“It’s true that speeches don’t solve all problems, but what is also true is if we cannot inspire the country to believe again, then it doesn’t matter how many policies and plans we have, and that is why I am running for president of the United States of America, and that is why we just won 8 elections straight, because the American people want to believe in change again. Don’t tell me words don’t matter!” – Then Democratic Presidential Candidate, Barack Obama, Wisconsin Democratic Party
Founders Gala 2.16.2008
Well, he certainly inspired 52% of the country to vote him into office, campaigning on the seductive promises of “change” and “hope”, as if we were living the worst years of our lives.
But how is this any different than any other politician campaigning for elected office? Every politician campaigns by not only promises of doing better, but by also distorting the record of the current office holder. If he truly wanted to come across as a “new kind of politician”, he would have reigned in the moonbat brigade and called their BDS as BS where appropriate, and credit the current Administration where credit is due. THAT would have been different. Campaigning on negativity, as if reminding people in every campaign speech of why President Bush is “the worst president in U.S. history” was even necessary, flies straight against the fabricated image of optimism and positivity; that he will be a uniter and not a divider (this remains to be seen; but based upon his previous history, there’s really no evidence of him “reaching across the aisle” in any meaningful sense).
As Scott might ask, “Where’s the steak?”
Victor Davis Hanson points out, what we have is a history of history repeating itself. Not only did Obama plagiarize past speeches, but also past political actions of saying one thing during a campaign to get elected, then doing what is realistic and pragmatic (based upon his post-election rhetoric along with cabinet picks that are far from the radical changes we were promised):
The outsider Dwight Eisenhower charged President Harry Truman’s administration with defeatist incompetence in Korea. Yet, in 1953, President Eisenhower continued Democratic war policies, reached a stalemate at the DMZ, and reclaimed Truman’s prior unpopular war policy as his own inspired victory.
Brash-talking John Kennedy claimed in 1960 that the softie Eisenhower had let the Russians take the lead in strategic missiles. When elected, however, a more sober JFK dropped talk of a “missile gap” and continued existing defense planning.
Old pro Richard Nixon, when running for president, was said to have a secret plan to end the Vietnam War — apparently unknown to the clueless Kennedy-Johnson liberals. But for the next five years, President Nixon had no easier time withdrawing than his predecessors without conceding defeat.
Maverick Jimmy Carter claimed that cold warriors Gerald Ford and his secretary of state, Henry Kissinger, had raised tensions with the Soviet Union due to an “inordinate fear of communism.” Soon a red-faced President Carter scrambled to boycott the 1980 Moscow Olympics and beef up the Pentagon after global Soviet aggression from Afghanistan to Central America.
After the interventions of the trigger-happy Reagan and Bush Sr., feel-your-pain Bill Clinton was convinced that his charisma could achieve through diplomacy what his predecessors had failed at through their clumsy use of force. After 1993, President Clinton ended up bombing or shooting Afghans, Iraqis, Serbians, Somalis and Sudanese — without consulting Congress or the United Nations.
Realist George W. Bush ran on ending Bill Clinton’s nation building — and ended up spending hundreds of billions of dollars on war and fostering democracy in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Yes….they really were “just words”, all along. But he sure made it sound pretty, huh? “Change you can xerox”….
He campaigned against a Bush 3rd term, and now he’s going to have to justify to a portion of his base, why he’s shaping up to govern as the liberal pragmatist rather than the leftist ideologue.
“I think that if your candidacy is going to be about words then they should be your own words…
“Lifting whole passages from someone else’s speeches is not change you can believe in, its change you can Xerox.” – Then Presidential Candidate, Hillary Clinton.
A former fetus, the “wordsmith from nantucket” was born in Phoenix, Arizona in 1968. Adopted at birth, wordsmith grew up a military brat. He achieved his B.A. in English from the University of California, Los Angeles (graduating in the top 97% of his class), where he also competed rings for the UCLA mens gymnastics team. The events of 9/11 woke him from his political slumber and malaise. Currently a personal trainer and gymnastics coach.
The wordsmith has never been to Nantucket.
“He campaigned against a Bush 3rd term, and now he’s going to have to justify to a portion of his base, why he’s shaping up to govern as the liberal pragmatist rather than the leftist ideologue.”
You are wrong Wordsmith and so is Larry W. This is all smokescreens. I have said it and will say it again: Feint right, move left.
He is definitely moving to the extreme left with is Globaloney (like Mike calls it). He is a climatard idiot. Did you see his pick for Energy? John P. Holdren as his science advisor and Steven Chu for Energy secretary: two Global warming jihadist wackos.
And have you noted that there is no businessman in his Cabinet? Not a single person. No one with any sort of notable executive business experience whatsoever. Is this a message to the American business that they will be rafted with regulations coming from the Energy and Environment appointees?
Notice also that most of Obama’s picks came mostly from current and former lawmakers from states that helped win him the presidency; states that will be crucial for Obama’s reelection in 2012. With all these lawmakers leaning left, he will be able to rewrite the Constitution as he wishes it to be. He will then introduce the “redistribution of wealth” and change the “natural born citizen” to “citizen” to be legitimate to become POTUS.
Realize also that his weak pick for V.P. (Biden), was only to have no one in his way of doing things the way he wants them to be… I mean action of extreme left. Be realistic, look at his past education. They are all leftists and radicals. Miracles do not happen overnight.
Here is a good link of Obama’s education since birth: http://theobamafile.com/ObamaEducation.htm
P.S.: The 30,000 soldiers he wants to get in Afghanistan is only to be able to remove some from Irak. It is the only reason. And I will bet you that they won’t stay long in Afghanistan either. Or maybe it is only to keep them occupied somewhere else while he changes America into a communist country.
@Craig:
Maybe. 🙂
What I enjoy is watching the Democrats squirm.
Just pass me the popcorn.
Yeah, Wordsmith, I enjoy it also. But Larry will be disappointed. Bof! I guess I will also enjoy that… lol
“Feint right, move left.” I agree with you Craig. That is exactly what he is doing.
One thing among many that I really resent is having to share my retirement with moochers. I have never depended on the government to support me. Now to think I might have to share what I thought was enough to retire with those who make welfare a life style is too much.
Words matter, and so does puctuation.
Obama never said that Bush was the worst president ever. Now I realize you are only using the quotation marks to denote a oft used phrase, but because you are talking about speeches, it could be interpreted to be a direct quote.
Ed Gillespie, Counselor to the President, responds to the five most egregious myths about the last eight years.
This is the “Greatest Story Never Told,” thanks to the NYT and its Fellow Travelers in the main street media.
Full story here: http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2008/12/myths_and_facts_about_the_real.html
Mr. Gillespie’s piece is quite good but he omits one point. For seven years the MSM has pounded out the “HATE BUSH – EVERYTHING IS BAD” mantra. America has undergone the greatest brainwashing since Hitler’s Germany with self-imposed media censorship. The MSM editorial philosophy is, “nothing gets printed or viewed that shows any good coming from this administration.” And they did not care if they took down the country doing it.
Although the NYT will likely put Barney Frank and Chris Dodd up for a peace prize they should be impeached for criminal ignorance or downright stupidity. Unfortunately neither is an impeachable offense.
@Fit fit:
😉
Good call. Thanks for pointing that out. I was too lazy to look up a direct quote and meant the quote-unquote to reflect a summation of a generally held belief. From memory, I think Obama characterized these last 8 years by referencing “the failures of this administration” and “8 years of failed policies” [not direct quotes].
Spelling does not mater.
Of course it maters, as well as puctuation
speling is the mother of good educashun
dont misrespect it
Stop with the 52% already
US population – 303,824,640
Obama Voters 69,456,897 (actual real voters unknown but less for certain)
So it’s 22.8% of the population – My parents 22 grand children are under 18 but are not Obama supports so stop scewing the numbers. Barry has not done anything yet, I do not understand how you can support someone that has not done anything, just because he’s not someone else, yet not knowning anything about him is very ignorant. I asked a few Obama fans I work with to name 1 thing he has done… and all they do is say “Bush did this or Bush did that” because they don’t know Obama, they just don’t like Bush – yet they seemto be willing to give up their souls for a man they know only one thing about – he’s not Bush.
I just had to check in and see how the Obama haters web site is doing….
looks like that is exactly what this is!
I dare say you wouldn’t know what a Real American Patriot is, if he came up and smacked you on your ass…
So RAP shows up to prove that he’s a hypocrite just in case someone, anyone doubted it.
Missy,
Anytime Sky55110/RAP experiences a dry spell in his discreet encounter Internet personals life, he shows up here.
Of course, as long as he’s here drooling and slobbering on the pages of FA, then he’s not drooling and slobbering on some poor, unsuspecting woman that he met on the Net.
Glass half full or glass half empty depends on your point of view I guess.