always campaigned on what he would accomplish, but never explained how he was going to do it. All politicians do this to some degree, but Obama was always especially careful to emphasize the “what” to the exclusion of the “how”. After all, figuring out the details are below his pay grade.
Once he got into office, all he’s done is take credit for anything good regardless of whether he had anything to do with it (usually not), and make lame excuses for everything that hasn’t gone well.
I have no doubts that he enjoys playing the role of the “vision” man, merely declaring by fiat what social injustices should be banished and then moving on to the next fundraiser or whatever. The details (the actual thinking and actual hard work) are for the little people.
Too bad he doesn’t have a bad German accent because his attitude sure reflects “President Schwarzenegger” from the Simpsons movie, “I was elected to lead, not to read.”
Saboteurs and wreckers.
What a coincidence.
In a comment to Beverly and Yamaskar which I deleted because I don’t have very dogmatic views myself, I happened to mention the New England Emigrant Aid Company which was founded to do something just like that. You will recall “Beecher’s Bibles” of course.
And just how that tended play out.
Neo,
Re leaving NY. It might happen.
http://www.gallup.com/poll/168770/half-illinois-connecticut-move-elsewhere.aspx
Ray:
I wasn’t trying to say they’d never leave. But I don’t think more than a few would leave to go to states like Wyoming, Nebraska, and North Dakota. And if they did they’d come right back.
I can not understand why anyone would ever leave Wyoming if they found gainful employment. BTW, Wyoming has a low unemployment rate (<5%). The state has numerous, beautiful mountain ranges with world class skiing, wide open spaces on the high plains, abundant wildlife, great fishing, clean air, and most of all friendly, resourceful neighbors.
ND and NE also have their charms, except ND's winters. But I suppose low population density states are an acquired taste. Those of us who were born and raised here love being here.
However, states without a true metro area do not appeal to 'progressives' so flyover country is safe from an invasion of dem voters. And, they would quickly become emotional wrecks if surrounded by people who would, without hesitation, politely tell them their ideology is destructive to the human spirit.
"his sloppy youth-oriented mode of speech when speaking off-the-cuff, combined with arrogance"
Its his 'best' personality trait. 🙂
If only he had stopped fighting strawmen and taken the time to meet with Republicans to talk through their differences and find some common ground.
If only he hadn’t spent so much time on the road for fundraising, on golf course, and vacationing, he would have had time to implement that drawer full of solutions.
If only……
He sounds like every procrastinator who blames his/her failure to act on someone else or some outside force rather than him/herself.
Of course, that assumes he actually does have solutions and actually wants to fix things.
Demeaning the office he holds is meant to reflect his attitude that this is a crappy country that needs fundamental transformation. And his base agrees and loves it. Apparently they think he is cool instead of seeing him for the immature jerk he really is.
This from the president is one of the next Big Lie Memes to get its launch from the Left.
Along with this piece on AlterNet, which is the height–or depth–of misinformation/disinformation/ noninformation, not to mention how transparently stupid it is to anyone who knows the truth:
http://www.alternet.org/print/tea-party-and-right/republicans-deadly-political-strategy-damage-country-and-you-damage-democratic
Of course, the author had to know the truth to be able to lie this way. There is no shame on the Left.
As a Nebraskan, we don’t want any New Yorkers.
We want to keep Nebraska for Nebraskans.
This guy has got to stop blaming others.
Barack Obama is solely responsible for his own failures and Exhibit A is the economy.
The guy is our worst president ever.
I have already made my suggestions that millions of New Yorkers and millions of other Democrats from all over the country, millions and millions and tens of millions of them….
Move out of the country altogether. Permanently. They hate America; America hates them. They are takers; e are makers.
Let the ingrate nogoodniks get lost; and let the hard=working “illegals” get found.
America improves 150% overnight, guaranteed, and everyone knows it.
Obama should place the blame where it rightfully belongs. It was our Founders who brought up this whole idea of checks and balances. I suppose they just weren’t capable of anticipating the brilliance of this administration.
“Move out of the country altogether. Permanently.”
Imagine how much they could contribute to the economy of the Cuban utopia!
POTUS
It’s not as if we’ve got no good ideas on policy. We’ve got tons of them. I’ve got a drawer full of things that we know would create jobs, help our middle class, boost incomes, make us more competitive.
Yeah, just like the Stimulus Package, right?
The Democrats don’t need anyone to move to small states like the Dakotas or Wyoming to win elections.
They have a mobilized army of college kids and recent college grads that are organized by such groups as ACORN to drive to swing states, each kid holding a list of names to vote under. Thousands and thousands of college kids vote multiple times using those provided names on their list and help win these key states. This is what voter ID could help curb.
Lacune, I estimated that the modern Demoncrat machine can produce 10-20 million fake votes per Presidential election.
Of course they can’t focus that on one place easily, but their minions can produce that much in aggregate.
Unless that is dealt with, elections are really meaningless except as a justification for the Regime to exercise authority.
“..they cling to a rigid theory…”
Bitterly. Get it right, Barky.
Obama’s phrases,
captured by an ideology that says no to everything because they cling to a rigid theory
and
let the market sort things out, and folks at the top doing very well will somehow automatically trickle down to everybody else
are frighteningly similar to Pope Francis’ recent denunciations, in the America Magazine interview and in the encyclical Evangelii Gaudium, of ideologues who sacralize the workings of the market…
lacunae: yep. And they know which precincts in which districts to send them. This is one area that Eric’s advice might work. If the media was reporting on right wing groups in swing states busing in voters, would they see the need for voter ID?
It would be really interesting to strip the citizenship of these multi voters and give it to immigrants. Plenty of them waiting in line for it.
Setup a “competition”. See how many immigrants will capture and bind these multi voters, in return for greencards.
When you have one problem, it’s not easy to solve. When you have two problems, often times you can get them to solve each other.
}}} If only they would let me–I could do it! We could do it!
I KNOW!!!
Let’s have a BARN DANCE!!