The Return Of Candidate Obama

As we get ready to remember and reflect on the 9/11 attacks 10 years later it's interesting to see and be reminded of who candidate Obama was back in 2008. It's hard to believe that it's been 10 years since that tragic day. For today, I'm going to address the jobs speech and perhaps set a context up as to why, perhaps, Obama does deserve to be re-elected. I'm sure those words shock many coming from me but keep that point in mind. By the end of this story you'll understand what I mean. Let's start with the jobs speech.

One thing I've never denied President Obama is that he is a gifted, inspiring speaker, (it may be scripted off of the teleprompter but he's still effective). Those of us who've followed politics for a long time may remember when President Obama spoke at the Democratic National Convention in 2004 when Kerry was trying to defeat President Bush. Obama gave the best speech of the convention and I recognized his ability to give a speech then and have never forgotten that.

The thing we have to analyze is whether an inspiring speech that makes you feel good is worth ignoring the results of the speaker. We as Americans are always being tested by politicians when in fact we should be the ones testing them. The problem is that far too many of us get wrapped up in supporting a party, a speech, or even the race of a politician in a way that makes us ignore results in place of belief in intentions.

President Obama talks about hard work and paying fair share, yet his ideology advocates neither. Progressive Liberals, socialists really, believe that if you don't work hard you deserve to be subsidized by the government out of compassion. Many progressive Republicans, (often referred to as neo-cons), agree. Don't forget that President Bush increased social welfare programs out of compassion.

He talks, as many liberals do, about paying a fair share, yet he's okay with 42% of Americans paying nothing. How is paying nothing a fair share? We all agree that the rich should pay more in taxes but it seems that the anti-capitalist left ignore the fact that the current system is exactly that.

President Obama and other Liberals have not problem demonizing the evil rich corporations, oil companies, and "fat cats", yet they ignore the pass given to unions and liberal organizations through lobbyists etc. They criticize Conservatives like myself as being in the tank for big business yet they are the ones who support bailing them all out.

They don't criticize the unions who can't afford the pensions of the workers they claim to stand up for because those unions use their money to donate millions of dollars to Democrats in the hopes that they'll then receive a government kick back to bail them out of the pension funds they'd have been able to better afford had they not given the money to politicians in the first place.

Explain this one to me, during the jobs speech President Obama talked about reforming Medicare, yet Paul Ryan was attacked for trying to do exactly that. When talking about reforming entitlements they attack Rick Perry for calling Social Security a "ponzi scheme" in order to scare senior citizens away from Republicans. Let's talk facts for a moment though.

What would you say if I asked you to give me money out of every paycheck until you're 62 years old. Then when you turn 62 I'll start to give you regular checks in your retirement. What would you say if you knew that the average life expectancy at the time was 59? Wouldn't that look like a scam? Especially if you knew that I was spending the money you were giving me anyway. That is exactly the case with Social Security. Look up the average life expectancy of the 30's for yourself and you'll see it's true regardless of what the fear mongers on the left say.

I support Newt Gingrich for president as I've said before but the heat Rick Perry is receiving for his attacks on the socialist security system are nothing more than an attempt to scare senior citizens, (which are a huge chunk of voters), away from Republicans in favor of President Obama. If our senior citizens are gullible enough to fall for that then we deserve another term of Obama. Personally, I have more faith in our seniors than that. I don't believe senior citizens are that dumb but apparently those on the left, who claim to have so much compassion, do.

He talked about making us the most innovative, educated people in the world. How do you expect to pull that off with the feeling of entitlement in so many people and an education system driven by a government bureaucracy partisan agenda rather than being driven by learning actual facts and life lessons?

President Obama talked about passing the trade agreements but this makes no sense. The trade agreements have been waiting for his signature since day one. He's let them sit there without sending them to congress for 2 1/2 years and all of a sudden he trying to make it seem like Congress is the reason it hasn't been done. Funny how I didn't see the Democrat controlled congress pushing for those deals to be signed for the 2 years they were in charge. Makes you wonder why? Especially since President Obama is now telling us that they would boost American manufacturing and help with jobs. Are we supposed to believe that that is the fault of the Republicans is congress as well?

He talked about agreeing with cutting spending and regulation and how he could say that with a straight face is impressive. All he's done since taking office is massively increase both spending and regulations. Therefore you have to ask yourself this question. Do you believe President Obama or candidate Obama? Here's one point where the two couldn't be more different. Candidate Obama, who gave the jobs speech, had to literally disagree 100% with President Obama in order to even talk about cutting spending and cutting regulation as President Obama has done nothing but massively increase spending and regulation since taking office.

Obama says he rejects the notion that stripping collective bargaining rights are necessary to compete in the global marketplace. Oh yeah, well try telling that to China. Tell that to the bankrupt postal service that can no longer afford benefits for retirees. Tell that to the bailed out unionized car companies that despite being given billions of dollars are still in trouble. Tell that to the right to work states, like Texas, that are crushing all of the progressive states on private sector job creation. He may reject stripping collective bargaining from union workers but I reject bailing out unions that donate millions to his campaign and then claim they are in financial trouble. I also reject using the power of the federal government to give an edge to unions over non-unions and it's funny how Progressive liberals constantly talk about "fairness" yet ignore this very real point.

President Obama says he'll listen to all parties and asks for people to speak up. Yet when the Democrats controlled the legislature 100% he ignored the Republicans and even ridiculed the tea-party which was an example of people doing exactly that. I say again, do you believe smooth talking candidate Obama or the real Obama you've seen leading this country for almost 3 years?

Obama doesn't want his jobs plan to pass, the plan isn't going to work but that's not what it's about. Let me give you another ludicrous point about his jobs plan. He claims that he'll give a tax credit to businesses that create new jobs or increase the pay of workers. Let me ask you something, how big would that tax credit have to be for it to be worth hiring another worker? Hiring another worker, especially a full-time worker isn't cheap.

Think of this, let's say you pay a new full-time worker a crap poverty wage of $20,000/year. Now you have to give health care coverage to that worker and we still don't even know how much that will cost under Obamacare but I think it's safe to assume it's at least a few grand. Let's say it's $4,000/year and I'm probably being nice setting it that low but let's continue with the example. Now, the cost of that worker, (who's basically making a poverty wage), is $24,000/year for the business. Do you expect Obama's tax credit per worker to be more than $24,000/year? Of course not, therefore, his tax credit for new employment sounds good in a campaign speech but doesn't match reality in the business world.

After all, the tax credit would have to be massive to entice worker employment simply for the sake of receiving the tax credit and how then would the left be able to resist criticizing the tax cuts for rich corporations? His tax cut per worker is a joke and economically unfeasible and ignorant.

He talks about our schools being in such rough shape and the need for infrastructure spending for new roads etc. Well, simple question there. What happened to the trillion dollars you got last time in stimulus that you said was paying for those very same things? We're supposed to believe that this smaller stimulus will take care of all those things when the much larger stimulus didn't? If Americans are willing to accept that nonsense then you do in fact deserve re-election President Obama.

It's on us as Americans now to stop treating politics like some American Idol contest. There are real problems facing our country and the truth is that it's our fault. We allow ourselves to ignore history in place of feeling better about ourselves. We make excuse after excuse for our party, ourselves, and our children. We're told not to discipline our kids because we don't want to hurt there self esteem but then wonder why they are turning into disrespectful, entitlement driven asses.

We are afraid to reform the government entitlement programs out of fear of being labelled as lacking compassion. It's time to grow a pair and make a stand for the truth. I applaud Rick Perry for being honest about socialist security being a scam. If the elderly fall for the rhetoric of the dishonest groups like Moveon.org and ignore the problems the system faces even though it's the children, (you know, the children that the progressive left always claim to care about), that will suffer when the system does collapse due to our inaction on the necessary reforms needed to the government entitlement programs.

You may recall in a recent post I talked about the Reagan tax plan and his thoughts of social security. It's funny how the disingenuous folks on the left love to quote Reagan about saving socialist security in 1983, (which he in fact did), but they fail to inform people of what he said was in store for the long term future of the program. I've used this quote before but it's relevant and worth repeating. Hey MSNBC, take a break from calling people like me morons and listen up, you might learn something true for once.

From a letter from Ronald Reagan to Mr. Austin Trimmer Jr. dated July 24, 1981.

"If I may, let me explain the situation and what it is we're trying to do with Social Security. I have reneged no pledge. I said during the campaign that we would do nothing to hurt those presently dependent on Social Security checks-that we would not pull the rug out from under those people so dependent. I did say that I would try to restore the integrity to the program. As it is now, the program without change will run out of money for paying benefits to the present recipients sometime late in 1982. Beyond that, however, there is a long-range actuarial imbalance which means that down the road in the next century, but within the lifetime of younger workers today, the program will be several trillions of dollars out of balance.

Our proposal was intended to resolve both the short-term problem and that long-range imbalance. We did not, in any way, affect the benefits of those presently dependent on the program."

Are you still convinced that those of us who advocate reforming the Social Security program wouldn't have the support of Ronald Reagan? He warned us this was coming and he understood that people already dependent on the program have to continue receiving benefits. This is exactly the position all of us who see and admit the need for reforming the system advocate. The media can keep insisting that we'd be too far to the right for Reagan but his own words prove otherwise.

It's on each of us now to stand up for the truth and if that means I have to be criticized for lacking compassion by those desperate to save the Obama presidency for another term then so be it. If seniors are scared off by the lies being launched by those who would stand by and do nothing to reform the socialist security system then they are free to make the same mistakes other special interest liberal groups keep making.

It's time for the rest of us to grow a pair and stand up to our ignorant critics. One other point I found interesting after the Republican Debate. This is a little off topic but important. Fake Rev. Al Sharpton was talking to Herman Cain after the debate and he was of course confused as to how a black man could dare to be a Republican. Sharpton likes to reference the 3/5 clause in the Constitution where slaves were counted as 3/5 of a person for the census. He uses that to make the bogus claim that Tea party advocates and those of us who want a return to the principles of the Constitution want to return to slavery.

What ignorant Al fails to understand, or else flat out lies about, is that the 3/5 clause gave LESS representation to slave states then they otherwise would have had and therefore Fake Rev. Al's speaking out against the 3/5 clause is in fact a statement to the effect that he wishes the pro-slave states had more power and influence in Washington. He takes that position while calling Conservatives like me morons, I can't help but laugh and at the same time feel bad for his ignorance.

Even Frederick Douglas, who I'm sure Rev Al would claim to support originally thought the Constitution was a pro-slavery document.....until he read it. He then pointed out that it was an anti-slavery document. It's a shame Rev Al is so smart because apparently if he was a moron like he would say I am then he'd realize that.

It's time to make a real choice America. Either endorse the lies and fall for the celebrity charm of President Obama and his lying supporters, or make a stand for the truth and fight to save America from a future of Socialist government dependency and failure. It's a choice for each one of us as individuals, screw all of that collective talk. Will you prove you actually care about the children and teach the truth? Or will you doom them to a life of dependency and debt out of compassion? I've made my choice. In 2012, you will make yours.

Perhaps this 9/11 you can remember why America is worth saving. On 9/11 we united in tragedy, perhaps in 2012 we can provide real hope for our children. It takes more than using the word hope in a smooth speech. Candidate Obama will sound inspiring but we now know that President Obama is depressing. We will find out next year if we care more about smooth speeches that sound good, or necessary action that sounds tough. This is our country and this will once again be your choice. You know where the ideologues stand, now it's time to decide where you stand. You can choose to be in a group of sheeple and be told what you should believe, or you can look at the reality all around you and make a stand for what you believe.

We all know President Obama's going to blame Bush and the Republicans in congress for all of his problems and we all know the Republicans will do the same. Given the results of the last few years you have a pretty simple question to ask yourself. Does President Obama deserve another term or not? Just remember that a campaign is when politicians tell you who they want you to think they are. The actions they take while in office tell you who they really are.

You have more than a year to think about it but on Sunday think about how much your life can change in one day. Think about how much the world can change in 10 years. Think about the path you want to follow in the next 10 years, and think about whether or not that is truly the path you are on. Take care and never forget.