Misleader-in-Chief
Of all the Presidents in my lifetime, I don't recall a Commander in Chief that seems to purposely mislead. Yet this President often orates with well crafted phrases that can only be explained as contrived to this purpose.
The circumstances are virtually always similar. He speaks to a large crowd in which there is no chance for rebuttal or honest questioning. The audience can be as large as a national television audience, as in the State of the Union. The larger the audience, the better. Even if retraction or clarification ensued, which never seems to occur, those given the false impression far out weighs those who possess the accurate explanation. What a game he plays.
We had yet another perfect example yesterday, December 11. The President was addressing a crowd regarding the Michigan right to work issue. Obama said, ""And by the way, what we shouldn't do -- I've just got to say this -- what we shouldn't be doing is trying to take away your rights to bargain for better wages and working conditions," he added to loud applause from the audience. "We shouldn't be doing that. The so-called 'right-to-work' laws -- they don't have to do with economics, they have everything to do with politics. What they're really talking about is giving you the right to work for less money."
The issue at hand has nothing to do with bargaining. Did the crowd know this? Will the people who see this on the national news realize the truth of the matter? Not likely. Sadly, it is improbable the TV news anchors airing the video clip of the speech will make that clarification.
Obama received the applause he sought. The comment and the reaction was irrelevant to the Michigan law in question. The false impression is floated. Audience outrage is fomented. This is an intentional deception or ignorance of the facts. In either case, the words were crafted to evoke a crowd reaction and leave a misrepresentation. A case of intellectual dishonesty, at the very least.
This deceitful tactic is unbecoming of the President of the United States, but certainly in the wheel house of a community organizer or rabble rousing demagogue.
I don't recall a President that seemed to be so often and so intentionally engaged in this activity. Yet, Obama continually escapes scrutiny from these disinformation episodes. There are no questions. There are no honest press conferences. There is only the lap dog media and a large group of people given a false impression.
The State of the Union message to a national audience in which the President misrepresented the Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission board decision by the Supreme Court is another example. Judge Alito displayed his annoyance with this ploy with his famous head shake and lip readable response.
There was also the Univision interview in which Obama declared that Fast and Furious began under Bush. This was inherently false as the Bush operation, intended to actually catch gun runners, was ended in 07.
Then there was the Candy Crowley assist on national television where, with the help of the fawning moderator, Obama gave the impression that indeed he had connected the Benghazi incident to terrorism in his Rose Garden address on 9/12, when he clearly had not.
In the days before the Roberts court ruling on the Affordable Healthcare tax or penalty issue, Obama declared that there was something askew with unelected judges having such sway on important matters. He added that a Supreme Court declaring passed legislation as unconstitutional would be unprecedented. The alleged Constitutional scholar was wrong on both counts, but the media and the ivory tower law school experts were mostly silent.
The great enabling device is the main stream media. In the past a confrontational and inquisitive journalistic community would not have allowed such antics. They would seek truth as if it were an integral part of their profession. Now it seems all they crave is a lowered hand from the President and a pat on the head.
It is most distasteful to be witness to this intentional misleading conducted in conjunction with an abetting media. Diogenes, light that candle.
Bruce Johnson