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Obama Heeds Dictator Handbook with School Speech

hypocritexposer

Well-known member
Obama Heeds Dictator Handbook with School Speech
By Kevin A. Hassett
Bloomberg.com
Tuesday, September 8, 2009


President Barack Obama cannot possibly intend to resemble an aspiring dictator. Somehow, he keeps doing so.

Now he's going ahead with plans to address America's schoolchildren, having dropped the part about encouraging those children to then "write letters to themselves about what they can do to help the president."

This administration's run is rapidly transforming into an episode of "The Twilight Zone." How could Obama be so foolish?

He and his advisers must be oblivious to the connections between the American far left and fascism. They must be immune to the revulsion that so many ordinary citizens feel when they see government acting as it has this past year.

The irony is that Obama could achieve his objectives if he worries a little more about the genuine fears of his opponents. If you want to be successful in a democracy, don't dismiss your opponents as kooks; study them.

By far the most important and prescient book of the past decade is Jonah Goldberg's "Liberal Fascism" (2007), which makes it easy to understand why town-hall meetings are stuffed with concerned and angry citizens. If Obama wants to save his presidency, he needs to drop what he is doing and read it, now.

"Fascism, at its core," Goldberg writes, "is the view that every nook and cranny of society should work together in spiritual union toward the same goals overseen by the state."

I'll put it this way: Fascism, at its core, is a stew that begins with liberal orthodoxy and then adds a charismatic leader and thuggish government officials.

Obama's Mistake

So if you pursue a radical left-wing agenda, you will inevitably arouse fear of fascism. Obama's big mistake has been to ignore this dynamic and the fears that his own powerful charisma will inflame in his opponents.

When you think fascism, you think of the evil tyrants of the 20th century. But the first fascist nation in the world was, Goldberg insists, the U.S., and Woodrow Wilson the first fascist dictator.

The case is surprisingly strong. The "progressive" Wilson centralized power, shut down members of the press he didn't like and pressed his brand of nationalism on American children, who were asked to pledge, "I make a promise that I'll do my honest, earnest part, in helping my America with all my loyal heart."

Given Goldberg's definition of fascism, it makes sense that Americans would be nervous today.

A government that rapidly attempts to consolidate power over everything from automakers to health care will naturally give people pause. Attempting to do so by following the lead of a charismatic politician who rose to power by organizing massive rallies will naturally give people pause. That such a leader would surround himself in the White House with political thugs will naturally give people pause.

Personality Cult

Obama needs to recognize all this and be sensitive to it. Instead, in misstep after misstep, he has taken actions that heighten questions about his ultimate objectives.

The school address plays to fears that he is building a personality cult. There are many other concerns as well.

For example, Obama was silent when it was reported that Van Jones, a White House special adviser on "green" energy jobs, had used a profanity to describe Republicans in a speech in Berkeley, California, a month before he joined the administration.

The attention Jones received for the remarks uncovered a disturbing past. For example, ABC News reported that "Jones and other young activists in 1994 formed a group called Standing Together to Organize a Revolutionary Movement, or STORM, rooted in Marxism and Leninism."

Fire Him

Is it any wonder that Americans are rising up against this president? If your agenda calls for a massive expansion of government power, one that requires you to convince citizens that your motives are pure and the power will not be abused, don't put a guy who formed a Marxist-Leninist group called STORM in the White House. If you do make a mistake and hire such a person, fire him when you learn he dismissed political opponents with a vulgarity. (And no, letting him resign over a long holiday weekend doesn't count.)

A look at Wilson's first inaugural address shows it was pure Obama: "I summon all honest men, all patriotic, all forward-looking men, to my side."

Anyone with those characteristics would, of course, agree with Wilson. And those who didn't? According to Goldberg's book, Wilson said in another venue that those who are not progressive "better look out."

Obama can make the mistakes he makes because he and the people around him believe that they are forward-looking, honest and patriotic. They may well be all of those, but people who oppose their policies can be as well. Obama must become far more attentive to the fears of his opponents.

If he doesn't, and continues to allow thugs in the White House, and to engage in charades such as his address to America's schoolchildren, then his opposition will grow without bound.

Kevin A. Hassett is a senior fellow and the director of economic policy studies at AEI.

http://www.aei.org/article/100985
 

badaxemoo

Well-known member
hypocritexposer said:
Obama Heeds Dictator Handbook with School Speech
By Kevin A. Hassett
Bloomberg.com
Tuesday, September 8, 2009


President Barack Obama cannot possibly intend to resemble an aspiring dictator. Somehow, he keeps doing so.

Now he's going ahead with plans to address America's schoolchildren, having dropped the part about encouraging those children to then "write letters to themselves about what they can do to help the president."

This administration's run is rapidly transforming into an episode of "The Twilight Zone." How could Obama be so foolish?

He and his advisers must be oblivious to the connections between the American far left and fascism. They must be immune to the revulsion that so many ordinary citizens feel when they see government acting as it has this past year.

The irony is that Obama could achieve his objectives if he worries a little more about the genuine fears of his opponents. If you want to be successful in a democracy, don't dismiss your opponents as kooks; study them.

By far the most important and prescient book of the past decade is Jonah Goldberg's "Liberal Fascism" (2007), which makes it easy to understand why town-hall meetings are stuffed with concerned and angry citizens. If Obama wants to save his presidency, he needs to drop what he is doing and read it, now.

"Fascism, at its core," Goldberg writes, "is the view that every nook and cranny of society should work together in spiritual union toward the same goals overseen by the state."

I'll put it this way: Fascism, at its core, is a stew that begins with liberal orthodoxy and then adds a charismatic leader and thuggish government officials.

Obama's Mistake

So if you pursue a radical left-wing agenda, you will inevitably arouse fear of fascism. Obama's big mistake has been to ignore this dynamic and the fears that his own powerful charisma will inflame in his opponents.

When you think fascism, you think of the evil tyrants of the 20th century. But the first fascist nation in the world was, Goldberg insists, the U.S., and Woodrow Wilson the first fascist dictator.

The case is surprisingly strong. The "progressive" Wilson centralized power, shut down members of the press he didn't like and pressed his brand of nationalism on American children, who were asked to pledge, "I make a promise that I'll do my honest, earnest part, in helping my America with all my loyal heart."

Given Goldberg's definition of fascism, it makes sense that Americans would be nervous today.

A government that rapidly attempts to consolidate power over everything from automakers to health care will naturally give people pause. Attempting to do so by following the lead of a charismatic politician who rose to power by organizing massive rallies will naturally give people pause. That such a leader would surround himself in the White House with political thugs will naturally give people pause.

Personality Cult

Obama needs to recognize all this and be sensitive to it. Instead, in misstep after misstep, he has taken actions that heighten questions about his ultimate objectives.

The school address plays to fears that he is building a personality cult. There are many other concerns as well.

For example, Obama was silent when it was reported that Van Jones, a White House special adviser on "green" energy jobs, had used a profanity to describe Republicans in a speech in Berkeley, California, a month before he joined the administration.

The attention Jones received for the remarks uncovered a disturbing past. For example, ABC News reported that "Jones and other young activists in 1994 formed a group called Standing Together to Organize a Revolutionary Movement, or STORM, rooted in Marxism and Leninism."

Fire Him

Is it any wonder that Americans are rising up against this president? If your agenda calls for a massive expansion of government power, one that requires you to convince citizens that your motives are pure and the power will not be abused, don't put a guy who formed a Marxist-Leninist group called STORM in the White House. If you do make a mistake and hire such a person, fire him when you learn he dismissed political opponents with a vulgarity. (And no, letting him resign over a long holiday weekend doesn't count.)

A look at Wilson's first inaugural address shows it was pure Obama: "I summon all honest men, all patriotic, all forward-looking men, to my side."

Anyone with those characteristics would, of course, agree with Wilson. And those who didn't? According to Goldberg's book, Wilson said in another venue that those who are not progressive "better look out."

Obama can make the mistakes he makes because he and the people around him believe that they are forward-looking, honest and patriotic. They may well be all of those, but people who oppose their policies can be as well. Obama must become far more attentive to the fears of his opponents.

If he doesn't, and continues to allow thugs in the White House, and to engage in charades such as his address to America's schoolchildren, then his opposition will grow without bound.

Kevin A. Hassett is a senior fellow and the director of economic policy studies at AEI.

http://www.aei.org/article/100985

Kevin Hassett.

Author of Dow 36,000.

That pretty much sums it up.
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
reader (the Second) said:
Since I had never heard of Hassett, I looked him up after reading Badaxemoo's comment and here's what I found:

Dow 36,000

Hassett is coauthor with James K. Glassman of Dow 36,000: The New Strategy for Profiting from the Coming Rise in the Stock Market. It was published in 1999 before the dot-com bubble burst. The book's title was based on a calculation that, in the absence of the equity premium, stock prices would be approximately four times as high as they actually were. In its introduction, Glassman and Hassett wrote that the book "will convince you of the single most important fact about stocks at the dawn of the twenty-first century: They are cheap....If you are worried about missing the market's big move upward, you will discover that it is not too late. Stocks are now in the midst of a one-time-only rise to much higher ground–to the neighborhood of 36,000 on the Dow Jones industrial average."[4] The Dow industrials index closed at 10,681.06 on the day of the book's publication[5] but by the end of 2004 it remained at essentially the same level—10,783.01, having dropped over 25% in the meantime but recovered. As of March 9, 2009, the trough of the 2008-9 bear market, the Dow Jones was at 6,547.05, 81% below his 36,000 prediction.

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: Heck- I did better than that- I predicted the BUSH BUST and now get to tell all the neocons that were backslapping him into the sewer-- I TOLD YOU SO! :wink: :lol: :lol: :lol: :p
 

hypocritexposer

Well-known member
Are you going to attack the book reviewer, or the author of Liberal Fascism?

It's his writings that are the subject of the article.

By far the most important and prescient book of the past decade is Jonah Goldberg's "Liberal Fascism" (2007), which makes it easy to understand why town-hall meetings are stuffed with concerned and angry citizens. If Obama wants to save his presidency, he needs to drop what he is doing and read it, now.

"Fascism, at its core," Goldberg writes, "is the view that every nook and cranny of society should work together in spiritual union toward the same goals overseen by the state."

I'll put it this way: Fascism, at its core, is a stew that begins with liberal orthodoxy and then adds a charismatic leader and thuggish government officials.
 

badaxemoo

Well-known member
hypocritexposer said:
Are you going to attack the book reviewer, or the author of Liberal Fascism?

It's his writings that are the subject of the article.

By far the most important and prescient book of the past decade is Jonah Goldberg's "Liberal Fascism" (2007), which makes it easy to understand why town-hall meetings are stuffed with concerned and angry citizens. If Obama wants to save his presidency, he needs to drop what he is doing and read it, now.

"Fascism, at its core," Goldberg writes, "is the view that every nook and cranny of society should work together in spiritual union toward the same goals overseen by the state."

I'll put it this way: Fascism, at its core, is a stew that begins with liberal orthodoxy and then adds a charismatic leader and thuggish government officials.

Call me crazy, but perhaps the author of Dow 36,000 shouldn't be making too many judgements about someone's ability to be prescient.
 

backhoeboogie

Well-known member
badaxemoo said:
hypocritexposer said:
Are you going to attack the book reviewer, or the author of Liberal Fascism?

It's his writings that are the subject of the article.

By far the most important and prescient book of the past decade is Jonah Goldberg's "Liberal Fascism" (2007), which makes it easy to understand why town-hall meetings are stuffed with concerned and angry citizens. If Obama wants to save his presidency, he needs to drop what he is doing and read it, now.

"Fascism, at its core," Goldberg writes, "is the view that every nook and cranny of society should work together in spiritual union toward the same goals overseen by the state."

I'll put it this way: Fascism, at its core, is a stew that begins with liberal orthodoxy and then adds a charismatic leader and thuggish government officials.

Call me crazy, but perhaps the author of Dow 36,000 shouldn't be making too many judgements about someone's ability to be prescient.

The fact is Obama has lost the faith of the American Public. Not much of anyone is listening to anything he says. So now he has turned to children for an audience.
 

badaxemoo

Well-known member
Sandhusker said:
And yet again, our libs go after the messenger because they can't go after the message. Why don't you guys just give up?

Engaging with wingnuts is a waste of time.

Poking and prodding them to see them run around in circles, foaming at the mouth with the latest conspiracy theory is amusing.

And besides, context is important. More often than not when dealing with politics, the messenger and the message are inseparable.

Unless, of course, you come here drooling like Pavlov's dog in anticipation of the next cut-and-paste propaganda delivery from Hypo that will substantiate your visceral hatred of Obama.

In that case, source and context are largely worthless.

So feel free to ignore them.
 

badaxemoo

Well-known member
backhoeboogie said:
badaxemoo said:
In that case, source and context are largely worthless.

So feel free to ignore them.

So why are you even reading this thread?

Like I said.

To poke and prod the Wingnuts Pied Piper Wannabe.

Most of the time, the results are predictable adn dull, but he does some amusing things occasionally.

Like creating sock-puppet user accounts, for example.
 

Sandhusker

Well-known member
badaxemoo said:
Sandhusker said:
And yet again, our libs go after the messenger because they can't go after the message. Why don't you guys just give up?

Engaging with wingnuts is a waste of time.

Poking and prodding them to see them run around in circles, foaming at the mouth with the latest conspiracy theory is amusing.

And besides, context is important. More often than not when dealing with politics, the messenger and the message are inseparable.

Unless, of course, you come here drooling like Pavlov's dog in anticipation of the next cut-and-paste propaganda delivery from Hypo that will substantiate your visceral hatred of Obama.

In that case, source and context are largely worthless.

So feel free to ignore them.

What conspiracy? You talking about the latest one created by your fellow moonbats concerning Whitewing?
 
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