9/6/2012
The Barack Obama of Yesteryear vs. the Barack Obama of Tonight
On a night when everyone else is analyzing Barack Obama’s acceptance speech from 2012, I thought it might be worthwhile to look at Barack Obama’s acceptance speech from 2008.
Here is an actual passage from that speech:
You see, you see, we Democrats have a very different measure of what constitutes progress in this country.
We measure progress by how many people can find a job that pays the mortgage, whether you can put a little extra money away at the end of each month so you can someday watch your child receive her college diploma.
We measure progress in the 23 million new jobs that were created when Bill Clinton was president…
(APPLAUSE)
… when the average American family saw its income go up $7,500 instead of go down $2,000, like it has under George Bush. (APPLAUSE)
Let’s use that as a measure.
Unemployment was 7.8% when George Bush left office. It is 8.3% now.
Median income was $54,983 then, and is $50,964 now — $4000 lower.
Will anyone remember how Barack Obama measured success in 2008?
Here’s another stroll down memory lane. As Bubba tells us nobody could turn this economy around in four years, he has an important person saying the opposite: Namely, Barack Obama in 2009:
And I quote: “I will be held accountable. I’ve got four years . . . If I don’t have this done in three years, then there is going to be a one term proposition.”
D’OH!!!
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D’OH!!!
Comment by Patterico — 9/6/2012 @ 8:40 pm
Here again is my ad idea for the RNC…
Show video from the enthusiastic crowd tonight:
“FOUR MORE YEARS! FOUR MORE YEARS!”
Continue the audio, but fade to images of unemployed workers, closed factories, Solyndra, a debt chart, etc.
Comment by aunursa — 9/6/2012 @ 8:44 pm
Romney and the RNC could have a dozen ads simply by using Obama’s own words against him. And hopefully Romney will have opportunities to recite Obama’s own words in the debates.
Comment by aunursa — 9/6/2012 @ 8:46 pm
“I will be held accountable.”
Wait a dang minute! What about tsunamis, earthquakes, his hangnail, Deep Water Horizon, the European Debt Crisis, worrying about Michelle and the kids, intransigent Republicans, global warming, 104 rounds of golf, Iranian nukes, Arab Spring, Sarah Palin, etc., etc.
Comment by daleyrocks — 9/6/2012 @ 8:47 pm
“These are not my
Presidencypants. They’re someguy’s. Whose? Someguy’s.” N****word-trash lying talk. He learned a little on the South Side, away from Hawaii.Comment by nk — 9/6/2012 @ 8:55 pm
The guy’s a clown, a four flusher, a weak sister, an empty suit, a miserable failure, the only reason he’s still in the race is his race, he’s an across-the-board embarrassment.
Comment by ropelight — 9/6/2012 @ 9:12 pm
trust him, it will get better!
Comment by Colonel Haiku — 9/6/2012 @ 9:13 pm
OK–I had spinach salad and mango sammin for dinner along with a bottle of California Sauvignon Blanc. Then we attended a performance of Beethoven by the Julliard String Quartet. I don’t mean to brag or anything but I’ll bet I’m a whole lot more mellow and sane right now than you poor souls who watched the president’s speech tonight. Did I miss anything important?
Comment by elissa — 9/6/2012 @ 9:14 pm
President Obama, trying to demonize his political opponents’ position on the environment: “If a company releases toxic pollution into the air your children breathe, well, that’s just the price of progress.”
But I’m unaware of any GOP or Romney-Ryan initiative to repeal the Clean Air Act or otherwise weaken regulation of actual pollutants and toxic substances. The GOP platform does not contain a line which reads, “Benzene for everyone!” But there is indeed an ongoing political debate over whether something ought be categorized as pollution: Carbon dioxide. There is indeed a very, very big difference between the parties on whether, for example, the EPA ought to be able to regulate carbon dioxide emissions as a supposed pollutant on grounds that increased CO2 emissions are supposedly the cause of anthropogenic global warming.
There’s simply nothing else that the President could have meant, unless he was just lying.
Now, I was a liberal arts major and I’m a law school graduate, just like Mr. Obama. But even I know that every time my children exhale, they’re exhaling more of this “toxic pollution” than they breathed in.
Comment by Beldar — 9/6/2012 @ 9:18 pm
___________________________________________
As Bubba tells us nobody could turn this economy around in four years,
I’ve spoken with some generally non-liberal people through the years who have gotten misty eyed about the 1990s vis a vie Bill Clinton because they associate his presence with the booming dot-com-fueled economy. IOW, I guess many people do vote with their pocketbook, and, in effect, are willing to emotionally prostitute themselves (ie, they’ll rationalize away the sleaze of a sleazoid like Bubba Clinton) if the living is large and the money is flowing.
In my case, I wouldn’t care for Obama even if the economy were healthy. That one aspect of society isn’t the ultimate determinant for me—it’s not the ultimate deal breaker. The health of the culture is, including whether that is or isn’t reflected in the ethics and integrity of its leaders. Therefore, when it comes to politicians of all stripes and the economy, I’m willing to cut them some slack if they at least follow one key section of the Hippocratic Oath: “Do no harm.”
Of course, in that regard, Obama is pretty much a quack doctor.
Comment by Mark — 9/6/2012 @ 9:18 pm
Wow, Jennifer Granholm gave a bizarre speech. Her mannerisms and diction were very exaggerated, almost as if she were a little intoxicated, or on some kind of medication, or something.
Comment by Elephant Stone — 9/6/2012 @ 9:59 pm
Two scenarios:
1. Sec of Defense tells President Obama that Bin Laden has been located and the Seals are ready. Obama immediately calls in the Sec State and his political advisers and they debate it for several weeks and then the President makes his decision. Press calls it “gutsy.”
2. Sec of Defense tells Republican Romney that Bin Laden has been located and the Seals are ready. President Romney says: Do it. Press calls it “obvious,”
Comment by Kevin M — 9/6/2012 @ 10:04 pm
Shorter Obama:
“That’s not my economy. I’m just holding it for a friend.”
Comment by Kevin M — 9/6/2012 @ 10:06 pm
Kevin M,
Wait. Did you just say the Seals killed Bin Laden ?
I thought Obama did that.
Comment by Elephant Stone — 9/6/2012 @ 10:17 pm
Obama killed Osama with his bare hands. Everybody knows that.
Comment by Ipso Fatso — 9/6/2012 @ 10:38 pm
NO MORE YEARS!!! NO MORE YEARS!!!! NO MORE YEARS!!!! NO MORE YEARS!!!!
Comment by Ipso Fatso — 9/6/2012 @ 10:39 pm
@15
Ipso, I thought he killed him…with his mind.
Comment by kinlaw — 9/6/2012 @ 11:06 pm
“Unemployment was 7.8% when George Bush left office. It is 8.3% now.”
More to the point it was about 4.5% when the Spendaholic Party took control of the Congress in Jan 2007.
Way to go liberals.
“…there is going to be a one term proposition.”–El Jefe
One can only hope.
Comment by Dave Surls — 9/6/2012 @ 11:13 pm
Elephant Stone, one word: vodka.
Comment by Patricia — 9/6/2012 @ 11:15 pm
I don’t know if we can put much stock in this, but I am struck that none of my lefty friends have taken to their Facebook walls to sing hosannas about Dear Leader’s speech. One of them really liked Jennifer Granholm’s speech (shudder), and one of them made a generalized anti-Republican blast, but no one is saying that they were greatly inspired or moved by President Teleprompter. The thrill is gone.
Comment by JVW — 9/6/2012 @ 11:22 pm
I bring you, courtesy of Earth, Wind and Fire, “After the love has gone…”
www.youtube.com/watch?v=DR4Ovy3LarE
Going out to JVW
Comment by Gazzer — 9/6/2012 @ 11:35 pm
Meltdown Mama! I think I saw leviticus out there in teh crowd!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKux363Dg64
Comment by Colonel Haiku — 9/7/2012 @ 4:25 am
Was there anything new in that TOTUS reading? Sounded like a routine stump speech.
Comment by JD — 9/7/2012 @ 4:29 am
I think a SuperPac needs to be started for plant rights:
We Want CO2, We Want CO2!!!
Comment by MD in Philly — 9/7/2012 @ 4:59 am
By all accounts, Moochelle delivered the most emotion, the most technically professional speech of the DNC meetup.
Obviously she wants her vacations to continue, publicly funded.
Urkel has had a taste of vacation, and wants the whole package, pension, mornings in front of ESPN, afternoons on the Kona Ocean Course, evenings chooming with old butt-buddies.
www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2012/09/06/gallup-doj-axelrod
Even the muscle is way too little, too late.
Comment by gary gulrud — 9/7/2012 @ 5:56 am
Granholm, Canadian born, was auditioning Hollywooood, remake of “1941″.
Comment by gary gulrud — 9/7/2012 @ 6:00 am
I can understand Leviticus’ dilemma:
In college the captain of the wrestling team told me while he was rubbing my face off on the mat, “Sometimes the difference between victory and defeat is just the measure of how hard you work”.
My bud from the home corridor, spectating, “Why do you keep prolonging the inevitable when you know you’re going to lose?”
In my case, the latter was the sensible advice.
Comment by gary gulrud — 9/7/2012 @ 6:07 am
The latest bestest speech by The One-ANOTHER run through a field of strawmen with a rhetorical flamethrower.
Comment by Bugg — 9/7/2012 @ 6:13 am
Leggo Tarbaby!
money.cnn.com/2012/09/07/news/economy/august-jobs-report/index.html?iid=Lead
Comment by gary gulrud — 9/7/2012 @ 6:32 am
Cornfuseled? The above is airbrushed, the unre-touched acne is worse:
www.zerohedge.com/news/reason-why-unemployment-rate-dropped-labor-participation-rate-fresh-31-year-lows
Comment by gary gulrud — 9/7/2012 @ 6:35 am
29, 30. Confirmation, with charts!:
www.aei-ideas.org/2012/09/the-awful-awful-august-jobs-report/
Comment by gary gulrud — 9/7/2012 @ 6:48 am
Sutprisingly, CNN tells it pretty straight for the regular folk who don’t read charts to understand:
NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — The labor market lost momentum last month as job growth fell to a disappointingly slow pace.
The unemployment rate fell, but that was largely due to people who stopped looking for jobs.
The economy added 96,000 jobs in August, down from 141,000 jobs in July, the Department of Labor said Friday. Economists polled by CNNMoney were expecting 120,000 jobs to be added in the month.
Meanwhile, the unemployment rate fell to 8.1%, from 8.3% in July. The drop in unemployment was caused because 368,000 people stopped looking for work and therefore were no longer counted in the survey.
This is
Comment by elissa — 9/7/2012 @ 6:53 am
Gee, what would you do without the ad-hoc, blank-slate theory of economics?
Comment by Larry Reilly — 9/7/2012 @ 6:54 am
32. True, I confess to predictable, ham-handed, sleights of the MSM lesser lights.
Comment by gary gulrud — 9/7/2012 @ 7:01 am
What I started to say above was that this simple analysis at CNN is tailor made made for use in R. campaign commercials and speeches. And, it will make the spin hard for Axelrod that hey, yippee, the unemployment rate is down.
But that’s through the lens of politics. How terrible, and awful, and devastating these jobs figures are for our country and countrymen.
Comment by elissa — 9/7/2012 @ 7:03 am
Gee, what would you do without the ad-hoc, blank-slate theory of economics?
Comment by Larry Reilly — 9/7/2012 @ 6:54 am
Don’t know, never been in that situation.
Economics 001:
1. If you keep spending more money than you take in, eventually you will need to pay the piper.
2. If you put too much drag on something, you slow it down.
3. You can take only so much money from people for government services before they start spending less on other things.
4. The ideal set point for how these things come together is a matter of serious and legitimate debate.
5. Anyone who ignores 1, 2, or 3 does not qualify to take part in the debate in #4.
Not blank slate or ad hoc.
Comment by MD in Philly — 9/7/2012 @ 7:09 am
I think the campaign promises of 2008 should be shown over and over, with the opinion from the man himself that if he doesn’t get it done, turn him out.
Then show Clint saying, “Let him go”.
’nuff said.
Comment by MD in Philly — 9/7/2012 @ 7:11 am
Reagan started with worse numbers in 1980 and turned them around by 1984.
Comment by jasond — 9/7/2012 @ 7:13 am
Street signs, one with Obama, another with Romney. “Forward” arrow pointing with Romney, “More of Same” with Obama.
Comment by MD in Philly — 9/7/2012 @ 7:14 am
Democrats will have the unemployment rate down below 6% by election day.
Just stop counting the unemployed.
Comment by Rodney King's Spirit — 9/7/2012 @ 7:14 am
Unemployment numbers just released: 8.1%. That looks like a gain, but actually, it’s because the labor force participation rate dropped to 63.5%. That’s the lowest labor force we’ve had in decades.
The media will try to spin this, but the facts remain that Obama’s policies make the employment numbers worse, not better. Who will get off of welfare if they can claim they are “working” by doing “personal journaling”, among other things. We are TRAINING Americans to game the system and stay at home instead of GET A JOB.
Comment by Book — 9/7/2012 @ 7:20 am
The Dem way:
Everybody retires! Unemployment is down!
Comment by AZ Bob — 9/7/2012 @ 7:21 am
31: That link kills me. I don’t know why we aren’t using that graphic more often in our campaigning.
Comment by Book — 9/7/2012 @ 7:23 am
Obama reminds me of the guy who attended a goal-setting workshop and got the first part. He clearly missed the part about achieving those goals.
Comment by BarSinister — 9/7/2012 @ 7:28 am
Gee, what would you do without the ad-hoc, blank-slate theory of economics?
Comment by Larry Reilly — 9/7/2012 @ 6:54 am
– Gee, what would you do without the ad-hom, blank-brain theory of commenting?
Comment by Icy — 9/7/2012 @ 7:31 am
“To me, this makes the Democratic convention not just bad, but infuriating. This many Americans are suffering and they put Sandra Fluke on a stage to talk about her need for free birth control? Insulting.”–Slublog
Comment by elissa — 9/7/2012 @ 7:32 am
Clint Eastwood just gave an interview to the Carmel Pine Cone, where he said “Obama is the greatest hoax ever perpetrated on the American people.”
OUCH !
www.pineconearchive.com/120907-1.html
Comment by Elephant Stone — 9/7/2012 @ 7:48 am
_______________________________________________
Meltdown Mama! I think I saw leviticus out there in teh crowd!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKux363Dg64
Wow. That person (Michigan’s ex-governor) epitomizes how unreliable and even rather deranged a liberal like her can be. While she rallies the troops — who are gullible enough to fall for her slop — she epitomizes the reason that Detroit, Michigan is Detroit, Michigan, that GM (aka “Government Motors”) is GM, that the Volt is the Volt, that — segueing to another industry — Solyndra is Solyndra.
No matter how screwed up things are or become, no matter how idiotic left-leaning policies and politicians are, voters in places along the lines of prototypical Detroit close their eyes and pull the lever or pluck the chad — again and again, and again — for “Democrat.” That’s why it’s impossible to sympathize with, or take seriously, such cities, states or societies.
When people are their own worse enemy, they have to be treated like the crazy aunt in the attic.
BTW, when I observe the delegates at the Democrat convention, and then think of all the big public gatherings held by liberals at, for example, the National Mall in DC (eg, salute to Obama), and compare them with big marches held by the right (eg, Tea Party marches), I think it’s very telling that huge piles of trash — literally — often have been strewn about at the end of events sponsored by liberals, and a much tidier environment has been left behind by events hosted by conservatives.
Comment by Mark — 9/7/2012 @ 8:09 am
I think Granholm took the other half of whatever Brokaw took. Weird.
Did the person who wrote Obama’s 2004 convention speech die or something? That speech is like nothing you’d ever hear him say today.
Comment by MayBee — 9/7/2012 @ 8:23 am
Peggy Noonan’s takedown of the extremist Democrats is a must read,
Comment by Kevin M — 9/7/2012 @ 9:57 am
“Economics 001:
1. If you keep spending more money than you take in, eventually you will need to pay the piper.
2. If you put too much drag on something, you slow it down.
3. You can take only so much money from people for government services before they start spending less on other things.
4. The ideal set point for how these things come together is a matter of serious and legitimate debate.
5. Anyone who ignores 1, 2, or 3 does not qualify to take part in the debate in #4.”
- MD in Philly
MD in Philly 2012.
Larry Reilly just got pwned.
Comment by Leviticus — 9/7/2012 @ 10:04 am
That’s a great quote. Obama’s only honest way forward would be to explain why went wrong in his administration up to this point, and how he’s going to change his administration in order to get different, better results for a country that badly needs them.
Step one would be to get out of the way by ending job killers from Obamacare to punitive EPA actions in Texas. Step one would be getting a bona fide budget passed so we could have some stability. Step one would be taking on the entitlement crisis instead of kicking the can down the road. There are many more step ones.
Instead, we’re seeing this euphemism of ‘limiting access to contraception’ as though getting government funded free ortho tri cyclen is a big priority right now. As slublog says, it’s just insulting.
Comment by Dustin — 9/7/2012 @ 10:18 am
Milton Friedman on Obamanomics:
“If you put the federal government in charge of the Sahara Desert, in 5 years there’d be a shortage of sand.”
We need a smaller government, that costs less, and does less; to ensure that Americans have more Liberty & Freedom.
The only thing that scares the bejeezus out of a lot of people is that the one vital ingredient to that L&F is Individual Responsibility.
The Country Class has it, The Government Class not so much.
Comment by AD-Restore the Republic/Obama Sucks! — 9/7/2012 @ 11:25 am
“FOUR MORE YEARS! FOUR MORE YEARS!”
Continue the audio, but fade to images of unemployed workers, closed factories, Solyndra, a debt chart, etc.
Or, how about showing all the construction cranes around D.C., with the Capitol or White House in the background. With an overdub of “The private sector is doing fine.”
Comment by Kevin M — 9/7/2012 @ 11:44 am
Front page of Denver Post had article on Obama’s speech. Centered was inset “Factcheck” of three false claims or misrepresentations in his speech.
Comment by SPQR — 9/7/2012 @ 11:52 am
BTW, was I the only one to find the “THANK YOU” signs pre-printed by Obama 2012 to be a bit off-putting during the President’s speech? Does Obama really feel the need to be thanked? If so, he is even more worrisome than I thought.
Comment by Kevin M — 9/7/2012 @ 11:53 am
I am getting the feeling that if Obama is expecting the serial blowjobs that he got from the press in 2008, he is in for a bit of a disappointment.
It seems like the MSM has heard the criticism and has decided that they don’t want to tie their fortunes to Obama this time. Everyone likes a winner, especially the press. Excluding the LA Times, of course, but loser is as loser does.
Comment by Kevin M — 9/7/2012 @ 12:01 pm
“We need a smaller government, that costs less, and does less; to ensure that Americans have more Liberty & Freedom.”
Brother, you just said a mouthful.
Don’t think we’re going to get what we need though.
Comment by Dave Surls — 9/7/2012 @ 12:06 pm
One small step at a time is all it takes, Dave.
Comment by AD-Restore the Republic/Obama Sucks! — 9/7/2012 @ 12:19 pm
Remember how “death panels” and rationing was all in the fantasy of Obamacare opponents? uh, not so much fantasy ….
Vote Romney. We need this crap repealed.
Comment by SPQR — 9/8/2012 @ 6:08 am
Would someone please deport this empty suit back to Kenya?
Comment by Tony Riggs — 9/8/2012 @ 10:57 am
It is despicable that Romney/Ryan would replace Medicare with vouchers, why no good thinking liberal administration would ever do that … completely despicable.
You get the sense that Obama really has never paid any attention to what happens in his administration? I’ve never seen anyone less interested in doing the job of President than Obama. No one in my lifetime.
Comment by SPQR — 9/8/2012 @ 2:29 pm
More examples of Obama’s lack of leadership and incompetence in dealing with the legislative branch.
Miss W yet? I sure do.
Comment by SPQR — 9/8/2012 @ 7:48 pm
Speaking of which, Obama can’t do the basics of the job.
Comment by SPQR — 9/8/2012 @ 8:23 pm
__________________________________________
More examples of Obama’s lack of leadership
Worse than that, Barry apparently was so much into the pure politics of the budget debate and how that would or wouldn’t effect his election in 2012, that, based on his own whims (and going against the recommendations of even people like his Secretary of the Treasury and Democrat Senator Harry Reid’s major staffer who was given the task of being the details guy), he was willing to chunk the agreement made between the Republican and Democrat legislators. IOW, unlike Bush Sr (“read my lips…”), Barry Soetero wasn’t going to give any latitude to the budget plan originally endorsed by the Republicans and negotiated with their Democrat colleagues.
But in a reverse of what happened with George Bush Sr and the Democrat-controlled Congress in 1990, the Republicans ended up acquiescing to Obama. And as noted in Bob Woodward’s book: “The long-term deficit crisis had not been solved, but merely put off, leaving the United States at the edge of the fiscal cliff, where it remains today.”
And the wonderful narcissist continues to sit smugly in the White House.
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Comment by Contracting Info — 9/8/2012 @ 10:36 pm
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Comment by canada goose — 10/3/2012 @ 3:59 pm