They say that to the man holding nothing but a hammer, every problem looks like a nail. And for the man who knows how to do absolutely nothing other than regurgitate teleprompter gibberish and vituperate his political enemies...
Well, you get the idea:
President Barack Obama sent a letter to Speaker of the House John Boehner and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid requesting a Joint Session of Congress on September 7th at 8pm to present his economic growth plan to the nation.
Obama writes that it is his intention "to lay out a series of bipartisan proposals that the Congress can take immediately to continue to rebuild the American economy by strengthening small businesses, helping Americans get back to work, and putting more money in the paychecks of the Middle Class and working Americans, while still reducing our deficit and getting our fiscal house in order."
IOW, more of the same tedious, failed leftish bromides and phony gimmickry he's been vomiting forth for the past three years. No actual plan that he could be held accountable for or have results measured against; just a pretext for wasting more Red Chinese investment cash and delivering a campaign stump lecture to the Congress he plans on trying to run against, Harry Truman style, in the hopes of saving his foundering presidency. Nothing new here, just move along, right?
Well, not quite:
Obama's announcement conflicts with a long-scheduled debate between the Republican presidential candidates at the Reagan Library sponsored by NBC and POLITICO.
As Artie Johnson used to say on Laugh-In, "Verrrrrry interesting." So Historic Speech #10,000,000,003 isn't just the same old Hopenchange Keynesian nonsense in the same old package, isn't just a campaign lecture that uses the office Red Barry holds as a propaganda prop, but a blatant attempt to "bigfoot" the field of challengers to his vaunted, mortgaged throne. Almost as if he wants to functionally silence his opposition by ensuring that nobody will be listening to them.
There's just one slight problem with that idea, though: In order to pre-empt one's opposition, one must actually be able to draw and hold an audience. And the fact of the matter is that the public has long ago tuned out and otherwise ceased to pay attention to anything The One has to say. Why? Because his rhetoric never changes. His old & busted big government schemes have been tried (again), and they've failed miserably, as was entirely predictable. Yet he keeps pushing them, heedless of reality, public opposition, and plummeting poll numbers. He's successfully put himself over as a blind ideologue who has redefined being out of touch to a whole new level.
It is said that the opposite of love is not hate, but apathy. This has become B.O.'s nightmare come true. It isn't that Americans hate him; for whatever reason his personal approval numbers are still relatively decent, although even they have begun to slide of late. It's that his policy prescriptions - squandering trillions we don't have on economic "solutions" that don't work - have discredited him, and Americans have simply stopped listening. As I've said for over two years now, the man is a one-trick pony, and that cat is out of the bag. For a president whose entire raison d'etere is his much-balleyhooed penchant for the spoken word, this is a political death knell.
Which further explains why Obama wanted to step all over the long-ago-scheduled Republican primary debate. His well-documented arrogance, vanity, and imperiousness already made this exercise in pettiness, er, par for the course. But it also speaks to just how insecure and even panicked the White House is becoming that they're more concerned with stifling GOP criticisms that are resonating with the electorate than ensuring that the Li'l President has the national stage all to himself.
Oh, and did I mention that His Infernal Majesty publicly issued this royal command made this request to the Speaker of the House of Representatives without running it by him first? Speaks volumes about how Red Barry views himself, no?
Makes Boehner's velvet back-handing all the more satisfying:
House Speaker John Boehner requested that President Obama hold his jobs address, which Obama wants to deliver next Wednesday, next Thursday instead....
"As your spokesperson today said, there are considerations about the Congressional calendar that must be made prior to scheduling such an extraordinary event," the Speaker wrote.
"With the significant amount of time - typically more than three hours - that is required to allow for a security sweep of the House Chamber before receiving a president, it is my recommendation that your address be held on the following evening, when we can ensure there will be no parliamentary or logistical impediments that might detract from your remarks.
Boehner also noted that the House isn't scheduled to reconvene until 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday.
"As such, on behalf of the bipartisan leadership and membership of both the House and Senate, I respectfully invite you to address a Joint Session of Congress on Thursday, September 8, 2011 in the House Chamber, at a time that works best for your schedule," Boehner said.
Note-perfect, my friends. The Speaker reminded King Hussein of this little thing called the separation of powers, told him what he could go do with his little vindictive partisan power play without taking the day-glo obvious bait to react indignantly and play into Team Messiah's preferred narrative of the "obstructionist, do-nothing Congress blocking all of Godbama's efforts to create economic heaven on Earth". Dr. Chicago gets his oratorical re-run and the GOP primary debate goes forward as scheduled. Or, in other words, what The One could always have had if he really were "the adult in the room" instead of the sullen, adolescent, extremist prick he really is.
So, of course, the White House couldn't simply accept the Thursday gig and clam up about the whole self-created debacle. No, this god is a deity that will not brook or tolerate blasphemy, even if they have to make it up themselves:
WH official says "Boehner's office was consulted about the 9/7 date before the letter was released. No objection/concern was raised
Well, now, that's news to the Speaker:
Boehner office says White House ignored protocol: "No one in the Speaker's office...signed off on the date the White House announced today
This is how puerile President Awesome has become, folks. The Light-Bringer who would cause the oceans to recede, the planet to heal, put a chicken in every pot, and wipe away every tear is picking grade school playground fights. "Hope and change" has transformed into "Nuh-UH! Nuh-UH!"
"This confirms what we all know: They [the Republicans] will do anything to muck us up," the White House source childishly told Politico.
Then the White House tried to cover up its obvious embarrassment.
"What flap?" press secretary Jay Carney deadpanned at his daily briefing when asked about the scheduling battle. "Sideshows don't matter."
True to form, Obama blamed it all on Congress, just as his self-described mentor and former minister Rev. Jeremiah Wright's trademark was to blame blacks' troubles on all whites.
"It's been a long time since Congress focused on what the American people need them to be focused on," Obama said in an email to supporters expressing frustration with his inability to schedule the speech when the Republican debate was to take place.
Saying the imbroglio was a "big deal," Politico's White House source smelled a plot by Republicans. "It shows the House Republicans will do no outreach, nothing," the source said.
You first, Barry.
But then, in order to lead by example, you have to lead. And set an example.
But here's the punchline:
NFL season starts next Thursday 830pm ET, Packers vs. Saint
Exit quote via Eeyore: "Your move, champ."
[cross-posted @ Hard Starboard]
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