'Obama's Bumble?'
By Thomas Lindaman (11/17/08)
Unless you've been living under a rock or are Paris Hilton, you know that Senator Barack Obama has been elected the 44th President of the United States. Of course, you'd never know it by how Democrats are moping about. (For the Obama fans out there, that’s called sarcasm.) With Obama's election victory on the books, he can now start figuring out how to make his vague campaign promises into slightly less vague policy. And with the Democrats expanding their control in Congress, that should be a cinch, right?
Not so much.
Obama doesn’t see it yet, but he’s going to be in for a rough time enacting his agenda for a multitude of reasons. And since I like you all, I’ll let you in on some of them because that’s how I roll.
Congress isn’t as liberal as we think. Sure, the Democrats in Congressional leadership make Ralph Nader look like Pat Robertson, but the leadership isn’t the entire body. As Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi found out in 2007 and 2008, not all Democrats are on her side, no matter how many times she tries to bully her way to victory. Seems the Freshman class of 2007 kinda like being reelected, so they made a choice to stand for the people who got them elected in the first place. And if you dug a little deeper than the media (and apparently the DNC) did, you’ll see the Democrats who won in 2006, and I’ll wager who won in 2008, were more conservative. Need proof? Try calling Senator Ned Lamont’s office. In other words, if Obama thinks he’ll be able to push through proposals that won’t fly with the people back home, you’ll see a revolt within Democrat ranks.
The country isn’t as liberal as we think. Don’t let the Daily Kosmonuts and the DU Dummies fool you. America is a center-right country, meaning that we lean conservative. “But why would people vote for Obama if you’re right?” you may be asking yourself. Then again, you may also be asking yourself “Why doesn’t this guy like to wear pants?” The answer to the first question is simple. People got tired of Republicans, right or wrong. The GOP has paid attention to their base of conservative voters as much as country music fans paid attention to the Jessica Simpson country CD. Even moderates and independents who might have voted Republican wondered why a small government party would grow government so much. If anything, Obama’s victory can be chalked up to voter discontent with a party that promises to get government out of their lives but doesn’t deliver. (Of course, the nuts from ACORN might have had a little bit to do with it, too.) Running to the left too much will swing the pendulum back towards the center.
The Biden Effect. Democrats love to make fun of George W. Bush’s verbal foibles and intellectual shortcomings, but they have someone in their ranks who makes Bush look like Noel Coward. That man is Senator Joe Biden. Whether it was spelling “jobs” with three letters or telling someone confined to a wheelchair to stand up, Biden was a gaffe a minute, it seemed. Obama is better, but he’s shown signs that he’s not incapable of screwing up with wording. This is what I call the Biden Effect. As President and Vice President, Obama and Biden will be held to a vastly higher standard than the press held them to on the campaign trail. One slip of the tongue from either one can become an international incident, and just saying “Oopsie” the day after it happened isn’t going to make it all better. You insult a world leader accidentally, and you may find yourself at the business end of a war. A few mistakes of that magnitude, and the American people will be looking for the first opportunity to dump the Obamessiah.
It’s the economy, stupid! On the campaign trail, Obama promised to give 95% of Americans a tax break, while promising to raise taxes on the rich and corporations. I know this sounds like a great idea (as Karl Marx would attest), but let me tell you what will happen. It will cause major economic turmoil. Prices would skyrocket. People would lose jobs. Companies would have to shut their doors if they couldn’t make ends meet. Human sacrifices. Dogs and cats living together. Mass hysteria! (Okay, so I made up those last three, but you get the point.) As bad as Democrat economic theory has been in recent years, I don’t think Obama will be able to do what he wants economically until the economy gets stronger. And if the economy doesn’t get stronger after Obama takes the Oath of Office, there will be a lot of torqued-off Americans looking for a way to get him out of office.
Too many questions, and not enough answers. Let’s be honest here. Obama got a free pass from the media for any number of reasons. In fact, if Obama were Dracula, the press would have been Renfield. This has lead to the press not asking serious questions that could derail Obama’s Presidency if they’re not addressed. And with some of the conservatives still steamed about potential voter fraud, whether Obama meets the qualifications to be President, or just with a lot of time on their hands, these questions will continue to come up. Just like with the Clinton years, Obama will be plagued by questions that should have been asked during the campaign, and that will take time and energy away from whatever agenda he wants to set.
Although Barack Obama won the Presidency, there may be a number of roadblocks ahead of him that might make him say, “Are you sure I can’t let John McCain be President?”
Thomas Lindaman
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