Opinion Forum

Wanted: Sacrifices for Obama’s Reelection Campaign

July 19th, 2011

President Obama and others negotiating an end to the debt limit mess are searching for ways out of a political crisis of their own making and trying desperately to kick cans full of worms and of blame down the road to avoid losses during next year’s elections. Solving the underlying problems would have taken lots of unglamorous work rather than political pandering, so comforting during a political season which has neither a beginning nor an end. Now that it’s too late to do anything definitive, the rhetoric is full blown and occasionally rancorous while substance is lacking.

In his weekly speech on July 16th, President Obama called for shared sacrifice by big corporations and the rich. He said,

Simply put, it will take a balanced approach, shared sacrifice, and a willingness to make unpopular choices on all our parts. That means spending less on domestic programs. It means spending less on defense programs. It means reforming programs like Medicare to reduce costs and strengthen the program for future generations. And it means taking on the tax code, and cutting out certain tax breaks and deductions for the wealthiest Americans. …

The truth is, you can’t solve our deficit without cutting spending. But you also can’t solve it without asking the wealthiest Americans to pay their fair share — or without taking on loopholes that give special interests and big corporations tax breaks that middle-class Americans don’t get.

It’s pretty simple. I don’t think oil companies should keep getting special tax breaks when they’re making tens of billions in profits.

As was the case with President Obama’s address on July 15th, he failed to “name a single entitlement he is willing to cut. His sacred cows are still sacred, but yours are up for slaughter.” It may be true, as reported by CBS News, that

President Obama on Friday acknowledged for the first time that he was considering changes to the programs like raising the retirement age or applying means testing.

Additionally, an administration official tells CBS News political analyst John Dickerson that a deal based on Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell’s “back up plan” could include a binding commission charged with reviewing the entitlement programs.

President Obama did indeed put it “simply”; so simply that even a third grader could understand that he claims to want just good stuff and to kill the demons — even though the third grader couldn’t learn what the good stuff and demons are. Neither, most likely, does our Harvard Law School graduate and former “constitutional law professor” know.

Children too young to understand what’s happening are susceptible to demagoguery; so are too many chronological adults.

As to Social Security, President Obama spoke of raising the retirement age — to what, when, for whom and to produce what savings how and when he did not indicate. Means testing? What means that? He has yet even to touch upon the extent to which, if any, such tests may change or adapt existing means testing formulae with which the progressive Revenue Code and Treasury regulations already abound.

What “loopholes that give special interests and big corporations tax breaks that middle-class Americans don’t get”? Oil depletion allowances — obviously Harry Homeowner doesn’t get them and if he did wouldn’t have any use for them. Do the big bad corporations include Boeing Aircraft but not Government Motors? General Electric? Do the wicked special interests include domestic oil drilling, production, and refining companies but not unions, malpractice lawyers, and his other supporters? What “loopholes” are bad, which are good? Are they good or bad in terms of social fairness as perceived by President Obama or in terms of real economic impact? Demands for more good stuff and less bad may be sufficient for those who still hold him in absolute awe; they can’t be for the rest of us.

Everything has been so amorphous as to be meaningless. As Charles Krauthammer recently said on NPR,

[The President] talks a good game. “Oh, I’m prepared to do entitlements, I’m ready to do entitlements.” Not once has he ever enunciated in public — other than all these leaks which I don’t trust for half a second — one structural change in entitlements, and without that, everybody over the age of nine knows we are not going to get a handle on the debt. So let’s hear him say it in public once.

Rick Moran asks here whether the Republicans will “cave on taxes.” How does one cave on such things as unspecific as more taxes for fat cats, big corporations, and special interests? What’s to cave on? A marriage subsequently to be arranged with someone unknown?

Continue reading this article at Pajamas Media »

Articles written by Dan Miller
Tags: crisis, debt limit, entitlements, Medicare, negotiations, pandering, SS, taxes
Categories: Economics, News, Politics | Comments (5) | Home

5 Responses to “Wanted: Sacrifices for Obama’s Reelection Campaign”

larry ennis | July 20th, 2011 at 10:16 am

Dan
What became of all the Obama disciples?
There was a time not long ago when anti-Obama opinions drew lots of fire. Not so much anymore.
The absence of these people is very encouraging while at the same time sad. It would appear that more than a few Obama supporters have chosen to remain silent. Their man has proven to be nothing more than an inept political hack. At the same time this is a sad turn of events because we as a nation have been brought to our knee’s because of the political actions of these former Obama disiples.

d | July 20th, 2011 at 2:59 pm

What does that singing example,have to do with all you are saying? First,the children in the blue,were singing for love,hope and change,the children from the Hitler clip,were saying praises of their Lord and Prophet. None of the first group ever called Obama anything,only sang for hope,and change. How do these two compare?The second group said they’d die for Hitler,the first group,never mentioned dying for anyone,just hope and love and change. How does that remotely compare? It doesn’t!
Yes,we need specifics,but better yet,just go to work,together, and solve the problem,before it’s too late. Both sides need to compromise and listen to each other. Then,they need to make a plan and a decision,together.

Dan Miller | July 20th, 2011 at 3:27 pm

Larry, perhaps some of the fans of President Obama have recognized what you say and have somehow awakened from hypnosis. Unfortunately, that does not mean they won’t vote for him in 2012.

Dan Miller | July 20th, 2011 at 3:40 pm

d, I checked the link and it is the one I had intended.

The Obama Kids — far too young and inexperienced to do it without the obvious indoctrination by and praise from their parents and mentors — were praising candidate Obama as the one who would lead the world to salvation: Obama’s going to do it; we’re going to save the world. The slogans and symbols emblematic of that view were much on display. The Hitler Youth were also praising in song their hero, Herr Hitler who, in the view of their indoctrinators, was the one to save the world – to bring about the hopes and changes in which they had been led to believe.

Differences? Of course. Similarities, I think so, and more of them than of differences.

Tom Carter | July 20th, 2011 at 3:50 pm

Dan, that video is disturbing, just like the others that have depicted children being indoctrinated in the Obama personality cult, sometimes in public schools. The addition of the German children being indoctrinated in Hitler worship was a bit over the top, but I suppose it makes the point that you’re headed for trouble when you start building a cult of personality.

Larry I don’t know what you mean about Obama “disciples” disappearing. Those who were die-hard Obama supporters are still there and always will be, despite his shortcomings. Same with George W. Bush — those who thought he was great still do. Both groups are wrong, but that won’t change their opinions.

I suppose you could look at opinions of Obama when he took office in three rough groups — those who voted for him and would support him no matter what, sometimes just because he was black; those who, however they voted, wanted him to be a successful president for the good of the country; and those who opposed him in the election and would always oppose him, sometimes just because he was black. Then, of course, there was a fringe group of conspiracy theorist nutcases who thought he was a secret Muslim socialist with a covert agenda to destroy American, but they’re irrational and best ignored.