Obama In Denial

Friday, November 5, 2010

To: Friends & Supporters

From: Gary L. Bauer


Obama In Denial

Barack Obama is in a deep state of denial about the election. In a "post-mortem" interview with 60 Minutes, which will air Sunday night, Obama was asked whether Tuesday's "shellacking" was due to his "failing to sell the importance of several legislative milestones." The president responded:

"I think that's a fair argument. I think that, over the course of two years we were so busy and so focused on getting a bunch of stuff done that, we stopped paying attention to the fact that leadership isn't just legislation. That it's a matter of persuading people. …Making an argument that people can understand. I think that we haven't always been successful at that. …And it's something that I've got to examine carefully … as I go forward."
Poor Obama and Pelosi. They feel they got shellacked because Americans are too dumb to understand what great things the Democrats were doing for us. Obama still doesn't get it. For the first year of his presidency, Obama was constantly talking at us. Here are the facts:

• In his first year, Obama gave 42 news conferences, twice as many as George W. Bush did in his first year as president.
  
  
• He held 21 town hall meetings.
  
  
• He visited 58 cities in 30 states.
  
  
• He gave 52 speeches on ObamaCare.
  
  
• And he gave 158 interviews -- "far more than any of his recent predecessors in their first year," according to CBS's Mark Knoller.

The idea that Democrats lost simply because voters didn't hear from Obama often enough suggests a disturbing disconnect with reality. Americans heard enough. They didn't vote Republican because they wanted more of Obama -- they voted Republican because they wanted to stop Obama's socialism!

Besides, I thought Obama's greatest strength were his rhetorical skills! If he's lost them, what's left? Just his left-wing ideology. Ask Jimmy Carter how well that worked out.

If Obama needed any more bad news, there are reports today that Nancy Pelosi has decided to stay in the House. Moreover, she intends to be the Democrat Minority Leader next year. That's great news for Republicans. The American people voted for change, but Pelosi won't change and evidently she won't even retire. She'll be there as the face of House Democrats for the next two years -- reminding the American people every day why they voted her out!


The Republican Message

While Obama is bemoaning your inability to comprehend his greatness, he has invited Republican leaders to the White House to discuss the agenda for the lame duck session of Congress. John Boehner and Mitch McConnell will attend, and they should at least hear what the president has to say. What they should not do is compromise their core values.

I'm pleased to report that Boehner and McConnell are speaking clearly about their goals and the message they received from the voters. Here are some excerpts of John Boehner's interview on Fox News:

BRET BAIER: Healthcare — the president says he's willing to tweak the healthcare law. You say you're committed to repealing it. There's a big distance between tweaking and repealing. …You're still committed to repealing it?

BOEHNER: First and foremost, this is about the greatest healthcare system in the world. And secondly, let's not forget, this is also about jobs. And if you look at all of the requirements on employers, you can understand why they're not hiring new employees, because we've raised the cost of employment. Beyond repealing Obamacare, we're going to do everything we can to stop this bill from being implemented, to make sure it never happens. And, frankly, if we're successful, this will become the No. 1 issue in the presidential election… And trust me, I'm going to make sure this healthcare bill never ever, ever is implemented.
Here are some excerpts of a speech delivered yesterday at the Heritage Foundation by Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell:

"Over the past week, some have said it was indelicate of me to suggest that our top political priority over the next two years should be to deny President Obama a second term in office. But the fact is, if our primary legislative goals are to repeal and replace the health spending bill; to end the bailouts; cut spending; and shrink the size and scope of government, the only way to do all these things it is to put someone in the White House who won't veto any of these things. …

"The formula is simple, really: when the administration agrees with the American people, we will agree with the administration. When it disagrees with the American people, we won't. This has been our posture from the beginning… And we intend to stick with it. If the administration wants cooperation, it will have to begin to move in our direction."
I found their remarks encouraging. With your help in the days ahead, I intend to hold them to their word.


Another Democrat Loss

As fallout from Tuesday's elections continues, it appears Democrats have lost another seat -- at least temporarily. There is breaking news from "MSDNC" that Keith Olbermann has been suspended indefinitely without pay from his seat as host of "Countdown With Keith Olbermann."

It was reported this week that Olbermann made campaign contributions to three Democrat candidates in clear violation of NBC News policy and standards. (That MSNBC purports to have journalistic standards is news to me!)

But I expect Olbermann's suspension will last only through the weekend. I don't imagine the executives at "MSDNC" will stand by their journalistic ethics for long once the "nutroots" begin to protest. We know how much tolerance the Left has for ethics (see Charlie Rangel, Maxine Waters, ACORN, SEIU…).
See original work for more on this and other stories.