By Christopher G. Adamo – On February 24, 2009 Barack Obama delivered his first State of the Union speech to the resounding accolades of the liberal press. Barely a month after his inauguration, he still basked in the glow of the standard “honeymoon,” bolstered by an absurd level of media fawning based on his race and, much more significantly, his radical liberalism.
In the face of such shameless media adulation for its new leftist icon, Barack Obama, it would arguably be a daunting task for any Republican to give the opposition party rebuttal which has become a standard component of the modern State of the Union” spectacle. And on that occasion, the GOP chose one of its brightest rising stars, Governor Bobby Jindal of Louisiana. Of course the reviews of the event were predictable.
Without addressing anything of real substance from their contrasting commentaries on America, the media slobbered all over Obama while lampooning Jindal in every respect. It was crucial to the unbroken dominance of the Democrat party that Jindal be politically destroyed as had been Sarah Palin or any other prospective threat. So in their “objective” (and monolithic) opinions, Jindal was an embarrassment and a flop, while the dashing and dynamic Obama clearly owned the evening. Subsequent to his ostensibly insipid performance, Jindal’s political career was declared finished, while the reign of Obama’s utopia had only begun.
Roll forward sixteen months, and the difference in the American political landscape is astounding. During that brief period, the American people have gotten a bitter taste of the leftist political agenda, as it is increasingly unshackled from any annoyances of constitutional principle, or even from
current day law.
Bypassing such trivialities, the Obama/Reid/Pelosi cabal has seized trillions from the economic system, and redistributed it among its cronies in the name of “economic stimulus.” Formerly private industries are now virtually “nationalized” as is the practice in banana republics, and the nation’s once unrivaled healthcare system is on the fast track to join the incapacitated socialist monstrosities of Europe and the third world.
In response to Obama’s grandiose plans for implementing “change” through any nefarious means, the “Tea Party” movement, a truly grassroots effort, has spontaneously erupted throughout the American heartland, promising to hold the liberal political machine accountable for its arrogance and excesses come election day.
Meanwhile, Barack Obama has been forced to contend with a side of governing that is far less glamorous than his extravagant outings, state dinners, and other official gatherings. It carries none of the glory of his grandstanding on the political stump. And it contains the infuriatingly inconvenient pitfall of requiring eventual accountability in the wake of lavish promises.
As the nation’s leader, Barack Obama is expected to deal effectively with unplanned and unexpected situations. And in this department, his total failure is even more spectacular than all of the unfulfilled campaign promises of America under the enchantment of liberal bliss.
Most galling of all is the fact that the gulf oil spill, certainly the largest domestic crisis requiring the talents and commitment of a skilled national leader (and therefore highlighting the total absence of such qualities in the person of Barack Obama) pits him once again directly against Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal. With the parades having long ago passed by, and the media having overreached in its lopsided reporting (thereby completely losing its ability to credibly put a good spin on Obama’ s theatrics), America is able to compare Jindal’s strengths to Obama’s weaknesses. And the contrast between the two could not be starker.
Barack Obama never progressed beyond the empty showmanship of his February 2009 State of the Union charade because, as a community agitator who defaulted his way to the nation’s highest office, he truly believed he never had to. It was enough to bend, or even break the rules to get his way, and in the process purchase the unwavering allegiance of that portion of the American populace which believes it has an inherent right to the labors and wealth of others.
However, in the last seven weeks since the gulf disaster began, America has looked in vain for real leadership from the nation’s highest office. Not surprisingly, Obama’s reaction has been anger and frustration. In the psyche of such a narcissistic individual, it is demeaning to have to contend with real problems and be expected to arrive at real solutions. So he and his political cronies continue to respond as they always have. Rather than facing the gulf situation with an eye towards finding a fix, they invoke it as a means of advancing their agenda, offering programs and edicts that
America no longer wants to hear.
This oil leak needs to be stopped, and the damage it portends needs to be minimized and abated by every means available. Prohibiting future drilling and pointing fingers of blame will do nothing to address the current crisis. Yet that is all Obama and his minions have to offer.
Meanwhile, in a principled and dedicated manner reflective of Arizona Governor Jan Brewer’s effort to curb illegal immigration, Governor Bobby Jindal is working tirelessly to get past federal red tape and build barrier islands to deflect oil damage from the mainland. Concurrently, he is emphatic in his insistence that the government not destroy the oil industry, and the livelihood of thousands of oil workers, in the name of environmental extremism.
Jindal offers real solutions to real problems. Obama, between parties and vacations, seeks to seize on those very problems to pontificate and move his leftist, anti-capitalist agenda forward. The ideological chasm separating the two is as glaringly obvious as it was in early 2009. Yet in retrospect, what is even more obvious is the ugly consequence of having empowered a liberal ideologue whose only true devotion is to himself, when real leadership is what America needs.
Christopher G. Adamo is a freelance writer who has been active in Wyoming politics for many years. Contact information, along with his archives, can be found at www.chrisadamo.com