Obama Presidency: Bullying from the Pulpit
by Chris BergThere used to be a certain level of decorum incumbent upon the office of the President of the United States. After all, the office is more than the man that occupies it. It’s also more than his politics or platform. In many ways the Presidency is the embodiment of America. It’s the face we put forward to the world. With the election of President Obama the presidency has also awakened dreams in many children who never believed the White House was attainable.
The mandates of the office dictate how those entrusted with its power should act. The Obama White House has failed to maintain the high standards of this office. Rather than operating in a dignified manner the staff has desecrated the office by resorting to old-school Chicago-style politics. That is to say they’ve used the Presidency to reward their friends and single out and attack their enemies.
The White House bully pulpit should be used to advocate for policies to benefit the American public. Instead we’ve seen it used to inure benefits to political supporters and to wage campaigns against critics.
The National Endowment for the Arts call on August 10, 2009 is a prime example of how the Obama Administration has sought to reward its friends. They invited “artists, producers, promoters, organizers, influencers, marketers, tastemakers, leaders or just plain cool people” to advocate on behalf of the Obama Administration. Buffy Wicks from the White House Office of Public Engagement used the call to express her “deep appreciation for all the work that you all put into the campaign for the two plus years that we all worked together.” Ben Shapiro has revealed how this improper political call violated a slew of federal laws in a shallow attempt to reward Obama’s political supporters and enlist their aid in producing government sponsored propaganda.
While rewarding supporters the White House has also aggressively used the bully pulpit to attack and intimidate those who dare to offer a dissenting viewpoint. These bullying tactics include singling out talk show hosts and engaging in a vicious campaigns against them. Press Secretary Robert Gibbs has targeted Rush Limbaugh, Jim Cramer, and Rick Santelli.
The Obama Administration has also attacked Fox News calling it “a wing of the Republican Party.” White House Communications Director Anita Dunn has been using her position extract revenge on Fox News for a grudge she still holds against the network resulting from its coverage of the Obama campaign.
Recently the Obama Administration has set its sights on the voice of business, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. The Administration has honed in on the organization for opposing the White House healthcare and climate change proposals. The President has called their advertisements “completely false.” He has made public statements criticizing the organization for its policy proposals and impact. When viewed in light of the NEA call the lesson becomes clear, Obama welcomes your input as long as you agree with him.
The Obama White House isn’t winning on the issues. Their fight for universal healthcare has not met with the approval of the American public. They’ve had to enlist the help of the Obama Campaign machine which is now housed at the Democratic National Committee under the auspices of the Organizing for America banner to fight for the President’s policy proposals.
While Organizing for America has advocated for the President’s policy proposals, Robert Gibbs and Rahm Emanuel have turned the White House into a powerful weapon used to quell political dissent. Even the Left has to admit that President Bush had too much respect for the office to use it in such a distasteful manner.
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[...] From The White House Pulpit Wednesday, October 28th, 2009 There used to be a certain level of decorum incumbent upon the office of the President of the United States. After [...]
You nailed it Chris. This administration reminds me more of the Mafia than the No. 1. representative of the Amerian people. They go after their supposed enemies and refuse to investigate corruption such as ACORN. I have never seen a president in my lifetime abuse the office to this level.
"This is the first president that actually writes his own books since Teddy Roosevelt and arguably the first to write them really well since Lincoln. If you accept the premise, and I do, that the United States is the most powerful country in the world, then Barack Obama is the most powerful writer since Julius Caesar. That has to be good for American artists".
-Rocco Landesman
October 21, 2009
Barack Obama — well, he did have all that time as a copy-editor to really hone his skills. But Caesar wasn't so good for the *Republic*, Rocco.
"After assuming control of government, he began extensive reforms of Roman society and government. He heavily centralized the bureaucracy of the Republic and was eventually proclaimed "dictator in perpetuity".
"In many ways the Presidency is the embodiment of America" And therein lies the issue with this president. He is NOT an American (I am not referring to the birth certificate issue). He has not experienced "Americanism" as a youth. He was raised in a hostile environment from that racist Wright to Ayers. He has little respect or regard for true hard working Americans as he views them through the prism of "whitey stole from blackie". And now its time to redistribute the wealth.
He breezed through several universities on affirmative action grants. Never held a traditional job. Was the beneficiary of racist "tokenism" which he gladly accepted. He is a pathological liar to the nth degree. People are
finally waking up to the destruction he is causing within this great country…. the most exceptional country history has ever witnessed. And all due to principled and hard working Americans…not Chicago thugs like this sorriest excuse for a president. He will be gone soon… Thank God…
I might have missed it, but where are the thousands of people coming forward to be featured upon TV telling their stories about how they knew Obama before he became president? You would think that people who went to school with him at Occidental, or Columbia *cough*, or Harvard &c. would be dying to tell their stories, that we'd see them all the time, that it would NEVER stop (they knew God, after all). Where are all these people?
Never before has our "President" showed such an arrogant lack of respect for the citizens of the United States and the office he now occupies. HIs actions so far have been an embarrassing disgrace to this office and a slap in the face of every "real" American. He needs to stop acting like a hollywood "celebrity" and start acting like the responsible president he promised us during his campaign.
Not a day goes by that Obama is not on TV, in front of a camera somewhere. Yesterday he was giving away a couple of billion to a solar energy project, and campaigning for next weeks Governors races. We have been inundated and saturated with him. The more he speaks, the less relevant he becomes. While our troops wait for him to get off his arse and make a decision, he runs frantically hither and yon, looking for a microphone and camera. You can't even open your homepage online, without some idiotic mesage "Obama says……."
I can't wait for the day that his picture is displayed on a milk carton……….
I heard stimulous funds for construction were being doled out to companies that were unionized, the contracts arent being awarded to those that can do the job most efficiently, lowest cost but by union status, which is at a higher cost, so our tax money/stimulous money is being used by Obama to reward his political allies, thanks for looking out for all of us Obama, youre so post-partisan, I'm disgusted with our president
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by DRIP USA, AZ grassroots and Courtney Somers, Cole Younger. Cole Younger said: Big Government Obama Presidency: Bullying from the Pulpit – There used to be a certain level of decorum incumbent u… http://ow.ly/15XQjU [...]
Unlike Michelle O…for the first time in my life I am embarrassed to be American. I long for a president (representative) who shares American values!
I often wonder about this. Also, where is all the documentation that he attended these schools? Transcripts, papers written? How can all of these things stay hidden?
Perhaps they have already learned that it is not healthy to stand against Obama. As the article states this is Chicago style politics. Arms are twisted until the desired response is obtained. Forget about waterboarding our enemies that is called torture, Chicago has other technics, unfortunately they only work here and have not effect on those that want to kill us.
The method of treating supporters well and punishing dissidents is very typical of all communists leaders and dictators. We are in my opinion watching the birth of a dictator in the US.
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This post was mentioned on Twitter by Robert C. Griffin: Obama Presidency: Bullying from the Pulpit http://bit.ly/16iS90
#tcot…
you have to love his speech last week….when he said that the US Chamber of Commerce has spent 500 million dollars over the past 10 years on lobbyists in washington….well, when you take the time to look at all the financial statements for Unions across America, e.g., AFL-CIO, SEIU, Teachers, etc etc …….they spend more than the USCC….and spend even more on the ground with their local activists commiting voter fraud, like ACORN……Obama needs to be fair and balanced with his financial facts and attacks…….the Chamber is just trying to stay even with all the UNIONS!
Before Saddam Hussein was toppled, CNN showed that they were willing to hide things he was doing wrong to maintain their access. Years before, Walter Duranty showed that members of the press are willing to cover up the death of millions for their ideological fellow travelers. So why shouldn't Obama expect the media to be his lap-dogs both to maintain their access and because they share his politics?
Please, guys, stop referring to Obama as a "Chicago thug" and particularly as like "the Mafia." I've spent my entire adult life in the Chicago area, most of that long, long time in and around Cicero. Some of my closest friends have been Chicago thugs, and while membership in the Mafia is restricted to those born in Sicily of Sicilian blood, I do know the types of antics that would have any such gentlemen removed from the membership roster in rather abrupt fashion.
Obama certainly seems to fit the pattern of the worst type of Chicago politican, but he would not be allowed to run a book joint as a Chicago thug. He would be shunned as a "disgrace to the Underworld." The Chicago mob has standards, among which are loyalty and being a "stand up." Someone who throws his rat-partners under a bus when things break bad? No Chicago thug would steal a candy bar with a guy that can't be trusted.
Prediction: He will be impeached.
Minor correction to the headline if you please. "Obama Presidency: Bullysh!t from the Pulpit."
especially when the govt. is trying to expand its powers over business', private business' are acting reasonable and rational to be wary of the govt. during times like these, especially media companies because they are dependent on the govt. for their liscences.
I think the reason we dont hear negative stories from people is that the media companies dont want to piss off the govt. because they fear repurcussions, and I think anyone who has a negative Obama story also fears repurcussions, I mean my god look what they did to joe the pluber, all he did was ask our pencil necked geek president a question. I cant believe how arrogant our political leaders have become, its pretty weird.
The evil Fox News had a graphic on the other night which compared Obummer's campaign appearances in his first 10 months to Bush's and Clinton's. If I misremember correctly, Obummer had 26, Bush 6 and Clinton 5. The man is stuck in campaign mode. He doesn't have to be President or make a decision, he's appointed czars to do that for him. Which is a neat way to segue into my paraphrase Hamlet's soliloquy:
To surge, or not to surge: that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of Fox News,
Or to take arms against a sea critics,
And by opposing end them?
All of Obama's misdeads are recorded. They are on youtube and other media. They will be played back and generate pain for Dems that run for office. Obama want maybe 10% of his votes by reason of people voting against Bush and associating Mccain with Bush. Next election, association with obama may cost the dems 20% of the votes.
I personally am not convinced they are being kept hidden… A more likely scenario is that they don't exist or perhaps they exist in a lesser form…. Why else would they not be available ? One cannot support his lies with ACTUAL DOCUMENTS !
Just a reminder of how petty Obama is- remember what happened to Joe the Plumber, that big hulking galut insulted skinny pencil necked geek Obama with a question, that meanie. So our courageous president attacks with his muscular political power, a regular American JOE THE PLUMBER with a bunch of burreaucratic slings and arrows. Assoundingly assinine and petty political BS, the president is an embarassment to civil society
Boy, do I hope you are right on that one!
LOVED the very appropriate subtle reference…… Well done !
I agree wholeheartedly! Unfortunately he is aided and abetted by an army of useful idiots.
Barry as “St. Francis of Assisi” perfect. The more that Barry, and his Marxist minions push, the more intense the resolve of real America becomes. The election of 08 was not a referendum on Socialism, but the classic, “throw the bums out,” 2010 is going to be a repeat. The parasitic left, and Washington in general, will become hysterical as the election of 2010 approaches. As is normal, Washington has misread the electorate. We want less government, not more. Washington is shaking in their government issued boots, and they can hear and feel America getting angrier, and angrier. If you’re in the political “business” right or left, don’t make long term plans, 2010 is coming and you may have to get a job yet, 2010, 2010….
Today's WSJ editorial spoke to this issue, too…
"The WellPoint Revelation : Private insurance premiums could triple under ObamaCare."
"Washington is captivated by the Senate melodrama over the so-called public option, salivating at the ring of Harry Reid's political bell. But the most important health-care questions continue to be about the policy substance—particularly those that Democrats don't want asked…."
"… At the request of Congressional delegations worried about their constituents—call it a public service—WellPoint mined its own actuarial data to model ObamaCare in the 14 states where it runs Blue Cross plans."
"Not even two hours after Wellpoint had presented its materials on the Hill, Democrats were already trashing it—which, considering that it runs to some 238 pages and took weeks to prepare, must have required remarkable powers of digestion and analysis…."
"So in its Saul Alinsky fashion, the White House again attacks the messenger so it can avoid rebutting the message. In fact, what distinguishes the Wellpoint study is its detailed rigor…." (see rest at wsj.com)
Losers have taken over the govt.!
Now now, there you go again not looking at the positive. He is doing what he does best, campaigning and raising money. Ooops here I go, I meant spend money, other people's money. Our troops are waiting, the enemy is not, more casualties yesterday.
The milk carton has to go, it is a dairy product and we are supposed to become vegetarians to protect the earth. Okay we will let you have milk, if BHO's picture can be on it, what a president has to do to please his people!
He can't be gone soon enough to suit me. Many others in DC would be doing this nation a great service if they just vanished. Why doesn't our legal system help us? What happened to balance of powers?
Well look at campaign money and you get a hint of what it is all about. He raised 745 millions and spent 730 millions. It is more than anybody ever did before and it is more than double what the republicans spent. Never in our history had an election been bought like this one. No special interests? Give us a break BHO who the heck paid all this money. Now they want their dues, acorn, seiu and all the others who got him there. There is no free lunch except we are paying for BHO's lunch and it is expensive.
and he spent 730 millions in a 2 year campaign without any lobbyist money? Don't think so.
I also hope you're right, but I predict you're wrong.
You are so right, a spine is required.
Funny post
Yes yes I can't wait for that.
Well said, Jordan.
One can only hope. The ONLY salvation for America at this point.
Um, Rocco, you do realize that Uhbama didn't *actually* write "Dreams From My Father", right? So he's actually the most fraudulent writer since, oh, how about Joe Biden?
Forget the milk carton. I want his picture up in every post office.
1180 days, 00 hours, 11 minutes, and 9,8,7,6,5,4,3 seconds until Obama leaves office, and counting………..
Obama cares way too much for himself and way too little for the office.
From your lips to God's ears.
Obama is what results from affirmative action programs and misplaced liberal white guilt. Compare and contrast Obama with Thomas Sowell for example. Sowell is an intellectual and I would say a genius. Here’s a brief history of his academic background (from Wikipedia):
Sowell attended Stuyvesant High School, but dropped out at age 17 because of financial difficulties and a deteriorating home environment.[2] To support himself he worked at various jobs, including in a machine shop and as a delivery man for Western Union. He applied to enter the Civil Service and was eventually accepted, which prompted a move to Washington DC. He was drafted in 1951, during the Korean War, and was assigned to the US Marine Corps. Due to prior experience in photography, he worked in a photography unit.
After discharge, Sowell passed the GED examination and enrolled at Howard University. He transferred to Harvard University, where in 1958 he graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics. He received a Master of Arts in Economics from Columbia University in 1959, and a Doctor of Philosophy in Economics from the University of Chicago.
He has said that in his 20’s he was a Marxist but after studying economics and seeing Marxist theories in play in his own community that he felt harmed rather than helped the people there he dismissed the Marxist philosophy.
Get the difference? Sowell used his intellect to reject Marxism, Obama isn’t intellectual enough to do the same. Obama is a “not ready for prime time president”. That’s why he spends so much time golfing, taking the FLOTUS to Broadway plays and junketing off to lobby for the Olympics. He really is waaay over “his paygrade” as POTUS. I think he thought he could just delegate the presidency to others and now that this is backfiring on him, he’s clueless and can only blame the previous administration for his current woes. He has no class and no clue and has brought the noble office of the POTUS down. I saw this coming last November when this idiot-in-chief was elected.
Of all the Presidents I've lived under, Obama is the worst. I have never seen so much corruption, intimidation and incompetence from any of the others as I see out of this administration and they are only in the first year. The Obama administration make the Clinton and Nixon administrations look like amateurs in these areas.
What this egotistical socialist has forgotten is that the WHITE HOUSE belongs to the American people…not him and his minions. But we, conservatives, have only ourselves to blame. We are the majority in this country but we have been quiet and complacent over the years when confronted with the blatant disregard of our great country’s heritage and values. We have let our schools, court systems and our politicians chip away our core values, our constitutional rights and our right to live freely. We did not stand up to the far left liberals while they kept shrilling about political correctness and bogus racism claims. And now we are paying the price. It is my hope that the true conservatives (Not RINO’s)find their voice before the 2010 elections and before the next presidential elections. If not for ourselves, we owe it to our children’s future and their children’s future.
Good news from across the pond!
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/nilegardiner/10...
Good news from across the pond!
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/nilegardiner/10...
Robert Gibbs is on TV yammering about how this is the most trapsparent and ethical Administration in years. Well kiss my ass! He sure fooled me………
Charles Krauthammer has an excellent article about why Obama is only average. While that is a huge come-down for a messiah, "average" is still too generous in describing Obama's view of his office and America. Mr. Krauthammer's more recent comments are more on the mark — that Obama & Co. are both "disgusting" and "disgraceful" when bashing George W. Bush to avoid owning their own shortcomings.
Watching these politicians is like watching a bunch of elementary kids on a playground. I have to talk up the website http://www.Dearpolitician.org. The site totally rocks! You want to write your politicians without the hassle of looking for all their addresses, printing them off, buying paper, envelopes and stamps, then you need to check http://www.Dearpolitician.org. Not only are they FREE and non-partisan, they will even deliver your letters to all the politicians you choose the same day. You can even send your letter to complete Senate and Congressional committees. Check these guys out!
I have watched presidential elections and aspirants to that office since my first vote cast for president in 1972, that going to George McGovern. (what can I say, I was young and impressionable)
I have never seen a President so blatantly and unapologetically use that office in the "power politics" manner that this Obama administration has. There has always been behind the scenes political string pulling and dealing to get agendas enacted, but this "Chicago way" has debased this office like no other preceding it.
If this group (Obama administration and Congressional enablers) are not refuted and dismantled in the 2010 and 2012 elections, it may be too late to ever stem the tide of "change" that people fell for. Change for the sake of change? That's fine for a hairstyle, but maybe now a lot of people will look deeper at issues and substance and less at pageantry and pomposity.
This is what you get when you vote based on promises rather than character. The writing was on the wall but America chose to ignore it in favor of promises of hope and change.
Lincoln never wrote a book.
JFK didn't write his books either.
I've read Julus Caesar in the original Latin and he was a far better writer than Billy Ayers and it was Billy who wrote Barry's books for him.
Obama is spending a ton of money to keep all of those records hidden.
Don't forget what was done to Larry Sinclair or the murder of Barry's other homosexual lover from Trinity church.
Walter Duranty got the Pulitzer for praising Stalin and the USSR………….not of "covering up" for it. What he and the N.Y. Times did, was far worse than just "covering up"!
The N.Y. Times BURIED news about Hitler and concentration Camps during WW II !
Obama is part of the Daley THUG machine.
That has often worked hand in glove with the Mafia there.
You may live in the burbs of Chicago, but your knowledge of it is sparse.
Not with the House in Dem hands, he won't !
And impeachment, alone, doesn't get rid of sitting president. It's up to the Senate ajnd ONLY the Senate, to throw out a president. That didn't happen to Clinton, who is the ONLY elected president to be impeached. Neither did it happen to Andrew Johnson, who wasn't elected, but was also impeached, but not thrown out of office.
Which is why Fauxbama is going to enact immigration reform. Legalize millions of illegals and give them free or very cheap healthcare subsidized by our increased taxes because he needs a new voting constituency to keep him and the Dems in power. He's lost the seniors and RINOS and he's fast losing the independents and conservative democrats. Even young people are starting to wake up to the massive debt they're being saddled with by Fauxbama in his deliberate quest to tank our economy and sell out our country to Marxism.
what do you expect from a cokehead
Can you smell what Barack is cookin’? It’s unbelievable what they want you to do to save the world.
http://animal-farm.us/change/blow-it-out-your-ass-740
On the other hand, you don't know me from Adam's housecat, so you have no clue about what I know or who I know.
In any event, the comment was meant to be humorous, but would only be interpreted as such by those with a sense of humor. Lighten up.
Thanks, pazzi. My humor apparently offended 1redcent. Oh well, win some, lose some.
The best way to deal with a bully, is to stand up and call his punk-azz out. Let's go Barry, you marxist pos. You and Harry and Nancy against the American people. And just to make it fun, bring the rest of the two traitorous political partys with you, 'cause you're ALL goin' down, HARD!
Merry, don't be so sure that you aren't known.
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