In his latest barrage of campaign speeches, President Obama and his followers have repeated ad nauseum the phrase “phony scandals” in an attempt to change the subject at hand. It is a very old tactic, but it seems this latest attempt to fool the public has not worked. In the latest’s surveys, more than double of the respondents said that all the problems facing the administration were real, as compared to those that thought that they were phony.
Even the main stream media has begun to question why this government, that promised candor and openness, has been so secretive and reluctant to answer questions. What happened in Benghazi? Why the IRS only targeted organizations that are against the president’s policies? Why the Justice Department is adamant in their persecution of “leakers”, including journalists, but ignores the same threats when they favor the establishment? Why the NSA keeps telling us something different almost daily regarding their surveillance program that includes ordinary citizens?
Among all these scandals, we also suffer from an economy that is facing the slowest recovery in our history, with high unemployment of 7.4%, and if part time and discouraged workers are counted, the accurate number, at over 14%, and an economic growth, measured by GDP, barely over 1%. Is it not phony when he continues claiming that he wants to help the middle class, when this group is the one that has suffered the most by his actions? Is it not phony when our president continues to claim success on his policies, blames the opposing party for his failures, and does not propose any real changes to the status quo? Is it not phony when he ignores our Constitution and its separation of powers when accusing the opposition of doing exactly what they are supposed to do, present a contrasting point of view? Is it not phony when the executive branch that he leads legislates by executive order and tries to manipulate the justice system? Is it not phony to claim al-Qaida is “on the run”, and then claim a potential threat by the same group? Is it not phony to close over 20 embassies, evacuate the one in Yemen, and instead of facing the American people spend the day celebrating his birthday playing golf, basketball and appearing in the Jay Leno show? Is it not phony, that after the “reset” with Russia, unilateral dismantling of defensive missiles, promising Putin more cooperation after the election, we have been rebuked by that country in every aspect of our foreign interests, the latest their giving asylum to potential traitor and leaker Snowden? Is it not phony that his response was limited to suspending a scheduled talk as if this meek action would bother Putin? Is it not phony to abandon a friendly, albeit dictator, Mubarak in Egypt promoting the short lived governance by radical Islamic elements, and now stand still after a military take over? Is it not phony to use force in Libya in order to stop a future “genocide”, then abandoning that country to anarchy that brought the conditions that caused the death of four brave Americans? Is it not phony to ignore the massacre in Syria predicting the demise of Assad’s regime constantly, while warning of consequences that are not acted upon? Is it not phony to claim victory in Iraq, when following to a T the agreement made by Bush, but fail to execute the part that would have secured that country with our presence, and then ignore the actual chaos present in that nation? Is it not phony to partially increase our troops in Afghanistan, the war he called “just”, while predetermining a withdrawal date, and planning to abandon that population to potential disaster and still claim victory?
In a few hours Obama will finally face the White House correspondents and face questions. Expect more of the same, with prolonged and convoluted answers, no substance, and we can be assured that he will contradict many of his prior statements with a straight face. Then, of course, he will leave us in order to embark in another of his expensive vacations paid by “we the people”.
A true phony President.
Fernando J Milanes MD
