Which is in fact his entire strategy, politically — as regular readers of this site have known for quite some time now: Obama positions himself to blame Republicans for his own executive shortcomings — after all, sequestration was his idea, developed precisely because he knew he could later demagogue it, and that the Republican House leadership, made manifest in a quivering, weeping bowl of orange surrender jello (and prodded on by a GOP Senate Maverick who can’t break a hip soon enough) , would beg him for a way to capitulate — then uses propaganda to convince low-information voters that his string of surreal, bald-faced lies has some real-world truth value, relying on the mainstream press to parrot his message without doing any sort of fact checking of what are easily debunked assertions.
— While the fact-checking they do attempt is entirely slanted to place the Democrats’ (read: New Left / Marxist / liberal fascist) policy propositions in the most favorable light possible while nitpicking the rhetoric of conservative objections looking for metaphor or hyperbole or some other such figure of speech to suggest that the opposition point of view is somehow illegitimate or overstated or speaking to an unrelated concern.
By the time it all goes to shit, he’ll be gone. And besides, it’ll be spun as the fault of recalcitrant Republicans. And of those, the TEA Party extremists, who have overtaken the party, despite the gallant efforts of Karl Rove and Kathleen Parker to save the party from itself.
The script has already been written. And the pragmatists, having no principles to fall back on, can’t figure a way out to rewrite it that would work to their long-term benefit.
Meanwhile, as Mark Levin has been pointing out over the last several evenings, the GAO and the CBO have reported over $325 Billion (on the low end) in government waste, fraud, abuse, and redundancy available for cutting. By the government’s own estimates! And yet we’re to believe that a “cut” of $44 Billion is going to shut down airports, cause the layoff of 800,000 civilian military employees, affect law enforcement and border security, etc — all while we’ve built a $1 Trillion “one-time stimulus” into the never-ending continuing resolution?
The point being, there’s a ready, factual answer to Obama’s shame strategy: don’t be shamed. Call his bluff. Beat him over the head with facts. Get out in front of the cameras and ask why the President wants to make the sequestration hurt Americans rather than take the time to do his own job as Chief Executive and get his branch in order.
The Republicans continue to try to play politics with Obama when what they need to do is simply stand up for the people and tell the truth, repeatedly and unblinkingly, and let the chips fall where they may.
If they lose, they lose. But right now, even when they win, we lose. Which is exactly why they’re out for themselves. Because as they figure it, either way we lose, so they may as well go down on the luxury deck of the ship.
Meghan’s coward daddy says the squester is outrageous and shameful
shameful!!!
Facts? There are no longer facts…
Shaming and lying. You’ve left that second bit out.
Facts? There are no longer facts…
Ain’t that the truth. Today they’re claiming that childhood obesity is down because of Michelle’s Let’s Move efforts.
ba haaa haaa haaa…
They just pulled that claim completely out of their ass, and no on even BLINKS.
The Sequester is going to happen. RINOs, you better get a coherent message together, one that blames the president for lying to the American people for political gain.
Use their own tricks against them.
As I was driving in to work today, both NPR and WSB were going on about how the sequester would cause the military to collapse, the border to be left unguarded, impossible lines at airports, denials of handgun background checks, rains of frogs and blood, etc.
Why not take an opposite take. As in, the sequestration will mean less government money to fund religious statures covered in elephant dung (government “art”), etc.
In other words, find examples of egregiously stupid government spending, and highlight that less money will be available for them.
Shlaes on Coolidge: a tale of normalcy and no . . . . or as it used to be known, budget cutting and tax reduction.
so now gutting the military is a bad thing? how do lefties keep up?
Why not take an opposite take. As in, the sequestration will mean less government money to fund religious statures covered in elephant dung (government “art”), etc.
I’d like to see non-essential presidential AF1 travel curtailed until it was worked out.
How come no one can HIT HARD on this stuff? Pansies.
800,000 civilian government employees will be laid off!!
Good. Take it like a man and feel the pain just like the rest of the country that has been rowing that boat for years now. Everyone has to tighten their belts. I heard the prez say that more than once.
Why wouldn’t he try this approach? Despite the fact the sequester was the idea of the White House, and something that they demanded be included in the budget deal, Idiot America is already geared up to hold the GOP more accountable for it than Obama.
Poll: 31% would blame Obama if sequester takes effect, 49% would blame GOP
Spider-Man’s dead uncle was wrong.
With great power comes the ability to fuck a lot of people over.
Indeed. It’s almost as if Lex Luthor crossed over into the Marvel universe.
If 48 billion is all the zoos, police, firemen, child care, schools, the military and 800k employees, what is the other 3750 billion for?
Meat inspectors and school lunches, I think.
That or they owe us one hell of a tax refund.
I caught some of Levin onna way home (he’s delayed here, doesn’t start until 8PM CST) and heard him reading something that sounded much like Jeff’s writings…even referring to the elitists in the parties as the Ruling Class; with the Republicans looking in, wishing they could be Ruling Class Democrats too. This has been happening since the ’30’s.
Then I had to take calls and dodge awful rains, so I couldn’t get the author’s name.
I’ll have to find it. Surprised it’s not linked already!
Codevilla serr8d, linked here. And discussed gradually down the thread.
Ah. Here it is. Angelo Codevilla, at Forbes…
Well, that’s what I get for missing the start of class!
A FB friend of mine claimed, just recently, that the sequester involved 7.5% of the federal budget.
In a post mocking how dumb AND evil Republicans are. Riddled with spelling errors, too.
If only self-awareness happened, sometimes.
One of the smartest lefties I know just claimed that Sandy was because of global warming. Somebody must have gotten a peek at the source code.
Sometimes I think the people who just want to be left alone are just a whole lot more cognizant of human nature and fallibility than are Our Betters.
Only sometimes, Slart?
Only when I have time, McGehee.
Most of the time I’m working or helping the kids with homework. Or working on toughening up the hands in case I ever need to cut stone without tools.
I confess if it weren’t for my understanding of human fallibility I might very well be one of those wanting to tell everybody what to do.
Beyond a generalized GROW UP!!! that is…