Steve Kroft interviews President Obama on CBS News for ’60 Minutes’ on Sept. 29, 2014.
While I normally focus on jaw-dropping examples of hypocrisy by politicians, I realize that our beloved leaders also can be absurdly brazen in their exaggerations, deceptions, and prevarications.
But sometimes you can’t help but be shocked by their chutzpah.
Sort of like the time back in 2010 that a Greek politician issued an ultimatum that his country should get a giant bailout without taking the necessary steps to rein in bureaucratic bloat.
But nothing compares with Obama’s recent claim that his opponents are trying to “bamboozle” voters.
President Obama, in a fiery speech to Democrats Friday, accused Republicans of trying to “bamboozle folks,” saying their policies on middle-class issues did not reflect their lofty talk about helping ordinary Americans. …Obama went on to lambast Republicans for their opposition to his healthcare law… “Their grand predictions of doom and gloom and death panels haven’t come true,” Obama told the roomful of Democrats. “The sky hasn’t fallen. Chicken Little is quiet.”
Given the ongoing series of Obamacare disasters, I think there’s a strong case to be made that the American people have suffered some doom and gloom.
But I’m more amazed that the President, while defending his health plan, actually had the gall to accuse others of trying to “bamboozle.”
This from the President who prevaricated when he said people could keep their doctor.
This from the President who dissembled when he said health policies would be $2500 cheaper.
This from the President who lied when he said people could keep their health plans.
This from the President who took liberties with the truth when asserting that a new entitlement would be fiscally responsible.
I could continue, but you get the point. Virtually every claim he made about Obamacare has turned out to be a falsehood, yet he wants to accuse others of bamboozling. Amazing.
Now let’s shift to another example of the Obama Administration doing something really amazing. I wouldn’t put this in the hypocrisy category of the chutzpah category.
I’m not sure if there are words that suffice, so let’s just look at this tweet from an official State Department twitter account. It’s criticizing ISIS for raising taxes on cell phone service.
https://twitter.com/ThinkAgain_DOS/status/568131166202503168
I’m sure ISIS deserves lots of criticism for many things. And I certainly don’t object to nailing them for tax hikes.
But what’s astounding is that the Obama bureaucrats didn’t bother to do the slightest bit of research. Had they done their homework, they would have realized they were throwing boulders in a glass house.
As anyone with a cell phone bill knows, phone taxes in America are significantly higher than what ISIS is charging (1000 Syrian Pounds every two months breaks down to about $2.75 per month). In fact, cell phone taxes in America make up 17 percent of monthly bills on average, while in some states it totals as high as 34 percent—charges which can easily run ten times ISIS’ monthly fee.
Heck, let’s set aside the example of cell phone taxes and look at the big picture. The American people are pillaged by higher taxes over and over again and we also get crappy government in exchange.
So if paying taxes for “poor service” makes a government illegitimate, I guess that means the State Department thinks the President should resign.
Gee, who knew that there were rabid libertarians working for this Administration.
P.S. There have been other “libertarian moments from Obama and his people, however insincere.
We have a president who thinks the government shouldn’t confiscate more than 20 percent of a company’s income, but he only gives that advice when he’s in Ghana.
And the same president says it’s time to “let the market work on its own,” but he only says that when talking about China’s economy.
We have more evidence that the President understands the dangers of class-warfare taxation and burdensome government spending. At least when he’s not talking about American fiscal policy.
And the President even applauds foreign voters on occasion when they reject big government.
If only we could get him to have this attitude inside America’s borders.
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