Conservative Blog post for September 18, 2009
Pelosi Expresses Concern over State of Public Discourse
After trying to come up with a lighter subject for the Friday column, it is time to admit failure.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi expressed fear yesterday that opponents of the Democrat plans for health care, spending and a host of other issues would incite people to violence. This absurd extrapolation reveals the immaturity with which Democrats and leftists look at the dialogue taking place around them. They are genuinely fearful though and simply cannot believe that the population does not adore the Democrat agenda. Of course, because Democrats are simply better and smarter than the rest of us, none of the blame for the increased animosity can possibly be laid at their doorstep.
There are several reasons for voter anger in the country. Much of it is due to anxieties caused by the utter failure of the Obama administration to adhere to sound and proven principles of economics, foreign and social policy. This is fairly simple to understand. Demcorats somehow find it easy to ignore.
Reasons for the problems are indeed simple. The Stimulus has failed to keep unemployment to under 8 percent as Obama Himself promised. Obama just surrendered the defense of Poland and Eastern Europe to a resurgent Russia, and of course taking over health care is something that – I know this is hard for lefties to grasp – Americans simply and definitely do not want. To cope with the increasing level of tension, Obama and the Dems do what they do best… blame others. And this is where the problems arise when talking about the state of public discourse.
Just last week the new kind of Democrat reached across the aisle during His ‘joint’ speech to smack conservatives over the head. The new kind of Democrat excoriated hard working Americans employed by insurance companies. The new kind of Democrat scolded those that disagreed with him as essentially stupid for reading the legislation and for forming an opinion different from His. The new kind of Democrat promised to ‘call out’ anyone else that disagreed. Of course, ‘calling out’ someone that disagrees with you isn’t a threat unless it is a Republican making the statement. This new kind of Democrat turned out to be a radical leftist that conservative talk shows warned about during the campaign. Middle ground voters that bought the Obama line about being a New Kind of Democrat, understand they have been fooled. They are none too happy about it.
Americans are indeed upset with their government – of that there is little doubt. Democrats are quick to paint themselves as victims because the strategy plays great on MSNBC and CNN. However, it is the Obama/Democrat agenda itself that fuels this fire. It is no secret that Democrats –in particular their hard core leftist supporters – are dying to take over American health care and to make ‘the rich’ pay for all their past evils. They are dying to ratchet up energy costs so that Americans have to cut back their loathsome power consumption levels. Democrats are dying to take control of the media to stifle the voices of those that oppose them. These are simple and observable ambitions. And it should scare the living Hell out of voters on all sides. Because these are observable truths, the fear is real, growing and is manifesting in town hall participants demanding highly unusual things like respect from Pelosi and the Democrats. Since when did voters have to openly demand respect from those in their employ? (Well… since the election.)
So as the national anxiety level climbs to another level, let’s examine some of the real reasons our political discourse has become so contentious. (Author’s note… these are just the big three general reasons. There are simply too many other signs of disrespect for voters and their opinions to detail here.)
Stimulus – Short Version; the danged thing doesn’t work. When Americans buy something at Sears and it doesn’t work, they take it back and the company either refunds the purchase price or provides another, similar unit. The Stimulus is a major reason the economy isn’t recovering in a full and robust manner (read – with jobs). Voters have figured out that it doesn’t work and want a refund. Obama isn’t Sears, though, so voters are told to get a life.
Repeating the mistake Roosevelt made back in the early ‘30s, increasing government spending (and by restricting foreign trade as He did with China earlier this week), Obama is repeating exactly the steps to economic disaster that Hoover and Roosevelt used to create the Great Depression. Despite the best efforts of the teachers union, most Americans understand this. Pelosi, Obama and the Democrats do not.
Foreign Policy – Obama this week proved himself a dolt – so much so that the Polish Foreign Minister wouldn’t even accept a call from Obama’s Secretary of State. (Not accepting a call from Hillary is probably a smart thing anyway.) Giving up a strategic advantage to appease a regime known to invade its neighbors is simply foolish. That policy is also an invitation to despots worldwide. President Obama has just sent an engraved invitation to rogue nations to threaten the US. Combine the incredibly naïve decision to stand down from the missile defense shield, with Obama’s capitulation on the North Korean six party talks and the decision to allow Iran to become a nuclear power, the world has become a much more dangerous place. Voters understand that this President has made their world a more dangerous place in the future where their sons and daughters will have to again fight the evil that US action today could have prevented.
Health Care – Note to Pelosi (make sure she is sitting down when she hears this) – people do not want the government involved in their health care. Because Democrats are not listening, voices at town hall meetings had to be raised. Pelosi herself ginned up the animosity by being incredibly disrespectful of those that disagreed, referring to them as Nazis and mindless robots sent by the radical right. As she did this herself, her arrogance cannot be blamed on others. Pelosi now openly wonders why people are so angry. In true Democrat form though, she doesn’t take any responsibility herself.
Obama and the rest of the Democrat machine jumped into this fray as well. During the President’s ‘joint’ last week, he promised to ‘call out’ those that were “not telling the truth” about His health care proposals. The President has never responded to criticisms in a substantive way that would allow discussion. When the issue of rationed care is brought up, the Chosen One just states that rationing won’t happen. When confronted with the economic evidence that rationing is inevitable under His model, Obama simply denies it will happen. In a tactic similar to Monty Python’s ‘The Argument Clinic,’ denial is not a form of discussion or discourse. When voters hear denial after denial instead of substantive reasons, they rightfully conclude that rationing will occur. Of course there will be rationing of care and the death panels will be the government medical boards that determine under what circumstances a person could have hip replacement or heart surgery. Rationing is the logical, predictable and assured (in every nation that has national health care) result of taking over the system to control cost.
Failure to acknowledge these realities are driving the current animosity. It also has Democratic arrogance on full display. Obama promised us the smartest administration in history. He has so far proven Himself woefully incapable of negotiation and in making decisions with sound, long-term objectives that the voters themselves – Obama’s employer – agree with. In short, President Obama and the Democrat team have lost sight of the fact that they are in the employ of the American people.
Looking ahead, the current animosity may seem tame one year from now however. Should the Senate proceed with the health care takeover using a procedural maneuver known as ‘reconciliation.’ Voters will understand two things; 1. It was very clear that voters and citizens did not want this legislation to become law, and 2. Democrats betrayed them by ramming it through anyway. If the left thinks that public discourse is out of control now, just try that little trick and see what the national mood is then.
The Obama Show takes to the air this weekend in a final push. The animosity level will be acutely impacted by what is said. If Obama simply repeats his contentions about no rationing, no service to illegal aliens and no deficit impact, voters will only become more outraged. The President has to present solid, logical and substantive – mathmatical – reasons for his positions. Of course he is only taking the Obama Show to friendly turf where he assuredly won’t be asked many difficult questions. It is also revealing that in order to win support for health care takeover, the President needs to win converts. It is very difficult to win converts when you are only speaking to your friends and allies at network news.
Domestically, Obama has turned out to be the kind of bully that He believed the US had become internationally. ‘Calling out’ adversaries, using SEIU thugs at town hall meetings to tamp down resistance from ordinary Americans is proof. This hasn’t escaped voter’s attention. And voters rightfully hate bullies.
Final note to the Dems… this is the bed you made. Lie in it for a while. Democrats have lost sight of the fact that they are public servants – not rulers. And when Nancy Pelosi hands over the House Speaker’s gavel, it won’t be a holiday, but the huge sigh of relief will be audible worldwide.
