What's Wrong with the President?

There's something very odd about President Obama and it's getting stranger by the minute.  It's becoming increasingly apparent that while he loves the benefits of his job, he doesn't like the job itself.  He seems to have checked out early. Could he be having some sort of mini breakdown?

I've long felt that there is no real feeling behind the words he reads from his teleprompters.  When he talks of the United States being a great country, I don't sense that he actually believes that.  He's an actor playing a role, that of president, but he doesn't do it very well.

There is something alien about Obama.  He seems to lack normal human emotions and because he lacks something so fundamental, his responses are often inappropriate and sometimes even bizarre.  He seems to have no idea of propriety or boundaries.  He either doesn't know or doesn't care about how he comes across to others.   

We saw this on full display yesterday with the news of the downed Malaysian airliner.  Obama said it was "possibly a tragedy".  News flash, Mr. President: when an airplane carrying almost 300 people crashes it IS a tragedy and would be so even if there were no Americans on board.  He devoted a whole 40 seconds to the announcement and then proceeded as if nothing were amiss. Heaven forbid that you should let anything interfere with your fundraising.

It's been obvious for a long time that Obama lacks leadership skills.  What's also apparent now is that he lacks people skills. He seems devoid of empathy, incapable of understanding how others might feel and therefore doesn't know how to respond to unusual situations.  He is thin-skinned and when questioned or challenged, becomes petulant and mean-spirited.  At times, he doesn't even seem to be in touch with reality and that's a possibility that's downright scary.  

All in all, we seem to have a president who is incapable of handling the job and who just might be falling apart psychologically.  God help us.  

An Open Letter to President Obama

Dear President Obama,

I have no illusions that you will ever see this, but someone will and hopefully will spread it around to a wide audience.  At any rate, I have a feeling I will feel better for having written it.

As you're so fond of saying, let me be clear:  I didn't vote for you either time and I've never been enthralled by you.  I'm not one of the millions whom you were able to fool. I've never thought you were good at giving speeches; you're merely adequate at reading a teleprompter.  People speak of how intelligent you are.  That's debatable, but one thing has become glaringly apparent over the past five years: you are totally lacking in wisdom. 

You were (and are) very predictable.  You did exactly what I expected you to do, i.e., try to tear this country down and remake it into something our founding fathers wouldn't recognize.  I pray every day that you will not succeed in this mission.  You are the first president in my lifetime who doesn't seem to even like this country, let alone love it.  That makes me angry, yet also sad.  You bow to our enemies and insult our allies with your arrogance and disrespect. I don't think you understand traditional American values; you seem alien to me.

You are totally lacking in leadership skills.  One of the hallmarks of a good leader is the ability to guide and persuade others.  In your infinite arrogance, you seem to think that you just have to make a pronouncement and, poof, it'll be done.  You even said as much recently, when you stated it was "shocking" that others would oppose you.  Why should you be shocked by that?  Only someone who vastly overestimates himself would be surprised that not everyone agrees with him.  

Your indecisiveness is pathetic.  You talk and talk, and debate and debate, and somehow end up paralyzed and unable to take action.  Meanwhile, Iran gets steadily closer to having nuclear weapons, the Middle East is in constant turmoil, N. Korea and China become more aggressive and the Russian president is openly disdainful toward you.  It's obvious that other world leaders do not respect you and that's an embarrassment.  

I believe that every move you make is politically driven.  The good of the country is not foremost in your mind; you're only interested in what's good for your political career.  People who disagree with you are labeled as "enemies" and targeted for intimidation. I believe the election of 2012 was the impetus that drove the decision not to help our ambassador and three others in Benghazi.  You have their blood on your hands, but I'd bet that you don't lose sleep at night over it.  

You are barely able to disguise your tendency toward tyranny.  Just yesterday,  in Africa, you told the American press to "behave".  Who in the world do you think you are?!  The press is supposed to be a watchdog, reporting honestly on an overreaching, intrusive government to protect the people from such.  Unfortunately, many of our media fail in that role, but nevertheless you seem to have a warped view of how the American press should act.  

You have demonstrated time and time again that you have no respect for our Constitution or our laws.  When the Supreme Court rules against your administration, you just carry on as if their decision means nothing.  Your entire administration is rotten to the core and no one is willing to take responsibility for anything.  

It takes a special kind of politician to anger people from one end of the political spectrum to the other, yet you've managed to do so.  I feel certain that you're concerned about how history will see you, but let me assure you:  your legacy will be one of indecisiveness, corruption and abject failure, the worst president of my lifetime.

Bully Mindset

The Internal Revenue Service is supposed to be nonpartisan and impartial in executing our tax laws.  As revealed recently, however, this has certainly not been the case in recent years.  I refer, of course, to the targeting of conservative organizations seeking tax-exempt status.  

To refresh your memory, these organizations were subjected to long, intrusive questionnaires which inquired about the resumes of their past and present directors, as well as attempts to obtain the names of their donors.  The waiting times for approval of their tax-exempt status were so long that some organizations simply gave up and quit trying.  

President Obama made a puzzling statement yesterday, saying that "if in fact IRS personnel" targeted conservatives, that would be "outrageous".  Why make this conditional, when the IRS has already admitted its actions?  Actually, the actions of the IRS may be worse than what they have admitted.  

Meanwhile, what we the people are getting are the usual obfuscations and outright lies from the administration. President "I never knew anything about this" Obama would have us believe that he was totally unaware of the situation, yet he "joked" in 2009 that he could use the IRS to target political enemies, but said, of course, that he never would.  

IRS spokeswoman Lois Lerner insists there was no political motivation in what the IRS did.  If that's the case, then why did they target only conservative organizations? There are abundant data that these, and earlier, inquiries were indeed politically motivated. It's also known that these inquiries came not just from the Cincinnati office, as Ms. Lerner implied, but also from offices in California and Washington D.C. 

IRS officials are still sticking to their story that these questionnaires were not meant to intimidate these groups. Yet anyone who has ever received mail from the IRS can attest to the fact that when that envelope arrives, your blood runs a bit colder.  Everyone  knows that the IRS doesn't contact you just to be friendly.

I don't know how much President Obama knew about this and I'm not implying that he gave direct orders to harass these conservative groups. Obama politico David Plouffe tweeted that what the IRS did was "dumb and wrong", but that Republicans will use this to raise more money.  In Plouffe's world, apparently all that matters is partisan advantage instead of equal treatment under the law that Americans have a right to expect from their government. The actions of the IRS were prompted by a mindset that's prevalent in this administration, i.e., hit your enemies hard with whatever means you have available. That bully mentality has filtered down from the very top.  Whether you're conservative or liberal, Republican or Democrat, every American should be disturbed by this abuse of  power.  

President Cool

My thoughts and prayers, like that of many Americans, go out to the victims of yesterday's bombings in Boston.  If any good comes of this, it will be to remind all of us of the need for constant vigilance.  

President Obama likes to project a cool image, an illusion of being above the fray to which we mere mortals are subject. For me, however, the cool act is wearing very thin.

There are circumstances in which it is wholly appropriate to feel, and show, anger and outrage.  Yesterday was one such instance, but there was the president making pronouncements in his usual robotic manner.  Where is your anger, Mr. President?  Why aren't you totally outraged that terrorists would make such a bold attack on a major American city?  Instead, we get the usual cliches that he speaks after every untoward event:  "let me be clear", "make no mistake", etc., etc., etc.

I suspect that Mr. Obama doesn't show these emotions because he doesn't actually experience them as most normal people would. He can appear above the fray because on an emotional level, he is above the fray, lacking the empathy needed to put one's self in another's shoes. He is detached from these horrible events, as if he were watching a fictitious movie. The only time I can recall seeing him show a flicker of genuine anger is when a reporter asks him a tough question (and that doesn't happen very often).   

I want my president to be angry about these attacks on America and to show that anger.  I want to see the emotions that most Americans are feeling now reflected in the president.  What I see is Mr. Cool, but I have to wonder:  is Obama really cool, or just cold-hearted?

Getting to the Point

Frustration and anger can be contained for just so long before they boil over.  Many people I know are quickly reaching that point, and it's time for some extremely blunt talk.

I am sick and tired of the hypocrisy and eternal campaigning in which Obama engages.  White House tours have been shut down during spring break, allegedly because of the miniscule sequestration.  There are lots of disappointed children out there who had been planning a trip to D.C. to take the tour. Meanwhile, the Obama daughters gleefully jet from the Bahamas to snow skiing in Idaho on the taxpayers' money, and the president has averaged more than one vacation a month during the first three months of 2013.  

It's apparent that when Obama isn't campaigning, he's vacationing.  Our economy is virtually stalled, millions of people are either unemployed or have given up looking for a job and the number of people using food stamps has grown at an alarming rate.  For the royal Obamas to be prancing about on their lavish vacations while millions of Americans are suffering is downright insulting. They are figuratively spitting in the collective face of the American populace.  

To add insult to injury, Barack Obama is THE biggest liar we've ever had in the White House. He has demonstrated a total lack of respect for our laws and the Constitution and his policies are, I believe, deliberately designed to hurt the United States.  His word means nothing, as he has revealed himself to be completely untrustworthy.  

Perhaps most egregiously, however, is his failure to protect our national security.  When an American president fails to lead, the result is mounting chaos world-wide, and Obama has shown extreme weakness in the face of these dangers. It seems that he has not taken the very real threats that Russia, North Korea, Iran and China represent seriously and it's obvious the leaders of these countries have a profound lack of respect for the president.  

In short, he has failed to uphold the oath of office he took when inaugurated. He has been derelict in his duty, overstepped the boundaries of his power at home, failed to support our allies and has emboldened our enemies.  For all these reasons, he should be impeached and removed from office.  

Insulting

President Obama and the rest of his administration must believe Americans are as dumb as a box of rocks.  Director of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano goes on TV to tell us that the lines at the major airports are longer than usual and that it's taking longer to get through customs.  Meanwhile, the airports are saying that the lines are not longer and are moving normally.  Why do they lie about something that's so easily verifiable?  Could it be that Obama and Napolitano think we're too stupid or lazy to know they're lying?  

Obama is obviously trying to save money.  For instance, he's cancelled all White House tours due to the sequestration. Boy, that's going to save a lot of money - White House tours are conducted by unpaid volunteers!  There was no need to shut these down; it's merely a spiteful, punitive move by a small, petulant man who's angry that he hasn't gotten his way.  One more thing - the White House is NOT yours, Mr. President; it belongs to the American people.  

Obama is not worthy of our respect.  I can understand why he and others in his administration think Americans are stupid.  After all, they did elect him twice.

Contempt and Loathing

Well, the talks today between congressional leaders and the president about the impending sequestration apparently have failed.  Is anyone surprised?  

President Obama portrays himself as having his hands tied - those evil, rigid Republicans simply won't compromise and won't agree to "new revenue".  Meanwhile, Obama repeats over and over, ad nauseam, that he wants a "balanced approach" (please see my blog posting of 2/8/13 for that definition).  

May we remind the president that he has already raised our taxes this year, and it's now time for him to do some compromising?  Democrats always promise spending cuts sometime in the not well-defined future, but somehow that time never seems to come.  

If the president were even halfway honest, he'd tell people that he has no interest in cutting governmental spending and his "balanced approach" means he wants tax hikes on everyone.  When he says that Republicans won't agree to "new revenue", what he really means is that Republicans refuse to raise taxes, especially in light of the fact that we've already seen a tax hike this year.  Republicans wanted to pass a bill that would give President Obama greater flexibility in deciding where spending cuts would occur when the sequestration kicks in, but Obama immediately announced he would veto such a bill. Why would he do that, when it gives him more power?  It's simple:  if such a bill were passed, the president would then have to actually make a decision and take some responsibility (gasp!) for something and we can't have that!

The fact is, Obama wants to make the sequestration as painful as possible for as many people as possible in the belief that Americans will blame Republicans for their pain. He is hell bent on decimating Republicans in the hope that Democrats can take control of the House next year. The fact that an American president is willing to inflict unnecessary pain on the American populace for his own political gain is shocking and shameful.  

I pray that my fellow Americans will wake up and recognize the chaos and damage that this president is wreaking on our country, all in the name of political power.  Obama has inspired some strong feelings in many people.  For me, those feelings are contempt and loathing.  

Are You Stupid?

What's the difference between being ignorant and being stupid?  Merriam-Webster defines "ignorant" as unaware, uninformed.  Their definition of "stupid" is "slow of mind".  

The poll numbers are puzzling:  a majority of people in this country (60+%) say that we're on the wrong track, yet President Obama's job approval rating remains a little above 50%. In my lifetime, presidents have gotten credit for a good economy and blame for a poor economy, regardless of whether they deserved it or not.  Yet, people don't seem to realize that Obama's policies are largely responsible for our being on the wrong track.  

Are people failing to make the connection due to ignorance or stupidity?  It seems that a large segment of the American populace believes everything the president says, even when there's clear evidence that he's lying.  He has backtracked on his previous statements time and time again, yet many people fail to note the inconsistency.  One of the president's favorite tactics is to terrify people with his dire warnings of governmental and societal Armageddon if budget cuts are made, no matter how paltry they may be. It's clear that Obama is willing to sacrifice the well-being of the country and play with peoples' lives to reach his political goal of destroying Republicans.   

Take heart - there is a way to easily raise your IQ at least 10 points: quit believing everything the president tells you.  In fact, take everything he says with a big grain of salt. Actions speak louder than words, so just watch what he does.  

The definitions of "ignorant" and "stupid" as stated above imply that ignorance can be fixed, but stupidity is a permanent state. Gathering good, solid information and being open-minded enough to explore it is a remedy for ignorance. It's one thing to be ignorant, but quite another to voluntarily remain ignorant. That would be, well, stupid.  

The Obama Dictionary

President Obama promised that he would have the most transparent administration ever.  Well, that hasn't exactly happened has it?  Part of the problem is Obama's penchant for using euphemisms instead of plain talk.  To help everyone understand what the president is really saying, please see the "dictionary" below.

• Balanced approach:  A combination of miniscule, meaningless spending "cuts", coupled with large tax hikes.  
• Invest, as in we need to invest in education, infrastructure, research, renewable energy, etc.: Spend more and more of the taxpayers' money, often throwing good money after bad and usually getting nothing in return for our "investment".  
• Green energy:  A black hole into which billions of taxpayers' dollars are "invested" (see above), with nothing to show in return.  It doesn't make any difference that it doesn't produce results; we're compelled to keep pouring those tax dollars into it.  
• Sequester:  A tool suggested by the White House to bludgeon Republicans into giving the president what he wants, i.e., tax hikes coupled with no spending cuts.  This tool may, however, prove to be useless for this purpose, depending on whether or not the Republicans find a spine. 
• Benghazi:  A city in Libya, where we once had a consulate, and where our ambassador and three others were killed last September.  This word doesn't appear to be part of Obama's vocabulary.  
• Tax reform:  Elimination of deductions, coupled with tax hikes on the "wealthy".  An example of real tax reform would be the flat tax, in which everyone pays the same rate, coupled with closure of loopholes enjoyed only by those who have the wherewithal to hire lawyers and accountants to find said loopholes.  
• I:  President Obama's favorite word, used liberally in most of his public appearances.  It refers to his favorite person, himself.  

Hopefully, this will clarify some of the statements emanating from the Obama administration.  In closing, there are some words of wisdom from Andrew Carnegie I'd like to share:  "As I grow older, I pay less attention to what men say. I just watch what they do."

AWOL

What are the consequences of electing a weak president?  On this solemn anniversary of the September 11 attacks, one need only take a look at the Middle East to find the answer.

Iran is threatening to wipe Israel off the face of the earth.  An American was killed and one injured today in Libya.  Our embassy in Cairo was stormed by a mob and the American flag torn down.  

Yet, in the midst of this Muslim fanaticism, where is our president?  Shouldn't he be out front and center, at least commenting on all these occurrences?  He is, for all intents and purposes, AWOL.  He has yet to say anything to the American people and quite frankly, we deserve better from our president.  

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel requested a meeting with the president in an upcoming visit to the United States.  Astonishingly, the president declined, saying his schedule is full.  Yet, Obama has time to appear on the David Letterman show.  

President Obama needs to draw a line in the sand and make it clear that if Iran, Egypt or any other Muslim country crosses it, there will be dire consequences for them.  

Is this likely to happen?  Not with this spineless president.  

The Blame Game and Ineptitude

President Obama, who, as we all know by now, is responsible for nothing, continues his assault on the "do-nothing" Congress (actually, it would be far more accurate to say "the do-nothing Senate", but I digress).  On the campaign trail, he has berated Congress for failing to act on a number of measures that Obama claims would help the economy and jobs market.


I doubt that Obama will see it this way, but to me this is indicative of the president's lack of leadership.  There have been many presidents who have had to work with a Congress dominated by the other party, but the good presidents manage to get things done anyway.  Obama's constant harping on Congress' inaction in reality highlights his ineptitude in dealing with them.  A better president would know how to work with Congress to get things done.  

Panderer in Chief

After months of publicly and privately pressuring Israel to make unilateral concessions to advance the cause of peace, President Obama is now sounding much more hawkish on the subject of Iran.  In speaking at the policy conference of the American Israeli Public Affairs Committee (Aipac) this past week, he assured the group that "I have Israel's back."  


As I'm sure Benjamin Netanyahu has noticed, this is a president who habitually says one thing and does another, a man who changes policy positions at the first whiff of criticism.  Many of these criticisms regarding Israel have come from prominent Democrats, among them New Jersey Senator Robert Menendez, Representative Steny Hoyer, Senator Harry Reid, Senator Joe Lieberman and Senator Charles Shumer.  To make matters worse, President Obama has yet to set foot in Israel and that is shameful.


In spite of all that the president has done to criticize and bully Israel, he now proclaims "I try not to pat myself too much on the back, but this administration has done more in terms of the security of the state of Israel than any previous administration", in speaking to a group of Jewish donors last October.  


Surely this is either the most delusional or the most egomaniacal president of my lifetime, or perhaps both.  I believe this is just election year rhetoric for Obama since he recognizes he has lost the support of many American Jews through his treatment of Israel.  He's shown us his true colors and if re-elected will be unencumbered by the need to court Jewish donors. Support for Israel will then fall by the wayside. The question is, however, will Jews vote for him en masse this year, or will they recognize that this is simple pandering?