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A Further Perspective
Happy Talk
Mr. Obama, charm is as charm does.
If you closed your eyes during the State of the Union address (and you allowed for the difference in voices), much of it could have been the words of Ronald Reagan. Gone was Mr. Obama’s usually peevish tone, replaced by upbeat, can-do, let’s-win-the-future words and tone.
The purpose of this was to charm independent voters. Apparently it did, according to early polls. His “favorable” rating went up. Will the charm extend to policies that promote real economic growth? Unless you ignore his lifelong training, education and actions in three public offices, don’t count on it. For him, the government is the only engine of growth and the only institution to be trusted.
Despite paeans to capitalism and individual freedom, his remarks, at the core, were for more government spending. He spoke, of making “investments” in education, infrastructure and that old chestnut, “green energy jobs.”
Investments require capital. The federal government does not have any capital. Anything it spends must be paid for in one of three ways: (1) taxes; (2) borrowing (China comes to mind as a lender) or (3) printing more money (which leads to inflation). Despite his insistence, the spending he has in mind cannot be called investments, though he will doubtless continue to describe it that way. It is, in fact, an extension of his reviled “stimulus” program. (Remember the “Shovel-ready” projects that he later admitted never existed?)
He called for a five-year “freeze” on discretionary domestic spending. This category affects only 16 percent of federal spending. His grand claim is to “save” $400 billion over 10 years. “Freezing” any spending saves exactly nothing. His “savings” are as illusory as those promised under Obamacare.
The day after the speech, the Congressional Budget Office released a new report projecting that the national debt would rise to nearly $15 trillion by the September close of the current fiscal year. The president was 80 percent of the way into his speech before he mentioned, in passing, the fact that we have a serious national debt problem. Interest on that debt soaks up 40 cents of every federal dollar spent (there’s China again).
He glossed over the two 800-pound gorillas in the room, Social Security and Medicare, which are rapidly moving toward bankruptcy. He used his familiar straw-man device. He said any reform must not touch benefits for those retired or especially vulnerable — as if anyone had done that.
Ignored completely were the findings — many of them bracing — of his own Deficit Reduction Commission, as if it had never existed.
Obama may continue to add the gloss of happy talk to his stump speeches, but they will remain, like this one, speeches dedicated to selling ever bigger government solutions to problems which require less spending, debt reduction, pro-growth tax policies and smaller government.
About the Author
Peter Hannaford was closely associated for a number of years with the late President Reagan, beginning in the California Governor’s office. His latest book is Presidential Retreats.
Letter to the Editor View all comments (17) | Leave a comment
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coal carrier| 1.28.11 @ 8:16AM
Conservatives have been warning about the growth of government and it’s over taxation and over spending for thirty years. And so here we are 14 trillion in dept. And what does the socialist progressive in the White House say? “Let’s invest more”. Which means let’s spend more. I guess this Ivy League graduate, who is so much more intelligent then say, Sarah Palin, wasn’t required to study economics 101. It is quite obvious that he doesn’t see we are on the verge of economic collapse? Maybe that is what he and his czars are hoping for.
November 2012 can’t come soon enough for me.
Mimi| 1.28.11 @ 10:12AM
Mr. Nice Guy..on the campaign trail already. 80% into the speech before he mentions, the ELEPHANT he brought into the room...SPENDING!! Sir.... ah....The STATE of the UNION puleese!! The big question is... will the public be sucked into his delusion....I Think America is SMARTER than that, and he is looking like a darn FOOL. His handlers let him know he can't put votes in the "BACK-SEAT ", and make ENEMIES of the American People. The New strategy...You can't beat 'um..Join em.is now in Play.....What a SLICKSTER!!!
Pelligrino| 1.28.11 @ 11:21AM
Mr. Hannaford's article makes reference to a polling data upswing for Mr. Obama following the State of the Union speech.
Polling data.
Some questions for AS Forum readers:
1. Have you been polled recently? (a serious poll or pollster doing the asking for political themes/purposes)
2. Did you have the time to be polled? (even if you were interested)
3. Did the questions seem redundant or just simply vague?
4. A phone call poll or one done in person?
5. Did you have time to finish the questions or did it seem to drag on so you had to cease before conclusion?
6. Did you get the impression the pollster was a sharp cookie or just a bit of a stooge going through it all because it pays something above minimum wage (barely) and you can do it indoors?
I ask sincerely. I ask because I would love to hear from someone here who a) has been polled in recent months, and b) believes that he or she was truly asked poll questions by a rather professional person/organization.
Thank you.
skip| 1.28.11 @ 12:23PM
Spot on.
I don't know a soul who has been polled in a decade.
The exact wording of the actual poll questions is critical to understanding any poll results. Not even Fox news provides the questions of polls they cite.
Jay Dee| 1.30.11 @ 6:58PM
If you go to the websites you can find the PDF of questions, numbers of each party polled, rather participants were - adult, voters, likely voters, etc.
Jay Dee| 1.30.11 @ 6:57PM
I've been polled twice - once for some kind of world health deal plus some political types of questions.
The other poll was from the DNC and because I have a deep voice they thought they were talking to my husband. (blushing - he is a registered Dem) They were very surprised by my answers to their poll - ROTFLMAO
Consertive View| 1.28.11 @ 11:56AM
The President has no where he can go, not any longer. If he takes a swing to the right, he loses his liberal base, and worse, (to him at least) his own moral compass. If he continues to try to pander to the left, there go the independents running straight to the tea party.
Congress has much the same problem. The hardest thing for an elected offical to do is nothing. But that is exactly what needs to be done now. Our elected officals need to vote down every great plan, every new investment, every attempt to strengthen an already too strong central government. For any elected offical doing nothing is all but impossible if not completely impossible.
The SOTU speach was beautiful, full of rah-rah the sort of speach a coach might deliver before the big game. Good speaches don't deliver touchdowns if the team doesn't listen. Unfortunatly for the President, that is exactly what the team must do now.
The next two years are likely to the most critical in American History since the war of 1812. Our country will stand or desolve on how willing our Congress is to do nothing. It scares me more than I have ever been frightened before, that our Congress will fail, it will continue to do things, spend money we do not have, and burden the people with even worse tax structures and rules.
God save the American people - - - from themselves.
Stephanie| 1.30.11 @ 1:02PM
It's spelled "speech".
Oldefarte| 1.28.11 @ 5:11PM
As the congressman shouted last year, HE LIES! His BS to equate public/government with private/business is asinine and bullexcrement, as the former does not produce a product or service, has no sales, and whose income comes from the taxed income of taxpayers. Governments don't INVEST, they SPEND. An investment earns or losses income based upon the success of same as an investment. Governments' spending upon roads, bridges, etc do not EARN OR LOSE INCOME. This terminology using the business term INVEST is ludicrously aimed at Democrats' indigent constituents, but same is ACTING STUPIDLY!!!!!!!!!!
stmichrick| 1.30.11 @ 3:57PM
Spending on high speed rail while Amtrak continues to lose money.
Brilliant.
Jay Dee| 1.30.11 @ 7:00PM
Because the rail is high speed, you can lose money faster!
Adidas | 8.11.11 @ 4:34AM
is good
العاب | 4.11.12 @ 3:19PM
thank you
nic