Obama The Fighter

"Let me tell you, so long as I have the privilege of serving as your president, I'll never stop fighting for you," Obama said yesterday during his speech in Elyria, Ohio. On the same day, however, new statistics showed that the state's unemployment rate had risen from 10.6% to 10.9%, easily eclipsing the national average. This whole 'fighting' theme seems to be a redoubling of his efforts to deliver on the promises that he made as a presidential candidate more than a year ago. So what exactly is he fighting for, and who is he fighting? Let's take a look at some his of his remarks from this speech:

"I'll never stop fighting to bring jobs back to Elyria."

"I'll never stop fighting for an economy where hard work is rewarded, where responsibility is honored, where accountability is upheld, where we're creating the jobs of tomorrow."

"I'm going to keep up the fight for real, meaningful health insurance reforms...That's why we expanded the children's health insurance program to include 4 million more kids." (I missed the part where he mentions that these 'kids' include everyone up to the age of 25. Oh, yeah - that's because he neglected to say it)

"These are some of the fights we've had...And I can promise you, there will be more fights in the days ahead."

And oh, yes...Let's not forget his declaration against the banking industry just a couple days ago in which he threw down this gauntlet:

"If these folks want a fight, it's a fight I'm ready to have."

So who is this fighter-president wanting to fight? One can only surmise that Obama is scapegoating 'special interests' and 'big business' in an effort to push through his agenda. These smoke screens just aren't effective when one considers that voters (in growing numbers) reject the Democrats' big government policies. In fact, the latest Rasmussen poll shows 58% opposition to the health care reform plan proffered by Obama and congressional Democrats.

(Side Note: We still don't know the contents of said plan since the Dems have refused to make public any debate or hearings, even shutting out Republicans, who, up until Scott Brown's win in Massachusetts, could not have blocked ANY legislation that Dems wanted to pass)

How about the president's promise to create jobs? In the real world, jobs are created by the private sector, not by the government. The best thing government can do is get out of the way of America's entrepreneurs and innovators, and let the capitalist engine bring our economy back from its doldrums. Then again, Obama's policies threaten to squash these up-and-comers with such overbearing taxes and regulation that they would have little fruit to bear in the form of new jobs and new wealth. Current economic conditions show that America's existing businesses have been suffering too, despite the Democrats' best efforts to resurrect the economy via runaway spending.

So who again is Obama fighting? Consider: Americans don't want their health care hijacked by the federal government. They don't want higher taxes. They don't want their government on a spending spree with their money (most of which has yet to be created!) And they don't want intrusive government in every aspect of their lives.

In wrapping up his Ohio speech, Obama reminded everyone, "I didn't run for president to turn away from these challenges. I didn't run for president to kick them down the road. I ran for president to confront them, once and for all."

By this, I can only presume that he means "to confront" all of us - it sounds to me like the president's picking a fight with the American people, who 'just don't get it.'

But it's Obama who doesn't 'get it.' Ironic, isn't it?