It has become conventional wisdom that President Obama tries very hard to be all things to all people when he gives a speech these days. While it often makes for excellent oratory, it rarely inspires action or advocacy on his behalf. In fact, after his recent address on Afghanistan, given at West Point, there was widespread criticism from both sides of the aisle over some of the policy, and most of the substance. Simply put, the nation cannot be led through a war or a recession by simply filling in the blanks, Mad-Lib style, to suit every audience. In a fact check of the President’s economic speech delivered at the Brookings Institute headlined “Obama Likes Both Sides of an Argument,” the Associated Press said the following:
Under law, any paybacks to the bailout known as the Troubled Asset Relief Program must be used to reduce the deficit. But in an economic speech on Tuesday, the president sought to have it both ways. Increased repayments from banks to the Treasury will reduce the deficit all right, but it will give Congress the budgetary room to spend more—and the president encouraged just that.
President Obama would like you to believe that Congress has the room to spend more money simply because money borrowed in the first place is statutorily being repaid to the loaning U.S. taxpayer. So on the one hand, TARP works because the money is getting repaid, and on the other hand Congress has money to spend because TARP money is being repaid. President Obama said: “There are those who claim we have to choose between paying down our deficits on the one hand, and investing in job creation and economic growth on the other. But this is a false choice.” But there is nothing false about the difference between spending money and not spending money. You cannot reduce the deficit by spending more money, plain and simple. This is a far greater danger in the face of Rep. Barney Frank’s (D-MA) plan to create a permanent TARP.
Thankfully, the AP also called out the President for some other misnomers in today’s economic speech saying: “It wasn’t the president’s only attempt at having his cake and eating it, too, in his speech.” President Obama, the blamer-in-chief, also echoed his favorite line that these problems are inherited, and he’s simply trying to solve them. However, this ignores his own votes and positions of support as a U.S. Senator and presidential candidate and his party’s control of Congress between 2006 and 2008 when most of the current economic plans were put in place.
President Obama then spoke of how his stimulus package had created 1.6 million jobs, citing a CBO report. The AP correctly points out that the CBO report was not so rosy, and offered “numerous caveats.” In reality, since President Obama took office, U.S. employment has dropped by 3.3 million jobs. The President’s promises at the time of the Stimulus debate set a target of 138.6 million jobs in the U.S. by 2010. The President is 7.6 million jobs short of this goal according to data provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
Finally, the AP called out the President for taking credit for a rosier education economy. Obama said he had made “college more affordable.” In fact, his proposals in Congress would slow the historical growth rates of Pell Grants and shift money away from prospective college students and into other education priorities for his administration. To be sure, these priorities do not include 1,715 extremely disadvantaged children residing in Washington, DC. President Obama chose to cut the funding for the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program which allowed these kids to choose schools that aided their education rather than schools that only offered a dangerous environment that didn’t support their efforts to someday make it to college. An opportunity that President Obama himself had and chose for his own family.
The President would like you to leave every speech thinking that he spoke directly to you through the glare of his TelePrompters. However, when reality meets rhetoric, the speeches leave much to be desired, as the AP ably pointed out today.
A real president will stand for something and stand on issues that are clear as day. Every president up to this one has clearly defined themselves on every issue (whether or not they succeeded varied.) But the country was better knowing where they stood and was able to deal with it. This president because of the lack of "transparency" is showing that he doesn't stand for anything except what will pacify people's outrage in his current policies. You can't have it both ways, nobody has in the past and nobody will in the future it's just that simple. The more he tries to please everyone the more he will fail to please anyone.
The article says, "The President would like you to leave every speech thinking that he spoke directly to you through the glare of his TelePrompters. However, when reality meets rhetoric, the speeches leave much to be desired, as the AP ably pointed out today."
I would slightly revise that last sentence to read, "However, when reality meets rhetoric, the speeches leave much to be desired, as the AP FINALLY ably pointed out today."
Pointing out the failures & vacuous rhetoric of our 'blamer-in-chief' is something the media has abysmally failed out since his election & in fact, since he announced his candidacy. Those media failures & what many believe was actually media complicity to elect a liberal Democrat, are why this nation is in the circumstances we face today & why this nation will be facing seriously more difficult times in the near & perhaps foreseeable future.
gosh, Mr. President, I'd rather you spoke for America and the dignity and respect of the people that are dignified in doing for themselves. Working to achieve their goals within their overtaxed means, with the support of their family and friends. Not government. I'd rather you spoke of eliminating all public school unions. And the children taught facts! Teachers held accountable and not ("feel sorry for me") political correctness. I'd rather you encouraged the irresponsible to take on their duty to their personal, human responsibilities. I'd rather there was sound reason and trust, to go to college. I'd rather you respected the constitution for which it has been written…
'The more the words, the less the meaning, and how does that profit anyone?' Ecclesiastes 6:11
President Obama is in a perpetual campaign. 'Vanity.'
I just can't seem to figure out how his low approval rating is still way too high. I don't know why people aren't flipping mad. I know I'm ticked off.
The President has a habit of talking down to the public in his speeches. His "Let me make this prefectly clear" statement in all his speeches leaves one to believe he is convinced he can fix all problems if we only "trust" him. Narcissism at its best.
Which is it? 645,000 saved/created jobs, 1m saved/created jobs or your figure yesterday 1.6m saved/created jobs? Mr. Obama does not respect the people he works for muchless the Constitution that this republic was built on. Indeed, these are sad times for all of us. This is your presidency, Mr. Obama. Stop blaming everyone else for your failures!
a president who thinks very little of the united states obama talks out of both sides of his mouth . he has no dignity he degrades america and it's free people to the leaders of other countries while supporting unfrendly nation. our public schools are used to teach propaganda the history of our country is watered down. thachers are not allowed to teach they must teach to the lowest level get the goverment out of public schools and let our teacher s teach their students. obama is adigrace to his office he talks to decive america
Has he ever made a speech from the podium with teleprompters and a mirror so as to see a Narcisstic, inept, and vain emptysuit???
B. Hussein is simply doing what he is told.
Obama without a telepromter would be like a dog without flippers and make just about as much sense!
A puppet…a true puppet president. Sad to say.
A real president will stand for what is right, obama will only stand for wht will make him look good. That means he will stand for anything that people tell him to, especially reid, pelosi and the socialist agenda.
Shameful! Shame on you Mr Obama for bring shame to America. Mr Obama, you have no class at all, and you are an embarassment to ALL Americans. Your despicable behavior and display of boorishness toward the King, Nobel Comittee, Children, and just about every human on earth is inexcuseable. You should resign your Presidency in shame, shame, shame.