After the budget deal was announced late last night, Obama gave a speech, apparently reading a teleprompter once again, which was nothing short of bizarre.
Obama gave a campaign speech, with the Washington Monument in the backdrop, and with the now-typical story of some letter Obama received from someone. That is one of his favorite rhetorical devices. The letter in question was from a mother who was worried that her child’s school trip to the Washington Monument might have to be canceled if the government shut down. Obama expressed pride in accomplishment that the school trip could take place.
Obama also took credit for the “historic” budget cut. A cut he and his supporters fought. Even Ezra Klein, a reliable supporter of things Obama, could not help but point out the hypocrisy of Democrats taking credit for the budget cuts.
It was as if the Engergizer Campaigner just couldn’t seem to stop campaiging, and was not going to miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity to show that he understands the magnitude of the budget deficits and national debt facing the country on his watch. It’s not about school trips to the Washington Monument.
The whole speech was strangely detached from reality.
Thanks to commenter Admin for referencing “Chauncey Gardiner,” played by Peter Sellers in the great movie Being There:
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Comments
"The whole speech was strangely detached from reality."
In other words, as we say here in LA (Lower Alabama), Obama lied.
Nothing says sincerity like reading your heartfelt words even though the telepromptor was off center so you didn't look at the camera straight on.
Nothing says sincerity like lowering your voice and pausing at significant spots to show your earnestness.
Nothing says sincerity like the look of utter smugness on your face.
This could mean only one thing: golf this weekend.
I'll have to take your word for it since I will only listen to him under the most dire of circumstances.
The country is being flushed down the toilet but I'll rest much easier knowing some kid from somewhere will be allowed to enjoy his field trip.
His level on the bizarre-o-meter just gets higher every day.
His townhall in PA was just plain weird, too. His jokes were so out of touch with Middle America and inappropriate. Is he about to crack up?
Obama is the Chauncey Gardiner president.
He's irrelevant and he knows it. His base is clueless and he knows it. He's trying to impress the waffling swing voters, many of whom are apolitical, clueless – they love his brand of warm and fuzzy speech. It's not white guilt – they feel cured of that by casting their vote for him in 2008. It's more like "bleeding heart" syndrome. He'll need four more years to get the unicorns and rainbows up and running at full capacity, afterall. He's postering, but that shouldn't surprise us anymore. We know what he is made of and we know what his advisors are made of and we know what his voters are made of. I'm more concerned with what we must do.. in 2012 and thereafter. He doesn't have to actually do anything to win. Democrats have that luxury. They have no substance but neither do the fools who vote them in. It is up to us to produce an irresistible candidate and besides Trump's star power, I don't see one.
"I don't care. Obama is awesome."
The thing that kills me is that I've been following politics long enough to know that when Democrats come out and say, "It was hard, but I'm pleased with our compromise." It means they won and we lost. When Dems actually are forced to compromise, it's the end of the world and Repubs are EVIL not Kabuki theater about closing the Washington monument. Then their base complains for five seconds, thinking we won't catch on, while winking at each other furiously. BLEAH.
And if this really was a last minute deal, why the prepared speech?
I'm curious – the budget was cut, but did spending go down? In the lexicon of Federal Budgetese, budget "cuts" often result in higher spending, I'm just not clear whether that's the case this time. Everybody's fudging the numbers.
Sherman — Lying is what Obama does whenever he talks. This was weird.
OK, I finally figured it out:
2010 spending: $3.4 T
2011 budget after "cuts:" $3.8 T
So after "historic cuts" of $30-odd billion, federal spending will go UP $400 billion.