Once Again the President Fails to Grasp Reality

We saw some interesting proposals in last night's State of the Union Address. Well, I didn't actually watch it, but read it this morning.

He wants to "out educate" the world, whatever that means. I asume that he will want to spend more money to implement more crackpot federal ideas that interfere with local direction and real teaching. Federal interference and spending has pushed schools into a downward spiral since the Department of Education was created. More of the same will create worse results.

Even the Associated Press questions the stated commitment to cap spending coming in the same speech as promises to spend more on a large number of his own initiatives.

Obama also called on Congress to unify together. Obama already had a Congress unified behind his agenda and the people got rid of it. We need a Congress unified behind the idea that federal spending and activity need to be considerably reduced. We need to expect less out of government and it needs to try and do less for special interests and feel good liberals.

He also doesn't get it on economics. The Adjunct Instructor in Chief still thinks that government must create conditions for job growth. The best thing government can do is keep taxes down, deregulate, and get out of the way. How does he think that a huge fee charged to banks is going to help free credit? Business often needs credit to expand operations. Obama clearly does not understand basic economics. His answer has always been to spend more money than the created jobs would actually pay.

Obama showed in this speech that he is a one trick pony. When you need jobs, spend. When you want to educate, spend. When you want to feel good, spend. If he were a private citizen, he'd be a shopaholic and a hoarder.

He must face the reality that we are running into serious trouble. We need massive debt reduction and he is proposing spending reduction measures that would equal an average wagerearner putting aside a quarter a month while increasing our burdens elsewhere. If nothing else, Obama has given the Tea Party new ammunition to build on its efforts in this non election year. Because he just does not get it. Therefore, he needs to be replaced with a fiscally responsible president in 2012.

State of the Union

Obama once again tried his smoke and mirrors speaking act. Every time he rolls out his alleged gift for speaking he makes a more poor showing. When he was talking about nothing and had nothing of substance to talk about during the campaign it was an asset. Now that he has a track record (nearly all bad) his speeches cannot return to those days of airy and meaningless words and phrases.

He did propose one thing to try and divide Republican antipathy twoards him, a discretionary spending freeze that could save $25 billion per year. Unfortunately for Congress this puts the onus on them to decide to stop sending more and more money back home to their own districts. Their inability to follow through will give Republicans even more ammunition next November. Also, $25 billion per year is a drop in the bucket compared to the dramatic debt raising proposals of health care deform. He is trying to confuse the electorate by saying he wants to freeze spending. In reality his proposals before Congress will cost us trillions. Next to that, $25 billion per year is like most of us deciding to put $5 per week into savings, but also deciding to take out a loan on a Rolls Royce. Then we try to tell ourselves that we have cut our debt in some significant way.

In 2008, Republcians grudgingly admired Obama's ability to captivate the crowds and the media. Tuesday night they described with glee, and perhaps a sign of relief, his rambling, incohernet, overly aggressive tone. Before the speech, they laughed about drinking games where you had to take a drink every time Obama said "I." If anyone persisted in this, they would have gotten alcohol poisoning. The blame Bush mantra was out in full force. Obama is responsible for nothing at any time or any place, including the bank bailouts that he supports, but hates and was never around to vote upon when he was in the Senate.

Obama damaged himself with his cheap shot against the Supreme Court. Samuel Alito had a Joe Wilson moment when cameras caught him mouthing the words "that's not true." He might as well have shouted "you lie" because it once again focuses attention on Obama's increasing inability to speak on any issue coherently or truthfully.

The president is in full panic mode and he did nothing to reassure his opponents or friends this week.

Here is a link to the Yahoo News/ Associated Press fact check of the State of the Union speech. Predictably, what Obama says does not always match the truth 100% of the time. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100128/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_obama_fact_check