The Other McCain

"One should either write ruthlessly what one believes to be the truth, or else shut up." — Arthur Koestler

President Obama Makes A Good Point

Posted on | February 9, 2010 | 14 Comments

by Smitty

American Thinker has an excellent post concerning views on Socialism. AT quotes BHO’s NYT AF1 interview a year ago, which has some nuggets:

Q. Is there one word name for your philosophy? If you’re not a socialist, are you a liberal? Are you progressive? One word?
A. No, I’m not going to engage in that.

Later…(emphasis mine)

At 2:30 p.m., President Obama called The New York Times, saying he wanted to clarify a point from the interview. Here is a transcript of that brief call:
President Obama:Just one thing I was thinking about as I was getting on the copter. It was hard for me to believe that you were entirely serious about that socialist question. I did think it might be useful to point out that it wasn’t under me that we started buying a bunch of shares of banks. It wasn’t on my watch. And it wasn’t on my watch that we passed a massive new entitlement – the prescription drug plan without a source of funding. And so I think it’s important just to note when you start hearing folks throw these words around that we’ve actually been operating in a way that has been entirely consistent with free-market principles and that some of the same folks who are throwing the word socialist around can’t say the same.

He presaged the Pelosi-ism “Are you serious? Are you serious?”, and denied the watch three times. Elsewhere in the world, a cock crowed. Then he claimed to be operating “entirely consistent with free-market principles”, which he learned while running…something, as opposed to the current situation, where something is running him.
But in defense of the President, the last piece is telling: the genius of Progressivism has been to leach into the political and economic structure of the country over the course of a century.
The President can justify anything he wants by pointing out that he’s carrying out precedent.
Don’t hate the players: rework the game, people.

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Comments

  • Rich Fader

    If the guy on the last watch did it, and you didn’t do anything to oppose it when he did it, and you didn’t do anything to change it when you got in, guess what, Binky? You don’t get to pass it off. Because it’s just as much yours as his.

  • Rich Fader

    If the guy on the last watch did it, and you didn’t do anything to oppose it when he did it, and you didn’t do anything to change it when you got in, guess what, Binky? You don’t get to pass it off. Because it’s just as much yours as his.

  • Scott

    Want to bet someone fed him the followup answers?

    He should have written them on his hand before the interview: “Socialist
    George Bush
    Not on my watch.”

  • Scott

    Want to bet someone fed him the followup answers?

    He should have written them on his hand before the interview: “Socialist
    George Bush
    Not on my watch.”

  • http://www.coldfury.com Randy Rager

    So his policies aren’t socialist and as proof he calls previous socialist policies (which is exactly what his two examples are) “free market principles”?!?

    Either he’s dumber than dirt or he’s ignorant of the meaning of the words he’s abusing.

    Or both.

  • http://www.coldfury.com Randy Rager

    So his policies aren’t socialist and as proof he calls previous socialist policies (which is exactly what his two examples are) “free market principles”?!?

    Either he’s dumber than dirt or he’s ignorant of the meaning of the words he’s abusing.

    Or both.

  • young4eyes

    Randy,Scott, Rich…Nice try.
    “If the guy on the last watch did it, and you didn’t do anything to oppose it when he did it…”
    Well that would pretty much sum up Conservatives culpability, wouldn’t it? And that’s the point to it all. How could you be complaining about it now when you weren’t complaining about it then? Oh I forgot, this time the bus driver has a “D” next to his name.
    Scott, I want you to thank Palin for us all. She is the gift that keeps on giving.
    Randy,I know it’s hard for you to get this straight, you being used to dumbed-down explanations.
    His policies aren’t socialist, you just want to call them socialist. Point being that when they were implemented during Bush, those policies were called “free market principles”. Get it? Probably not, since you just proved that it is you ,sir, that is dumber than dirt or ignorant of the words you misinterpret.
    Or both…

  • young4eyes

    Randy,Scott, Rich…Nice try.
    “If the guy on the last watch did it, and you didn’t do anything to oppose it when he did it…”
    Well that would pretty much sum up Conservatives culpability, wouldn’t it? And that’s the point to it all. How could you be complaining about it now when you weren’t complaining about it then? Oh I forgot, this time the bus driver has a “D” next to his name.
    Scott, I want you to thank Palin for us all. She is the gift that keeps on giving.
    Randy,I know it’s hard for you to get this straight, you being used to dumbed-down explanations.
    His policies aren’t socialist, you just want to call them socialist. Point being that when they were implemented during Bush, those policies were called “free market principles”. Get it? Probably not, since you just proved that it is you ,sir, that is dumber than dirt or ignorant of the words you misinterpret.
    Or both…

  • young4eyes

    Smitty, not a bad post.
    In particular I can really get down with the idea of reworking the game.
    Probably as fair as you are going to get in a post about BO.
    Nonetheless, a well reasoned argument.
    Don’t hate the player, people. Wake up and change the game.

  • young4eyes

    Smitty, not a bad post.
    In particular I can really get down with the idea of reworking the game.
    Probably as fair as you are going to get in a post about BO.
    Nonetheless, a well reasoned argument.
    Don’t hate the player, people. Wake up and change the game.

  • http://theothermccain.com smitty

    @Y4E,
    I value your feedback as well, when conservatives are too player-focused.
    Your general mode of “be substantial, or be silent” is well-founded.

  • http://theothermccain.com smitty

    @Y4E,
    I value your feedback as well, when conservatives are too player-focused.
    Your general mode of “be substantial, or be silent” is well-founded.

  • http://samsonblinded.org/blog Mark @ Israel

    Well, it seems like Obama doesn’t want to be called a socialist. Of course, that’s an ugly word for him.

  • http://samsonblinded.org/blog Mark @ Israel

    Well, it seems like Obama doesn’t want to be called a socialist. Of course, that’s an ugly word for him.

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