Because he cares about average Americans and is totally in touch with what you care about, or something
(Politico) President Barack Obama headed out of Washington on Thursday to offer assurance to Americans that he hasn’t lost touch with the issues that guide their daily lives — or their complaints about the political system.
“Are there programs that the government does that are a waste of money, or aren’t working as well as they should be? Of course,†Obama said at a town hall in Minneapolis, on the first of several day-in-the-life trips the White House has planned for this summer that are aimed at getting him out of town, and out of his latest slump.
“But I tell ya, if you work in any big company in America, you’ll find some things that aren’t that efficient, either. Are there some federal workers who do some boneheaded things? Absolutely,†he said.
Of course, when Bad Things happen in a Big Company, they immediately work to fix the problem. People are held accountable. If a Big Company was responsible for a hundred deaths (ala Veterans Affairs), The Government would be all over them investigating, probably arresting and prosecuting those responsible. If a Big Company was illegally giving private company information to another company, they’d be getting the same treatment (ala IRS). The CEO and other high ranking officers might get called to testify in front of Congress.
Obama’s job, he said, is to work with Congress “to make sure taxpayer dollars are spent wisely and efficiently†and “we shouldn’t be wasting a dime.†Where there are problems, as in the Veterans Affairs administration treatment queuing process, “we’ve gotta crack down and we’ve got to reform it.†But plenty of others at the VA — and across the federal and local governments — are doing good work.
Since when has Obama done anything regarding waste of taxpayer money? One of his first acts was to sign the Stimulus, which essentially pissed away over a trillion dollars, once interest is factored in. He had a conniption of the Shutdown, even deploying Barrycades. Heck, he’s pissing away taxpayers dollars on this summer road show, since official events are being used to allow him to travel to fundraisers and partisan events without having to reimburse The People for use of Air Force 1.
The news that’s reported on TV is often important, he said, but there are plenty of stories that are “just Washington fights.†They’re “phony scandals,†preparing politicians for the “next election or ginning up a base.â€
All that, he said, “is not on the level.â€
What is on the level, Obama said, are his intentions. “You’re who I’m thinking about every single day. Just because it’s not reported in the news doesn’t mean I’m not thinking of you,†he said.
Essentially, he’s saying he’s thinking of you, but then tells you that serious issues that concern citizens are phony, ginned up. Yet, nothing that he does or says actually fix the problems. The economy is still a mess, despite his boondoggle of a stimulus. He’s yammering about “climate change”. He’s refusing to engage in serious issues like the VA, IRS, Benghazi, and his utterly failed foreign policy. Scrolling through White House Dossier, we see that he is attending fundraisers, often with big wig 1% donors after most official events, as well as making partisan speeches.
At it’s most basic core, this is Obama’s version of governance and leadership: make a speech, which often always includes attacking political opponents, ie, other American citizens, but refusing to actually speak to the very lawmakers he needs to get things done. He barely speaks to lawmakers in his own Party, much less Republicans. For Obama, the speech is the important part, because, in his world, everyone is supposed to simply jump when he says the word. Doing the hard work to make it happen is beyond him.
What we can expect is several months of whining from Obama as he travels around, and lots of fundraisers. Oh, and golf. Can’t forget that.
Crossed at Right Wing News.
Read: Good News: Obama Kicks Of Summer Road Show »
But as Rebekah also wrote in her letter, there are still too many middle-class families like hers who do everything right – who work hard and who sacrifice – but can’t seem to get ahead. It feels like the odds are stacked against them. And with just a small change in our priorities, we could fix that.
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