Barack Obama, failed president
Daily the letters and columns on The Star’s opinion pages reflect the accusations and divisiveness surrounding the presidential campaigns. Yet a rare flash of political insight appeared on March 30 — an eye-opening letter from Jim Collier of Kansas City.
The letter lays out in hard statistics the deterioration of America since President Obama took office. If you missed it, go to The Star’s website and read it.
On the same page is a letter from a Liberty resident. She, repeating President Obama’s rhetoric, blames the recession solely on the Bush administration. In fact, it was the product of Democrat-led affordable housing initiatives.
She urges readers to “stop the poisonous, racist trash talk and give this president the respect he deserves and has earned.”
Huh? The respect President Obama deserves and has earned? For what?
For becoming perhaps the most divisive president in U.S. history? Or for consistently putting his political agenda ahead of the real needs of this country and its citizens, thus prolonging the recession and record-high unemployment?
For perversely insisting that wealthy Americans pay their “fair share” when taxpayers with taxable incomes of $200,000 or more receive roughly 32 percent of the country’s individual income and pay roughly 45 percent of the country’s individual taxes? Or for his administration’s regulatory and legal attacks on businesses, which diminish their financial health and ability to create jobs?
For having his administration guarantee $500 million in loans to Solyandra, a “green energy” company run by a key Obama fundraiser and crony — a company that tanked a year later at taxpayer expense? Or for his actually wanting gasoline prices to rise to the $5-plus levels found in Europe so he can continue to justify his unproductive and unprofitable “green energy” subsidies?
Or for big-picture ideas like urging Americans to inflate their tires properly, tune-up their cars regularly and walk, rather than drive, to the unemployment office?
For his “lead from behind” foreign-relations policies which are diminishing America’s influence and alliances throughout the world? Or for beginning to gut America’s military to redirect the money into financially unsustainable entitlement programs?
For trying to trample the constitutional rights of every American of every religious and political persuasion through the “individual mandate” and contraception coverage provisions in his budget-busting 2,700-page Obamacare legislation?
Mr. Collier’s statistics are concrete and color-blind, not “racist trash talk.” If you are a thinking person — whether liberal or conservative — these statistics should make you seriously weigh the cost of another four years of Obama’s misguided rule. Or another term for his senatorial pal, Claire McCaskill.
In Obama, we have a president who is pursuing his own version of “The American Dream,” shaped by his left-leaning education and mentors. This includes years attending a church whose radical pastor defamed America to his congregation rather than say “God bless America.”
Unfortunately, Obama defines America and its free-enterprise economy in terms of oppression and exploitation rather than freedom and opportunity. His priorities of the past three years reflect that.
Mr. Collier’s statistics clearly show the failure of Obama’s policies. According to Real Clear Politics, recent polls show that 60 percent of voters think America is “headed in the wrong direction.”
This is your America, not Obama’s, and not Claire McCaskill’s.
Are you really excited about where it’s headed?
Stephen Brewer operates his own business providing marketing research and marketing consulting to law firms in the U.S. and Canada. Reach him by email at oped@kcstar.com or write to Midwest Voices, c/o Editorial Page, The Kansas City Star, 1729 Grand Blvd., Kansas City, Mo. 64108.
JR Beillenhouser
1 year, 1 month agoYou’re not going to be a contributing columnist for long. Thanks for the truth. Sorry that this is your last column ever.
Rick Adams
1 year, 1 month agoWhat got the Kansas Jayhawks as far as they did this year was their ability to play together.
It made Bill Self look like a great coach ( he his, no doubt ).
But if the individual players had continued to fundamentally not WANT to play with half of the team they would not have made it into the Big 8 tourney.
Those of you on the right may disagree until the cows come home - but the color of the mans skin in Washington IS a contributing factor just like it is when you get a women boss or someone younger than you. You pout and refuse to get along or even try.
I’m in the locker rooms with you, I am in the line in the supermarket, Johnnys, the parts counter at Superior Chevrolet, you tell me what your momma said over Christmas; I hear the jokes too - its the Black Man in the White House.
Contraception, VoterID - its more of the same; people who don’t look like you or what they did in a black and white episode of Leave it to Beaver.
Steve Alleman
Kansas City
1 year, 1 month agoYou wingnuts have been screaming about Obama’s ‘failed presidency’ since January 21, 2009, and you expect people to think you have some credibility when you says he’s “the most divisive president in US history”? Please.
George Hunsucker
Northland
1 year, 1 month agoRight Rick, it is all about you lib’s bogeyman race. what would you talk about if you didn’t bring-up Race?????
Steve, don’t let FACTS cloud your vision. Chuck listed several, I guess they did not register…
Come on November 6!!!!!
Marc Taylor
1 year, 1 month agoChuck,
While we appreciate the hard work gathering the stats, you may want to do at least a few seconds of analysis. That is; your stats are measurements taken AS OF Obama taking over the presidency. Virtually all of those stats were trending in an unstoppable straight line down. Now if you’d like to compare results starting after they were able to put the brakes on the economic collapse, then your numbers might actually mean something… they are all now trending upward, by the way.
Just ask yourself this… where would we be had McCain and Palin won? Would we have an auto industry? Would we be removed from Iraq and leaving Afghanistan? Might we have bomb-bomb-bombed Iran and continued the global cowboy attitude? Any health care ideas? Medicare?
And after that, tell us how Romney will save the world. Please. We would love to here it.
Marc Taylor
1 year, 1 month agoStephen Brewer,
Wow! Tough one to discuss. We call that a “kitchen sink” commentary… when desperation sinks in, you through everything but the kitchen sink at them, whether true or not, then hope someone reads it and it sticks.
To start at the top:
Most divisive? I’m white, 60, born out of corporate America, middle class, and I think this guy makes more sense than anyone I’ve heard in years. Divisiveness is a two way street. Divisiveness can come directly from a party that doesn’t want to “play”. That would be the GOP.
Obama pushed the stimulus to try to stop the free-fall and to kick-start the economy. By many economists, it was too small, but it was all that the politicians could muster. While that was in implementation, he pushed health care reform… he’s kind of a “more than one thing at a time” president. It’s not called lack of focus, it’s called getting things done.
Taxes? We currently have the lowest taxes we’ve had in years. The 3.6% tax increase for the poor old rich people amounts to an extra $360 on a $100,000 project with a 10% ROI. Yep, that would just break old daddy’s back, you know…
The response to your article would require an op ed… but let me finish by saying that there’s more sides to every story than we can count, and your comes from a position so far right that most in the middle can’t see it… sorry.
Brian Mundell
1 year, 1 month agoThe sheep follow him over the cliff.
Mark Hastert
1 year, 1 month ago“there is no question that Mr Obama inherited an economy in the ditch…..the longest recesssion in post WWII America….”
Read more here: http://voices.kansascity.com/entries/barack-obama-failed-president/#storylink=cpy
Absolutely! and since then almost continuous job growth. So while your statistics are real it’s accurate to say that nearly all of the lost jobs came under the last guy’s watch. It’s perfectly clear that policies of low taxes, deregulation, and lax oversight did not produce the promised prosperity. the Republicans and many of the Democrats drank the Wall St Koolaid and we have all suffered for it. The difference being that the Republicans still have their Koolaid stand open.
As for our auto industry, frankly how much healthier can it get? GM back to #1 and making a big profit. Nearly all our money is going to be paid back. Millions of jobs saved and then new ones created. Breaking GM up and selling off the pieces (it’s been proven that the private funds Romney touted in his Op-Ed did not exist at the time) would have destroyed GM. Contrary to your assertion, the UAW made huge concessions to the new GM that have contributed to the come back. These are far better returns than what we risked on the Wall St bankers who were responsible for the recession in the first place.
Your speculation regarding Iraq & Iran is just that, your personal speculation.
Use all the statistics and numbers you want but use them accurately and be prepared to live with them.
Sam Woods
1 year, 1 month agoWay to get all the Rush Limbaugh talking points into one piece of commentary, Mr. Brewer. If nothing, you are efficient, no one should have to listen to Rush ever again. My question is, are the republican mouth pieces ever going to come up with anything new? Most divisive president in history? How about the second President Bush? Oh no, wait, by the end of his term 80% of Americans didn’t like him. The GOP is hurt by rejection, and they have made this the most divisive 4 years I can remember. I’m guessing President Obama doesn’t have anything on President Lincoln in this area. Republicans win for hyperbole, though.
Republicans should probably look inward and justify to themselves how it’s okay that Romney destroyed Santorum and bought the primary. I don’t hold out much hope, as republicans were fine with candidate Bush smearing McCain’s adopted daughter. I’ll stick with President Obama, thanks.
Glen Enloe
1 year, 1 month agoA very thoughtful column, Mr. Brewer. As you see, the liberal wolves are out after you now. But don’t be discouraged. Few want to hear the truth and are often punished for daring to say it. Truly, President Obama has failed by the measure of any sane man. Sadly, he continues to double-down on his mistakes as the nation suffers. Keep speaking the truth. There are many who are listening.
Mark Hastert
1 year, 1 month ago.”you accept the statistics …..which clearly state that we currently have 2,483,000 fewer working Americans than we did the day the man took office” Read more here: http://voices.kansascity.com/entries/barack-obama-failed-president/#storylink=cpy
Ya got to drill down into those stats Chuck, drill, baby drill! We’ve had continuous steady job growth since Big O stopped the hemmoraging. The economy was in free fall as you have acknowledged. The job losses bottomed out in Dec/January ‘08-09. 2,600,000 lost! (Kinda coincides with your other stats there doesn’t it?) Embrace your stats, take ownership of them!
You’re right about one thing though it hasn’t been enough to make up for new workers that have come on line in the interim. Of course when you have a political party sworn to see to it that the Big O fails he’s kinda been swimming upstream against a tide of negativity intent on undermining the economy for political gain. Face it, the more people who are unemployed the better the GOP likes it. They’re happy to see people lose their jobs and their homes and all they worked for, it’ll make Big O look bad, or will it make them look bad?
I can see it all now, a political commercial with clips of Rush, and Republican after Republican saying that they want the recovery to fail so that Big O is a one termer. Like with the Wall St bankers, people don’t like it when others bet on them to lose. It gives them the impression that the game is rigged. Wrap up the commercial with a few excerpts from the Ryan budget and you’ve got a winner!
George Hunsucker
Northland
1 year, 1 month agoThat’s the only kind of commercial the big 0(as in Zero) could run mark… He certainly cannot run one of his “accomplishments” unless it would be the number of bows… Maybe he could do one with clips showing him repeatedly bowing to various dictators mark… Why don’t you work on that one?????
Brian Mundell
1 year, 1 month agomark continues to twist the truth via his talking points. Every post you make ignores the truth and use statistics to twist the way you want things to be.
George Hunsucker
Northland
1 year, 1 month agoor maybe zero man could run on this….
http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/295488/our-contemptuous-president-mark-steyn
Carol McArthur Johnson
1 year, 1 month agoIf the “American military” isn’t a “financially unsustainable entitlement program”, I don’t know what is.
Get your head out of your arse, and I might listen to you.
Carol McArthur Johnson
1 year, 1 month agoAnd by “American military” I mean the the military-industrial complex, for all you about to go “support the troops” on me.
George Hunsucker
Northland
1 year, 1 month agoEArth to Carol…. Providing for the common defense ring a bell with you? If you are talking abut all our troops based in such places as Europe, then I agree with you. if you are talking about protecting me from those cra zy Muslems, then I disagree… Which is it Carol?