9-9-09--Morning Coffee

How many more do-or-die speeches will Barack Obama have to make in his presidency? There is some hidden assumptions here when this is raised every time he speaks. Why is it that people actually think any of these speeches are do-or-die?

This has been going on since he declared for the Presidency. We had the great Race Speech in Philadelphia, which we were told would either make or break his candidacy. Somehow he did fine. Then we had the big speech at the Democratic Convention, which was ridiculed before delivery by Republicans who thought the set was too grandiose. Democrats claimed he would have to tread a fine line in the speech so as not to offend Hillary.

Or remember the first trip overseas where McCain offered to be his guide to Iraq? Daily we were treated to news coverage anticipating a blunder. Would our troops greet him as they did George W? Of course,they were thrilled. In addition, critics said his proposal for withdrawal was unrealistic only to find the Iraqi government agreed. Then we had his trip to Israel, a time-bomb waiting to happen. No problem.

Then we had the Berlin speech, which would be compared to JFK and Reagan and he would have to fail. Of course, over 200,000 came out and it was superb. But then we had the flap over the military hospital, where one of his military aides was ruled a campaign officials and so a trip had to be cancelled. And it doesn't end.

The speech the night he won--would it be uniting enough. The inaugural speech with 2 million people in town--would it be bold enough? Or how about his first G-8 conference, could he command the respect of our NATO allies and the Chinese? he actually personally brokered an agreement between France and China. Or he didn't show the proper respect to Queen Elizabeth and -horrors--Michelle put her arm around the Queen. The Palace had to issue a statement saying the Queen thought this was just ducky and she loved the first lady. Off to Europe and the meeting with the Pope, whose statement of support for President Obama's social policy, was quietly ignored by American Catholics.

And off we go to everything from the Stimulus package to Health Care. Perhaps the best vantage point to get a clearer view of this phony high-wire analysis or the do-or-die analysis is the simple speech yesterday by President Obama to the schoolchildren of America and the run-up to this relatively innocuous event. We were treated to the hysteria of the right-wing alkshows denouncing his indoctrinating America's youth into socialism,soliciting their support for the Cash-for-Clunkers program and the takeover of the banks. School districts threatened by teabaggers cancelled plans for showing the speech. Here in Virginia, Herndon and Loudon county schools made no plans even though the speech was at neighboring Wakefield High School a few miles down the road.

Of course--anyone who has listened to Barack Obama on education--would find no surprises. It was a speech aimed at students but not condescending to them, urging the youth to take academic achievement seriously and as a way for the success, instead of rappers and sports idols. Nice and ,of course, naive when the country only produces wealth through the doings of morons like we're some American idol society--which we are.

The Republican and conservative response was typical--their protests forced Obama to change his speech--absolutely not true-- and that his speech was basically conservative. Libertarian Neil Boortz in a moment of clarity made it clear that Republicans and conservatives were sucked into a trap of their making and any strategist worth his salt would have known that an education speech by this President, of all people, would sound the themes that he did and would have prepared the troops for just that. Oh, no! I'm waiting for the pushback that must come when people have some collective awakening that Obama is nothing like his critics say and that every criticism so far has been nothing but blatant lies.

There is a very dirty secret here. No Republican or conservative I know ever listens to President Obama and has never heard a thing he has said about anything. I have had e-mails from people purporting to "know" about the President's townhall meetings. Having been to two in the last year, I have some idea about how to gauge the truthfulness of their accounts. Union goons and Acorn people being "bussed" in, while "real Americans" are locked out. One account had lobsters being flown in for a meal in rural Montana. Barack Obama as Emperor Jones, a grandiose blackman acting as some African despot. There are people who honestly believe it and go viral with all this nonsense. As one would expect, the Townhalls are a pretty convivial affair, made inconvenient by all the wait and security checks, but with a full cross-section of the local community there. At the two I attended, there were no Acorn people but they were probably in disguise.

So now, we are at another make or break point--in all of 8 months of a Presidency--the health care speech. If he advocates a public option, the entire health insurance industry will disappear over night. Health care will be delivered like the post office--an improvement over its current state. Death panels and Death books will be the manner of today. It will be socialized medicine. There is no real medical care crisis says Michael Gerson in todays Washington Post. There is no urgency. The President is making up a crisis--just quote Rahm Emmanuel.

Of course, all the talking heads, lobbyists, congresscritters are actually rich people and for them there really is no health crisis. Just as one conservative complained that the President's speech on education was being shown at a church, when "everyone knows students could have access to the speech on internet." My tame response was that all students do not have access to the internet--like it or not.

I'll probably listen to the speech because I've listened to all of his just so I know what lies will be said. After a while, I'd like to take a pass but I receive streams of e-mails everyday, claiming Obama's new socialist idea or other. One of those told me yesterday that our freedoms are being threatened as now time before--except the American revolution. The Civil War? World War II? Richard Nixon? Sorry. As for President Obama, he'll do just fine.