Bobby_Loft

As Election Day approached and it became clearer that Democrats and the Obama agenda would be rebuked from State Houses all the way through Congress, I looked forward to two things. First, I looked forward to seeing the actual returns come in. Was that great or what? Second, I knew that Barack Obama would have to address the American people. Would he see the light? Would he acknowledge that the American people have spoken and that he needed to change direction? No and no. Obama showed once again that he is not in touch with America or how Americans think.

In his opening comments, Obama reveals so much with what he says and what he doesn’t say. The election showed clearly that Americans reject the Obama agenda. We do not want bigger government. We do not want more debt. We do not want higher taxes. We do not want more spending. And we don’t want Washington elites telling us what to do. Let’s put it a little differently…. Here’s what we want:

  • Smaller Government
  • Lower taxes
  • Less spending
  • More accountability

Pretty simple, eh? Obama did address these general sentiments in ONE paragraph of his opening statement. He said:

Obama: Now, the men and women who sent us here don’t expect Washington to solve all their problems, but they do expect Washington to work for them, not against them. They want to know that their tax dollars are being spent wisely, not wasted, and that we’re not going to leave our children a legacy of debt. They want to know that their voices aren’t being drowned out by a sea of lobbyists and special interests and partisan bickering. They want business to be done here openly and honestly.

Of course, from the beginning Obama promised open and honest government, and, instead, we received corruption and a sea of “czars” who are accountable to no one. In the press conference, Obama said, “I believe it’s important to have an honest and civil debate about the choices that we face. That’s why I want to engage both Democrats and Republicans in serious conversations about where we’re going as a nation.” The problem was that there was NEVER any debate. Republican ideas were rejected, and Obama rammed his agenda down the throats of the American people. The only bipartisanship that appeared was when Republicans and some Democrats OPPOSED his plans.

Eventually, Obama finished his opening statement and took questions from reporters. No where in his opening remarks did he say the American people rejected his message, his policies, or his approach. He never acknowledged that it was the Democrats who suffered staggering defeats.

The first question was direct: “Are you willing to concede at all that what happened last night was not just an expression of frustration about the economy but a fundamental rejection of your agenda?” Simple enough, right? Apparently not. In his response, Obama took responsibility, not for putting forward an agenda that Americans rejected, but rather for “the fact that we have not made as much progress as we need to make.” Obama then adds these gems:

I don’t think there’s anybody in America who thinks that we’ve got an energy policy that works the way it needs to; that – you know, that thinks that we shouldn’t be working on energy independence. And that gives opportunities for Democrats and Republicans to come together and think about – you know, whether it’s natural gas or energy efficiency or how we can build electric cars in this country – how do we move forward on that agenda.

I think everybody in this country thinks that we’ve got to make sure our kids are equipped in terms of their education, their science background, their math background, to compete in this new global economy. And that’s going to be an area where I think there’s potential common ground.

So on – on a whole range of issues, there are going to be areas where we disagree. I think the overwhelming message that I hear from the voters is that: We want everybody to act responsibly in Washington; we want you to work harder to arrive at consensus; we want you to focus completely on jobs and the economy and growing it, so that we’re ensuring a better future for our children and our grandchildren.

Let’s see… Energy policy, education, and consensus??? Is he deaf? Let’s say it all one more time: Smaller government, lower taxes, less spending, and more accountability. That was the clear message, and he didn’t address any of it.

The follow-up question was simple as well: “You don’t seem to be reflecting or second-guessing any of the policy decisions you’ve made, instead saying the message the voters were sending was about frustration with the economy, or maybe even talking about too a failure on your part to communicate effectively. If you’re not reflecting on your policy agenda, is it possible voters can conclude you’re still not getting it?

Obama’s response proved that he doesn’t get it.

You know, I think that over the last two years, we have made a series of very tough decisions, but decisions that were right in terms of moving the country forward in an emergency situation, where we had the risk of slipping into a second Great Depression.

But what is absolutely true is that with all that stuff coming at folks fast and furious – a recovery package, what we had to do with respect to the banks, what we had to do with respect to the auto companies – I think people started looking at all this and it felt as if government was getting much more intrusive in people’s lives than they were accustomed to.

Now, the reason was there was an emergency situation, but I think it’s understandable that folks said to themselves, you know, maybe this is the agenda as opposed to a response to an emergency. And that’s something that I think, you know, everybody in the White House understood was a danger.

Where do I even begin??? The massive health care bill that Americans did NOT want was NOT an “emergency situation.” It was rammed through because Obama had the numbers. Period. And through all this talking, all he basically says is that the American people are scared and frustrated and don’t understand what he is doing. How arrogant and pathetic. The American people soundly rejected his agenda, yet he’s sticking to the “you’re too scared to think clearly” approach.

What happened next? The reporter followed up with: “But do you still resist the notion that voters rejected the policy choices you made?” The third time is supposed to be the charm, right? Not with Obama. Here’s his response:

Well, you know, Savannah, I think that what I think is absolutely true is, voters are not satisfied with the outcomes. I mean, if – if right now we had 5 percent unemployment instead of 9.6 percent unemployment, then people would have more confidence in those policy choices. The fact is – is that, you know, for most folks, you know, proof of whether they work or not is, has the economy gotten back to where it needs to be? And it hasn’t.

So, his policies don’t work. The American people don’t want them, and he still doesn’t see the writing on the wall. Obama later talked about building consensus on electric cars and other obscure issues that were not at the heart of this election at all. He continues to think that his way is the only way, and that is going to lead to trouble.

Obama does not get what the American people want, so it will be impossible for him to deliver it. He will continue to push forward a big government solution using more taxes and more debt. Fortunately, the American people spoke with a booming voice and the new leaders elected on Tuesday hear the message. It is not a Republican mandate or Democrat mandate, but it is a clarion call to return the federal government to the people. Make it smaller, spend less money, and return more power and control back home and away from Washington. It’s a simple message that Obama and other “elite” leaders don’t understand.

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