Barack Obama, an unusually good liar?
Time to update former Senator Bob Kerrey’s line about Bill Clinton I think. I’ve said from day one that when it comes to Barack Obama you have to focus on the difference between his words and deeds.
Candidate Obama’s words,
“We need earmark reform, and when I’m president, I will go line by line to make sure we are not spending money unwisely.”
President Obama’s words,
President Obama’s deeds,
US News & World Report
President Obama Earmark Hypocrisy on the House Omnibus Spending Package
Yesterday, the House approved an omnibus spending package—nine different spending measures bundled together for a total of $410 billion—and the Senate is expected to vote on it today. Democrats are hoping to get it to the White House for the president’s signature by Friday, because otherwise the government won’t have enough money to make it to the end of its fiscal year.
This bill is quickly becoming a credibility problem for the Democrats. A big one.
Politico reports that the 1,132-page behemoth contains over 9,000 earmarks covering more than a dozen cabinet agencies. But because it was first negotiated last fall by the House and Senate (under far different economic circumstances, I’d point out), the Obama administration has called it “unfinished business”—just a little $400 billion sideshow we should all ignore. A top White House aide said that Obama would change the “rules” for future spending bills, but only after this bill clears the Senate. We thought the administration believed in cutting back on congressional earmarks, but as Peggy Noonan would say, it’s time to suspend our belief.
Is that the “fundamental change” Obama keeps talking about? Sounds like same old, same old. Politics as usual. Chump change is what we are getting.
Welcome back, Straight Talk Express
“We need earmark reform and when I’m president, I will go line by line to make sure we’re not spending money unwisely,” McCain quoted a campaign promise Obama made on the trail. “That’s the quote, the promise of the president of the United States made to the American people in a debate with me in Oxford, Mississippi. So what is brought to the floor today, 9,000 earmarks. So much for change,” McCain added.
March 4, 2009 2:42 pm 
I watch John McCain speak….and I don’t get it. How did people miss how honorable he was? How did people miss the fact that he was a straight shooter?
My sister would rail about the immigration issue, etc. She said he was not ideal. He was certainly head and shoulders over the competition!
Ahh, Kevin, you’ve made me blue. I am going to console myself with some M&Ms now.
March 5, 2009
I voted for Mr. Obama and I gave money to his campaign. I did not, however, lay palm fronds in his path on the way to the Presidency as did some of his supporters. Some of his first moves have been laudable attempts to dig us out of the swamp that his predecessors (yes, Bush AND Clinton) dug for the economy. We’ll have to wait and see if they work.
The country is beaten down by the daily cries of financial ruin, led by the talking heads and the “so called experts”. We hold our collective nose while bank officials take our money and whine for more; while hedge fund operators and Wall Street traders are scheming new ways to gamble with our 401K and pension funds; while our august media outlets waste hours and hours on the ridiculous debate challenge offered by the narcissistic chief dittohead. We are in sorry shape. We want the President to succeed because if he does, we do. The latest polls (a measure of something but no one save Merlin himself can tell us exactly what) seem to indicate that the populace is pleased with Mr. Obama, so far, and are willing to go along with the measures he has proposed to drain the swamp. Now he’s about to test those polls by deviating from what got him there in the first place.
As we exercise our patience (a skill in short supply), it appears that the “old way” of doing business is being allowed to live another day. Because the Bush Administration couldn’t pass a funding bill for Fiscal Year 2009, the government has been running on a series of stopgap spending measures since October of last year. The Congress is now considering the 2009 omnibus spending bill that was left from the Bush Administration. This budget bill has earmarks – unchallenged additions by various members of Congress (many drafted by lobbyists). The total for these projects, objects and boondoggles is between $3.8 Billion (Dem estimate) and 7.7 Billion (GOP estimate).
In one of the more baffling moves of his short time in office, it appears Mr. Obama is going to let this bill go forward without objection. Does he not recall one of the hallmark lines of his campaign – no more earmarks?? There has been no threat of a veto, no speeches about going through the bill line by line to eliminate wasteful and unnecessary spending, no meetings with key members of Congress to work for a bill that funds only the essential provisions of the government. Why?
Some have suggested that the President is saving his political capital for future battles on healthcare and education and energy policy etc. His undesignated spokesmen have opined that he’s willing to allow what he knows is a flawed (and porked up) piece of budget chicanery as a tradeoff for cooperation in the future. If that’s truly the reason, I say NONSENSE! While he may be technically correct in saying this is a bill from the pipeline he inherited, he is more than incorrect if he thinks allowing this turkey to live will buy him cooperation on future legislation. The Congress, even this Democratic Congress, is not going to go along in goring some of the sacred oxen that will have to be sacrificed in order for the long range Obama legislative plan to succeed. There’s no reason to try to placate them now. The battle may as well begin. Putting it off just costs the citizenry more and more money.
The question for our President is: What are you thinking??? Will you ever have a better opportunity to demonstrate in a very clear way that yours is truly a new way of governing? Do you really think this spending measure is worthy of the promises you made to the electorate about shaking things up in Washington? Do you think that the people who elected you will turn a blind eye if you abandon the principles you so eloquently enunciated during your campaign? It remains to be seen what havoc you will cause with your poll numbers with this action (or should we call it inaction).
I, for one, don’t like the way you’re handling this issue and I hope you change your mind. Do what you told us you would do. We elected you to lead and this isn’t leadership. Ducking the bully only delays the inevitable fight. But what do I know? I’m just a guy.
i admire Barack Obama because he is very charismatic and he is liberal minded…