Obama is driving us nuts...
...and by "us", I mean those of us who didn't vote for him; those of us who do not share in his increasingly ideological partisan policies.
We expected a rough couple months... maybe even a couple years. We knew that if Barack got elected, we'd be marginalized, mocked, and teased. We aren't in power anymore. It certainly is an increasingly tough pill to swallow-- so tough to swallow that many of us are choking on the damn capsule, and frantically searching for a glass of water (or booze) to wash it down.
Here's what is driving us nuts:
1) Immediately ordering Guantanamo shut down... I don't need to say more.
2) Appointing/attempting to appoint tax cheats and other various non-law-abiding sleazes to his cabinet (Tom Daschle, Bill Richardson, Hilda Sollis, Nancy Killefer, and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner.)
Geithner is the most egregious mistake. More on that later.
3) The Stimulus Bill
Or as I like to call it, the "Spendulus". Rush likes "Porkulous". Whatever. To each his own. Obama forced this massive $787 billion dollar behemoth through with very little transparency, using doom and gloom fear tactics (the very type of politics he said he wouldn't utilize). The Wall Street Journal breaks this disaster down here.
My favorites include:
$19.99 billion for food stamps
$1 billion for "extra money for census"
$230 million for "National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration facilities and research"
$10 million for costs to administer grant money
$15 million for Preservation grants for historically black colleges and universities
$500 million for upgrades to health services infrastructure on Indian Reservations
$75 million to the Smithsonian and to fund non-profit arts programs
$1.1 billion to research the effectiveness of Medicare and Medicaid
$121 million solely for federal oversight of delegated monies
$201 million for volunteering programs
I could go on, and on, and on. There are a lot of worthy causes in this bill, but many of the provisions go to advanced sciences and energy research, jobs that require highly advanced and specialized degrees. How is that going to help the guy who got laid off from a factory in Ohio?
A lot of spending in this is going directly to programs or causes that increase dependency on government. It reeks of the "S" word...
And why on earth does it take $121 million dollars to oversee these things?? Is that not what we have the government for in the first place? Isn't this already their job? Some of this is truly bizarre and unconscionable.
4) Naiively suggesting that we should "reach out" to "moderate" elements of the Taliban.
News flash: Mr. Obama, the success of American forces in Iraq in cooperating with Sunni militias is not the same thing. Please take a history and/or International Politics class, and consult with people who know something about military strategy. The suggestion that the Taliban has moderate elements is a very troubling sign. There aren't any. THEY'RE THE TALIBAN FOR GOD'S SAKE! As O'Reilly would say, "Wise up, sir."
5) Attempting to overhaul the healthcare system while the economy is struggling
Mr. President, it would behoove you to concentrate solely on the economic crisis at hand. The healthcare system is flawed, but sir, you have been in office for 5 weeks. You have already included billions of dollars in your stimulus bill for these types of things. Please see Rodham Clinton, Hillary circa 1993, and ask her advice on overhauling one of the most complex and expensive things in existence. Feel free to revisit this issue in 2 years when our financial issues have been repaired. (Hint: go after the corrupt insurance companies that have forced costs to astronomical levels.)
6) Please reign in your minions
The minions I speak of are specifically his Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel and Stimulus architect, Nancy Pelosi. I am fully aware of Emanuel's purpose. He is the powerbroker; the attack dog. I get that.
However, he orchestrated a plan to go after Rush Limbaugh, an influential entertainer. From where I'm standing, it looks extremely childish. Rush has 20 million listeners. I'd venture to say that 18 million of those listeners are going to vote conservatively anyway, that's why they listen to him. To go after him and attempt to paint him as the leader of the GOP screams of insecurity and weakness. Does he have influence? Yes. Does he influence policy? Does he hold a seat on the House Means & Ways Committee? No.
Leave it alone, and focus on your Treasury Secretary, who is fumbling around in the dark, looking for a light switch and sucking his thumb.
7) Tim Geithner needs to get his act together
The guy in charge of fixing this economic crisis is asleep at the wheel. 17 top jobs underneath Geithner remain unfilled. The gaping hole in the most important division of Obama's cabinet is causing it to run at half steam when it needs to be setting land speed records. This is appalling.
How on earth is it that a nearly $800 billion dollar spending package gets passed within two weeks, and there is no one working with this boob Geithner to help fix this mess? I am sincerely dumbfounded by this. How can anything get done? Who's running this trainwreck? Unbelievable.
8) Obama is on the verge of being a proven hypocrite
Strong words? Yes. The latest bill to arrive on his desk is a $410 billion omnibus bill with 9,000-- count 'em NINE THOUSAND earmarks. Hmm... $8 billion in earmarks signed into law? Geez... I could've sworn you said you wouldn't do that Mr. President.
Of course during your campaign and even after you were sworn in, I heard you say all kinds of stuff about being fiscally responsible and spending sensibly. You've spent almost $1.2 trillion dollars in 5 weeks. Not even George Steinbrenner paired with 50 Cent could accomplish that.
And yet, I hear this refrain: "I inherited this mess."
Sir, you may have inherited a lot of issues, but you are exacerbating the problem by digging a hole in which you may never be able to get out of.
Okay, this has gotten too long, but I needed to vent. I needed to vent on behalf of all conservatives who are deeply troubled right now. The philosophical differences between the Bush White House and the Obama White House are simply staggering. I don't know if this is anything we can get used to. There is simply no common ground between us.
We expected a rough couple months... maybe even a couple years. We knew that if Barack got elected, we'd be marginalized, mocked, and teased. We aren't in power anymore. It certainly is an increasingly tough pill to swallow-- so tough to swallow that many of us are choking on the damn capsule, and frantically searching for a glass of water (or booze) to wash it down.
Here's what is driving us nuts:
1) Immediately ordering Guantanamo shut down... I don't need to say more.
2) Appointing/attempting to appoint tax cheats and other various non-law-abiding sleazes to his cabinet (Tom Daschle, Bill Richardson, Hilda Sollis, Nancy Killefer, and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner.)
Geithner is the most egregious mistake. More on that later.
3) The Stimulus Bill
Or as I like to call it, the "Spendulus". Rush likes "Porkulous". Whatever. To each his own. Obama forced this massive $787 billion dollar behemoth through with very little transparency, using doom and gloom fear tactics (the very type of politics he said he wouldn't utilize). The Wall Street Journal breaks this disaster down here.
My favorites include:
$19.99 billion for food stamps
$1 billion for "extra money for census"
$230 million for "National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration facilities and research"
$10 million for costs to administer grant money
$15 million for Preservation grants for historically black colleges and universities
$500 million for upgrades to health services infrastructure on Indian Reservations
$75 million to the Smithsonian and to fund non-profit arts programs
$1.1 billion to research the effectiveness of Medicare and Medicaid
$121 million solely for federal oversight of delegated monies
$201 million for volunteering programs
I could go on, and on, and on. There are a lot of worthy causes in this bill, but many of the provisions go to advanced sciences and energy research, jobs that require highly advanced and specialized degrees. How is that going to help the guy who got laid off from a factory in Ohio?
A lot of spending in this is going directly to programs or causes that increase dependency on government. It reeks of the "S" word...
And why on earth does it take $121 million dollars to oversee these things?? Is that not what we have the government for in the first place? Isn't this already their job? Some of this is truly bizarre and unconscionable.
4) Naiively suggesting that we should "reach out" to "moderate" elements of the Taliban.
News flash: Mr. Obama, the success of American forces in Iraq in cooperating with Sunni militias is not the same thing. Please take a history and/or International Politics class, and consult with people who know something about military strategy. The suggestion that the Taliban has moderate elements is a very troubling sign. There aren't any. THEY'RE THE TALIBAN FOR GOD'S SAKE! As O'Reilly would say, "Wise up, sir."
5) Attempting to overhaul the healthcare system while the economy is struggling
Mr. President, it would behoove you to concentrate solely on the economic crisis at hand. The healthcare system is flawed, but sir, you have been in office for 5 weeks. You have already included billions of dollars in your stimulus bill for these types of things. Please see Rodham Clinton, Hillary circa 1993, and ask her advice on overhauling one of the most complex and expensive things in existence. Feel free to revisit this issue in 2 years when our financial issues have been repaired. (Hint: go after the corrupt insurance companies that have forced costs to astronomical levels.)
6) Please reign in your minions
The minions I speak of are specifically his Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel and Stimulus architect, Nancy Pelosi. I am fully aware of Emanuel's purpose. He is the powerbroker; the attack dog. I get that.
However, he orchestrated a plan to go after Rush Limbaugh, an influential entertainer. From where I'm standing, it looks extremely childish. Rush has 20 million listeners. I'd venture to say that 18 million of those listeners are going to vote conservatively anyway, that's why they listen to him. To go after him and attempt to paint him as the leader of the GOP screams of insecurity and weakness. Does he have influence? Yes. Does he influence policy? Does he hold a seat on the House Means & Ways Committee? No.
Leave it alone, and focus on your Treasury Secretary, who is fumbling around in the dark, looking for a light switch and sucking his thumb.
7) Tim Geithner needs to get his act together
The guy in charge of fixing this economic crisis is asleep at the wheel. 17 top jobs underneath Geithner remain unfilled. The gaping hole in the most important division of Obama's cabinet is causing it to run at half steam when it needs to be setting land speed records. This is appalling.
How on earth is it that a nearly $800 billion dollar spending package gets passed within two weeks, and there is no one working with this boob Geithner to help fix this mess? I am sincerely dumbfounded by this. How can anything get done? Who's running this trainwreck? Unbelievable.
8) Obama is on the verge of being a proven hypocrite
Strong words? Yes. The latest bill to arrive on his desk is a $410 billion omnibus bill with 9,000-- count 'em NINE THOUSAND earmarks. Hmm... $8 billion in earmarks signed into law? Geez... I could've sworn you said you wouldn't do that Mr. President.
Of course during your campaign and even after you were sworn in, I heard you say all kinds of stuff about being fiscally responsible and spending sensibly. You've spent almost $1.2 trillion dollars in 5 weeks. Not even George Steinbrenner paired with 50 Cent could accomplish that.
And yet, I hear this refrain: "I inherited this mess."
Sir, you may have inherited a lot of issues, but you are exacerbating the problem by digging a hole in which you may never be able to get out of.
Okay, this has gotten too long, but I needed to vent. I needed to vent on behalf of all conservatives who are deeply troubled right now. The philosophical differences between the Bush White House and the Obama White House are simply staggering. I don't know if this is anything we can get used to. There is simply no common ground between us.
Labels: Barack Obama, Economy, Rahm Emanuel, Rush Limbaugh, Stimulus, Stimulus Bill, Timothy Geithner