President Obama provided the American people a sneak preview of his re-election strategy at the end of his State of the Union speech last week. He told his in-house audience of politicians, judges and hanger-ons that they should learn from the example of the U.S. military: “When you're marching into battle, you look out for the person next to you, or the mission fails.”
Of course that led to his oft-told and self-congratulatory musings of the successful Navy SEAL mission which took out bin Laden: “The mission only succeeded because every member of that unit trusted each other – because you can't charge up those stairs, into darkness and danger, unless you know that there's someone behind you watching your back.”
One's initial reaction to those stirring words bring back fond memories of State of the Union spin that stirred the patriotism and pride. But on further examination, it was a pathetic admission.
Obama constantly whines about the lack of support Republican-led House provide his “leadership.” He has often made public admissions that he cannot succeed in the face of political opposition. It seems he will forgo the stairs and any chance someone is watching his back.
He can't get the mission accomplished without the full support of all parties. His mission requires lockstep precision to his battle plan. The rest of his soldiers are along to accept that plan as the only plan - no matter what.
A good example of this mindset is the XL Keystone pipeline. Last month the administration announced the project was denied because of a “rushed and arbitrary deadline” embedded in in a two-month extension of the 2011 payroll-tax holiday. The commander-in-chief lamely said, “I'm disappointed that Republicans in Congress forced this decision.”
This is a good time to remember another stirring quote from the president's State of the Union address:
Once more utilizing our military to his own special needs, he said, “They focus on the mission at hand. They work together. Imagine what we could accomplish if we followed their example.”
Yes Mr. President, we can imagine it, but what we saw with this “shovel-ready project,” your own terminology, was rejected. A pipeline that had been under review since 2008, and twice passed the State Department's vetting process.
Barack Obama has attempted to frame himself as a Democrat who is above hyper-partisanship. Yet, one year into his presidency, a Gallup poll showed Obama to be “the most polarizing first-year president in history.” The findings based on the difference between Democratic approval of him and Republican disapproval being the highest ever recorded.
But this “soldier” with the Keystone Pipeline rejection settled a political beef from his fading support of left wing environmentalists. By gaining their renewed smiles by disapproving the pipeline, he instantly rejected the employment of thousands of American workers and the opportunity to lessen the country's dependency on hostile foreign oil sources. All for political gain and not his country's needs.
There's no comradely in that decision and certainly no teamwork.
His “everybody has to work together” propaganda presented a strategy where his decision was based on which side would argue his decision with the least harm to his survival. “General Obama” strategized that unions had nowhere else to go with their support. Therefore, they would remain obedient to his presidency while their unemployed members remained unemployed.
Much the same strategy when Obama takes his party's nomination in a Right to Work state of North Carolina next summer. He needs the electoral votes that far outweigh any union objections. They are inextricably locked into the Democratic Party with no room of escape.
You know boys, “Be part of the team.”
The situation in Washington has only one remedy for this narcissistic rule. One political party must hold overall dominance whereas the president, with large majorities in Congress, can push through an ambitious agenda.
Incredibly, last month Deputy Press Secretary Josh Earnest told Politico that extending the two-month payroll-tax holiday “is essentially the last must-do item of business” the president has with Congress. After that, “in terms of the president's relationship with Congress in 2012 – the president is no longer tied to Washington, D.C.”
Translation of that quote is this: President Obama is incapable of governing the country effectively without majorities in both Houses. Until that time (if ever), he is a talking head and excellent golfer.
Upon reflection of his visit with the president, the late Steve Jobs said, “The president is very smart. But he kept explaining to us reasons why things can't get done.”
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