A colleague of mine in the investment business moaned the other day that there was so much bad news out there.
“Is Obama still president?” I asked.
She just dropped her head.
Therein is the problem.
Obama can no longer be productive so he’ll do everything he can to be counterproductive. As Gayle Trotter, senior fellow at the Independent Women’s Forum told me earlier this week: Obama’s switch to immigration amnesty is just a cover for his failure in foreign and security policy.
He has nothing else to offer but a weak defense, even if the defense makes him look bad.
Americans gave Obama a break on the economy because they think he inherited a mess not of his own creation. There was plenty of blame to go around for both Democrats and Republicans alike. Americans generally reward chief executives for doing something, even if doing something sucked as it did in the case of Obama.
But in foreign and security policy the president owns the result. He can’t blame congress for his failure to maintain good relationships with other powers—“good” being defined as constructive; he can’t blame congress for the deterioration in the security situation around the world.
Those responsibilities constitutionally, and in the public mind, belong solely to the president.
Therein is the problem.
For some years I have noticed that Obama often purposefully inserts one scandal in the public dialogue to distract attention for the purposely-inserted previous scandal.
In other words, Obama goes from bad to worse.
There is nothing worse than a failed Obama policy because in its wake the administration gets more emboldened, pouts, stamps its feet, points fingers, makes things up, pretends it’s invisible, holds its breathe, threatens to tell mom and generally acts prepubescent.
All that right before it runs into its room and refuses to talk to anyone.
And just as Putin’s troubles in Eastern Europe make him more dangerous not less dangerous, Obama’s plunging popularity makes him less responsible not more responsible.
That’s how it stands today.
And therein is the problem.
As Obama exits stage left, he doesn’t need any of us. Not one of us, as comedian Steve Martin might say.
He doesn’t need anything.
Except immigration amnesty.
But that’s all he needs. Immigration amnesty, but that’s it.
And Ferguson. Immigration amnesty and Ferguson, but that’s it.
That’s all. He doesn’t need anything else.
Except a minimum wage hike.
Immigration amnesty, Ferguson and a minimum wage hike.
But that’s it. That’s all.
And gun control.
He needs immigration amnesty, Ferguson, a minimum wage hike and gun control. But that’s all. He doesn’t need you or anything else.
Except a tax increase.
All he needs is immigration amnesty, Ferguson, a minimum wage hike, gun control and a tax increase.
But he doesn’t need anything else, including you and congress.
He needs that pen. But that’s it.
He needs immigration amnesty, Ferguson, a minimum wage hike, gun control, a tax increase and his pen.
And his phone.
He needs immigration amnesty, Ferguson, a minimum wage hike, gun control, a tax increase, his pen and his phone.
Obama indeed still is president. He’s got everything he needs.
Therein is the problem.
That’s all we need.