Obama's Godfather Speech: The president sounds more like a Corleone than a Roosevelt (Wow!)

The Wall Street Journal ^ | December 8, 2011 | Daniel Henninger, deputy editor, editorial page

[2ndDivisionVet]

Most press accounts of Barack Obama's speech in Osawatomie, Kansas, Tuesday described it as delivered by the "president of the United States." And indeed the person delivering it analogized himself to Presidents Teddy Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt, Dwight Eisenhower and Bill Clinton. In fact, the Osawatomie speech was not given by the President of the United States. It was given by the leader of the Democratic Party.

Most of the time, this distinction isn't a problem in the United States because historically people have tended to think that the office of the presidency represents "all the people." This doesn't mean everyone expects to benefit from a president's policies. What it means is that in some informal way no one has to worry that the presidential motorcade, so to speak, will drive off the road so that it can plow into you. That is no longer the case in the U.S.

The Osawatomie speech sounded like what you'd expect to hear in Caracas or Buenos Aires. As in: "The free market has never been a license to take whatever you can from whomever you can." (Applause.) And: "Their philosophy is simple. We are better off when everybody is left to fend for themselves and play by their own rules."

Some will say hearing crude Chavista populism in the Obama speech is an overreaction. That once it's understood the Kansas speech was the work of the party leader, not the president of the United States, it becomes easier to think about it without overreacting to its intense and vivid rhetoric: "Millions of working families in this country . . . are now forced to take their children to food banks for a decent meal."

[Rummyfan]

The Kansas speech was built around one concrete policy idea: that the rich and millionaires (officially still defined as families with before-tax income above $250,000) should send him more money so he can "invest" it.

[HiTech RedNeck]

This week, and apparently in the election next year, he has chosen a strategy based on fear and loathing of an opposition he identifies simply as, "They." "They argue, even if prosperity doesn't trickle down, well, that's the price of liberty."

If this conservative "They" had a chance to retort, doubtless it would be along the lines of "well, if the Democrat sponge wasn't there to soak it all up at the source, it WOULD trickle down."

[dr_lew]

If he wins, five years from now, the president's base will be about where it and nearly everyone else is today, trying to stay afloat in Barack Obama's still waters.

Well there's an optimistic assessment!

[Blado]

First of all he’s not the “president” because he’s not a “natural born citizen” = 2 citizen parents

Second of all... oh forget it

[Blado]

Not now and never has been.

[jonrick46]

It is time we spelled out what Zer0 speech actually was about. It was Marxism pure and simple. It was the anthem of the collective where in the spirit of “fairness” all have equal outcomes. It was the historic call of Communism to take from the haves and give to the have-nots. It was the godless declaration that the individual derives power from the state and not the Constitutional recognition that power comes from God and is loaned to the state. It was a declaration that the Democrat Party was the most evil organization on Earth for the freedom of the individual.

[jonrick46]

I need to make a few corrections: It is time we spelled out what Zer0's speech actually was about. It was Marxism pure and simple. It was the anthem of the collective where in the spirit of “fairness” all have equal outcomes. It was the historic call of Communism to take from the haves and give to the have-nots. It was the godless declaration that the individual derives power from the state and not the Constitutional recognition that power comes from God to the individual and is loaned to the state. It was a declaration that the Democrat Party is the most evil organization on Earth as an enemy of the freedom of the individual.

[Westbrook]

> that power comes from God to the individual and is loaned
> to the state.

I think the expression you wanted to use was, “delegated by the individual to the state.”

There is a vast difference between a cooperative and a collective.

The former is voluntary, the latter is not.

[SpaceBar]

Obama's speech could have been delivered standing on a crate during a harsh winter in St. Petersburg or Moscow ninety years ago and it would have been completely in line with the times. Replace “rich” with bourgeoisie and you got the standard boilerplate communist rhetoric. Well, we all knew he was a scum sucking commie worm, now it's just out in the open and not even subject to debate. Obama has come clean as a follower of a failed and poisonous ideology that murdered millions and enslaved millions more. We are definitely through the looking glass with this dangerous clown.

[jonrick46]

Spot on! Good call.

[mosesdapoet]

That’s Coreleone Marx..Nota Don

[olezip]

That once it's understood the Kansas speech was the work of the party leader, not the president of the United States, it becomes easier to think about it without overreacting to its intense and vivid rhetoric: "Millions of working families in this country . . . are now forced to take their children to food banks for a decent meal."

When the president said: "Millions of working families in this country . . . are now forced to take their children to food banks for a decent meal," did he add that "this is so because of my policies"?

The irresponsible spending by the Democrats of trillions of taxpayer dollars to cronies and to bail out socialist countries, plus oppressive taxes and government regulations, killing of oil jobs, has resulted in the loss of millions of American jobs. All thanks to President Obama and Democrat policies of tax and spend with no budget planning and no fiscal responsibility.

[Blueflag]

Bflr

[Ann Archy]

He’s nothing but a DIVIDER of the US....”they” aginst “us” mentality is EVIL.....and VILE.

[Ann Archy]

46 MILLION people are on FOOD STAMPS!!!!! They don’t have to go to Food Banks.....UNLESS they are GREEDY!

[y6162]

Can we call the Kenyan lizard a commie now?

[MinuteGal]

"Can we call the Kenyan lizard a commie now?"

Yes, we can.

Many of us have been calling him that since the day he was immaculated.

The night before last, Bill O'Bloviator denied Obama was even a Socialist, let alone a Marxist.

Obamie the Commie's speech finally and openly confirmed his Marxism for the world to see....yet the frightening words passed without any uproar or analysis in the media, even among the conservative pundits who clutter the TV screen and radio waves without ever calling a hammer and sickle a hammer and sickle.

Leni

[Charles Martel]

After slapping around the "wealthy" for about a half hour, Mr. Obama said, "This isn't about class warfare." Maybe that's true. In "The Godfather," when awful things are about to be done to people, Michael Corleone or Tom Hagen reassure those about to get hit, "It's not personal; it's strictly business."

Hmm. Was there a bowl of oranges anywhere in the vicinity?

[Cyber Liberty]

pflr