In order to advance his agenda, Barack Obama has become the sultan of sob stories.  For every unpopular policy he endeavors to impose, the president has busloads of individuals to fit every occasion. 

Take for instance the president's enthusiastic desire to curtail Second Amendment rights.  To address that issue, he has mentioned and put on display shooting survivor and former Arizona congresswoman Gabby "deserves a vote" Giffords many times. 

Mr. Obama has spoken at prayer memorials, exploited the grieving families of the Sandy Hook victims, and given seats of honor at the State of the Union speech to slain Chicago teen Hadiya Pendleton's parents, Cleo and Nat.  The president has read letters from terrified albeit amazingly articulate schoolchildren convinced that without drastic gun control measures they'll be gunned down in school, and even went so far as to assume symbolic parenthood of shooting victim Trayvon Martin.

For immigration reform, we now know all about DREAM actors, those fresh-faced illegal immigrants that any American would be proud to see marry their son or daughter. In addition, we've heard stories about innocent Latinos just trying to buy ice cream cones for their children being harassed for their "papers" by mean xenophobes in Arizona. 

On the subject of government-funded contraception, after she gave a lengthy breakdown of her yearly birth control expenses and shared harrowing stories of polycystic ovary syndrome, America was subjected to President Obama's publicity stunt/conference call to comfort the maligned Sandra Fluke.

On healthcare reform, Barack Obama would be wise to make short work of the "life-or-death stuff" by hosting a Jerry Lewis-style telethon.  Then, in hopes of convincing America to submit to further government control out of pure guilt, Obama can sponsor a procession of heartrending tales ranging from multiple sclerosis to brain tumors.

Barack Obama abusing stories of hardship has reduced the leader of the free world into a kind of carnival barker whose masterful art of psychological manipulation involves showcasing the maladies of suffering people as if they were sideshow freaks.

Now, as the government shutdown drags on, the White House is falling back on that old standby: marshaling groups of people adversely affected by it. 

Posted on the White House blog, acting Director of Digital Strategy for the Obama administration, Nathaniel Lubin, asked the following question: "How has the government shutdown affected you?  Share your story."

But veterans in wheelchairs attempting to access the WWII Memorial only to find gates reinforced with chicken wire need not bother to register a complaint.

For everyone else, although the White House website is closed for business "Due to Congress's failure to pass legislation to fund the government," the White House blog will remain open in order to trawl for sob stories to be used as an emotional billy club to beat the Republican leadership into political submission.

By searching far and wide, it's likely Democrats will be able to dig up stories of bawling children, desperate mothers, and demoralized federal workers cracking open their kid's piggy banks to feed the family.  If that doesn't work, there's always people infected by rotaviruses because the CDC has furloughed researchers, as well as all manner of horrific examples of how a government shutdown has affected those that Barack Obama - the one who orchestrated it - is purposely attempting to make miserable.

And so, as the government shutdown drags on, and especially if John Boehner and Co. continue to listen to the wishes of the American people, expect to see catastrophic calamities as a backdrop for every statement Barack Obama makes in his typical efforts to blame a situation he caused on the Republicans.

Jeannie hosts a blog at www.jeannie-ology.com