THERE's a big difference between talk and action. Until Obama shows toughness and commitment in backing up his words with deeds, eloquent speeches won't dispel the festering doubts about his leadership abilities.
That's the Houston Chronicle's take on the president and his state of the union speech.
Our local Clever People are, as usual, wrong. It's not lack of forceful leadership that's Mr. Obama's problem. And it's not "intransigent GOP opposition."
It's the president's statist and profligate policies -- policies the Chronicle supports with enthusiasm and without reservation.
Not caring much for America as it is, President Obama set out to fundamentally transform it.
The American people, most of whom like America as it is, have simply balked at his out-of-control spending (borrowed from the Chinese and charged to our children and grandchildren), his takeover of the automobile industry, his effort to federalize the medical system, his cap-and-tax plan to weaken the American economy, his cluelessness on how to deal with underwear bombers and other barbarians -- all the accumulated Obamanuttiness.
No amount of forceful leadership can possibly convince congressional Democrats -- at least those who hope to be reelected -- to continue to support the president's hugely unpopular agenda.
And no amount of namecalling by the president or by the Chronicle can successfully recharacterize those who have said no to the president's misguided effort to America as anything other than heroic. Opposition the Chronicle calls intransigent is in fact principled.
The American people would have supported incremental change to fix that which needs fixing. But they don't support and won't support tearing down our system to rebuild it according to Mr. Obama's radical blueprint.
Politicians who accept that reality -- Scott Brown comes to mind -- will prosper. Those who don't -- the Senate majority leader comes to mind -- will soon need to find another way to make a living.
Meanwhile our editorial board is not only out of step with its readers and the people of Houston, Texas, and America; it's marching in an entirely different parade.
tat's a redprint....not blue!
Posted by: madmilker | January 31, 2010 at 09:00 AM