After hearing Barry Goldwater’s “freedom in defense of liberty in no vice” acceptance speech at the ill-fated 1964 GOP convention, a journalist famously exclaimed “My God, he’s going to run as Barry Goldwater!”
I experienced a similar reaction last night, Save Jerseyans, after hearing President Barack Obama deliver an extremely liberal speech at the 2012 DNC in which he essentially begged the voters for overtime (much like a student asking his or her teacher for more time to finish an incomplete test).
It was… weird.
Not your usual incumbent speech! Was he deflated from having received an advance copy of the latest horrible jobs report? After all, this isn’t your normal incumbent with a real record to run on. In fact, the President’s speech was remarkable more for what wasn’t said than anything actually in it. I made a quick twelve-point list to prove my point; it’s not exclusive by any means (e.g. I’m not even going to get into the President’s strange gasoline prices-of-the-future fairy tale in this post), but you’ll get the idea:
(12) President Obama didn’t say ANYTHING new. Democrat and Republican analysts alike were in agreement last night… while the President’s delivery was excellent, the substance of his big DNC speech was recycled. In fact, it sounded a lot more like a State of the Union address than a convention speech, cherry picking alleged accomplishments and reinforcing old priorities/promises from past speeches. There was plenty of far-left red meat in there to satisfy his base; undecided voters looking for a “new approach” walked away empty handed and disappointed.
(11) President Obama said he’s “mindful of my own failings” but failed to elaborate. This point builds off of point #12. We’ve heard him joke about how so-called shovel ready jobs weren’t as ready as he had hoped. To inject a little confidence back into the economy, it would’ve been able to know what he’d do differently in a second term!
(10) President Obama celebrated Bin Laden’s death but didn’t credit anyone else for playing a role. He didn’t mention the SEALS, nor did he tip his hat to the preceding administration for building a military and intelligence infrastructure that enabled the famous mission. A lost opportunity to demonstrate a little class, and yet another tangible sign of this man’s staggering ego.
(9) President Obama failed to mention the revolutions in Libya, Egypt, or the Arab Spring generally. Stunning! The Middle East has become an even more radicalized place thanks to this Administration’s vacillating and incoherent foreign policy. Does the President have a plan? Or will he continue to let the chips fall where they may regardless of their effect on our energy supply and domestic security?
(8) “Jerusalem” never crossed President Obama’s lips. Amazing, really, considering how hard the President’s surrogates worked to get it back into the party platform. Consequently, Israel and its supporters found little reassurance in the President’s DNC speech after a disturbingly anti-Israel convention.
(7) President Obama didn’t mention the phrase “private sector” once in his DNC speech. The President who said “you didn’t built that” to small business owners is apparently no less interested in asserting government’s dominance over the free market today than he was when he bungled the “syntax” during that infamous Virginia speech.
(6) President Obama didn’t mention his $16 TRILLION national debt milestone! Our national debt has increased by $5.38 trillion since January 2009, Save Jerseyans. That means it took President Obama only 3.5 years to accumulate as federal much debt as all forty-two prior U.S. presidents. Combined.
(5) President Obama recalled how Americans “believe we are endowed by our Creator with certain inalienable rights – rights that no man or government can take away,” but failed to define what those limits might be! The President’s hallmark healthcare reform legislation represents an unprecedented expansion of federal authority, not least of all because the government can now use the Constitution’s taxing power to compel ANY behavior. No limits! It’s empty rhetoric, folks, until he proves otherwise.
(4) President Obama did’t mention 47 million Americans who are now on food stamps. In 2008, about 28.2 million Americans used food stamps. 33.5 million were on food stamps in 2009 before shooting up to 40.3 million in 2010. That’s an awful lot of hungry Americans — disturbingly so — and they deserved attention in Thursday’s address.
(3) President Obama never once mentioned the word “stimulus” in his DNC speech. A trillion-dollar package which “he promised would save or create 3 million jobs by the end of 2010 and would prevent unemployment from ever going above 8 percent.” Oops!
(2) President Obama never once mentioned the phrase “health care reform” in his DNC speech. Easily his largest “accomplishment” and yet it doesn’t warrant a mention? Perhaps because American families are looking at a $4,138 ObamaCare tax hike, representing almost 6% of their average annual income, as of January 1, 2013. And that’s just the initial price tag. Not something he’d really want to remind voters of with just 60 days to go before Election Day!
(1) President Obama never once mentioned the word “unemployment” in his DNC speech. Where to begin? Though President Obama inherited a recession, he is currently averaging just 0.84% job growth annually. Ronald Reagan averaged +1.75% in his first term and Bill Clinton averaged 2.60%! Only three states (all small and red) have a “U-6” or “real” unemployment rate today under 10%. And having netted only a few hundred thousand jobs over the past few years (approximately 300k), the U.S. economy isn’t generating anywhere CLOSE to the number of new jobs required to (1) replace those that were lost and (2) provide for population growth. The sad truth regarding the President’s plan to create 1 million new manufacturing jobs? Even if he pulled it off, again, that’s not nearly enough to make up our current jobs deficit…
Obama ran in 2008 on how he was the "change." In his speech last night, he mentioned we are supposed to be the change. Oh I see, you failed so I have to work harder and make the decisions? Your days are numbered.
Barack Obama had two years of absolute Democrat control to at least, as he'd say, "lay the groundwork" for recovery. Instead, President Obama engaged in the largest spending binge in United States history. It will take an entire generation just to dig out.
#FAIL
You're missing the big picture here…..it doesn't matter that Obama was giving the speech, today's Democrat party runs on 'brand name'. Democrats don't care 'who' is on the ballot, just as long as it's a 'Dem'.
HE HAS DONE NOTHING TO HELP THIS ECONOMY, THE WAY HE SPOKE IN 2007/8 HE TRICKED EVERYONE INTO THINKING HE WAS GONNA PULL AN F.D.R. MOVE NOPE