diversions

I hope that Bud Light sufficiently washed down those unhealthy soon-to-be-taxed peanuts, those pricey cigarettes he raised taxes on 250% and the bitter taste of his own foot.

I’m a bit enchanted, you see – full of mirth, I tell you.

Yet, as the Cherub in Chief finally embarks on his long awaited and spectacularly orchestrated fall to earth, I’m left torn over which diversion aimed at shielding this blindingly glorious sight, indeed born on the Sun-speckled rays of Heaven above, shall go down as my favorite.

Nearly two weeks ago polling trends placed President Obama’s overall job approval below 50% for the first time.

Thankfully, at least while this brief but memorable Honeymoon lasted, Obama did treat his Lady Liberty to a Latin-flavored apology tour, bought dozens of shiny new automobile [plants] and a new house (for everyone who couldn’t afford to pay their mortgage). He sure knows how to treat a gal.

Currently, 39% of America strongly disapproves (compared with 31% strongly approving) of the president’s performance.

If one thinks it is only natural to fall so swiftly let’s recall some historical examples to gauge the novelty of a drop from 69% to 49% in just shy of his first seven months.

Often considered among the worst presidents of all time, Richard Nixon started out with a 59% approval in January of 1969, shot up to 69% by the year’s end and remained above 50% until early 1971. He spent 1971 bordering the 50% mark, shooting up to the high 50’s for 1972, and winning reelection by the biggest popular vote in American history, reaching his precipice of 69% just before Watergate broke in 1974.

Gerry Ford, of course, dropped swiftly from a post-Nixon resignation high of 70%, falling below 50% in the span of four months. (Of course, pardoning a guy who is considered among the worst presidents of all time probably didn’t sit well with America).

George H.W. Bush typically sat in the 60’s throughout his presidency, falling below 50% as the recession kicked and the ‘No New Taxes’ promise was broke in late 1991. (Also significant is the fact that his party had already controlled the White house for nearly eleven years at this point – and still, the nation approved).

Even Carter lasted a full year, holding solidly above 50% until January of 1978. (I know, I know, everyone was pretty stoned in 1978 – but even copious milkshakes can only distract and appease the senses for so long).

Bill Clinton, on the other hand, beginning with an approval rating of 56% plummeted to 37% in less than six months after taking office.

I don’t understand it, I mean, was there some kind of monstrously oversized government program being stomped down our throats around this time? Did it come packaged in red tape, bureaucracy and a vomit-colored pantsuit?

(Of course, one thing Obama learned from Clinton’s little soiree into Universal Marxism: get Hillary the hell out of the country and off the TV if we’re going to get this thing done already!)

Diversion the first: Beer Summit.

A couple weeks ago, at the close of a nauseating 50-minute press conference on the Health Care Reform bill, comprised of approximately one and half thirty-minute responses by the president, Mr. Obama was asked about the recent arrest of a Black Studies professor from Harvard University.

‘What does it say about race relations in America?’

Briefly, here are the greatest hits of that exchange: “I don’t know all the facts . . . . I’m sure there [was] some exchange of words . . . . I don’t know, having not been there, what role race played in this . . . . but the Cambridge police acted stupidly [and] there is a long history in this country of African Americans and Latinos being stopped disproportionately in this country”

We all know the outcome. Professor Gates was uncooperative, asked whether he was being asked for identification by the police because he was a “Black man in America!”

Yes, and dagnamit, with a Black Mayor, Black Governor, Black President, and a Black Studies degree, can’t a Black man get a break in Cambridge Massachusetts?! That, and I would just die if I could get some of those tasty clams from Nantucket.

One arresting officer (another Black man in America) came to the defense of the commanding officer on the scene, saying that Sgt. Crawley acted reasonably while Gates acted rather strangely.

Obama was seen as race bating. (No, not Obama, not my Obama!) White House Press Secretary Glib brilliantly added that of course the arresting officers would all stick together inasmuch as the “fraternal order” of police all voted for McCain.

Alienating and politicizing all the police in America as a lobby – a fraternal order, no less – in bed with John McCain? Ok. Sure.

In response to the backlash, the president, uh, said, uh, “there are some who say that as president, uh, I shouldn’t have stepped into this at all because it’s a local issue. Uh, I have to tell you that, uh – that thing – that part of it, I disagree with. Um. The fact that this has become such a big issue I think is indicative of the fact that, ya know, uh, race is still a troubling aspect of our society. Uh, whether I were Black or White, uh, I think that, uh, me commenting on this, uh, and hopefully contributing to constructive as opposed to, uh, negative understanding about the issue is, uh, part of my portfolio.”

Uh, ok. Quite clearly and manifestly obvious to nearly everyone, his comments contributed to “uh negative” understanding of the issue. Also, given that he so uncharacteristically paraded his race around the East Wing declaring himself testament to the racial progress we have made, what was this crap two days later about “whether I were Black or White?”

I mean, would one call such an issue part of his “portfolio” whether he were black or white? Or is it fair to assume that Obama was answering this question, not from his role as Commander in Chief, but from the role as disillusioned Black man. . . . in America.

And the “fact that it became such a big issue” is likely more indicative of the fact that most Americans own TV sets, thus were able to watch the President of the United States go on national television and insinuate that a local cop he’d never met is a racist, insofar as he is a cop and therefore racist.

Now, I have no doubt that the police officers in Cambridge overreacted, as many police officers are wont to – regardless of there being an irrational Black Studies professor with a chip on his shoulder trying to get arrested, for the sheer anecdotal quality such an arrest would have on his meaningless and wasted career.

Of course, while that’s for me as a private citizen to speculate about, its probably for the leader of the free world to decline to reflect upon and get back to Health Care Reform.

Diversion the second: Clinton in Korea.

We’re now to believe former President Clinton parachuted into North Korea in a “surprise-Boo!” effort to free the imprisoned American journalists.

First, while we’re always gladdened to hear Americans making it home and out of harms’ away from abroad, this was public relations at its most mind-spinning.

The deal for their release was already made before Clinton even showed up.

Clinton was sent for the sole purpose of causing us all to ‘oh’ and ‘aw’ over the last ‘liberal-lion’ to sit in the White House. It was part of a more than eight-year long effort to reshape and recast this sociopathic molester into a facilitator of world peace.

The deal was already made, and, what’s more, it is beneath an American president (in or out of office) to be meeting with dictators who have been openly hostile to America and who just imprisoned two American civilians for over 140 days.

Let’s also not forget Bill’s last dealings with the Koreans. The 1994 non-proliferation treaty, intended to dismantle North Korea’s nuclear weapon’s programs in exchange for allowing them to build nuclear plants, allowed them to escape the radar and continue with their nuclear program – a program which they’ve chosen to test in the vicinity of Hawaii on our Independence Day. Way to go Bill.

Diversion the third: the Health Care protesters

In dozens of town hall meetings on the Health Care reform bill, protesters have been interrupting Democratic Senators and Congressmen, with one protester, in a more memorable incident, declaring the bill a ‘bureaucratic nightmare.’

The White House is now informing members of the courtier press that these protestors have indeed been planted by lobbyists.

Just a second, are they trying to say that lobbying groups actually plant protesters at events, and that, moreover, some protestors get unruly and shout down speakers at public events?

Oh, that’s right – this is just what we call the chief tactic of militant leftists waged on non-leftist political candidates and University speakers for the last five decades.

Anyhow, a couple of things come to mind.

First, a Quinnipiac University poll shows 52% of Americans disapproving of Obama’s handling of Health Care, compared with 39% approving. This is sort of like saying ‘pro-lifers are a fringe terrorist cell’ when in fact 51% of the country self-identifies as prolife.

I don’t believe for a second people are being bussed in to protest for insurance companies.

In any event, even if they were planted: so what? It doesn’t change 52% disapproval. It also doesn’t make these people any less genuinely outraged.

Unfortunately, pride blinds the arrogant in their quest to rule people’s lives. When irreligious, egotistical leftists who worship at the shrine of secularism hold a religious view, such as that all people must have government healthcare, it becomes justifiable to drown out opposition and to force your agenda by every means necessary. Dissenters just need to be converted, that’s all.

So, diversions become useful.

And what about this little trillion-dollar Frankenstein monster?

Universal Health Care has been tossed around since the 1950’s. We know the talking points: health care is expensive because (a) evil insurance companies making profits; (b) high salaries for insurance CEOs and doctors; etc. By contrast, we’re told the federal government can bring down these costs by creating a public option to force competition for lower prices.

Of course, Medicare ought to stand as our example of the profligate inefficiency of the federal government in its attempt to provide medical care for seniors.

Medicare has proven totally unable to control costs, and most Medicare patients are finding out that their out of pocket expenses are growing. Administrative costs are also higher for Medicare patients. Medicare places no catastrophic limit on out-of-pocket expenses, as private insurance does.

Stands to reason why half of Medicare recipients also have private, supplemental insurance.

It’s also, obviously, insane to suggest, as Mr. Obama has, that the 200 million insured Americans would keep their current insurance.

Obama even subtly admitted as much in his press conference a few weeks ago: “if you found out your neighbor got the same car for . . . . less” you’d want the same deal. Yes, yes you would.

“If there’s a blue pill and a red pill” why not pay for the cheaper one? Sure. And what’s more, whichever one was good enough for Keanu Reeves is good enough for America!

Ultimately, the so called public “option” would charge lower premiums, attract all the patients, force providers to participate, pay providers less, drive many providers and private plans out of business, ultimately leaving the bill for inefficient, low-quality healthcare on the middle class.

In the end: a single-payer government health care plan with less providers, longer waits and less capital to invest in technology and innovation. Physicians will be forced to accept lower payments and thus lower income, or find new employment: thus, facilitating a decrease in incentive to enter the healthcare profession.

And now that we’re all ‘in it together’ the fed becomes the mediator and final arbiter of intimate medical decisions – as they are in all federally controlled agencies.

Not to mention, further government entanglement in biological and medical issues which are the subject of moral and ethical debates. The fight to keep tax-funded abortions out of ObamaCare may have been won in 2009, but wait and see what the revolving political powers will bring in years ahead.

Thankfully, none of the many diversions have worked long enough to get our minds off the magnificent catastrophe that is ObamaCare,

Still, I simply can’t pick which of these diversions from Obama’s fall from grace delighted me the most in these last weeks. It truly is a tough call – like picking which of your own children is your favorite. It’s time like these when a man just wishes he could have his waffle and eat it to.