-
Obama’s Unaffordable Act
June 19, 2013 | 71 comments
-
Curbing the IRS
June 12, 2013 | 70 comments
-
Can We Get It Back?
June 5, 2013 | 39 comments
-
The Ronald Reagan of Virginia
May 29, 2013 | 72 comments
-
Time to Go for the Kill
May 22, 2013 | 67 comments
A Further Perspective
Why Obama Hates Paul Ryan
A left-wing extremist can’t compete intellectually with a voice of reason.
Barack Obama’s address on April 3 at the Associated Press luncheon in Washington D.C. demonstrated why our politics and our country today are seriously dysfunctional, and only the American people can fix it at the ballot box. Find the transcript online and print it out as I did.
I will show below why it reveals that the President, in fact, does not understand the major issues facing the country, indeed, he actually can’t even discuss them intelligently. Moreover, he is hopelessly, abusively dishonest about what he does understand. Thirdly, what he is demanding as policy is irreconcilable left-wing extremism.
Fourthly, what the speech shows is that Barack Obama is very angry. He is angry because he has been completely shown up by Paul Ryan, who stepped up in his budget and provided the leadership that Obama promised America in 2008, and America so badly needs, but that Obama has not only failed to deliver, but refused to deliver. In fact, he has delivered just the opposite. What the speech says to me is that Obama has internal polls showing him getting creamed in public opinion by Paul Ryan. Republicans may have those same internal polls, explaining the surge of interest in Ryan for VP.
What Ryan did most of all that has Obama actually feeling embarrassed if not humiliated is propose in his budget both pro-growth tax reform with bipartisan support, and fundamental entitlement reform that enjoys bipartisan support as well.
Obama Makes It Up
Hence Obama’s shameful,
transparently dishonest attack on Ryan’s budget in the speech,
which has only further backfired on Obama. Obama said that under
Ryan’s budget:
The year after next, nearly 10 million college students would see their financial aid cut by an average of more than $1,000 each. There would be 1,600 fewer medical grants. Research grants for things like Alzheimer’s and cancer and AIDS. There would be 4,000 fewer scientific research grants, eliminating support for 48,000 researchers, students and teachers.
Investments in clean energy technology that are helping us reduce our dependence on foreign oil would be cut by nearly a fifth. [O]ver 200,000 children would lose their chance to get an early education in the Head Start program. Two million mothers and young children would be cut from a program that gives them access to healthy food.
There would be 4,500 fewer federal grants at the Department of Justice and the FBI to combat violent crime, financial crime, and secure our borders. Hundreds of national parks would be forced to close for part or all of the year. We wouldn’t have the capacity to enforce the laws that protect the air we breathe, the water we drink, or the food that we eat.
Cuts to the FAA would likely result in more flight cancellations, delays and the complete elimination of air traffic control services in parts of the country. Over time, our weather forecasts would become less accurate because we wouldn’t be able to afford to launch new satellites and that means governors and mayors would have to wait longer to order evacuations in the event of a hurricane.
But the speech itself reveals where Obama got these fairy tales, because he didn’t get them from Ryan’s budget. The above litany of woe is preceded in the speech by this line: “I want to actually go through what it would mean for our country if these cuts were to be spread out evenly,” and this caveat: “If this budget becomes law, and the cuts were evenly applied starting in 2014…”
In other words, Obama’s speech itself tells us this is all made up. Obama’s minions calculated the percentage of total spending cuts in Ryan’s budget, and then applied that same percentage to every politically sensitive line item in the budget. But as Ryan has said publicly, that is not what his budget does. The long overdue spending cuts are outlined in hundreds of pages on the House Budget Committee website.
What Ryan’s budget does is just return federal spending to its long—term, historical, postwar average at 20 percent of GDP, which prevailed for 60 years before President Obama and his runaway spending. With that manageable federal spending, America prospered as the richest and mightiest nation in the history of the planet.
But President Obama hysterically and falsely claims just doing that will lead to all of the above disastrous results, and further that “by the middle of the next century funding for the kinds of things I just mentioned would have to be cut by 95%,” which is another fabrication. Just returning to that long term, historical, postwar average of federal spending as a percent of GDP, Obama claims, is “really an attempt to impose a radical vision on our country… thinly veiled social Darwinism… antithetical to our entire history as a land of opportunity and upward mobility.” This from the long-time radical who ran on fundamentally transforming America, not restoring our history. Obama’s wild, false rhetoric is not even an honest, intelligent discussion of the budget issues.
What this means is Obama adamantly opposes restoring traditional, long-term control over federal spending, and won’t do that if reelected. Instead, on our current course under Obama and the Democrats, according to CBO, federal spending soars to 30 percent of GDP by 2027, 40 percent by 2040, 50 percent by 2060, and 80 percent by 2080. Actually, it would be higher than that, as GDP would collapse under that burden. Add in another 15 percent of GDP for state and local spending, and we are at full-blown communism.
This is the choice facing the American people in the 2012 elections. Restoring traditional American prosperity and federal spending to their long term, postwar trends, with Ryan’s budget, or go backwards to Obama’s outdated Marxist socialism, or worse.
About the Author
Peter Ferrara is Director of Entitlement and Budget Policy at the Heartland Institute, General Counsel of the American Civil Rights Union, Senior Fellow at the National Center for Policy Analysis, and Senior Policy Advisor on Entitlements and Budget Policy at the National Tax Limitation Foundation. He served in the White House Office of Policy Development under President Reagan, and as Associate Deputy Attorney General of the United States under President George H.W. Bush.
Letter to the Editor View all comments (148) | Leave a comment
More Articles by Peter Ferrara
More Articles From A Further Perspective
http://spectator.org/archives/2012/04/11/why-obama-hates-paul-ryan
Follow us:
ADVERTISEMENT
SPONSORED LINKS
FLASHBACK TO: 1995
-
Pope Culture
A man of faith in a godless age is hitting Americans where it hurts.
-
Why the GOP Does Not, Like, Totally Suck
Mr. and Mrs. American Spectator Reader, let P.J. O’Rourke talk sense to your kids.
-
Dames at Sea
-
In the Absence of Guns
In Britain, defending your property can get you life.
-
The Metaphysical Martini
-
Counting the Costs of Clintonism
The debacle of this president’s administration is both a cause and a symptom of the decline of American values. Unless Congress impeaches him, that decline will go on unchecked. An eminent jurist surveys the damage and assesses the chances for the recovery of our culture.
-
Chuck McHagel
It won’t take long for conservatives to scratch this presidential wannabe off their 2008 scorecard.
-
The Legacy of Old John and Mother Fresh-Roasted
-
It’s the Best Time of the Year
The American Christmas, like the songs that celebrate it, makes room for everybody under the rainbow. Is that why so many people seem to be hostile to it?
-
The Bush Crack-Up
Was the President done in by the economy, or by the politics of the economy?
Clip of the Day
ADVERTISEMENT
Mike Hawk| 4.11.12 @ 7:33AM
Obozo is an intellectual lightweight. He speaks in platitudes and dogma, not with reason and logic. Everything has always been handed to him, so he expects he will get his way. Those who oppose him, especially they who have a capacity for sound planning are the enemy.
Mimi| 4.11.12 @ 9:41AM
I think with Ryan...Obama has severe jealousy issues...it shows and is revealing!
Ryan does bring out the very worse in "O" ....that is why he wouldbe the best candidate for V.P.! That is if Romney hasn't wheeled and dealed it away to some-one else.! Santorum would be the best pick...someday he would make a wonderful President!
Mike Hawk| 4.11.12 @ 10:38AM
Envy , not jealousy. There is a difference.
Jack in Wi.| 4.11.12 @ 6:34PM
Why do you think Obama hates Ryan? He is going to play his budget like a violin. The only group that gives the Republicans a large majority is seniors. Obama is going to use Ryan's attack on the entitlements as a wedge to get those votes as well. Ryan's budget is not really anything but smoke and mirrors. Ron Paul has put up a real budget that would slash the budget by over a trillion in the first year and be in balance in 3 years. His son Rand has proposed a more moderate budget, but still far better then Ryan's. This country can never get it's fiscal house in order until it gets rid of all the needless foreign commitments it has accumulated over the last 100 years. Most of our National Debt can be placed at the feet of the needless wars and preparations for war of the last 20 years.
Bastiat Fan | 4.12.12 @ 2:18PM
Oh, honey bunny. In less than 20 years the INTEREST payments alone on the debt will exceed the entire military budget. The reality is, your precious "entitlements" are the real problem. And btw: can someone tell me when other people became "entitled" to stick their hands in my pocket?
Dan| 5.3.12 @ 6:09PM
We have intitlements because we earned them through workplace benifits or paying for them every payday for 30 years.
The military budget is the elephant in the room, if we stop being the worlds police force and quit giving corporate welfare we will not be in debt anymore
William L. Gensert| 4.11.12 @ 11:38AM
Certainly Obama is jealous of Ryan; with nothing to offer, he lies.
It is Obama's version of the "big lie," a lie told so often that it is accepted as truth. The Obama variation entails many lies, big and small, told over and over again in mellifluous tone, with aggressive confidence and a joking manner that implies that anyone who doesn't believe all he says is an idiot.
Read more of my article: http://www.americanthinker.com.....z1rk5tOPMd
Mike Hawk| 4.11.12 @ 2:32PM
Just a pet peeve of mine, but use the words in correct context.
Envy/ verb - painful or resentful awareness of an advantage enjoyed by another joined with a desire to possess the same advantage
Jealous / an adjective - intolerant of rivalry or unfaithfulness
Obama's envy of Ryan and others makes him a jealous person.
DW626| 4.11.12 @ 7:17PM
William,
I posted this particular column of yours on Lucianne.com, and hope you don't mind.
Jobe| 4.12.12 @ 12:20PM
obama has covered his presidency with, not a tissue of lies, but a quilt of them. His dishonesty started many years ago as he laid out a life plan to make himself important. His entire resume is without a single employment that required production, rather, he always opted for the government grant, the foundation sponsored position, the student loan (until he wa 30). I wouldn't support this man for the position of dog catcher, a job that would most likely prove too much for his meager intellect, and his lack of energy.
Dan| 5.3.12 @ 6:13PM
sorta like bush jr eh?
Dan| 5.3.12 @ 6:17PM
no where as big a lie as plane full of passengers crash landed in Penn. and the pentagon.
And the wopper about WMD and iraq had something to do with 9-11. these kind of lies SHOULD make you sick.
Marco2| 4.13.12 @ 12:06AM
Santorum has the proverbial snowball's chance in hell of being Romney's vice president. He's already as yesterday's news as Palin is. After Romney, a whole new generation of loyal Republican party-builders will be rising up to take control: Rubio, Ryan, Paul, Haley, Walker, and Martinez, to name just a few. Had Santorum campaigned with some digniity and less petulance, and withdrawn sooner, things might have been different, but he's likely done as a Republican.
T.L.P.| 4.11.12 @ 10:34AM
You people continue to refuse to give him his due.
He's an Intellectual Lightweight? Really? He's the Son of an Atheist/Communist and a Muslim/Marxist, who was raised in the Muslim Schools and Mosques of Indonesia, and rose up from being a Coke Head House Negro for Daley, in Chicago, to a State Senator, U.S. Senator, and then President of these United States, in the proverbial "Blink of an Eye".
That don't sound "Stupid".
Did anyone ever claim that Hitler was a Mensa Member? What about Mussolini, or Franco, or Stalin? Were any of those guys an "Intellectual Lightweight"?
What about Mao and Castro? What about Min and Pot and Mugabe? Were they Lightweights in the Smarts Department, or are their Collegiate Records sealed away in a Vault, like our Boy's?
What about Super Brain in Venezuela, Hugo (Dead Man Walking) Chavez? Is he Smart?
Is he?
When we think of Intelligent, we think of Smart People, who do Good Things. They make IPhones and IPads. They make medicines and Cool new Games, that we can play on our Game systems. They make things for the Betterment of Mankind.
The people who think like this, are the same people who look at the moon, each night, and it never enters their mind, that there's another side, that they never see. A Dark Side. It's the same way in the "Intelligence" realm.
Hitler was Evil. He built Concentration Camps, where he starved his fellow man, to Death. Worked his fellow man, to Death. Or Gassed them to an early grave. And, yet, he Designed the Volkswagen Beetle. He was an Artist. He had the World's first Jet Aircraft, its 1st ICBMs, and the Finest Highway System on the Planet.
These men may not have been able to Quote Pythagoras, or write Music like Mozart or Handel, but they were smart enough to take Power over entire Countries. We diminish this Accomplishment, at our own peril.
He does speak in Platitudes and Dogma. That's what they do. Everything has been handed to him. He does expect to get his way, and he does. he was smart enough to know that he could get away with VIOLATING a Federal Judge's Ruling, denying him the authority to put a Drilling Moratorium in place. He was smart enough to know that he could get away with VIOLATING the Recess Appointment Process, and put his people in place. He was smart enough to Ram through his Health Care Plan, by means of Reconciliation. A move that NOBODY ELSE would have dared even try.
Pretty Smart, for a Dumb Guy.
He KNOWS, as did all those Megalomaniacal Figures throughout History, that all he needs to happen, to get what he wants, is for Good Men to do nothing.
Have any Good Men done ANYTHING to put this MFer in his place?
No. So he keeps pushing, and Lying, and WIPING HIS ASS with the Constitution, knowing that no-one will lift a finger, to stop him.
He's one of those Evil Geniuses, from the Movies.
And he needs to be stopped.
Riff Raff| 4.11.12 @ 10:44AM
"Evil?" Perhaps. "Genius?" Perhaps not.
President Bozo is not an intelligent man. What he says and does he has been told to say and do. He is a puppet of Socialists, he is not their leader. That he seems to actually believe the crap he spouts more points to his stupidity, not to intelligence. His handlers, Ayers, Dohrn, Soros, and Associates, are the real "President". They set the agenda of the White House, not O'Bozo. O'Bozo is frankly too stupid to understand what he is doing, though his gargantuan ego convinces himself of his "genius". Barack Obama is a dupe, a boob, a laughing stock. He is truly the stupidest man in any room he enters.
T.L.P.| 4.11.12 @ 11:00AM
This is exactly what I'm talking about.
He knows EXACTLY what he's doing, and he's counting on the Riff Raffs and the Mike Hawks of the world, to think that he wishes that the things he does, would HELP this Country. That his programs would HELP the Housing Industry. HELP the Private Sector. HELP with Unemployment, Foreclosures, and Bankruptcies. HELP lower the number of Americans on Food Stamps. HELP lower the number of Americans living in Poverty. HELP us get Cheaper, more Reliable Energy Resources. But they don't, because he's Stupid, not because he never wanted them to, in the 1st place.
HE is the problem, not his "Handlers". HE is running. HE needs to be defeated.
YOU need to wake up and smell yourself.
You ignore his ability to wreak Havoc on, not just this Country, but on the entire World, not just at your own Peril, but at ours as well.
Knock it off.
skip| 4.11.12 @ 11:10AM
Greetings T.L.P.,
"I saw satan fall like lightning from heaven"
Is satan smart?
T.L.P.| 4.11.12 @ 11:57AM
Again. You misconstrue what "Smart" is.
It's not a matter of Semantics. It's a matter of RESULTS.
Is Satan smart?
He's smart enough to be the guy IN CHARGE of the Burning Lake, as opposed to those who are thrown in to it.
I'm not sure how "Smart" he is. I just know how STUPID you are.
Occam's Tool| 4.11.12 @ 12:37PM
Well, here are a few things about 'Bama---1) He's Evil. 2) He hates America. 3) He gets his evil messages across and his evil deeds through.
I just want the asshole voted out in 2012. Romney, at least, is human, and loves his country.
skip| 4.11.12 @ 1:35PM
I wasn't picking a fight. I've ridiculed your attackers in support of your positions.
Whether satan is relatively smart enough to be in charge of hell temporarily, he is absolutely stupid enough that is doom and ruin is hopelessly eternal.
Whether Obama is relatively smart enough to temporarily rise and intentionally seek the oppression of liberty, he is absolutely stupid to even believe it is the right thing to do.
Whether Obama is just abjectly incompetent, or willfully evil, he is absolutely stupid.
I argue liberalism is unintelligence and dishonesty based on emotional prattle devoid of reason and experience, I argue conservatism is intelligence and honesty based on reason and experience devoid of emotional prattle, and I back this up. My arguments refute the liberals who are particularly obnoxious while generally avoiding disagreements with conservatives, unless they are hostile to Judeo-Christian principles.
Ironically, the statement about your certainty of my intelligence can be determined to be more consistent with emotional prattle or with reason and experience, which can be used to determine whether the statement serves to back up your argument or not.
Tommy Frisco| 4.11.12 @ 3:25PM
Skip,
Don't take TLP's personal attack on you too personal. In reading his comments over the last six months, the guy has it all figured out, but he does have a tendency to snap back hard when someone questions him. He apologized to me one time and I'm sure he'd do the same for you.
If I may, I'd like to add my two cents into this discussion. I think many of us assume those on the Left believe what they say. It could be that they are saying what they think will help their careers. I think it takes a lot of ignorance to say Obama is stupid...look where he's at compared to where we are...sitting here writing comments to each other that will be long forgotten within a few days.
skip| 4.11.12 @ 4:59PM
Ironically, my comment whether the statement T.L.P. made was more consistent with emotional prattle or with reason and experience had very little if anything to do with a personal emotional reaction.
Ironically, a personal emotional reaction has very little if anything to do with pointing out your comment about your belief as to the level of ignorance involved to state Obama is stupid is if anything more than a little odd way to provide a little advice.
Where Obama is at is that despite solemnly swearing to preserve and protect and defend the Constitution, he is harming over 300 million Americans politically, by seeking to tyrannically oppress the liberty of these more than 300 million Americans.
Where Obama is at is that despite solemnly swearing to preserve and protect and defend the Constitution, he is harming over 300 million Americans socially, by seeking to tyrannically oppress the liberty of these more than 300 million Americans.
Where Obama is at is that despite solemnly swearing to preserve and protect and defend the Constitution, he is harming over 300 million Americans economically, by seeking to tyrannically oppress the liberty of these more than 300 million Americans.
Ironically, this is compared to where I am at, seeking the preservation and the protection and the defense of the Constitution, that preserves and protects and defends the liberty of over 300 million Americans from tyrannical oppression, while not actually tyrannically oppressing the liberty of these more than 300 million Americans.
Whether Obama is just abjectly incompetent, or willfully evil, Obama is absolutely stupid.
T.L.P.| 4.11.12 @ 4:50PM
If I misconstrued your premise? I apologize.
But you have got to get it out of your head that this guy is "Stupid".
If he really wanted to FIX this Country? If he really had the best interests of the American People, in mind? Would he have done ANY of the things he's done, for the last 3 1/2 YEARS?
Would he?
He doesn't apologize for anything he's done. He's STILL blocking us from getting our own Energy Sources. He's STILL blocking any Investigation in to HIS GUN RUNNING activities, visa vi the Mexican Drug Cartels. He's STILL Attacking the Private Sector, the Job Creators, and the people who make this Country work. He's STILL Attacking the Catholic Church. He Violates Orders from Federal Judges. He does end arounds the Congress, at every turn. He Attacks the Supreme Court, over and over again. He maligns our Founding Fathers, and preaches that the Economic System that made this Country a SUPER POWER, and the Envy of the World, "Doesn't work, and has NEVER WORKED".
That's not "Stupidity", where I come from.
That's Single Minded Left Wing Marxist DOGMA, spoken like the true Far Left Ideologue, that he is.
To believe anything else, is the HEIGHT of Stupidity.
If that upsets you, I'm sorry.
I'm trying to help you.
skip| 4.11.12 @ 5:43PM
It is not beyond the realm of conceivability that Obama is stupid to such a degree he believes he is doing the right thing. It is not intelligently and honestly possible to know the mind and heart of another individual with certainty.
I see Obama as both stupid and evil. I also see it as stupid to be evil.
Obama, by harming all Americans politically and socially and economically, whether on purpose or not, is stupid to do so.
Obama, whether he is tyrannically oppressing liberty intentionally or not, would be harmless to America if he was not elected to office, whatever his absolute level of intelligence and honesty and moral integrity.
Tommy Frisco| 4.11.12 @ 6:15PM
Well, skip, however you define it, he seems to be outsmarting our guys...and he's the leader of the free world and we're not. But, if thinking of him as being stupid helps you to vote against him in November, then so be it.
These are all frivolous arguments. The fact that our current POTUS is a fraud and an imposter is enough for me to vote for OBO.
skip| 4.12.12 @ 10:35AM
It's the thinking of Obama as being smart but evil, rather than being utterly stupid and incompetent, that may cause those who will vote in November to dismiss conservative arguments why Obama must be defeated as frivolous because of this position that I'm concerned about, and is why I stated that whether Obama is abjectly incompetent or willfully evil, Obama is absolutely stupid either way, and is why I stated that by harming all Americans politically and socially and economically, whether on purpose or not, Obama is stupid to do so, either way, which in no way refutes the position that Obama is evil, which I agree with.
Jobe| 4.12.12 @ 2:52PM
obama has "slogan intelligence". He is privvy to all of the communist slogans, and they sound good to his ears. He hasn't the intellect to delve deeply into these slogans. If he had, he would surely see how shallow they are. Take the 60's idea that all of us should be able to do what we feel like doing, as long as we don't injure anyone else. Such a fatuous shallow idea! But people like obama have been co-opted by this and many other moronic leftist idiocies for many years. Deliberate dunce, or accidental one, like a gun, he is a serious danger to all of us. The gun will kill us whether it is discharged by someone who hates us, or someone who wishes us well but is too careless with the trigger.
T.L.P.| 4.11.12 @ 6:26PM
"It is not beyond the realm of conceivability that Obama is stupid to such a degree he believes he is doing the right thing."
Kinda like You.
It is not intelligently and honestly possible to know the mind and heart of another individual with certainty."
You are obviously, much stupider than I gave you credit for.
Tell us, GENIUS, can we "Intelligently and Honestly" conclude the Mind and Heart of Adolph Hitler, and his Extermination of 6,000,ooo Jewish Men, Women, and Children?
What about Mao? Pol Pot? Castro? Chavez? The murderers of Hundreds of Thousands of Innocent Rwandans?
Should we really be so upset with the works of Stalin and Josef Mengele?
The Rape of Nanking? How do we know these Chinese broads didn't WANT IT?
Maybe the Soviets had a good reason for STARVING Millions of Ukrainians? Maybe Mao was JUSTIFIED in being the Greatest Mass Murderer of his own people, in the 20th Century?
Who are we, to judge?
STFU while you're ahead.
Ladies and Gentlemen. I give you the GENIUS, that is skip.
Unbelievable.
I take back my apology.
skip| 4.11.12 @ 8:54PM
Hitler? He do that all by himself did he? No one else was complicit?
Per the Guttmacher Institute, the research affiliate of Planned Parenthood, there has been an average of 3,836 abortions every day since January 22, 1973, over 1.4 million on average per year.
America as a whole killed 6 million unborn babies 'legally from January 1973 to May 1977.
And another 6 million unborn babies 'legally' from May 1977 to August 1981.
And another 6 million unborn babies 'legally' from August 1981 to November 1985.
And another 6 million unborn babies 'legally' from November 1985 to February 1990.
And another 6 million unborn babies 'legally' from February 1990 to May 1994.
And another 6 million unborn babies 'legally' from May 1994 to August 1998.
And another 6 million unborn babies 'legally' from August 1998 to November 2002.
And another 6 million unborn babies 'legally' from November 2002 to February 2007.
And another 6 million unborn babies 'legally' from February 2007 to May 2011.
And another 1 million unborn babies 'legally from May 2011 to April 2012.
Of course, not all of them were 'legally' aborted while unborn.
That is 55 million exterminated Americans, all more defenseless than even 'Hitler's' victims.
Defenseless Americans exterminated by Americans, not nazis.
Including 3,836 exterminated, today.
Get a grip.
T.L.P.| 4.11.12 @ 9:41PM
Go to Hell.
bsg| 4.12.12 @ 6:21PM
The founders put in the constitution that a presidential contender had to be a natural born citizen and had lived in the country for 14 years. The idea was that he/she would share the political culture of the American people. Whether or not he was a natural born citizen isn't important, he didn't grow up in America and when he was here he purposely sought out the most extreme people and views to associate himself with. His vision of America is much different than most Americans have and he was elected because after years of socialist and self-hating education a big enough group of people decided it was OK to involve Affirmative Action attitudes in our election process. He was careful in his rhetoric while campaigning but now his policies reveal how un-american his positions actually are. If you voted for him in 2008, you can chalk that up to being young and stupid. If you vote for him in 2012, well you aren't that young anymore...
Ed| 4.12.12 @ 2:26PM
I believe you left out the most telling sign of all: His doubling down on green energy despite the overwhelming evidence of graft, cronyism, and abject failure of the technologies. It shows his contempt for all of us, not 'stupidity.' The entire federal budget is his slush fund.
Ed| 4.12.12 @ 2:33PM
I was trying to respond to another comment, but I hereby go quietly from Human Events.
skip| 4.12.12 @ 2:46PM
If it shows Obama's contempt for all of us, but not because of his 'stupidity', does that mean it really shows Obama's contempt for all of us, because of his 'smarts'?
Tommy Frisco| 4.12.12 @ 4:16PM
skip,
I was wrong in giving you the benefit of the doubt. TLP was justified in calling you stupid.
Your arguments are stupid and you're too stupid to put them into coherent sentences.
skip| 4.12.12 @ 10:12PM
Your comment is emotional prattle devoid of reason and experience.
bob 12| 4.14.12 @ 12:59PM
I Found your guys argument highly amusing and entertaining. I don't know if Obama is smart or stupid. My guess would be smart cuz he somehow conned his way into the white house jk i give him props for graduating from harvard. But you guys keep missing a major point. Hitler and Mussolini or Stalin? what do they all have in common? They were great orators and public speakers. Or you can even say they were politicians. The same way the head of the KKK or the black panthers doesn't necessarily have to be smart.
Another point in case a liberal or democrat gets angry when you call obama stupid is ask them if they think Bush is stupid and ask them Why. If they can give you a logical and coherent answer then you take back what you said about obama.
Oh yeah that thing that ummm TIPs arguments that famous dictators like Hitler or Chavez can't possibly be stupid due to their accomplishments.
This argument annoys the crap out of me.
The US has had stupid presidents who lacked real education like Andrew Jackson.
Hitler did accomplish alot if you consider murder an accomplishment. The problem is Hitler had a myriad of Geniuses and smart people to work with. Germany at the time had the best scientist in the world and the US after the war stole those scientist from Germany. Also Hitler just wanted to create a car for everyman man. This was propaganda that helped him get into power this does not mean he created Volkswagen or the beetle. Thats fucking absurd.
The point is if you read the article Obama has offered any substantive reforms. I often hear Democrats say that Republicans will vote No on anything Obama sponsors but what if its the other way around? What if Obama is against anything the Republicans sponsor?
I don't know maybe his ideology, ego, or beliefs won't allow him to.
Or maybe just maybe Skips right and he is Stupid.
PolishKnight| 4.11.12 @ 11:56AM
I find these opinions about Obama similar to the way the left dehumanized GWB and tried to do the same to Ronald Reagan. They're just useful dunces for evil, smart elites. It was their way to get it both ways: Call the right stoopid and simultaneously avoid responsibility for their own stated losses.
I think the truth is different. Obama may have simply been in the right place at the right time. There have been plenty of other Democrat candidates that couldn't punch their way out of a paper bag. Al Gore. John Kerry. Both of them were awful. On the right side, we have Bob Dole and McCain. I wish the elites of both parties were a bit smarter at putting into office people that at least were politically likable as, well, Clinton.
Obamacare is "stupid" in that it was an ugly political barf from start to finish. If it's upheld, it will not be much of an asset to the left but instead an albatross. But I may be wrong on that (I can underestimate the stupidity of the voter at times.) From what I can tell, Obama is a typical leftist political hack who wanted to pass some signature pieces of legislation for his "legacy". He reminds me a lot of Clinton who wanted to do the same with healthcare but blew it. He did a good "save" by taking credit for an economy largely produced by his own lame-duck style status for most of his presidency. Today when I ask leftists what was so great about Clinton and his economy, some of the smart ones will say "he raised taxes on the rich!" but many simply don't have an answer or say he did what Alan Greenspan told him to do (which they fail to realize is not very flattering.)
This is perhaps most scary of all: I think most of these guys simply are just useful figureheads of history that we put all of our hopes and dreams into while the real business of government: The GSA, the DMV, etc. are a force of nature in their own right and we as voters can do little about them. If the gal at the DMV flips you off, your vote for president will do little to harm her.
Riff Raff| 4.12.12 @ 8:26PM
You seem to see a dichotomy between being stupid and being evil. There is none. One can be both and clearly President Bozo is both. I have no doubt that he fully intends to ruin this country, but to what end? To replace freedom with tyranny. But he still does not know how to do it except as he is told to do it. Obama is a follower, not a leader. He is a figurehead, while others use him to advance their, and his, agenda of destruction.
Dan| 5.3.12 @ 6:21PM
Man you missed Bush jr debating skills, at least the prez can speak. Bush jr fooled alot of folks and they still will not look at facts watching one news show in case they are wrong
skip| 5.6.12 @ 3:02PM
"I've now been in 57 states , I think - one left to go . . . "
- 5.9.08 @ Beaverton, Oregon, USA
"On this Memorial Day, as our nation honors its unbroken line of fallen heroes - and I see many of them in the audience here today . . . "
- 5.26.08 @ Las Cruces, NM, USA
" . . . has not talked about my muslim faith . . ."
- 9.7.08 @ New York, NY, USA
"I don't know what the term is in Austrian"
- 4.6.09 @ Strasbourg, France, Europe
" . . . to cinco de quatro . . . "
- 5.4.09 @ Washington D.C., USA
" . . . police acted stupidly"
- 7.22.09 @ Washington D.C. USA
" . . . in uniform do all around the world - Navy Corpsman . . . "
- 2.5.10 @ Washington D.C., USA
"We're the country that built the intercontinental railroad"
- 9.22.11 @ Cincinnati, OH, USA
"When I meet with world leaders, what's striking - whether it's in Europe or here in Asia"
- 11.16.11 @ Honolulu, HI, USA
Idiot. Both of you.
Stan Redmond| 4.11.12 @ 2:55PM
Obama has NEVER had to debate or practice skills that make a person intelligent. His whole life has been handled by extrelely powerful people in the elite left / communist social group. His affirmative action acceptance in to prestigious schools was all from the same connected people. In his entire political career he never faced any real opponents until Hillary Clinton dared bloody his nose a little but even Hillary was chained by the elite left. McCain let Obama walk all over him in the 2008 election.
His mumbling and bumbling when off teleprompter shows a man with limited brain power. He is so easy to read. When it's a subject he's passionate about, like socialism and wealth redistribution his talking points flow naturally and even gracefully. When it is something outside of his beliefs he stumbles for words and uh-uh-uh his way through answers that are so unbelievably stupid it is embarassing. People who are genuinely intelligent do not have to surround themselves with talking heads that remind the world just how brilliant they are like Obama does. Would a smart person really have Jay Carney go on national stage and claim he is so brilliant that he sounds stupid to the rest of us because we ourselves, his audience, is so stupid? That is not the mark of a smart man. It's the sign of a narcissist little child. I have said on many posts that I believe Obama is a stupid man and I still believe that more than ever. Stupid and power are a dangerous combination. Especially with Obama who's earliest instincts have been nurtured by the likes of Frank Davis, Wright, Bill Ayres, Obama Sr. and Alinsky.
Liberal Reader| 4.11.12 @ 7:32PM
Thank you all for this sub-thread.
It's wonderful entertainment to tune in here and watch as hill-billies debate whether Obama is an EEEVILLL genius or dumb puppet of evil socialist genius handlers.
Finzi Holst| 4.12.12 @ 2:27AM
As usual Liberal Reader, you come into a room, pass gas and then blame others for the smell. You are about as shallow as a drop of water on the pavement.
Dan| 5.3.12 @ 6:25PM
I'm quite sure the gas was passed by someone else someone who attacks someone with name calling instead of substance sounds like a palin backer
Jobe| 4.12.12 @ 1:19PM
Please. Don't confuse megalomania with intelligence. Of course obama is a megalomaniac. He is every bit as consumed with the desire for power and adulation as was Hitler. Nevertheless, his hiding of ALL academic records is definitely indicative of mediocre if not downright poor performance in areas intellectual.
Gigi0102 | 4.16.12 @ 2:39PM
I believe "pedagogue" is a good description. I wouldn't call him a genius. In fact, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid claims he honors Obama because Obama is black, yet he talks like a white guy. Apparently that's all it take among those stupid enough to be knee-jerk liberals.
Gigi0102 | 4.16.12 @ 3:00PM
Sorry... I wrote "pedagogue" -- but meant "demagogue." (Always problematic writing before finishing that third cup of coffee.)
Fernando Lopez| 4.11.12 @ 1:00PM
Well, finally, an American commentator who at least mentions the fact that Americans must COMPETE in a GLOBAL economy that is full of billions of people striving to improve their lot in life while American crybabies whine on endlessly about their internal problems without recognizing the actual world in which they, to their credit, helped to create.
Stop bellyaching, America, and compete, for chrissakes. The rest of the world is already doing so.
Stan Redmond| 4.11.12 @ 4:44PM
Mr. Lopez,
We would love to compete. That's one reason we must defeat Obama. Did you happen to hear our idiot VP call for his minimum global tax? We can't compete on our own tax rates so OBama's solution is to rais the rest of the world's taxes to match our rates? That's what we have to fight against to compete in the world market. Keystone XL would bring jobs and stable sources of oil to refineries in Texas. NOPE. Can't do that. It's too dirty so our federal government kills the project to bow down to the environmentalists and their cries of global warming. As if shipping it across the world for the Chinese to burn is better?
Regulations regulations regulations. There is a nation of millions of small businesses and individuals who would love to compete and sell in a world market. But until we have a federal government that lets us out of the penalty box we can only sit back and watch our team get slaughtered.
Dan| 5.3.12 @ 6:30PM
keystone will only employ mostly 5-7 thousand employees while being built,welders and ship fitters who already have jobs and the federal goverment will (and still does train) in the end, our refining capacity is maxed out already and the texans dont want more, also the sand burning causes pollution to rise from 400- 600-650 ppm
Purp| 4.11.12 @ 11:24PM
Hahahahaha.... 280 Electoral Votes for Obama, 180 for Romney ... per RealClearPolitics, right leaning site... it's over people ... better luck next time.
W| 4.12.12 @ 1:52PM
You are correct as usual Purp. Election is over. You and your lefty friends can stay home in December and not vote.
Purp| 4.12.12 @ 3:16PM
Awwww, don't be mad ...
Gary B| 4.11.12 @ 7:36AM
Paul Ryan is a national treasure. He presents a plan to lead the country out of our mess and simultaneously humiliates Obama.
The best strategy for dealing with Obama is ridicule and intellectual ridicule is the most devastating. Obama's house of cards is starting to feel the breeze. Lately, he doesn't look so good.
Purp| 4.12.12 @ 3:18PM
Oh, so not true. Give Trillions of dollars of tax breaks to the wealthy, cut the programs the elderly worked for and paid for, and still doesn't balance the budget for decades. Idiot and the American people aren't falling for it.
Riff Raff| 4.12.12 @ 8:29PM
Or give trillions in direct vote buying, like welfare, food stamps, Section 8, subsidies to failed ventures, plus the bureaucrats who run the programs. All have their votes bought with taxpayer money. How much were you bought for?
Purp| 4.12.12 @ 11:21PM
As much as you were to be a shill for the 1%
Darin| 4.11.12 @ 7:43AM
If the Democrats had a budget plan, it could be compared with the Republican plan and the best ideas from both crafted into a workable budget plan that both parties could live with and that would address the nation's budget issues.
If the Democrats had a budget plan.
oldfart| 4.11.12 @ 8:02AM
Barry has one and EVERYONE, both D and R, rejected it.
Gary B| 4.11.12 @ 9:54AM
Excellent point!
Gigi0102 | 4.16.12 @ 2:43PM
Well, Barry's budget plan is marxist communist, and that's never sold well in the USA. Personally, I don't think BO's got a prayer in November. I mean... are you better off now than you were four years ago? It's question that haunts even BO's supporters.
Purp| 4.12.12 @ 3:19PM
The Democrats do - but you won't hear of it because the Republicant majority won't let them pass it or discuss it.
Evan3457| 4.13.12 @ 10:24PM
The Republican majority in the Senate won't let Harry Reid and his cohorts discuss or bring a budget to a vote? And don't give me the House has to start all spending bills dodge. They can pass a budget, and then deal with what the House does in reconciliation. But they won't. Why is that?
Appleby| 4.11.12 @ 7:56AM
Obama is just as angry at the country as his hippie scum mentors were at those of us who were at University to get an education and were more interested in assisting our brothers and sisters to climb the ladder that many of us were the first ones in any generation to set our feet upon, than we were in burning down campus buildings and peeing in the University President's wastebasket.
The only good thing that will come out of the Obama Disaster is that it will finally put an end to the Sixties. They had their chance to apply their hypotheses and lo and behold, they proved to be just as disastrous as we said they'd be, back in 1968.
And an Imperial Presidency hosted by the bland and uninspiring Mitt Romney wouldn't do a thing. The ship has already hit the iceberg. You can bet the Romneys will be in the first lifeboat--because they can; anybody thinks he's George VI and he and the Queen will walk among us is whistling in the wind.
Paul Ryan has good ideas and maybe they would have worked, but the fact is the ship has hit the iceberg and it's too late to rearrange the furniture and way too late for the third class passengers to get a place in the lifeboats.
KennesawJack| 4.11.12 @ 10:14AM
Appleby, at the end of the day, we're Americans. This iceberg isn't big enough to sink us. I just hope it's big enough to scare the hell out of us so we don't sail in these waters again.
Mike Hawk| 4.11.12 @ 10:40AM
This iceberg IS big enough to sink us. The Titanic was unsinkable, remember??
The Bishop| 4.11.12 @ 10:17AM
Nice centennial analogy.
C Bowen | 4.11.12 @ 7:57AM
Who is anyone kidding, save paid hacks in DC? Paul TARP Ryan's plan to balance the budget by 2040 inspires nobody.
He doesn't even attempt to shut down hated Departements (Education, Energy, Commerce) or cut foreign aid.
And Paul Ryan's healthcare plan keeps the hated mandate. This is a disaster in the making.
Mike Hawk| 4.11.12 @ 10:42AM
We already have a disaster, thank you. It can't be fixed instantly.
C Bowen| 4.11.12 @ 3:22PM
Senator Paul and DeMint released a plan a few weeks back that balances in five years, by first eliminating hated departments.
Paul TARP Ryan is a joke--and Obama is all too happy to debate the Ryan plan rather than an actual conservative plan to balance the budget.
Occam's Tool| 4.11.12 @ 12:38PM
Ryan's plan was made on the assumption that ObamaCare would be the law of the land, which it is until the SCOTUS overturns it. Don't criticize a guy for working with what was handed to him.
TrueBlue | 4.11.12 @ 3:15PM
Ryan's plan doesn't shut down Departments because right now there is no way he'd get bipartisan support to pass the bill if he did that, the Republicans need at least control of the Senate or the Presidency. Unlike now where a good portion of the Dems in the House support his plan. It's Reid and Obama that are refusing to let it go any further. Obama because it makes his plan look like crap, and Reid because it accomplishes what the Democrat-controlled Senate hasn't done in over 3 years, pass a budget.
oldfart| 4.11.12 @ 8:01AM
It becomes more evident as the days pass that Mr. Obama is not capable of intelligent debate about anything. When he was elected to the Presidency he faced an opponent that obviously did not want or care about the job of President. From the beginning the entire Republican party seemed to have an attitude that 'it is the Democrats turn.' This works well as long as the two contestants share common backgrounds and values where the debate is the means to get to the common shared goal.
This is not true for Barack Barry Sorento Obama – or whatever name he is going by at the moment.
It would be like Jimmy Carter trying to run for President of France – there is zero common background to understand the values and needs of the society where he wishes to rule. Not lead – rule.
So where does Barack Barry Sorento Obama base his personal and professional values? Read his books!! It is there. He has laid out, in print, what are his values and views of a future world first defined by Marx which was built on the foundations of Kant, Hegel, Feuerbach and a touch of Rousseau. These were fine intellectual exercises however, the practical application of these men's writings manifested themselves through the acts and writings of Lenin, Stalin, Mao and Alinsky. It seems the legacy of the last four is one of destruction and chaos that while painful, is short lived (in span of time) because it flat out does not work with real human beings. But those who follow this line of thinking seem think that they can 'fine tune' the system and it will work. Perhaps it might if people were machines and did not possess free will.
Adam Smith did not invent capitalism – he only described a system of commerce and trade that has successfully existed for thousands of years. Capitalism is not a political system. It can exist in a variety of political systems quite well, as demonstrated by history where people are allowed to make their own personal social and economic decisions.
What Barack Barry Sorento Obama wants to do is destroy free will. There is one system for everyone. The Government is your Father, your Mother, the all knowing and all pervasive eye on the political, social and economic affairs of every living creature on the planet.
Can anyone say megalomaniac?
Von Mises Jr.| 4.11.12 @ 9:06AM
Nicely said, seasonedfart. We must be politically correct. "Old" could hurt someones feelings.
The Bishop| 4.11.12 @ 10:21AM
"Seasoned" in this context conjures an image most foul, sir.
Von Mises Jr.| 4.11.12 @ 10:36AM
Sorry, my mind is not in the gutter. If you listened to Rush, he uses "seasoned citizen" as an illustration of demonstrating absurdity with the absurd. To refer to my friend or I as old, we must fear the thought police for committing a hate crime.
KennesawJack| 4.11.12 @ 10:37AM
'Tis true.
Kenny| 4.11.12 @ 8:10AM
Obama - affirmative action (racial quotas) in action.
Does anyone really believe this idiot could have gotten into and through the Ivy League without riding on a racial quotas?
Teaghan| 4.11.12 @ 9:29AM
AND someone else paying his way? I guess we'll never know who that was.
Chalkdust| 4.11.12 @ 8:17AM
Come!Come! "Imperial Presidency'! where in the world did that little diatribe come from, the New york Times?
Appleby, you are generally very sensible, but this morning you have jumped the trolly tracks. I have watched every debate and nowhere did I get the sense or smell of a guy who's aim was to lord it over the peeps. Romney was not my choice, but he a good man and forty kinds of hell better than Obama and his band of American educated commies.
Appleby| 4.11.12 @ 8:41AM
I have known enough extremely wealthy people to recognize cluelessness when I see it. When the Elite Media finally start showing us the Romney Lifestyle, you will figure it out for yourself. Romney is not One Of Us. He has no clue who we are; he wants our votes but I don't actually get the feeling that he has any desire for our support.
Ken (Old Texican)| 4.11.12 @ 9:03AM
Appleby,
you may be right. I personally believe Romney will continnue to campaign dilligently, and if elected...will serve to the best of his ability.
At least he isn't anti-American.
W| 4.11.12 @ 9:07AM
Who are the "us" that you speak for?
W| 4.11.12 @ 9:07AM
directed to Appleby
Crassus| 4.11.12 @ 11:25AM
The trouble with Mittenz is that most of what the Democrats are now saying about him in the way of criticism happens to be true. The guy's past record is almost as meager as Obama's yet the GOP is trying to pawn him as the savior. Hells bells.
R Martin| 4.11.12 @ 9:54AM
There are very few politicians who are one of “us”. Most of “us” get up in the morning and go to work, pay our taxes, educate our children, live reasonably virtuous lives, plan sensibly for our future and appreciate our good fortune to live in a country where freedom and liberty owe so much to the efforts and sacrifices of those who have gone before us. Most politicians are self-centered, short term focused and they get their satisfaction from the office they hold and the power it affords them.
Being rich has nothing to do with it. Have you ever met anyone who would not like to be rich? It was just recently that all of media was obsessed with the frenzy over a $600 billion lottery jackpot, showing queues of people waiting to purchase tickets. Those people were not standing in line to contribute to their state treasuries. They were hoping to become really rich, really fast. Which makes one wonder why Romney’s wealth attracts criticism. Yes, he inherited some of it, but he worked for most of it, and for that he should be commended. I suspect most of “us” would love to have Mr. Romney net worth.
The Bishop| 4.11.12 @ 10:23AM
Here, here!
KennesawJack| 4.11.12 @ 10:39AM
R, I believe I read that Romney gave his entire inheritance to the church or other charity and generated his wealth on his own. Anyone know if that is, in fact, the case? If so, most admirable, indeed.
W| 4.11.12 @ 11:36AM
K Jack
You are correct. On the O'Reilly show a few weeks back, O'Reilly had to drag it out of Romney. He did not want to talk about it, and it was the first time I saw Romney emotional, teared up slightly, and did admit he gave away all his inheritance to Brigham Young University, I believe, in honor of his father.
Imagine how other politicians, like Obama, would put this in every commercial.
Romney also donated about 3 million to charity each year. I believe Biden donated $300 and Bill/Hillary deducted Bill's used t-shirts (ugh) as a charitable deduction when he was governor. Algore donated $400 when he was senator.
In this Romney probably is not like most of "us.
Romney has earned whatever he has.
KennesawJack| 4.11.12 @ 12:02PM
W, thanks for the confirmation.
Chalkdust| 4.11.12 @ 1:02PM
Dead-bang on R Martin. I suspect "one of us" is work-a-day Joes and Janes, who love America, obey the law and revere the Constitution.
The RINOs may back Romney, but the American people has vetted him with gusto. Let sally forth with blood in our eyes and retake the White House.
Tim Martin| 4.11.12 @ 10:58AM
You say Romney is not 'one of us'. Maybe so, but he is far closer to the ideals I believe most Americans have than Obama. Also, why does he have to be 'one of us'? Is your grocer, mechanic, doctor or whatever 'one of us'? Not necessarily . . . you chose them because they gave you the best deal or are very good at their job. Why can't we just look at the presidency the same way? Pick the right person because he has the skills to run the country. Not because he is 'one of us'.
idalily| 4.11.12 @ 11:18AM
Tim, this is exactly right. I don't care if the POTUS is someone I can hang out and have a beer with. I care if he can captain the ship of state through very dangerous waters. Is Romney that man? I don't know. But I HAVE to hope so. Hope is all we have right now, and I'm choosing to have it. Hope and optimism have shepherded this nation through many a catastrophe.
And about Romney: another thing I've wondered is if his "squishiness" isn't actually deliberate. Sort of a "staying under the radar" with the MSM to avoid getting pinned down on hot button issues before the campaign has really started. When it comes to the POTUS, the American electorate is so demanding in superficialities, but incredibly lax on the things that really matter. I sometimes wonder if Romney is deliberately being overly moderate to avoid getting lambasted by the MSM and frightening off the Indies. Perhaps if elected he will govern much more conservatively than he's demonstrated so far. As governor of MA, he shepherded a very liberal state. I'm not sure he would have done the same as governor of, say, Texas. Romney might step up and surprise us all and actually be a GOOD, conservative president. Goodness knows Reagan surprised a lot of people.
Hope. It's what I'm going with. The alternative keeps me up nights and I need my sleep.
tsd| 4.11.12 @ 4:51PM
Romney is our guy....like it or not. Obama is smart enough to put out lies to get his way, but dumb enough to believe them and think we will too. In the end when we elect Romney we can hope to end some of the bleeding from 4 years of Obama...just remember the useless idiots who support him will not go away!!
Brian Mc| 4.11.12 @ 8:45AM
We cannot maintain the heading we are on but there are no hints of reversals and repeals necessary to right the ship, A. I fear Ryan's budget is akin to the band playing as the ship begins to list. Even if we have elections this fall, it will just be more rearrangement of the deck furniture. We hit the ice back in '13(?) with passage of the sixteenth amendment and the bilges have been working furiously ever since; they are making alot of noise.
The alien has not even played his trump card yet, the one with the big "R" on it, and when he does the streets will burn this summer and it will be time to head for the lifeboats. This is truly our darkest hour.
Teaghan| 4.11.12 @ 9:32AM
Gardens, chickens and lots of ammo.
KennesawJack| 4.11.12 @ 10:40AM
Already done.
Indy| 4.11.12 @ 8:57AM
"What he doesn't understand is that under our tax system the earnings from capital investment are taxed not once, but multiple times."
I think Obama does understand the double taxation, he doesn't care, he knows most of the public doesn't understand. Class warfare is his message and sadly it works with too many voters.
Ryan better be out on the campaign trail a lot and especially on college campuses. He also has to speak to seniors to drive the message home that his plan does not change anything for those over 55. He also needs to say that ObamaCare will destroy Medicare and explain how that will happen. There are few in the GOP who can do this effectively, he has to take the lead.
Louis Jenkins| 4.11.12 @ 9:19AM
It is now certain that Romney will be our choice for Republican candidacy. Ryan, God bless him, has tried to put out a budget that will work, given time. However, Obama will be re-elected this fall. Sorry to rain on your parade folks, but there's not much hope for the Rs. The Democrats will sweep aside Ryan's proposal, and proceed down the road to ruin. Good work Ryan, however, too many people are on the gravy train. Hope they're ready for the train to jump the track. Obama-the destroyer.
oldfart| 4.11.12 @ 9:33AM
If Obama is re-elected the end product will be economic failure of this country. Somewhere down the road there will finally be a turning away from the total socialist model - just as Sweden and China was forced to do because the system is not sustainable. Even Cuba has been forced to allow people to grow their own food.
Gary B| 4.11.12 @ 9:59AM
And, imagine a Supreme Court with two more liberal so-called justices on it.
Von Mises Jr.| 4.11.12 @ 9:22AM
"So if the rich are not paying their fair share, Mr. Obama, what would that fair share be?"
Edmund Burke and Von Mises both answer this question quite well. The answer is 100%.
In "Reflections," Burke explains how the Ancien Regime in France began the mantra that today we hear as the 99% v "filthy rich."
Prior to the Industrial Revolution and the French/European Revolutions 1760-1800; the ruling class were landed Nobles and Aristocrats whom detested work, created nothing and lived off quitrents and tallies from the serfs.
The Industrial Revolution opened a "crack in the door" as Tocqueville stated, and once the door was cracked, the people kicked it wide open. So the new power class in Europe became the Bourgeoisie. The French and other European Ancien Regimes and their intellectuals began the attack on the successful bourgeoisie and as my friend "oldfart" clearly states: Rousseau, Kant, Hegel, Nietzsche and later Marx theories were designed to reinstate the Ancien Regime and serfdom.
Barry, Hillary, Schumer and both establishments are hellbent on a new serfdom. These are people that are so incompetent that they could not hold a legitimate job in management. They would go bankrupt just like Solyndra and Ener1. So these useless POS decided that serfdom would be better (for them).
This is what Agenda21 is. You live in a government 700 sq/ft apartment in Newark or Detroit, take light rail to your fascist run factory job, and you get to eat pink slime for your trouble. If we are all serfs (or slaves); Barry, Hillary and Chucky Cheese will no longer be accountable to the people, and mention of all their screw-ups will get you broken on the wheel.
This is Obama's America.
Peppermint Tea| 4.11.12 @ 11:42AM
Amen. In contrast, there was the American Revolution, Adam Smith, and freedom. But I guess that is too easy, and too hard on freeloaders.
Von Mises Jr.| 4.11.12 @ 12:15PM
And Montesquieu, Locke, Bastiat and many other great thinkers that brought us greats such as the Austrian Economist, Amity Shales and Ayn Rand.
So the choice for the future is "American Exceptionalism" or serfdom.
The time of chosing is November. Let's hope history does not repeat itself in that we return to the Middle Ages!
Teaghan| 4.11.12 @ 9:34AM
The Hunger Games
David W| 4.11.12 @ 10:01AM
Here's the problem. Regardless of how good Ryan's plan might be, the lies Obama tells are distributed by the MSM. It is difficult for Ryan or anyone else to refute Obama because they don't get the chance. Obama lies, the lies are spread, then the MSM gives someone a chance to say a few words against the lies but it is too late.
The GOP/conservatives need to go on the attack. Romney probably needs to quit worrying about Gingrich/Paul (if he hasn't already) and start getting ready to go for Obama's jugular. I'm not wild about Romney but I'll support him against the little anti-Christ.
Jabber3| 4.11.12 @ 10:09AM
Peter - "Obama got elected in 2008 on false pretenses as a bipartisan moderate. He has proved to be just the opposite. This is why he has no prayer of being reelected."
While I agree that he will not be re-elected I think it will be because of three likely events that will occur late summer that will make it almost impossible for him to win another term. Gas prices will exceed five dollars a gallon, Obamacare will be repealed by the Supreme Court and the economy will slip back toward recession with the unemployment rate rising to 9%.
Crawler| 4.11.12 @ 10:47AM
Agree 100%.
It's a shame naive voting Americans were bamboozled by this pseudo-Marx in 2008.
But when the Supreme Court overrules Obamacare this summer, those same voters will finally know that he wasted two critical years conjuring up an unconstitutional law when he should have been focusing on the fragile economy.
Me? I knew he didn't give a tinker's damn about the economy. All he wanted was a "spread the wealth" Marxist healthcare system. Even if it meant he would only serve one term...
Budd Kopman| 4.11.12 @ 11:00AM
For the life of me I do not understand this obsession with government spending being some percent of the GDP - with 18% being 'good' and 25% being 'bad'.
Any fixed percentage would mean that if the economy doubles in size (a good thing, yes?), then, even if government spending was 'restrained' and kept to the 'good' percentage, government would also double in size.
Is this really what we want?
What is government supposed to do that it grows as the economy grows?
Anthony| 4.11.12 @ 11:24AM
Save your breath Peter, we have more than a few posters here at TAS that think Ryan or not, with the inevitabililty of Romney as our nominee, we are doomed and the whole system must collapse.
While I dispise what the RNC has done to the party, I despise more what Obozo has done to America.
But we have some folks who think another RINO means give Obozo another 4 years so we can show the R establishment we mean business!!!
Well, these tough talkers will soon get a taste of just how different Obozo is from Romney. When the riots start, and one is faced with the prospect of defending oneself, with a gun, perhaps Romney will not look quite as bad as he appears to be.
German Jews did not and would not believe Hitler was sincere in his Aryan utopia. Six million Jews paid the price for that mistake.
Some conservatives don't see that Obozo is an existential threat to the existence of America, they may get to see the folly of their beliefs, up close and personal.
lester| 4.11.12 @ 11:41AM
Obama's other problem with Ryan...he's white. Unfortunately, there is a small segment of the black community that just loathes white people. Obama is one. He is just a better pretender.
What is depressing is not that there is this small racist, bitter segment, - small bitter segments are common in many respects - it is that the majority is afraid to condemn them. Where is the outrage over a "bounty" on Zimmerman? Crickets.
davelnaf| 4.11.12 @ 12:02PM
This is an excellent analysis of Obama's serial deceptions and obfuscations that pass for executive leadership. He is looking more and more like the intellectual and moral pygmy many of us suspected he was from the beginning of his misfire of a presidency.
Steve Jay| 4.11.12 @ 12:13PM
Great article. Speaking of intellectual dishonesty, there is an article out this morning in which Obama insists that he does not promote socialism.
http://campaign2012.washington.....lth/473116
Obama reminds me of the movie 'Men In Black'. In that movie they had a gizmo that would erase all memory of what you had seen. Wouldn't Obama just love to have a gizmo like that.
Eric Raymond| 4.11.12 @ 12:30PM
Not only is President Obama intellectually dishonest when it comes to our finances, he is either ignorant or arrogant about Americans who earn investment income with a 15% capital gains levy. Doesn't he realize that if he doubles the tax on these people, 75% of them will move their investments over to tax free muni bonds, where they will pay $0 tax at a 0% rate? You can't make this stuff up!!! It's Forrest Gump time...stupid is...stupid does.
Mistral| 4.11.12 @ 1:07PM
Basically, Peter, you are calling Hussein Obama a characteristic left wing liar. The greater the lie oft times repeated, the more people will believe it. Let us see how "politically discerning" most American voters are. If the last election is a benchmark - not very much.
JeffT| 4.11.12 @ 1:12PM
Joe Wilson nailed it, "You lie." Obama lies whenever he opens his mouth.
thicklugdonkey| 4.11.12 @ 1:44PM
Obama was in the WH less than 2 weeks when he and his wife said they needed to get out. They felt trapped in there. Could you imagine being surrounded by all that history and wanting to leave? This is the sort of mental midget that was elected in 08.He has no understanding of this country or most of its people.
Most Americans would be thrilled to spend 1 night in the WH. I know I would. It would be a cherished memory.
This guy not only does not get it, he doesnt want to get it.
Legarto Rey| 4.11.12 @ 2:49PM
True, and then some. Obamas worldview has majority America paying for past sins while doing penance INDEFINITELY! America, is but a, means to an end. Our history, spirit, legacy and vast contributions are mere footnotes. His certain demise politically and influentially will be a joy to behold!
Kingofthenet| 4.11.12 @ 3:16PM
Paul Ryan's budget is a Joke, and a bad one at that.
Pink Slime Economics:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04......html?_r=1
Riff Raff| 4.12.12 @ 8:30PM
You are really not very bright, are you?
1ConservativeUSA| 4.11.12 @ 3:44PM
Yes, Mr. Ferara, many of us know all of this. Many of us, myself included, still feel shock that people still support this president. Still, we must continue to write and talk about it.
As a tax accountant, I am well aware of the double tax burden on investment income and the real tax rates of the so called rich. The worst thing though, is that the "fair share" argument is even being conducted, when it serves only as a political toool and has nothing to do with solving our problems; profligate government spending and regulatory overreach.
What to do? What to do?
One thing is for sure, Paul Ryan needs to step up and provide more of his brilliant articulation of American conservative principles. When Ryan speaks, he makes Obama look like a little boy.
Ryan, if he ran for president, would have locked up the nomination long ago, and would be comfortably leading all polls against Obama.
The same task goes for all conservatives. Continue to take the high road while you promote conservative principles and destroy the false arguments of the left. An informed and involved electorate is the best solution for removing idiots like Obama from office.
Kingofthenet| 4.11.12 @ 3:48PM
What double tax? A person is not a company.
1ConservativeUSA| 4.11.12 @ 4:21PM
A person (owner), however, owns her proportionate share of the company's net assets, as evidenced by her own capital investment.
A tax on the company is a tax on the owners' net worth.
Wake the F up.
Kingofthenet| 4.11.12 @ 4:26PM
Bullshit, it is NOT his money, it's a cost of doing business.
Kingofthenet| 4.11.12 @ 4:47PM
Tell you what, we can END this so called 'Double Tax' When I can take your PERSONAL money in the event of Bankruptcy of the company, it's only fair right?
Too Late To Impeach| 4.11.12 @ 5:04PM
"Next year when all of those tax increases go into effect, and the multiple taxation of capital is multiplied by tax rate increases on everything, the result will be renewed, double-dip, recession. The capital flight from the U.S. will slash jobs and wages further, with the return of double-digit unemployment."
If they haven't done so by that time, maybe that's when the citizenry will get a clue and decide to elect a conservative. There's hope.
cab404| 4.11.12 @ 5:04PM
Obama is simply a liar. As are his handlers. His communications frontman could not long survive by lying outright, so instead he is evasive and disingenuous. One way to fight these daily servings of disinformation is to have a Truth Conference where the lies are knocked down, point by point.
Typical White Person| 4.11.12 @ 5:08PM
I know some troll from Canada debated me about this on here, but,,,Paul Ryan was magnificent at the healthcare summit, and he made much more sense than the Organizer In Chief or that other little troll from New York, Helen Thomas look-alike Louise Slaughter. In fact, Obama was downright testy at the healthcare summit. And secondly, The Ryan Plan makes more sense than anything else proposed in Washington these days. And thirdly, Pelosi, Axelrod, Obama, etc all seem to believe down to the marrow of their bones that private enterprise exists solely for their fleecing.
fiscal| 4.11.12 @ 5:13PM
Yes, Paul Ryan's budget is a joke, a political one at that and if Ferrara weren't so busy being a political hack, he'd run the numbers -- many of which do not exist -- and find out. On the other hand, Obama has no budget which is why he can only try to tear down the other side.
The truth is that you can't go back to the levels of prior years because medicare and social security have grown dramatically as baby boomers retire. Add to that, the unfunded Medicare prescription plan and the unfunded wars, and Obama is not far off in terms of the cuts necessary to reach Ryan's levels. When Ryan was interviewed about the details, he gave the dumb answer that it was NOT PART OF HIS COMMITTEE.
Now don't get me wrong, I like Ryan a lot and directionally he is on target, However, his budget is not real -- it is political. Why? Because if he actually put down the detail to get to the numbers seniors -- a strong Republican segment -- would vote in droves for Dems because you can't get to Ryan's numbers without cutting entitlements and the military.
Like Obama said to Medvedev, nothing can be done before the election. That is also true of the budget -- it cannot be addressed before the election or the Republicans lose big.
Obama is not an idiot, he is a politician just like Ryan and Romney.
Those of you who think that a responsible budget will be accepted by the voters are delusional. A responsible budget, will include cuts to Medicare, Social Security, and the military as they are more than 2/3rd's of the budget and you need to cut the budget by 40% just to balance it.
Romney, Ryan, and yes, Obama, know that which is why we aren't having a realistic discussion of the budget.
Romney will certainly address the issue much more responsibly than Obama, but just as he saw in Massachusetts, that will make him a one term President. That said, the country will be much better off with Romney than Obama.
Curtis Rasmussen| 4.11.12 @ 6:21PM
I had to commission automated machinery in the Midwest. I relayed the steps required to calibrate the equipment to management in front of the machine and operators on the plant floor. After management went back to the office and shut the door, one of the machine operators came up to me, shook my hand with enthusiasm, and told me I talked to management 'as if you were one of their equals'. Quite shocking. Can you guess my skin color, and those of the operators and management?
Why do minorities view themselves as inferior? It's not their enemies that they believe, but their alleged friends who continually drum the concept of inferiority into their heads in subtle ways. Obama is the ultimate 'friend', telling the victims of government malfeasance to kick back, he is going to stick it to the man to make up for all the past wrongs. The record poverty is all the indication that I need, and if he succeeds in taxing the middle class to wealthy more, it's just going to get worse for all.
Kingofthenet| 4.11.12 @ 6:36PM
I didn't know Conservatives LOVED George Soros so MUCH they willing WANT to pay for his tax break!
Curtis Rasmussen| 4.11.12 @ 7:03PM
Did you even take the time to read the article, idiot?
Pat| 4.11.12 @ 6:39PM
Do we want to talk about how much you should be taxed - in other words what’s a “fair” tax on your income? Or, do we want to talk about what our government spends our taxes on regardless of who paid how much and at what rate – or was grossly under-taxed in Warren Buffett’s case? Obama knows that he definitely doesn’t want to talk about how much taxpayer money our loving government spends, or what our government spends our taxes on and he doesn’t want the media talking about that topic either and the other night at dinner he sent his kids to bed early and without dessert when they wanted to talk about it. In B. Obama’s nightly “I Have a Dream” slumber scenario, a fair tax is all he wants for his fellow Americans - just a little fairness, folks - c’mon, please share my dream.
But Americans lack any consensus on what a fair tax is – unanimous agreement on who the next American Idol should be is far easier to achieve. The WSJ ran a piece today on what we mother and apple pie lovers consider a fair tax - rate wise - and the unanimous answer was “it depends”. Fair is 17% according to surveyed Democrats and they believe even that Republican CPA dude who lives next door should pay only 17%. Get real - 17%? Obviously, Democrats haven’t been keeping up on what their Fearless Leader has been running up the fair tax flagpole. And if you win a cool $100 million in the MegaBucks lottery, fair can be as low as 10% for both Democrat and Republican voters according to the survey results.
So there you have it – win the lottery and you shouldn’t have to give up your windfall in taxes exceeding 10%. Earn the same amount of money through your blood, sweat and toil and 17% is “fair”. When incredible wealth literally falls into your lap, should you have to share it with your Uncle Sam? The resounding answer from both the Left and the Right is NO. And somehow that seems fair to me.
Kingofthenet| 4.11.12 @ 9:09PM
A flat tax is NEVER going to happen, it would be the most Regressive tax in History, EVERYONE but the rich will pay far more.
Kingoftheidiots| 4.14.12 @ 8:03PM
Shit for brains,
Bush cut taxes in 2001, 2002 and 2003, while federal revenue in 2003 was $1.782314 trillion.
Four years later in 2007 federal revenue had increased 44% to $2.567985 trillion, while the top 1% paid more in income tax than the bottom 95% combined.
The liar in chief is incessantly prattling about paying a fair share. That means the bottom 95% combined should pay more than the top 1%, who already provide more than their fair share of jobs for everyone else, in addition to paying more when their taxes are lower.
Idiot.
sablegssd| 4.11.12 @ 11:55PM
Seen the umbrella picture?
He's an evil, mentally ill, mental midget.
Shiori| 4.11.12 @ 11:56PM
Obama isn't just the usual intellectually stunted left wing zealot, nor is he merely jaw-droppingly clueless. After his hysterical, transparently jealous, and downright lunatic assertion today that 'Reagan was a wide-eyed Socialist' when pushing his moronic Buffet Rule, I'm now thoroughly convinced that Obama is mentally ill. It's not narcissism alone, nor the usual adolescent ego-mania so common in leftists, it seems to be some kind of severe personality disorder which prevents awareness of his own bizarre behavior. He apparently has no idea that the preposterous things he does and says causes jaws to drop and waves of head scratching and epic cringes from both republicans and democrats. He defies the law, mocks the country he was sworn to lead, has regular emotional fits, and plots with foreign enemies behind our backs. The minute he decided to brazenly ignore federal judges' order to end his pointless oil moratorium - he should have been arrested. On one hand I'm enjoying watching him become more unhinged everyday. On the other - he is an embarrassment the likes of which this nation has not seen in a long time. The man needs serious mental hygiene intervention. This isn't hyperbole - I really do think he's unfit to lead.
ted thomas| 4.11.12 @ 11:59PM
Very well said Mr. Ferrara. However, I differ with you on one very important point: you repeatedly characterize Mr. Obama as one who "doesn't understand" how capitalism, free-markets, individual enterprise, etc. works. It isn't so...he couldn't care less.
Although impossible to prove, except by making the disastrous mistake of re-electing him, I believe the evidence is overwhelming that Mr. Obama knows exactly what he is about as he dissipates the credit and debases the currency of this nation. This is a man who despises capitalism, free-enterprise, and meritocracy in general. He is a man, like V. Lenin, with a deeply seated loathing of his own country, who seized upon an opportunity to punish it (us). He has no interest whatsoever in re-vitalizing the private sector, and the economic collapse you forecast decades into the future can't come soon enough for Mr. Obama, because it is the only means he has of accomplishing what he set out to do.
The insanity of the moment (in my view), is that the odds and the circumstances favor him to succeed.
TexasMom2012| 4.14.12 @ 11:11AM
Obama's belief in "Black Liberation Theology" explains all of his actions. "Collective" Salvation rather than "Individual" Salvation means that we must be forced to "Level" the playing field not achieve through our own efforts. Truly, it is a very scary reality that Obama does not see the world in the same way that average Americans do.
RealityBites| 4.12.12 @ 11:21AM
Paul Ryan IS the intellectual Obama only pretends to be and it's eating away at Obama so much that he can't even manage a modicum of civility where Paul Ryan is concerned.
Roscoe| 4.12.12 @ 2:03PM
Paul Ryan, last night (Wed) on Mark Levin's radio show was an absolute must-hear. Do yourself - and everyone you can - a favor and get the audio or transcript and spread it.
Republican Victory| 4.12.12 @ 2:31PM
Can we lose this loser Romney and get Congressman Ryan to lead us?
Ryan-Rice in 2012!
Ed| 4.12.12 @ 2:36PM
Make that Am Spec. Jeesh! Takes so long to post I'm no longer sure what site I'm on. Adios.
Not Special Ops Bill| 4.12.12 @ 3:02PM
Obama says: "by the middle of the next century funding for the kinds of things I just mentioned would have to be cut by 95%," if we follow the Ryan budget.
That's like Abraham Lincoln, in 1862, telling us what the U.S. budget was going to be all about in 2000.
Brian Richard Allen | 4.12.12 @ 3:57PM
.... Obama's cheap rhetoric on this issue is again not even an honest, intelligent discussion of the issues ....
But then -- as he proves every time he steps away from a TelePrompTer -- nor is Obama ( he of fifty-seven states visited, one more to go -- and two they won't let him go to -- and of Navy corpse men and of talk about "(Obama's) Muslim faith" honest nor intelligent enough -- nor even competent to comprehend -- let alone to "discuss -- the issues."
Sayiid Obama's but an empty jalabiya that seems to fill only when someone else's words waft forth from it!
David| 4.12.12 @ 9:39PM
As far as Obama not having a prayer of re-election, don't discount the power of rigged votes. And don't forget those who put him in office in the first place. I fear for our future.
Osamas Pajamas| 4.13.12 @ 1:29AM
When asked how to destroy the Soviet dictatorship, Aleksandr Isayevich Solzhenitsyn replied, "Don't lie."
This appears to be Ryan's policy, and OhBummer is having a lot of trouble trying to mau-mau Ryan into an indefensible corner.
I think that OhBummer doesn't really understand Ryan. If OhBummer ever tried to tell the truth on any subject, he couldn't hit a bull in the ass with a banjo.
Yi Ha ***
Minister of Information
Peoples' Capitalist Republic of Whizbangistan
*** Pronounced "YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!"