I Don't Like You, Either
Since I started paying attention to politics, I can't recall this happening before, this feeling I have.
Say you're walking into a party that includes a mix of friends and people you've yet to meet. And there in the corner is a man surrounded by strangers who seem to be hanging onto his every word. He looks interesting and maybe worth knowing and someone you'll get around to -- but you realize he's sizing you up with arrogant and undisguised hostility. His chin is in the air and his eyes are hooded. The people with him turn toward you as well, and mimic his contempt. You wonder if perhaps he mistakes you for someone else. Maybe you cut him off in traffic once, or insulted him without realizing it. Maybe you wrote something about him he didn't like. Maybe it's your hat, or your glasses, or your clothing. It's disconcerting.
You want to approach him and ask what his problem is with you, but it's uncomfortable to do that. After all, it's a party. You didn't come there for a fight. You were just minding your own business.
That's how I felt when I heard President Obama say, "I’m always struck by people who think, well, it must be because I was just so smart. There are a lot of smart people out there. It must be because I worked harder than everybody else... If you were successful, somebody along the line gave you some help... If you’ve got a business, you didn’t build that. Somebody else made that happen.”
I realized, for the first time I can recall, that the President doesn't like me, or people who share my values. Not that he has simple differences, or thinks I'm misguided. He doesn't like me, and if you're reading this post on Ricochet he probably doesn't like you, either. And it isn't mild dislike: it's utter contempt.
When has a president -- any president -- so thoroughly shown that he despises at least half the population of the country? Not Bush, not Reagan, not even Clinton.
It's not just about policy or party. It's personal.
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Related Reading -- Mollie Hemingway, Ed.: "I Don't Like Politicians"
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Oct '11
Re: I Don't Like You, Either
Truman had a pretty dim view of Republicans, at least that was the impression I got after reading David McCollough's biography of him.
May '11
Re: I Don't Like You, Either
CJ, you nailed it. It is comtempt for the people who provide the means for the overpowering government he worships. It is personal and it always has been.
Dec '11
Re: I Don't Like You, Either
He does not like you, or understand you. He's not even curious. The "tell" is his pathological mischaracterization of half the country. I never thought for a moment that he would like me, even a little bit. Michelle would really not approve of me. And I'm not one of Eric Holder's "people".
I do not know of a president who was so obvious with his contempt. Maybe President Wilson, but that was before my time . . .
Can anybody explain why he is said to be "likable"? That is a sincere question.
Nov '10
Re: I Don't Like You, Either
People are afraid to admit that they don't like the first black president.
It's sad, but that's the way we've been programmed to think.
Jul '12
Re: I Don't Like You, Either
This has been on my mind too. I am a religious person and a gun owner and he is on record as having contempt for people like me. The President of the United States is contemptuous of 'people like me' and makes no secret of it.
But he's not bigoted.
May '10
Re: I Don't Like You, Either
And yet, half or more of the country likes him! In fact, his relatively high personal approval numbers are the only thing stopping Romney from pulling ahead. Can anybody tell us why?
Sep '10
Re: I Don't Like You, Either
Nicely put, and I must admit I hadn't thought of this until you pointed it out. I think Bill Clinton probably wouldn't like me either, but at least he made an effort to hide his contempt. Not this guy.
Jun '10
Re: I Don't Like You, Either
C. J.: You didn't write those books. You sent it to the publisher over the Internet created by the government.
May '11
Re: I Don't Like You, Either
Assuming a bell curve IQ distribution, at least 50% of the country is of below average intelligence. Simple. He's got the morons and the people who've made so much money they think they know better than you.
Apr '11
Re: I Don't Like You, Either
You think he wrote them because you think he's smart. I'm telling you, though, there's a lot of smart people out there.
Given the "context" complaints, I'm a big believer in referencing other bits of the speech right now.
Feb '11
Re: I Don't Like You, Either
Obama's contempt extends to far more than half of the country. It includes blue collar workers: remember the crack about "bitter clingers"? It includes the vast majority of all lawyers: Obama talked once about how pathetic the lawyers taking the train in to work on Wall Street seemed to him. And I feel quite sure his contempt extends to the vast majority of academics: although professors love the think that Obama is one of them in spirit, the idea of him devoting his life to research and teaching is ludicrous.
Jun '10
Re: I Don't Like You, Either
James Of England
You think he wrote them because you think he's smart. I'm telling you, though, there's a lot of smart people out there.
Given the "context" complaints, I'm a big believer in referencing other bits of the speech right now. · 11 minutes ago
And he didn't invent the words either. Weren't they created by the government Word Ministry?
Edited on July 26, 2012 at 4:19amDec '11
Re: I Don't Like You, Either
I have heard it said (and now I repeat it a lot) that conservatives think that liberals are dumb, but liberals think conservatives are evil. People tend to dislike those they consider to be evil. It would explain their contempt, their mean-spiritedness and their lack of civility, wouldn't it?Anyway. I agree. Obama doesn't like conservatives ... like me.
Re: I Don't Like You, Either
That's beautifully said.
Re: I Don't Like You, Either
Good point, except Xerox invented the internet. The government had no idea what to do with it after.
Re: I Don't Like You, Either
I read the same biography and I didn't get that same impression. Truman had problems with the Republicans in Congress, but he didn't hate a large swath of the people.
Aug '10
Re: I Don't Like You, Either
Obama likes average Americans working in the private sector the way Lenin liked Russian peasants.
Nov '10
Re: I Don't Like You, Either
I don't think half of the people really "like" him. They say that out of white guilt and rationalize it by thinking; he is a terrible president, but at least he is a nice guy.
Mar '12
Re: I Don't Like You, Either
He hasn't been successful with hiding who he is. He is in favor of the masses but doesn't like those of us who cling to God and guns. He favors lawyers and the highly educated with little real world experience.
He doesn't like unborn children and if they escape the abortionist's efforts, he wants them dead anyway.
He is perfect for the liberal and the socialist. He is also very good for the corporatist mind set, at the expense of everyone else.
He is good for a "present" vote but not for governing, which he holds in disdain.
He is good for leading from the rear. How one can lead from behind is a mystery to me, and evidently to anyone who is looking for real leadership which they are not seeing at the White House.
Dec '10
Re: I Don't Like You, Either
I assure you, dear sir, that the feeling is mutual.
Come on November . . .