Source
Writes Allahpundit: “It’s practically a taunt.”
Indeed, I find it breathtaking. The man is supposed to be the leader of the country, the president of ALL the people, not just the ones who agree with him, and he’s basically over half the nation to just shut up and fall in line.
In fact, the president and his White House have been so irresponsible this week, what with their, “punch back twice as hard” nonsense (good going, there, chief) and so blatantly authoritarian with their “tell us about dissent in casual conversation” that I begin to wonder if we are not being deliberately baited by our president – if he is not trying to cause a commotion in his own country? Okay, I’m going to say it; he’s either the stupidest and most incompetent president, or the most tyrannically-disposed egoist, ever to hold the office. And, umm…I don’t think he’s stupid.
We’re redefining “arrogant,” here.
Kathryn Jean Lopez calls him the American Caesar (that is what “Czar” means, isn’t it?): “For Barack Obama, democracy appears to be a distraction.”
Neoneocon wonders: Is Obama drunk on power, and are sedition laws next? Well, it seems the president does not have tolerate dissent well, so who knows?
Glenn Reynolds remembers when protesting was patriotic spells it out.
From the UK: Daniel Hannen says Are you Yanks out of your minds, subjecting yourselves to this when you are free people?
In France: They’re saying “America, Êtes-vous fou? zee healt’care eet iz bahnkrupting us!”
Yeah, and it’s only going to “insure” about 16 million more people.
A Blue Dog Dem says: Obama, dude, stop doing what you’re doing. Yeah, and maybe take a few minutes to look at the “good” war in Afghanistan, and the big-hearted troops you command, too!
Do you know why the Democrats are acting so unconcerned about the possibility of paying a price for ignoring their constituents? Why they do not fear retribution at the voting polls? Why they’re telling us to sit down and shut up? They’re about to become the third largest employer in the world and bosses don’t get fired by the workers. So, you just shut up, even if you are a constituent, and even if you have called the office to talk about healthcare and been ignored! Just sit down and learn your place, doctor.
Our courageous leadership: Kiddie Shields and Hallelujahs, and what separation of church and state you talking about, again? Oh thaaat! That’s just a stick to beat the right with. We can pray and even campaign in churches, if we want!
Geithner has a fevah and the only solution is more debt!
Wall Street Journal: Goes to a Townhall Meeting
Ed Morrissey: Until the Unions showed up (and Obama said, “punch back”) there hadn’t been any violence and it’s gonna cost more than Obama says
Linda Douglass: Flack n Hack. I will never forget that terrifyingly cold video as long as I live.
The Labor Movement: Ace notes who like to side with. My union-member parents must be turning over in their graves.
In Texas: Give me Liberty, or Give me Death, Y’all!
“Earning an honest dollar” can get you punched in the face. I think I want one of those flags.
I like to be in Amerika, okay by me in Amerika…” C’mon, you know the words!
America: The “Remaking” of her won’t be nearly as good.
UPDATE:
Congress is ordering 8 more private jets, not 3. They mustn’t travel with the filthy masses, you know.
August 8th, 2009 | 8:23 am | #1
[...] Anchoress is on fire here about the ham-fisted efforts of the Obama administration to stifle dissent. Eventually someone in [...]
August 8th, 2009 | 11:09 am | #2
I think Obama doesn’t understand the traditional role we’re used to seeing in our Presidents. I was appalled when he was taking jabs at Rush Limbagh.
Early on it was one thing but its gotten to the point where I wonder if he will ever learn. This most recent round, calling people that are attending town halls thugs and asking for email tips to the white house, asking supporters to ‘get in their face’, etc is the worst leadership I have ever witnessed in a U.S. President.
August 8th, 2009 | 12:17 pm | #3
Anchoress: You tweeted the following last night: why does Obama seem 2b DELIBERATELY Stoking fires as w/ his “don’t talk” speech Is he TRYING to foment a situation calling 4 martial law?
I went to a forum, which has several Constitutional experts and historians, and posed your question. Here is one response that might interest you:
**************************************
My gut is speaking. Because so many members of the military and NG (and even many rank and file police officers) have or are losing any confidence and respect for the CinC, Obama will have some major hurdles to jump if he tries something so utterly stupid as calling for nationwide martial law. Only three times in our history has a president imposed martial law and all of those applied in limited or localized situations. Calling for nationwide martial law in the present political climate would be the coup de gras in political suicide. I’m not saying Obama won’t do it, but if he does he is going to have a crisis on his hands that will render his magic wand and warped brain impotent.
August 8th, 2009 | 1:26 pm | #4
One of the problems I had with the prior administration is that it seemed to take all the punches from opposition leaders and from lunacy-laden blogs and organizations without ever even grunting, much less fighting back.
When activists continually financed and jetted poor deranged Cindy Sheehan to Washington, to Crawford, and to any other place that suited their agenda, the president refused to respond publicly to such tactics. As Al Gore and former president Carter continued to rant and rave as if the past eight years had been the imposition of an American Third Reich, the White House declined to counter them. Many people read the non-response as weakness, perhaps even as a tacit admission of guilt. Or maybe it was just that the prior administration clung to an old romantic notion that dignity was becoming in our nation’s leaders.
We now seem to have returned to those Carvillian days in which no accusation against the administration goes unchallenged, and no accuser unpunished. But worse than that, the goon squads being dispatched are no longer just Beltway types in suits who do their best to discredit the source, they are now ham-fisted thugs who believe that a black eye is the best remedy for any form of dissent. And this administration is now neck-deep in promoting them.
I live in fly-over country. Our Congressmen voted against cap-and-trade, and they guarantee that they will not support the current healthcare bill. Town hall meetings in their districts have been respectful and civilized. Yet there are three or more times as many people attending, and the atmosphere in each is marked with much more anxiety, frustration, and anger than during prior recesses.
I don’t agree with town hall attendees who come only to heckle and drown out our elected officials (almost used the term “representatives,” but I’m not sure that it applies to our Congressmen anymore). But I can understand their frustration with legislators who have apparently decided that their first devotion must be to the White House or their party leadership, not to their constituents. It’s not that citizens wouldn’t welcome changes to the healthcare system that will benefit us all. It’s that they’ve grown increasingly distrustful and resentful of those to whom they entrusted the responsibility to work on their behalf.
But back to the topic of your post, Anchoress. When the Obama campaign began to trump the assumption that Hillary Clinton would be the next president, I told myself that elevating a person of color to the Oval Office might be the next great step forward in bringing together people of all races in this country. Instead, this administration and its supporters continually demonize their fellow citizens, and they are only too willing to brand as “racist” any type of criticism against them. In six months time we have become more polarized across lines of ethnicity, class, and ideology than any time, I think, since the 1960’s. And the self-described “post-partisan” leader of the free world continually reveals himself to be a man without any sense of dignity or humility.
But then, voters today seem to prefer “cool” over restrained or tempered. They got what they wanted. Small wonder that displays such as that at the Creigh Deeds rally yesterday are causing so many of us to lose our cool now.
August 8th, 2009 | 1:51 pm | #5
Mutnodjmet, I think that answer is correct. If Obama dares to pull something like that, he will not last four years – the reaction would be so supremely negative, that he would have to pack his bags and get the heck out of dodge in a hurry if he wants to avoid an impeachment. Don’t worry, a friendly European country would gladly take him – and advocate for him for the rest of his days before the Hague against us “rednecks”.
However, I would not discard the possibility that some people would applaud that move, and even help him execute it. Our situation is very dire. The American People don’t realize that the infrastructure for that kind of action is already in place. (One only has to look at our interstate highway system to figure that out.)
August 8th, 2009 | 3:01 pm | #6
[...] “Shut Up,” he explained – The_Anchoress [...]
August 8th, 2009 | 4:37 pm | #7
I just watched the video….
Well I think I will talk more…
August 8th, 2009 | 5:32 pm | #8
Obama is worse than Jimmy Carter ever thought of being, and that’s saying a mouthful.
It will be a cold day in hell before I quit expressing my dissenting opinions. So far, we still have freedom of speech, despite his efforts to suppress it.
This country was founded on opposition to the tyrants in charge and the hallowed halls where the founders met were not quiet and polite all the time, I’d venture to guess.
We’re Americans, by God, and now we are beginning to act like it! Thank the Lord.
August 8th, 2009 | 11:02 pm | #9
Signs of weakness? No, GWB had something called class.
August 8th, 2009 | 11:30 pm | #10
Hmm. During the last 8 years, I was called “unpatriotic” if I didn’t support all of Bush’s policies in their entirety- now that a dem is in charge, I hear the right making the same complaint. it’s very interesting to me.
[Stephanie, who called you Unpatriotic? I know that meme was out there, but I never heard it, and I never met anyone who had actually been called "unpatriotic" by anyone else. I'm sure that on some far-right winger sites, that word was flung about, but honestly, aside from talking points and memes, I never heard it. And I KNOW you were never called that on this site. I never heard Bush say it or his cabinet. But Pelosi has said it. Reid has said it. Michelle Obama has said it. Matthews has said it. Even Jon Stewart has said it. THey've implied that we're nazis, but we haven't been the ones shouting down invited campus speakers, or throwing pies in faces. It's just like all those people who said Bush was "destroying the constitution" while unable to cite for me a single right they were not able to exercies. Now, Obama has kept all of Bushs' "destructive" rules, and people actually ARE being kept from exercising their rights. It IS interesting.-admin]
August 8th, 2009 | 11:47 pm | #11
It’s a character thing. Even I, as pessimistic about the Obama presidency as I was during the campaign, am disappointed in him.
Links
Blogs
Find Us
Contact