President Zelig: The Audacity of Cynicism
President Barack Obama, speaking in Tucson, Arizona on January 12, 2011:
The loss of these wonderful people should make every one of us strive to be better in our private lives - to be better friends and neighbors, co-workers and parents. And if, as has been discussed in recent days, their deaths help usher in more civility in our public discourse, let's remember that it is not because a simple lack of civility caused this tragedy, but rather because only a more civil and honest public discourse can help us face up to our challenges as a nation, in a way that would make them proud. It should be because we want to live up to the example of public servants like John Roll and Gabby Giffords, who knew first and foremost that we are all Americans, and that we can question each other's ideas without questioning each other's love of country, and that our task, working together, is to constantly widen the circle of our concern so that we bequeath the American dream to future generations.
I believe we can be better. Those who died here, those who saved lives here - they help me believe. We may not be able to stop all evil in the world, but I know that how we treat one another is entirely up to us. I believe that for all our imperfections, we are full of decency and goodness, and that the forces that divide us are not as strong as those that unite us.
Presdient Barack Obama, speaking in Osawatomie, Kansas on December 6, 2011:
I'll give you a specific example. For the first time in history, the reforms that we passed put in place a consumer watchdog who is charged with protecting everyday Americans from being taken advantage of by mortgage lenders or payday lenders or debt collectors. And the man we nominated for the post, Richard Cordray, is a former attorney general of Ohio who has the support of most attorney generals, both Democrat and Republican, throughout the country. Nobody claims he's not qualified.
But the Republicans in the Senate refuse to confirm him for the job; they refuse to let him do his job. Why? Does anybody here think that the problem that led to our financial crisis was too much oversight of mortgage lenders or debt collectors?
Audience: No!
Obama: Of course not. Every day we go without a consumer watchdog is another day when a student, or a senior citizen, or a member of our Armed Forces – because they are very vulnerable to some of this stuff – could be tricked into a loan that they can't afford – something that happens all the time. And the fact is that financial institutions have plenty of lobbyists looking out for their interests. Consumers deserve to have someone whose job it is to look out for them. And I intend to make sure they do. And I want you to hear me, Kansas: I will veto any effort to delay or defund or dismantle the new rules that we put in place.
(Disclosure: My aunt by marriage, Phyllis Schneck, was one of those killed by Jared Lee Loughner in Tucson on January 8, 2011.)
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Dec '10
Re: President Zelig: The Audacity of Cynicism
George sorry for your loss. I can surely understand that aside from the normal disgust with this mealy-mouthed manipulator you must be feeling a special degree of revulsion right now. Allow me to speak what you must be feeling.
Dec '10
Re: President Zelig: The Audacity of Cynicism
Quote 1
"it is not because a simple lack of civility caused this tragedy, but rather because only a more civil and honest public discourse can help us.."
This creature from left wing gehenna directly postulates that the apolitical clearly psychotic Jared Lee Loughner was somehow stimulated to murder by listening to right wing commentary. The facts that Loughner was barely aware of right wing commentary and had no political point of view are to be totally ignored.
Meanwhile, Major Hassan a highly educated professional who expressly avowed a Jihadist Ideology and was conversing directly with master minds who would fill him with pure political hate is palmed off as a case of work place violence. As if he wanted a promotion or a longer vacation and didn't get it so he went postal.
Edited on Dec 11, 2011 at 4:01pmDec '10
Re: President Zelig: The Audacity of Cynicism
Quote 2
"Every day we go without a consumer watchdog is another day when a student, or a senior citizen, or a member of our Armed Forces – because they are very vulnerable to some of this stuff – could be tricked into a loan that they can't afford – something that happens all the time."
The creature from left wing gehenna now postulates that mortgage lenders tricked people into taking loans that they couldn't afford. The reality that the last thing that anyone selling credit wants is the responsibility of a client who defaults and the reality that mortgage lenders were forced by law to make loans to the credit unworthy and are the real victims of the fraud of quota based affirmative credit is just completely ignored
Meanwhile, the regulation that the "Evil One" is proposing will make it extremely hard for honest credit worthy people to get the loans they need to move forward in their lives and the whole economy to move forward with them.
Dec '10
Re: President Zelig: The Audacity of Cynicism
I know a Russian Professor of Mechanical Engineering, a brilliant man who had experienced and suffered under the Communist State. He made this joke in 2009. He said that Obama exhibited "The Audacity of Stupidity". It was very funny and a relief to hear a kindred spirit. Unfortunately, my good professor was an optimist. Evil in this world need not be stupid just evil.