Nothing to run on.

Click here to listen to the broadcast of You Tell Me on KTBB AM 600, Friday, January 26, 2012.

A little over three years ago, Peggy Joseph of Florida pulled her kids out of school to attend an Obama campaign rally. Speaking to a reporter afterward, overflowing with emotion she said,

“I never thought this day would ever happen. I won’t have to worry about putting gas in my car. I won’t have to worry about paying my mortgage. You know, if I help him, he’s gonna help me.”

Some 39 car and mortgage payments later, one can imagine that Peggy Joseph is a bit disillusioned. The hope and change that was swept into office on the magic carpet of Obama’s soaring rhetoric has slammed into the wall of reality.

I remembered Peggy Joseph as I listened to the State of the Union address Tuesday and wondered if she was watching and, if so, what she might be thinking.

If you were a true Obama believer during the 2008 campaign, the address Tuesday had to have a hollow ring when listened to against the backdrop of three years of actual experience under an Obama administration.

Peggy Joseph’s life isn’t any better. Not only is she still having to make her own car and mortgage payments, it’s likely that she’s having a harder time doing so now than she was on that day three years ago.

The $787 billion stimulus didn’t stimulate. There weren’t any shovel-ready jobs. Obamacare, unpopular on the day it was enacted, is even more unpopular today. Rather than thousands of new “green energy” jobs as promised in previous State of the Union addresses, in 2011 we got instead a half billion dollars worth of Solyndra going down the drain. Instead of topping out at eight percent as promised by Obama, unemployment went considerably above that ceiling where it stubbornly remains. And as if these disappointments are themselves not bad enough, they are made worse for having played out against an unprecedented and truly frightening explosion in the national debt. (Editors note: In the original version of this post, the second sentence of the paragraph above beginning with the word, “Rather,” referred to a half trillion dollars worth of Solyndra going down the drain. It now stands corrected.)

But despite these failures, all of which the president must surely in his heart acknowledge, in his State of the Union address he acted as if he had noting to do with any of them. He put forth ideas going forward as if none of the similar ideas of the recent past have proved to be abject failures.

The speech featured the usual laundry list of big-government bromides – punitive taxes on companies that operate overseas, job training programs, “investments” (read: even more spending) for education, “clean energy” tax credits, amorphous infrastructure projects, even more banking and financial regulation, even more corporate regulation, mortgage intervention, consumer “protections”, and, of course, the perennial favorite, increased taxes on the rich.

All of these things may have sounded good to some in the last months of the Bush administration while in the midst of the housing meltdown. But today, the entire list sounds tired and shopworn.

State of the Union addresses in election years for incumbent presidents tend to be campaign kickoff events. That being so, for those hoping that Tuesday marked Obama’s last State of the Union address, there is reason for optimism. Because the speech showed in stark relief that he has nothing to run on. If you doubt that ask yourself this: How much of Peggy Joseph’s excitement of three years ago do you think she still had if she even bothered to watch on Tuesday night?

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Paul Gleiser

Paul L. Gleiser is president of ATW Media, LLC, licensee of radio stations KTBB 97.5 FM/AM600, 92.1 The TEAM FM in Tyler-Longview, Texas.

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15 Responses

  1. C M Solomon says:

    Solving the financial problems in Peggy Joseph’s life can’t be done by yet another give-away, big government, welfare program, even if she had gotten relief from BHO, himself. She is the duped victim of Barry’s philosophy that is INTENDED to promote even more government dependency, because he is deceitful enough to buy votes with OUR money (OUR productivity) with false promises.

    That is why she had the audacity to act like a government sponsored beggar with NO SHAME. This is an example of the depravity that this country has descended into. We can thank this sorry excuse of a President to double and triple down with his Marxist philosophy that continues to appeal to that half of the population that is willing to rob from the other half of the population that is painted as having unethically stolen from the poor. His rate of debt increase to the tune of $4 billion per day with NO real improvement in the US economy (for the last three years) is all the proof you need as he engages in huge give-away programs to his corporate, union, and community organizer (mob) supporters.

    The productive part of America had better wake up to the BHO deception that has NO desire to solve the near Depression (bankrupt) STATE-of-the-UNION. He continues to believe that with his lying, mass-media, Socialist propaganda arm he can continue to lead us into his version of the Marxist utopia (that no society has ever achieved) with him being the Messiah-in-Chief, aka, Liar-in-Chief, with absolutely NO accountability.

  2. Lora says:

    Obviously, the media has taken what Peggy Joseph was saying totally out of context as they do so very often. She was implying that if she supports President Obama that he would help her. He has helped more than he has hurt. In fact, gas prices were soaring out of control when he took office, troops were battling to their death (and many did lose their lives) when he took office, Osama Bin Lauden was wreaking havoc and making threats when he took office. Let’s not forget what President Obama HAS DONE since he took office. It is impossible to clean up the MESS former president Bush left this country in when he left office four years ago. Enough is Enough of the bad mouthing and disrespecting our (my) President. People always tend to focus on the negative or the rhetoric that stimulates negative reactions out of viewers and listeners, but what about the positive things he has done. Who says he has “nothing to run on”? He has plenty!! One simply needs to clearly evaluate the times before President Obama and compare now to then. He has PLENTY TO RUN ON.. His actions speaks louder than words because as you’ve shown, there is a misconception in words. Let’s give President Obama the positive credit he deserves and STOP the disrespect such as the finger pointing from the Arizona governor. What does that say about her character? It speaks volumes because as previously stated, “actions speak louder than words.”

  3. Linda E. Montrose says:

    Does Peggy Joseph even still have a job? Guess you could say that obama was doing his “green” part by recycling the same ole tired worn out ideas…you can’t put a tutu on a pig and call it a ballerina!

  4. L Miles says:

    I have a few questions for Peggy Joseph. If she is supposed to be a genuine subject (serf) of Obama-the-Great’s new Marxist Empire, then why doesn’t she support the minimum carbon foot print that is expected in His Kingdom? Why does she need gasoline and a car? Why isn’t she using mass transit or car-pooling like a good little Socialist, some of whom worship the Earth? Why doesn’t she find a federally subsided housing commune for shelter and avoid the mortgage payments altogether?

    Doesn’t she know how to become a national example of the Keynesian model citizen? [Keynes was a British Socialist-economist who lived from 1883 to 1946 and had huge influence on the creation of the modern Welfare State]. It was Keynes that proposed three major points for economic fairness and social justice in the post-Constitutional era.

    1) Government provided (income) safety net.
    2) Government provided (free) health care for all, regardless of income.
    3) Government guaranteed housing for all who can’t afford it.

    Come on, Mr. Obama, quit hiding your REAL beliefs and agenda. Don’t you believe in a Constitution of “Positive Rights” such as FDR and his Second Bill of Rights? Surely, this could be your creed.

    http://www.fdrheritage.org/bill_of_rights.htm

    Tell us why you didn’t reprimand Peggy Joseph for her outlandish expectations. Why didn’t you tell her to get with the Marxist good-citizen-program so we could see into your soul and also see what you have planned for the rest of us, i.e., Shared Prosperity/Sacrifice?

    May God have mercy on this Nation – what’s left of it!

  5. C M Solomon says:

    Paul,

    You don’t need to post this. Did you intend to say: “in 2011 we got instead a half BILLION dollars worth of Solyndra going down the drain?” I have the same problem. What’s a few billion or trillion dollars in corruption really matter to this administration whose vocabulary doesn’t include the English word “accountability”.

  6. L Miles says:

    Let’s have a little more truth instead of blind political loyalty. The Office of President is to be honored, not necessarily the temporary politician that occupies the seat. That person can be honorable or despicable depending on whether or not he supports, defends, and follows the Constitution AS WRITTEN (his oath) not as he wished it to be. If that person subverts the Constitution and uses his administration to transform this Nation into a Marxist utopia in a deceptive manner (given his hidden beliefs), then should be opposed and defeated at the next opportunity possible.

    The Congress is that part of the government that is supposed to block such a “President” that violates the Constitution and, if necessary, forcefully removed from office. The Constitution does not authorize a king, dictator, emperor, messiah, or union thug to run this country, even if he had won in the last election cycle. The current Congress is only a step above a puppet arm of Mr. Obama. A Congress willing to strongly defend the Constitution would have never let Mr. Obama get away with his illegal activity, so far.

    By the way, the average US price for gasoline has gone from $1.83 to $3.32 while Mr. Obama has held office. The national debt (not deficit) has increased by 50% to $16 trillion in the same period of time, 3 years. I’m sorry to say that there is no question in my mind that he has MUCH TO RUN ON, given his goals and belief system.

  7. Dr. Randolph Terry says:

    Paul, Ms. Peggy Joseph is just another example of the success of the Liberal/Socialist agenda, to which President Obama subscribes and is trying to accomplish in the United States. One of the main tactics of Marxism is to dumb down the education system, and to make more and more people dependent on and subservient to the government. Ms. Joseph is a poster child for the paternalism that President Obama and many other community organizers, activists, and certain “pastors” use to keep this underclass on the “plantation”. One would think that this populace would be very angry that these “custodians” do not think that their “wards” can succeed without affirmative action, quotas, and commercials that portray them in ways that are so contradictory to the facts. Until these citizens realize that paternalism is just another form of slavery, they will continue to be satisfied with being an underclass. How sad!

  8. Shared Prosperity says:

    Every country on earth is struggling with a dismal world-wide economy that is wavering between a recession and a depression that has been in place for 4-5 years. Every one in this country hears about this every day. Do you think that poor people like Peggy Joseph who have few resources/options due to her education, skill base, or indebtedness are likely to solve their problems, alone? She will NEVER IGNORE the HOPE that the President provides regardless of his limited success to bring about the CHANGE that we were all expecting? At least President Obama is trying to solve these problems and return prosperity to this nation. He should get an “A” for effort.

    As we have all learned, the poor at the bottom of the economic ladder suffer the most. It is totally logical for the President to demand Shared Sacrifice and a redistribution of the wealth in order to alleviate the suffering. The rich are most able to bear this extra burden until the economic problems are fixed. This is not based on class envy. It is based on simple fairness since there is NO ready cash available from any other source.

    The cost of the safety net has exploded due to the length and depth of the recession that Bush started. Also, the recession has caused a major reduction of government revenues to help pay for the safety net. Together, these last two events have caused record indebtedness. I would rather the indebtedness arise from solving the national economic crisis than see our national treasure wasted fighting unwinnable wars in foreign (tribe infested) countries that have little hope of adopting a lasting democracy or our western economic culture.

    President Obama’s message will always appeal to Peggy Joseph and anyone that is suffering since he is requiring help from those most able to fund his attempt to solve the problem. Ideology simply has no place in this argument to win the hearts and minds of the less fortunate. Constitutional arguments that President Obama is going beyond his legitimate powers are going to land on deaf ears and he (Obama) knows this. FDR set the precedent 70 years ago for a Socialist agenda and nothing is going to change that.

  9. Earl P. Holt III says:

    The irony is that the majority of people like Peggy Joseph don’t make car and mortgage payments at all. In fact, they rarely if ever pay for anything, since the liberals and “Democrats” in this country use our tax revenues to provide for their every need, leaving them free to watch “Oprah” and Cosby Kid re-runs all day.

    A reasonable reform might include mandatory drug-testing for the recipients of welfare, since those who work to pay the taxes financing social welfare expenditures are routinely required to undergo drug-testing as a precondition for employment.

    It would also be a great idea to automatically purge welfare recipients from juries and voter rolls, as long as they benefit from public monies in the form of transfer-payments.

    One more point: Peggy Joseph (and other women who voted for Obama) are a clear example of why the Framers of the Constitution did not originally provide for women’s suffrage…

  10. Dr. Randolph Terry says:

    At least “Shared Prosperity” has the courage to reveal his/her ideology (if not his/her identity), as most politicians will not even concede that FDR set a Socialist agenda. If someone would demonstrate to me just one country on the planet that has a Socialist government and the underclass is not living in dire circumstances, then I could give that form of government some credibility. However, just the reverse is true, and those in the U.S. have infinitely better living conditions; ie autos, big screen TV’s, A.C., and plenty of food. The problem with Socialism, as Margaret Thatcher so aptly described, “is that you eventually run out of other people’s money”. When this happens, there is no funding to take care of those who truly need help, and then “hello Third World”. If you yearn to be like Greece and some of the other European Socialist Countries, then just hang in there, your dreams will soon be realized!

  11. Becky says:

    Obviously, Obama hasn’t helped her with gas for her car! Obviously he doesn’t have anything to run on! But, does that matter? If we pay attention to what he says, we can read between the lines. Of course it is almost like code language. It seems that he knows something that the American people don’t know! What is it? Some of us are begging for the answers. Of course trying to figure him out is a daily process. If people have read any of the books or articles about how to destroy a capitalist country….well it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see that we are headed down that road. With all of this being said,why isn’t he concerned with the upcoming election? Is it arrogance or is it that there is a plan in place already and he doesn’t have to worry??? You tell us!!!
    Concerned for my Country,
    Rebecca

  12. S. Drake says:

    What Peggy Joseph said was NOT taken out of context in any way. There are so many who honestly believe Obama is the answer to all their “problems”. Just one more example of not taking personal responsibility for your situation. I heard another lady who was applying for “free housing” say her place was coming from Obama’s stash. When asked where his stash came from, she replied, “I don’t know, but he has a stash and he is going to give me my house.”
    What did he run on in 2008 that got him elected? The same lies that he’ll run on this time. Most people who will vote for him again have no clue that ANYTIME the government is handing out money, it comes from hard working Americans as opposed to Obama’s stash.
    I would love to see a law passed that in order to vote, you must pass a test on how our government is supposed to work based on the constitution, and should at least know who your senators and representatives are.

  13. We highly question that the sixteenth amendment is constitutional. But I was in an endless fight with the Revenuers myself. This is what I have been claiming.

  14. Regulator says:

    All you who defend this destroyer ( Obama) I hope he gets another 4 years- this country will be in a major Depression akin or worse then the Great Depression and I hope you SUFFER and find yourselves in food lines. You deserve it !

  15. Erika Anear says:

    Like Reagan it’s hard to remember what Margaret Thatcher was actually for. All she ever was was ‘against.’ Most female conservatives are like this. That’s why they leave such a negligible footprint aside from sourness once they pass on.

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