Fear Tactics - Obama Style

On Wednesday, December 16th, President Obama told a television audience that if the "health care bill" did not pass, "the Federal Government will go bankrupt" and that health care costs are going to consume the entire federal budget." Unfortunately this appears to be a continuing theme in the Obama administration. If you cannot promote a sensible and fiscally sound agenda for the public then sell it by pure fear tactics. Earlier this month on December 9th he told a group of Republican leaders to "stop trying to frighten the American people".

This type of leadership is totally unacceptable and disgraceful coming from the President of the United States. It is not incidental but a protracted way of thinking that goes back to the fall of 2008 after his election when his designated Chief of Staff, Rahm Emanuel, stated "Rule one: Never allow a crisis to go to waste. They are opportunities to do big things." Certainly since that time, it has been the modus operanti for the Obama Administration. If there is something to be accomplished, it must be done now without haste. On January 25, 2009 just nine days after taking office, President Obama stated "These urgent dangers to our national and economic security are compounded by the long-term threat of climate change, which, if left unchecked, could result in violent conflict, terrible storms, shrinking coastlines and irreversible catastrophe." On February 4th when discussing the economy he stated "but make no mistake, a failure to act -- and act now--will turn crisis into a catastrophe...

Everything that occurs on the Obama watch is a crisis about to become a catastrophe. Speaking in Elkhart, Indiana over the job losses, he again warned that "if we don't act immediately, millions of more jobs will be lost. He used this fear mongering to establish the Bank bailout, the stimulus bill, and the "Cash for Clunkers" programs. Everything that came before Congress or his desk had catastrophic consequences if we failed to act. On September 9th in a joint session of Congress, he stated "I will not sign a plan that adds one dime to our deficits." But then said "If we do nothing, our deficit will grow. More families will go bankrupt. More businesses will close. More Americans will lose their coverage when they are sick and need it the most. And more will die as a result." I should remind the reader, that although he said he would not add a dime to our deficits, the federal debt has grown from $10.6 trillion dollars when he took office to $12.1 trillion dollars this week, an increase of nearly 15% in eleven months. Now the President wants to increase the debit limit to $13.9 trillion dollars.

This is no way to lead a country. I previously noted that Barack Obama gave himself a B+ for his first 11 months in office. In my opinion he should receive a D- for leadership.

Nothing is more despicable than respect based on fear. Albert Camus