Opinion Forum

The Humpty Dumpty President’s Magic Words

September 6th, 2011

“When I use a word,” Humpty Dumpty said in rather a scornful tone, “it means just what I choose it to mean — neither more nor less.”

My first blog article on political matters, published on April 1, 2008, and republished here a few days ago, was titled “Words, Words, Words! I’m so Sick of Words.”

Awaiting President Obama’s address to a joint session of Congress on September ~~7th, whoops~~ 8th to present his grand plan to save or create jobs (which it won’t do) brought Words, Words, Words to mind and it was easy to imagine Audrey Hepburn singing this duet with President Obama:

Ways beyond those mentioned in the article came to mind, in which words have lost their ordinary meanings and, through inspired genius, have become meaningless as well as deceptive to the “little people” who cling to their guns, Bibles, and sanity. Fortunately, the ploy has been so overused as to become increasingly obvious and therefore unsuccessful. Anticipating President Obama’s address also reminded me that my dogs communicate better than he does. They bark or growl to tell us things and they use actions to show us, now. President Obama, however, reads stuff written for his indispensable ally and constant companion, TOTUS.

Unlike the wise animals in Kenneth Grahame’s 1908 The Wind in the Willows, if dogs use words only they understand their meanings. For the rest of us they make sounds, some of which indicate pain, happiness, or desire. Those sounds are generally accompanied by actions and are invariably truthful. A dog will not bark and wag his tail to indicate pleasure unless experiencing or anticipating pleasure. He will not bark and wag his tail to indicate a friendly approach, or growl and bark to indicate a hostile approach, unless he senses that one is being made. When he wants food, it is obvious from his sounds and actions. Dogs don’t lie and don’t need teleprompters.

On September 8th, President Obama will most likely follow the script he laid out here for his followers:

“I think the key is not to get too bogged down in detail,” the president said last night.

“If somebody asks about taxes, nobody is really interested in hearing what precise marginal tax rate change would you like to see in the tax code,” Obama said. “What they want to know is that our campaign stands for a fair, just approach to the tax code that says everybody has to chip in, and that it’s not right if a hedge fund manager is being taxed at a lower rate than his or her secretary.”

According to New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd,

Obama is still suffering from the Speech Illusion, the idea that he can come down from the mountain, read from a Teleprompter, cast a magic spell with his words and climb back up the mountain, while we scurry around and do what he proclaimed….

After pushing and shoving and caving to get on TV, the president’s advisers immediately began warning that the long-yearned-for jobs speech wasn’t going to be that awe-inspiring.

“The issue isn’t the size or the newness of the ideas,” one said. “It’s less the substance than how he says it, whether he seizes the moment.”

Dogs do not even attempt subtle obfuscation; they are usually quite specific as to what they want and when they want it. A male dog beats around the bush only when preparing to urinate on it. On second thought, that brings President Obama’s behavior to mind.

Most people are not like President Obama. However, the politicians among us and those who write and speak for them have elevated the art of using words deceptively to a very high station, while their friends in the media often hear voices from the man upon the stair.

Last night I saw upon the stair

A little man who wasn’t there.

He wasn’t there again today.

Oh how I wish he’d go away!

This is not new, but if President Obama is a master of anything it is of attempted obfuscation and of being what and where he isn’t. I don’t know what or how he thinks; sometimes it is questionable whether he thinks or simply employs other people to do that for him. Perhaps he has retained Humpty Dumpty, a true egghead, as his word czar.

Continue reading this article at Pajamas Media »

Articles written by Dan Miller
Tags: communicate, Congress, deception, economy, jobs, satire, speech, words
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