Failure Upon Failure - The disintegration of the Obama presidency

The Weekly Standard ^ | October 20, 2014 | Stephen F. Hayes

[Cincinatus' Wife]

A year before his first inauguration, Barack Obama laid out the objective of his presidency: to renew faith and trust in -activist government and transform the country. In an hourlong interview with the editorial board of the Reno Gazette-Journal on January 16, 2008, Obama said that his campaign was already “shifting the political paradigm” and promised that his presidency would do the same. His model would be Ronald Reagan, who “put us on a fundamentally different path,” in a way that distinguished him from leaders who were content merely to occupy the office. “I think that Ronald Reagan changed the trajectory of America in a way that Richard Nixon did not. And in a way that Bill Clinton did not.”

If Reagan sought to minimize the role of government in the lives of Americans, Obama set out to do the opposite. “We’ve had a federal government that I think has gotten worn down and ineffective over the course of the Bush administration, partly because philosophically this administration did not believe in government as an agent of change,” he complained.

“I want to make government cool again,” he said.

Obama believed in government, and he was confident that his election would signal that the American people were ready to believe again, too.

As we approach the sixth anniversary of his election, the Obama presidency is in tatters. Obama’s policies, foreign and domestic, are widely seen as failed or failing. His approval rating is near its lowest point. Obama’s base of support is loyal and fierce and shrinking. Much of the country sees him as incompetent or untrustworthy, and government, far from being “cool,” is a joke on good days and a threat on bad ones.

[RipSawyer]

He can stay on the golf course the next two years, the country is destroyed, the main goal of his puppet presidency is accomplished. If he were as smart as he was supposed to be he might be getting a little worried about now.

[Maceman]

History will remember him as an idiot socialist who should have never been permitted on White House grounds.

It depends who gets to write the history.

Let's not forget that the self-serving corrupt scumbag Bill Clinton, who damaged our country in real ways, and who today promises a world without profits, as if that would be a positive development, is today treated as a wise elder statesman.

[Caipirabob]

I have to agree, it depends on who writes the history.

Although in this case, the level of utter fail may lead to a dramatic realignment for those on the left. They are about to be “swept into the fire” right along side of those they have persecuted all these years.

Otoh, some people are beyond recovery...

[MosesKnows]

It depends who gets to write the history

History is lies agreed upon.

[RipSawyer]

“Cool again? what kind of idiot ever thought the government was cool?”
////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
The kind who voted for Barack Whoaintsane Obama? Seriously, one of the qualifications for voting should be to demonstrate an understanding that government is NEVER COOL, it is at its best a necessary evil.

[Travis McGee]

[RipSawyer]

“Never dreamed I’d see a slothful, willful, petulant, vindictive child in that office.”
////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
I thought we had already seen that between the bushes.

[dead]

That was a long read, but a terrific summation and timeline, that gave a cool-headed review of the story so far.

There's two more years left for it to get much uglier, unfortunately.

[sportutegrl]

The Four Horsemen of Apocalypse as named in Revelation are Conquest, War, Famine, and Death.

The third horseman is not Famine so much as it is inflation.

Revelation 6:6 And I heard a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, “A quart[c] of wheat for a denarius,[d] and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not harm the oil and the wine.”

[EQAndyBuzz]

What’s so funny and sad about this is in 100 years history books will be talking about the Obama Presidency. The truth will come from world history books from other countries.

[Arlis]

I wish. But not with the liberals/Marxists writing all the history books.......

[spodefly]

Despite himself, Obama has made the case for limited government more powerfully than his opponents. The biggest question in American politics over the next two years is a simple one: Can Republicans take advantage of it?

The likelihood of the Republicans articulating a plan to shrink the scope and scale of government is approximately 0 percent.

[i_robot73]

Anything like today’s books: K-12 (Zero is a hero), College+ (many books required to get the truth)

IMHO, it won’t be until ‘16, when OCare really rocks the socks off the little Socialists. It always does when it hits ‘em in THEIR life/wallet; but then comes the eventual ‘You gotta do SOMETHING’ or ‘There outta be a Law’ to further distort and limit Liberty/Freedom

[Cooter]

The Obama presidency has seen many low points, but this has to have been one of the lowest​—​Jimmy Carter questioning Obama’s competence and Bill Clinton questioning his integrity.

:)

[SunkenCiv]

He told everyone right up front what his agenda was going to be. The Dhimmicrats voted based on alleged race, which makes them racists, and that’s nothing new.

Thanks Cincinatus’ Wife.

[Popman]

Obama sought to portray himself as a new kind of politician​—​a “post-partisan,” pragmatic problem-solver, not so much a centrist as someone who couldn’t be pinpointed on the left-right ideological spectrum because he floated above it. Traditional labels were anachronistic constructs that didn’t apply to such a transcendent political figure.

Too bad Obama is a complete and total progressive ideologue, he HAD the ability to actually transform America in a positive way instead of destroying it, if only he allowed himself to reach across the aisle and incorporate some conservative ideas and tell his base to back off after the 2010 mid term debacle were Americans sent him a clear message...

His narcissistic personality disorder did not allow him to do that...