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Substance Over Style

By Larry Doyle on February 25, 2009 at 8:00 AM in Current Affairs

I for one am looking for substance over style in President Obama’s speech this evening. He has a lot on his plate as does the country. Why do I feel that in many regards he remains on the campaign trail? Why do I sense that his talk tonight is a function of his being criticized for being too negative on the stump?

As I further ponder our new President, though, I think he is an exceedingly savvy politician. How often I saw senior executives who would “manage expectations down” so that even mediocre results could be judged as “overdelivering.” More time is spent on the “managing of expectations” than there is on “working tremendously hard” to gain minor victories on the path to longer term success.

If Obama is declaring victory on a number of fronts 4 weeks into the show I would ask him to regain a semblance of perspective. I believe the markets, the people, and the world want a President who is brutally honest, displays incredible discipline, and inordinate consistency, all wrapped in character. The American public neither wants nor needs an extended campaign when there is real work to be done. The jury remains out but initial feedback for the administration is mixed at best.

If tonight is another campaign rally, I may have to tune into the local college game.

  • CG

    I think Obama’s State of the Union address, was delivered with a campaign approach; it was all about looking ahead, to lay out his 2012 re-election bid. And I think all the traveling he is doing these days is primarily a re-election campaign strategy.

    Do I believe him when he says

    everyone in this chamber — Democrats and Republicans — will have to sacrifice … And that includes me.

    No actually, and he could demonstrate sacrifice if he stopped campaigning by flying off to every community, and stopped giving red carpet parties at the White House, etc.

    And did he remind me of W, absolutely…

    to preserve our long-term fiscal health, we must also address the growing costs in Medicare and Social Security…. we must also begin a conversation on how to do the same [reform] for Social Security, while creating tax-free universal savings accounts for all Americans.

    so we can do away with Social Security? So is this different than 401K investments or other established retirement instruments? Will we trust Wall Street with this “universal savings account?”
    I thought it interesting that “we have already identified $2 trillion in savings” in the federal budget and will eliminate wasteful and ineffective programs…

    Charter schools too

    • tek

      CG: The nonsense about having saving accounts instead of SS should worry every American. I can’t tell you how many people I know who took their retirement funds out and invested them themselves and now they have nothing. It’s just not workable. But then, Obama favored axing SS and having putting retirement investments in the hands of private financiers from the get go. When he kept losing to Hillary, his backers made him change that position-ostensibly. What a loser.

      I see that he’s appointed a Mexican woman to be Secretary of Labor. She was born and raised in Mexico. Do you think she’s going to work hard to protect American jobs from illegal Mexicans? Bwaahaahaa! Must be the deal he cut with La Raza to deliver the hispanic vote.

      • beebop

        My relative who works for SSA said that 0bomba would “save” my retirement … LOL

      • Ellen D

        CNN said she is Central American. Out here in L.A., the Central Americans have different views on policies from Mexicans. You can’t lump them all together.

      • CG

        You have to wonder what exactly tax-free universal savings accounts means, no details in his speech. Does that mean that there are no FICA contributions from employer or employee on the amount set aside for the tax-free universal savings account? Or there is no federal (or state) withholding? Or no income taxes on the amount saved and interest (or dividends) earned when you retire and start to withdraw from the tax-free universal savings account? Is this tax-free universal savings account going to make Social Security, 401K’s and IRA’s obsolete? Are you going to be required to opt out of Social Security if you start a tax-free universal savings account.

        I continue to lose confidence, for obvious reasons. Duh, who stands to benefit from the tax-free universal savings accounts?

        • touchet

          He didn’t give any details, thats why it sounded like a campaign speech.

          For instance. The school for community service thing. There are many many issues that would arise from that. Can you imagine the costs if they just opened up the treasury to pay for everyones school? So of course there will be limitations. The most ethical of them all will be how they will determine WHAT volunteer work and WHO can do it. I have a feeling that it will be just like all these new invovated initiatives he is creating. They will help only those who already can reap benefits under the current system.

          In the end, i think that all these people that supported him cause they thought they were gonna get something in return will be very dissapointed.

      • cynic

        everyone in this chamber — Democrats and Republicans — will have to sacrifice … And that includes me.

        When the Bush tax cuts are allowed to expire, people earning over $250K per year will pay more taxes. Obama would be one of them. The salary of a U.S. president is $400K per year; in addition he has income from book royalties. Obama will be personally affected. Evidently expenses pertaining to the office are also under review. Plans laid during the Bush Administration to upgrade the presidential helicopter are now likely to be cancelled, for instance.

        to preserve our long-term fiscal health, we must also address the growing costs in Medicare and Social Security…. we must also begin a conversation…

        Can anyone doubt we’re going to have to do this? If some sort of changes aren’t made, future costs of existing entitlement programs will become totally unsustainable. They’ll no longer be generating the program “surpluses” currently being used to offset general revenue shortfalls; instead, they’ll be paying out far more than they take in, cutting deeply into general revenues.

        BTW, when did Obama suggest that tax-free savings accounts would be instead of Social Security?

        I’ve always thought all Americans should have a tax-free savings option–meaning the interest you earn on them would be untaxed. IRAs and the like are only available for certain types of income. Additionally, what you’re doing with IRAs is deferring taxes, on the assumption that tax rates will be lower later. Given government deficits over the last 28 years, why would any sane person assume that? I’ve been far more comfortable paying all of my taxes on all of my taxable earnings as I go along, removing that future uncertainty. I like knowning what’s mine is really mine.

        • http://thedametruth.com Liberty Central

          I suppose that does NOT include cutting back on lobster, caviar and the Kobe beef of which BO/MO have grown so fond.

          • cynic

            I’d rather the White House not host dinners for visiting dignitaries and heads of state, and serve them Hamburger Helper.

            Being leader of the most powerful nation on the planet has always involved a few percs. I don’t begrudge Obama’s family those.

          • moonette

            so what. I love lobster, caviar and kobe beef. And if someone can afford to buy those luxuries with their after tax income then it’s not anyone’s business.

            • http://firefox AnnieCollier

              Moonbeam: So what? Obama and MEchille do not pay this out of their own pocket. WE DO.

        • Sarah

          I suppose you didn’t know that the majority of his wealth is in tax-sheltered investments. Yeah, like he would have “skin in the game.” Wake up Obot! You REALLY think he’ll “sacrifice.” Bawahahahahaha!!!!!!

          You are in some serious denial. In fact, you sound like every addict and alcoholic I work with on a daily basis. Denial and excuses. The kool-aid has been spiked.

      • TeakWoodKite

        I was struck by the deadpan delivery of that line and it’s reception with a collective UG!

      • Ellen

        She was born in Los Angeles. Larry sure attracts the haters – what’s with you racists??? So she is of Mexican ancestry or South American ancestry? that makes her what…..????

    • felizarte

      Indeed he does seem to be still in the campaign mode. He seems to think that the way to deal with a problem is simply to give another speech, e.g. a speech after rev. wright steadied his campaign, etc. He must be wondering now why his speeches don’t seem to do the trick anymore. He doesn’t understand that whenever he makes a “policy speech” it only drives home the point that he really does not know what to do which is why he never commits himself to details.

      I also notice a similarity with the Bush adm: send a problem away, (i.e. change the headlines or national conversation) by introducing other notions of puzzlement to the nation such as scare people more by threatening to tinker with Social Security, charter schools.

    • C.S.

      we must also begin a conversation on how to do the same [reform] for Social Security, while creating tax-free universal savings accounts for all Americans.

      NO discussion on Social security “reform” that does not include a precisely written and signed legal document on what will happen to the Federal Insurance Contribution Act known as FICA. What happens to that payroll tax that is separate from the federal, state and local taxes that are deducted from our salaries but are not taken from any other income source except salaries paid to workers.

      Do they just quit taking the deduction out when they “privatize” social security or will it still be deducted from our salaries? Will employers still be required to contribute to this employee retirement benefit or will they no longer contribute to pensions or social security?

      What happens to all that money baby boomers have been paying all their working lives just waiting around in guaranteed accounts for their retirement? Does it revert to the general treasury or will it be distributed in a lump sum with interest to the account holders?

      Like the old flat tax scenario where the “flat tax” refered to income, i.e. salaries and not all income, i.e. capitol gains, this “plan” has been around since the days of Ronald Reagan and is no further along now than it was then. Bottom line, if there is no social security there is no need for FICA, and if we don’t contribute to government guaranteed FICA pensions, there is no need for this hybrid “privatizing” – just give it all to us because we’ve seen what has been done with our 401ks, and now know that money would have been safer stuffed in our mattresses.

      None of Soertoro/Obama’s “fixes” seem to be anchored in reality but what can you expect from a man who was given everything he has, from houses to law degrees, all purchased by others.

  • lark

    is mixed at best

    Hallelujah, praise the Lord.

  • Obamastolemyboyfriend

    Every time I see Obama, I think to myself:

    WHAT HAVE WE DONE???????

    • beebop

      I think what have they done since I voted for the smart woman and then the experienced guy myself.

      • Obamastolemyboyfriend

        I did, too, but if I could go back and do it again, instead of pushing demobots to McCain, I would have worked harder on Republicans to turn out to vote. Had they not had such a low turnout, McCain would be President right now. I just never imagined the Republicans would sit this one out and risk an Obama.

        • beebop

          They had issues with a skirt.

          • The Real HC

            They had issues with McCain.

        • touchet

          A lot of repulbicans voted for Obama. The same ones that put Bush into office twice. I think you epect too much of them.

          I don’t think though that his re-election will be quite so dramatic though. This time i think those republican won’t be so willing to go out and vote for universal health care. And the college kids, well, the novelty has worn off.

    • FranSC

      “Every time I see Obama, I think to myself. WHAT HAVE WE DONE????”

      I heard this guest on Neil Cavuto way back when we first started hearing about the banking crisis in August or September. He reminded Neil about the dot com crisis and how that had been created by 28 year olds. He said he thought the same thing was happening in the banking industry. Perhaps the more senior execs ran with their points of view because they seem so savvy and hi-teck and MUST be a lot smarter than they were. I thought this was an excellent point that I’ve not heard any more about. While that generation has been exposed to so much, it appears they do not have any concept of *risk*. They live with a different concept: “If you can dream it, you can make it happen.”

      The 2008 election cycle was exactly same thing. Look at all the well-known elected officials who first became aware of Obama through their children – Caroline Kennedy, Maria Shriver, Clair McCaskill, Chris Matthews, and I could go on and on.

      We know the 18-34 year olds and the young professionals into their 40′s went solidly for Obama. AA’s voted 91% for Obama which was a different reason but bolstered his support as did Hispanics and Latinos. Then at the end, senior citizens were so angry about their money, they went for Obama – another unlikely group. The rest of the republicans stayed home.

      So there you have it! Our country is now being run by people that are willing to risk body and soul (theirs and ours) to get what they want.

  • chris from Chicago

    Santa Obamba brings us Christmas in February…
    That was a stump speech if I ever heard one…
    Where is the money to do all this coming from?
    Oh, he is going to wind down Iraq..I see!
    But he is revving up Afghanistan…and Iraq was executed on borrowed money anyway!
    So where is he gonna get the money?
    A Cadillac with rims for everyone people!
    [and no jobs, and livin in a shack collecting what is deemed from the Messiah “ruling” us… is that our future? I can’t wait!

    • lark

      You bet’cha. 13 dollars per week. He said clearly that health care would be affordable through efficiencies of technological communication. That means he expect to automate therapies. We will see our doctors from our homes or from a hospital bed I guess. No more office visits. Just visit the lab. and wait for the analysis. Sounds great. Is a system where the patient will have zero input. You will have to do as you are told. Period. No human variables in the mix. The era of robotic medicine is at hand. Don’t worry, you’ll love it. Nobody cares, and so you won’t care either. All that matters is ‘the transaction.’ Similar to what happened in real estate with ‘transaction brokarage.’ Who cares all that matters is that the transaction goes forward.

      • Docelder

        So, we just go to the “lab” urinate in a cup and give some blood… and they will let us know? So, the only question is? Is Halliburton running the lab now? Or is there a new Halliburton somewhere?

  • brodie

    I have no idea what he was blathering about, as I cannot stand to listen to one word that comes out of his smarmy mouth. I, too, voted for the smart woman and then the “other guy”. Just couldn’t make myself vote for Barky…I’d be glad to be proven wrong, but somehow…

  • lark

    Substance over style.

    All the Democrats and Obama are saying is that they are transactional people. No substance, just style. They don’t care about the subjects, they just care about the transaction. These people have turned into mechanical devices. Robots. Heart of spitefulness.

  • jwrjr

    Obomba isa master of “style over substance”. What is worse, to those of us who are paying attention it is a style that resembles a cat trying to stick to a pane of glass using its claws.

  • mountainaires

    I didn’t bother to watch it. Obama’s all about style; and I don’t trust the substance. Curiously, neither does Krugman.

    But this simply takes the cake. Northern Trust spent $1.6 Billion on a lavish bash in LA with bailout money the Feds forced them to take. What will Obama, Geithner and Summers do to Northern Trust now? Will they force them to pay back the $1.6 Billion of taxpayer money?

    Bailout Bank Blows Millions Partying in L.A.

    Posted Feb 24th 2009

    A bank that received $1.6 billion in bailout money just spent a fortune last week in L.A. hosting a series of lavish parties and concerts with famous singers … and TMZ cameras caught it all.

    Northern Trust, a Chicago-based bank, sponsored the Northern Trust Open at the Riviera Country Club in L.A. We’re told Northern Trust paid millions to sponsor the PGA event which ended Sunday, but what happened off the golf course is even more shocking.

    Northern Trust flew hundreds of clients and employees to L.A. and put many of them up at some of the fanciest and priciest hotels in the city. We’re told more than a hundred people were put up at the Beverly Wilshire in Bev Hills, and another hundred stayed at the Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel. Still more stayed at the Ritz Carlton in Marina Del Rey and others at Casa Del Mar in Santa Monica.

    Here are the highlights:

    http://www.tmz.com/2009/02/24/northern-trust-bank-bailout/

    See Also:

    http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2009/02/25/northern-trusts-la-blowout-on-taxpayers-tab/

    • Strawberry

      Thanks for linking to this MA. I read this earlier and just went postal. Everytime I hear some rich dude whine about paying taxes so some poor person can lay about all day long on their backsides collecting a whole 500 bucks a month (Ooooooooo)welfare or SS, I just like to remind them about the MEGA WELFARE QUEENS, banks like Northern Trust. I don’t mind paying taxes to help support the down and out but the well to do and upwardly mobile? HELL NO!!! Is it Barney Franks asking the bank to repay the US Taxpayer for their gala shindig? PS I love their excuse. “Well, we didn’t really ASK for the bailout.”

      • mountainaires

        Yeah, you got it. And, remember, Northern Trust is a CHICAGO Bank.

        • http://firefox AnnieCollier

          Living large just as their friend the POTUS on $100/lb beef, caviar and lobster.

    • TeakWoodKite

      Northern Trust is the entity that has BO’s numbered trust for the Rezko Mansion he bought. I wonder if he (the trust) will need to refi his house now that they are in the spot light.

      Boneheaded. Look who is on the board of the bank and that is all one needs to know.

  • SJ

    America seems to be now more hooked on style rather than substance that is why this country is in the mess it is in, its a pity that some of us have not noticed this as yet.

  • Publius

    The simple fact about this site is that Obama will never do anything right in the eyes of the people who regularly post here. Never. You are so predisposed against the President that anything he does is viewed through the prism of your hatred.

    During the primaries I used to come here and debate, back when there were people to discuss and debate with who still had some semblance of reason, and back when there were still people who supported Obama who would tread into this site.

    This site is now a pure sounding board for people seeking only to reinforce their own views. A coffee clatch of the disappointed and the angry that serves only to mock and name-call. Is there really a front-page post about Obama’s reliance on teleprompters? Christ.

    But hey, I guess that’s the internet for you.

    Also, that Cranky Old Guy needs to recall that the point and purpose of Gilbert & Sullivan’s “I am the Very Model of a Modern Major General” was to present a musical number with rapid-fire lyrics. That’s the charm. Reading a pastiche slowly isn’t clever. He needs to speed it up.

    Um, what else? Nope I think that’s it for now.

    Flame away.

    • lark

      I will give Obama points for governing not for showboating. Governing = zero points. Showboating = 78

    • Larry Doyle

      To give Obama his due, I did call on him to be much more aggressive in defining his “call for responsibility” and he delivered.

      I commend him for specifically addressing parental responsibility, although I would have liked to see him use language directed specifically at men who do not take responsibilty for their offspring.

      His comment about high school dropouts could have received the strongest applaud of the evening. That could havee been an opening to ask where Dad is but he missed it. Perhaps the memory of Jesse Jackson calling him out for “talking down” still resonates.

      His emphasis on service and education are commendable, although I remain concerned tht the money directed to urban education gets sucked into the bureaucracy and web of administration.

      On the flip side, his comment about there being no earmarks in the stimulus plan was the height of gratuitous remarks!

      • lark

        Those are boilerplate remarks, LD. It would have meant something if he said that parents who have students who underperformed will have to reimburse the school system 50 percent of their children’s tuition expense. Students who drop out would have to pay a fine if they maintain their status as drop out. What he said were just words. Change means change. It means is time to pay.

    • HARP

      Obama is a liar…DEAL WITH IT.

      “..that’s right, a tax cut–for 95%…. by the way, these checks are on the way.”

      What did President Obama mean by this statement? My understanding is there are NO checks going out as a part of this Administration’s plan. Did I miss something? And if so, are the checks really in the mail?

      Here’s the full quote from last night’s speech.

      “In fact — in fact, the recovery plan provides a tax cut — that’s right, a tax cut — for 95 percent of working families. And, by the way, these checks are on the way.”

      Stimulus Check 2009 – Just a Myth?

      Before you go looking in vain for your 2009 stimulus check status, a quick perusal of H.R.1 — the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 — shows that the closest you might get to receive an economic stimulus check in 2009 is found in Section 1001. Known as the “Making Work Pay Credit,” it is not actually a stimulus check but instead a credit that equals either 6.2% of a taxpayer’s income or $500 ($1,000 for joint filers) – whichever might be less.

      Does the Stimulus Package Make This Tax Credit Available to Anyone?

      The short answer is no. The Obama stimulus check rumors are correct in stating that the figure is between $500 and $1,000, but they discount that this applies only to taxpayers with an adjusted gross income of $75,000 (or $150,000 for joint filers).

      Wait a Minute! The Obama-Biden Transition Team Promised Mailed Stimulus Checks!

      • CG

        Don’t have a link, but I thought I remember reading something, that on or about the first week in April, federal withholding in paychecks will be reduced, so that the stimulus will take effect without the filing of a 1040.

        • wodiej

          wow….$13, whatever will I do w that! Oh, I know, cover the increase in grocery prices. Stimulus MY ASS.

      • lark

        Pathological liar he is. That’s it.

    • Ellen D

      Read it at the pace that satisfies you. You seem easily satisfied by Obama.

    • mountainaires

      Democrats boosting domestic spending atop stimulus

      $410 billion spending bill awards generous new spending boosts atop stimulus package

      http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Democrats-boosting-domestic-apf-14461024.html

    • Karma

      Well then offer something up for debate.

      What did you think was so important about his speech? What moved you? How exactly do you disagree with Larry Doyle?

      Because I notice you are complaining that there is only complaints here.

      Hmmmmm….just a thought.

    • C.S.

      What president? I thought they made her Secretary of State and she’s doing a good job. But the greedy guy who made himself king by stealing delegates from her is another problem entirely. There are about two dozen court cases asking him to prove his elgibile and now members of our military are asking if he has the authority to be their commander in chief. Just because he has spent almost a million dollars to keep from coming clean with We the People doesn’t mean it’s gone away. The guy’s a cipher.

    • FranSC

      Publius – And how old are you? Let me guess? You’re 28???

    • cynic

      I’m an Obama supporter, but found Old Grumpy Guy’s adaptation clever and amusing. He should think about working up the libretto for a professional production of Obama–The Musical. I might buy a ticket.

  • Obamastolemyboyfriend

    I think if the bots want to spout the “how great he is” meme, they should let us know what it is that has improved with the arrival of Obama. I see no improvement on anything and instead much decay on the economy, race relations, the war front, etc.

    List the improvements, bots! I’ll wait…

    • wodiej

      don’t hold your breath….

    • Publius

      Expansion of children’s health coverage; the passage of an historic stimulus bill that economists largely agree will increase jobs and spur the economy (although there is a question whether it is large enough to do it); the responsible approach to budgetary matters whereby–shocking, I know–actual costs are not hidden, but transparently placed on the books; the implementation of ethics rules that go beyond anything any president has done (although I am critical of the two waivers for defense appointees); a historic and successful foreign policy effort in Asia (thank you, Hillary); the naming of critical diplomatic envoys; making good on the tax pledge.

      Off the top of my head.

      But I am sure these achievements–all within the first two months of his Presidency–are actually failures and he sucks and he was born in Kenya or whatever.

      • lark

        You make good points. Except you have not considered that in his first press conference he did not discussed those matters in term of his own personal determinations in those matters. We really don’t know where he stands because all of those items of policy were developed in consortium with mostly other players and he has not said exactly how he supports them. Right?

        At every turn when he speaks of them he blunders by uttering lies about them that don’t pan out in real life.

        That’s the disconnect. You must deal with that. No?

      • FranSC

        About all his “achievements”. All the things you point to are the ideas of other people. What did Obama say during the campaign that he was going to do? I don’t see any of his ideas. The stimulus package was the brain-child of Nancy Pelosi and the House Democrats – made ready for January 21st passage. You think those 1200 pages are representative of anything Obama? Get real.

        • Publius

          You people are crazy. So unless Obama himself came up with the actual idea, there is nothing good from it attributable to Obama? So maybe Peter Orzag sat down with the President and said that we should bring transparency by actually showing the numbers on the books instead of playing games with it, and Obama said, “yes, we should, that’s a great idea, let’s do it,” then sorry, that’s not a credit to Obama? Really? If Obama said to Nancy Pelosi, “Bring me the SCHIP that Bush vetoed, and I will sign it into law,” and Congress did just that, then there is no credit to Obama for signing into law that which Bush did not do? Really? So by that token if Clinton had been elected, then she could not mark signing SCHIP into law, because she didn’t come up with the idea? Or, conversely, if McCain had come into office, and refused to sign it, well, no bad on him because SCHIP was someone else’s idea? Is that really your standard? Because that is stupid.

          I reiterate what I said: He could sign the Lilly Ledbetter Act (which I forgot to add to the list of the achievements) and acts like it over and over and over into law, his team could present proposals that are good and crafted into law by Congress, and none of it would mean anything to you.

          Because ObamaRama is a fraud, a non-citizen, he cheated in the primaries, he has no support among the public, he is just like Bush, he is corrupt, he is going to destroy America, terrorist fist jab, blah blah blah.

          A lot of you hate him because he beat Hillary, and you will never, ever, ever, ever get over it (I did). Or you hate him because he is black (the fellow referring to him as “just like a turd, long and brown” on this very site today is evidence of that). Or you hate him because he is not Republican. Or whatever.

          But even when he does something empirically good–signing the Ledbetter law into law (a promise he made on the campaign trail) or appointing Clinton to SoS, or whatever–no matter what he does, ever–it will either be not attributable to him, or it will be his failure.

          Very mature.

          • The Real HC

            “You people are crazy.”

            blah blah blah blah

            “Very mature.”

            Thanks for posting, please come again.

      • C.S.

        Talk is very cheap right now; hard work hard to find. With Mr. Soertoro/Obama (no, we don’t know his legal name – yet) flitting around the country trying out perks and talking, states are shoring up Amendment 10, government is talking about mass layoffs” soaring in January and a housing market still in decline while he dishes up more “hope” and “change”.

        Not sure We the People can stand any more change right now since what we need is respect for the labor we sell to companies because hope won’t pay the rent and certainly won’t feed you. That stimulus plan may bail out his rich cronies but it’s like a bandaid over a bleeding artery because the People are the life’s blood of this country and the members of the Obama cult are watching our Country bleed out. And we know there are things he could do immediately to stop it but does he or his handlers?

        • Publius

          Rush is on. Better get to listening to it.

      • athena

        Which set of books??? Did you know the government works with 4, count em’, 4 sets of books? It is all an optical illusion. Nothing to see here, look over here at the great things we have done.

        Sure he passed this stimulus bill in 30 days? Really, first off he was working on it starting Nov. 4th (hell maybe sooner) with the help of Pelosi and gang. You can’t even WRITE a bill that takes over an hour to print in 30 days. Second, when you are on the TV EVERYDAY telling America and the world I might add, that the the earth is going to stop spinning without this ginormous package AND you have a MAJORITY in the house and Senate – where is the victory? Not impressed but reading my little fanny off these days with such writings from The Founding Fathers, The Federalists Papers, The Forgotten Man, Atlas Shrugged, 500 Year Leap and the Rise and Fall of the Third Reich. Scary how many parallels these days. Especially, with Bidens comment today, “We will embarass the states that don’t take the stimulus money” Nice guy. I don’t ever recall a VP being sooooooooo available and present ever in history.

  • http://wwww.vberryhill-soulvoice.blogspot.com Vivian Berryhill

    In 2004, an unknown man-of-color from the south side of Chicago, Illinois bolted onto the national scene with an electrifying speech that mesmerized the American public and catapulted him to the White House. His oratory skills, by far, are second to none… however many in America are now coming to the realization that his much-talk is ‘high on style’, but often lacks real substance and is frequently full of equivocation, evasion, and nuanced-beating-about-the-bush.

    However, President Obama’s first–– and much ballyhooed Joint Sessions of Congress mini-State of the Union Address, while fluff-infested, did lay out quite a few more specifics to his stimulus bill… and offered a few more tidbits to his vision of getting this nation back to prosperity.

    Now, juxtapose to another unknown man-of-color from the swamps of Louisiana, who history may very well record made his minuscule imprint on the national stage with a no-nonsense, heart-felt chat to the American people immediately following the President’s quasi-State of the Union Address. What a difference, as his speech was high on substance… but indeed lacked in style.

    Governor Bobby Jindal attempted in a flat, but respectful manner, to take Obama to the woodshed by back-handing the points the President presented during his hour-long address. The Louisiana governor’s rebuttal failed to offer credible arguments or facts that would bat down Obama’s convincing case to the American people that he, and his new policy team, have a plan.

    Parroting GOP talking points when the national spotlight was on him was not effective, and did not gain Jindal any memorable place in speech-making history.

    These two men with two different styles, could face off in 2012 to vie for the top Executive job in the land. One represents the first African American and the other the first Indian American elected to their respective positions. One man a big-government, spending liberal… the other a tax-cutting, fiscal conservative present two starkly opposing views on how they would govern and lead this nation in the upcoming years.

    While Jindal is currently no match for Obama, if the stimulus bill does not jump-start this country… style and great words will be ‘moot’, as Obama will be a footnote in history by 2012, and Jindal could be what the fickle American public will be looking for by then. http://www.vberryhill-soulvoice.blogspot.com

    • FrenchNail

      Jindal IS NOT A NATURAL BORN CITIZEN. Eventhough he was born on the territory of the US, both his parents were not American citizens at the time of his birth.

      • beebop

        What you don’t know is truly inspiring.

        If you are born in this country, you are a citizen. Now. Go back to civics class and learn something today.

        • FrenchNail

          You are confusing American citizen and Natural Born citizen. Natural born citizen is a very restrictive criteria demanded only for the President. And it meant and is meaning Born on the territory of the US from parents who were both American citizens at the time of said birth.

          American citizen means born on the territory of the US or born from US citizen or naturalized.

      • Baba Rum Raisin

        You might want to Google “anchor babies.”

      • Animal Control

        You may be onto something. “Natural Born” and “Born in the USA” may very well have different elements of proof.
        It is critical to determine what the composers of the Constitution meant when they included the words “Natural Born”. I can’t answer at this time but I will venture to guess that those words have a purpose and a meaning and were not a mistake in thought or grammar.

        • FrenchNail

          This speaks better than me.

          http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEnaAZrYqQI

        • FrenchNail

          Futhermore, it is now documentated that Chester Arthur, who was Lincoln Vice President, was not a natural born citizen as his father born British had been naturalized American only after Arthur’s Birth. Upon Lincoln’s murder, Arthur ascended to the Presidency. Rather than declare his inegibility and let the then SOS bypass him, he said nothing and then took advantage of his new position to bury his father’s records and lie about his father citizenship at the time of Arthur’s Birth. The recrds have now been uncovered revealing what Arthur knew then: he was not eligible to be POTUS.

          • barb

            You were sounding pretty smart until this comment. Andrew Johnson was Lincoln’s vice-president and became POTUS after the assasination. Johnson was pure Tennessee American. You do bring up interesting points about the qualifications to be POTUS. It seems that if Obama could get past the citizenship requirement then Jindal could too.

            • FrenchNail

              Sorry, MY BAD. Wrong murdered president. I meant Garfield.

              • barb

                That’s ok. I love the points you made.

                • Animal Control

                  Barb, thanks for the chuckle above.

      • Publius

        You knowledge of immigration and naturalization law is stunningly wrong.

        Identify one written authority to support your view that the Founders specified that a U.S. Citizen had to be born of two other U.S. Citizens. Where in the Federalist Papers, or debates in Congress? Where are you getting this horseshit?

        • FrenchNail

          See the link uptread. That is if you REALLY want to know about this issue. And yes the Founders and subsequent constitutionalists have said so and documented their positions.

    • Docelder

      In many ways, Jindal is everything Obama purports to be… except Jindal is the real deal.

  • TeakwoodKite

    Whats the score, LD?

    I can’t tell if the market is reacting to the housing starts or the choice for Commerce Sec.

    • Larry Doyle

      Teak…Markets are right back down 2% again today based simply on the fact that the economy is going nowehere good anytie fast. For the week it is:

      down-3 to 4% on Monday
      up 3-4% on Tuesday
      down 2% so far today

      Trend overall remains lower. We have continually made lower highs and lower lows (downward trend line) and the market knows that Washington does not have the answers.

      Whiel the equity markets are down the bond market need sto digest another 32bln in supply todaay so it is down as well.

      Right back in the soup…economy is going to drag with the deleveraging process continuing.

      • termo

        Obama’s speech last night did nothing to provide a shred of confidence to investors. He did a lot to give confidence to people looking for government handouts which does not help the economy.

        The one day the market went up was when Bernanke testified that he felt the recession would end this year and 2010 would be a period of recovery and growth. He also said “if.”

        The “if” was if the administration could do things to secure the economy. Last night proved that Obama is not up to the task

        He also said that he inherited this current deficit. That is not true. The budget deficit is far, far larger because of his actions and is about to skyrocket because of his actions.

        Obama is nothing more than a cheap political hack with a silver tongue.

        What he lacks is intellect and leadership.

  • mountainaires
  • EWard

    Memo to Publius – Obama the Fraud and the Dems are on their way to bankrupting this country. The bills that the Dems have passed since Jan. 20 equal the money that has been spent on the Iraq/Afghanistan wars and the aftermath of 9/11 combined.

    Social Security – get your crooked hands off that money. We pay into it.

    Health care – look at MA, HI, and Canada for mandated coverage and it’s a mess.

    Do not come to NQ and talk about us – we care enough about this country to save it – Impeach Obama….

    • Publius

      You sound like a C-Span caller on the Republican line.

      • barb

        Maybe it is just a weird coincidence, but everytime Obama speaks the stock market goes down. It has been going down since Obama was given the Dem nomination back in in September. Almost to the day. I don’t know a lot about the tangled finances of the US economy, but it is obvious that the dates of Obama’s success are linked to the stock market problems. What is good for the have-nothings is usually not good for the haves and the have-nothings will really not have anything if haves also are left with nothing. “Sometimes you don’t need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows” Bob Dylan.

        • Publius

          So what will you say when the markets go up on a day when Obama speaks?

          The markets are dropping because of Citi and the horrible mess we are in.

          • http://deleted Buzz Latte LaRue

            Perhaps a better measure will be when Obama’s popularity goes back up to election day levels.

            So far, that is following the same trend as the Stock Market.

          • FranSC

            I’m waiting for the markets to go up – but everytime BO opens his mouth, they plummet.

            O was bashing Wall Street in his speech as well as every chance he gets. Does he and his supporters not understand it was the plummeting markets that got him elected! In fact there were fears that somehow the markets were being manipulated to sell off stocks at the end of the day so that it did not have a chance to recover.

            BO is very angry that the markets are not giving him the love that his OTHER supporters are giving him.

  • Sassy

    Many of those who adore BO have no investments to be concerned about.
    Some of them should remember, though, that each dollar their parents lose is a dollar they won’t inherit, AND they still get the country’s debt plus interest!
    Maybe that will get their attention!

    • http://libland audacity of hype

      I wonder when that sad fact will hit them.

    • FrenchNail

      That’ a VERY good point. I’ll remember it.

    • wodiej

      when the debt starts cuttin’ into their cell phone, internet and MP3 downloads, then they will have a new perspective. But as long as someone else is paying for the freebies, they are trapped in their euphoria of Obama.

    • Ani

      Excellent point.

  • Baba Rum Raisin

    My advice to Obama is the same as to every politician elected to an excutive office, from class president to POTUS, to wit,

    “Do not undertake Vast Enterprises with Half-Vast ideas.”

  • sunup

    I was at the Post Office early this morning.
    There was only one other person,a man mid thirties,he was talking to the clerk an older man, close to retirement I would guess. The young one was on about what a great speech, no BS, hit all the points, right on the mark and so on. The clerk said “talk is cheap, we’ll see.” The other one kept on as if the clerk said nothing. Wodiej “trapped in their euphoria” sums it up perfectly.

    • cynic

      Many people are desperate for hope. Especially young people. Consider how difficult making a good future for oneself looks right now to an intelligent young person just starting out.

      Those of us who are considerably older–who have already worked our way through to some small measure of success in the world–generally did so against a more promising background.

      • barb

        The voting age really should be put at 21 again. Children should not be allowed to make decisions that effect everyone. A person who is not responsible enough to drink alcohol is definately not responsible enough to vote in elections.

        • http://deleted Buzz Latte LaRue

          Actually I’d go for age 25. Neurological studies indicate that the human brain doesn’t mature until around that age.

          That would put new voters out of college a couple of years and others in the work force for even longer. To have to foot your own bills is a great teacher.

          Just think how different the presidential election outcome might have been.

        • cynic

          That might be so, but I well recall how people my own age felt about being sent to war in Vietnam while still too young to vote.

  • Ani

    I believe the markets, the people, and the world want a President who is brutally honest, displays incredible discipline, and inordinate consistency, all wrapped in character. The American public neither wants nor needs an extended campaign when there is real work to be done.

    Very well said, Larry. Unfortunately, the above description sounds a helluva lot more like Hillary than it does Obama.

    Even the LA Times, long in the tank for him, was very complimentary to Hillary’s frank, direct style as SoS.

    Oh, what could have been.

    • FranSC

      Obama’s rants about Wall Street are laughable.

      1) Does he not understand the plummeting markets
      are what got him elected! Nothing he did. He
      simply was NOT a republican.

      2) He is angry that Wall Street is not showing
      him the love he gets from his cult followers.

  • http://noquarter foxyladi14

    didn’t watch..just had dinner..

  • b mathews

    the saddest part of all of this is that america selected someone with no experience who did nothing to earn or deserve the highest office in the land. he is pelosi and reids puppet.

    • FranSC

      b matthews, you are right on target!

  • jmr

    On his speech: Barack Obama is a con artist! And it’s profoundly frightening because he’s really a good one!

  • jmr

    On BO’s speech: NO SUBSTANCE but lots of unbelievable BS with no substantial explanation of how he could live up to it!

    Barack Obama is a con artist! And it’s profoundly frightening considering the state of the world and this country because he’s really a good con artist! He even seems to get away with rubbing it in our faces and clearly loves every single moment of doing it, too!

  • Sarah

    Style over substance is what this country is all about now. And it isn’t even “style.” When I think style, I think Jackie O. This country, the Obamas included, are SUPERFICIAL. Big difference from style IMHO. At any rate, we are now a morally and emotionally BANKRUPT society and if BO has his way, financially bankrupt as well.

    BO is a small, immature, juvenile, nacissistic, lying amaturish fool.

    I am soooooooooooooooooooo dissapointed in my fellow Americans who voted for “bright, shiny shit.” Thanks. Thanks alot.