March 19th 2009
Obama And Responsibility
Last night Pres. Obama faced an adoring crowd at the OC Fairgrounds – What?! Obama-adorers in Orange County?! My, how times have changed. – and answered a question about the AIG bonuses by taking personal responsibility:
He said he shared the widespread outrage over the $165 million in bonuses paid to AIG executives, which received a $180 billion bailout. But he said it was time to stop the fingerpointing.
“I’ll take responsibility,” Obama said. “I’m the president. We are going to do everything we can to deal with these specific bonuses.” (OC Register)
What does that mean, “I’ll take responsibility?” You don’t just take responsibility, you do something with it.
So will Obama admit that he is using bailout and stimulus programs to rush fat, unread bills through Congress so he can squeeze leftist reforms through without public debate or congressional hearings?
Will he look for $165 million in the presidential budget to cut so he repays us for an outrage that he takes responsibility for?
Will he stand in the doors of Congress, bully pulpit and teleprompter at the ready, to ensure that Pelosi, Reid and their greedy bretheren don’t try to pull something like this again?
And will he tell Barney Frank today to stop his crazy vote to tax all bonuses by bailout recipient companies at 90 percent because he takes responsibility?
Will he look Tim Geithner in the eye and say, “Why didn’t you tell me about this immediately upon finding out about it more than two weeks ago?” and fire the incompetent boob?
And will he look us in the eye and say, “You know, I’m not just doin’ my Obama blowin’ smoke thing here … it really was my responsibility, just like Sen. Chris (CYA) Dodd said?”
Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd said the Obama administration asked him to insert a provision in last month’s $787 billion economic- stimulus legislation that had the effect of authorizing American International Group Inc.’s bonuses.
Dodd, a Connecticut Democrat, said yesterday he agreed to modify restrictions on executive pay at companies receiving taxpayer assistance to exempt bonuses already agreed upon in contracts. He said he did so without realizing the change would benefit AIG, whose recent $165 million payment to employees has sparked a public furor. (Bloomberg)
Of course not; he will do nothing approaching truly taking responsibility for the bonuses. ”Taking responsibility” to Obama means finding nice-sounding words to get past a tough question.
After observing Obama at the fairgrounds and hearing all this and more – Obama on immigration, health care reform, the cause of the financial crisis and the way out – the libertarians on the editorial board of the OC Reg summed it up by sounding dangerously close to Rush:
Make no mistake. President Obama has manifold political and oratorical skills, and in some ways it is a pleasure to have in office a president so articulate, so personally likable, so facile with words. Seeing how he connects with people, you want to wish him the best, and we certainly want the best for the country. But the likelihood of his programs and policies making things better rather than worse is, unfortunately, rather low.
So, editorial guys, does that mean you want him to fail?
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