Obama's Failed State Of The Union: Fact
check, Ron Paul Responds to Obama's Address
18 Jan 2012
By Stephen Lendman
It was typical Obama, taking credit for what should be
condemned. He's a fraud, a crime boss, a war criminal
multiple times over, a moral coward, and serial liar.
His State of the Union address was beginning-to-end
doublespeak, duplicity, coverup, and denial of failed
policies complicit with Wall Street crooks, war
profiteers, and other corporate favorites while
popular needs go begging.
Not according to fawning New York Times writers,
however. Suppressing truth and full disclosure, Helene
Cooper headlined, Obama Speech Makes Pitch for
Economic Fairness," saying:
Obama "pledged on Tuesday night to use government
power to balance the scale between America's rich and
the rest of the public....toward an economy 'built to
last' and what he called irresponsible policies of the
past that caused economic collapse."
Fact check
Throughout his tenure, Obama transferred trillions of
dollars to Wall Street, other corporate favorites, and
America's rich already with too much. In the process,
he deepened a Main Street Depression. As a result,
half of US households are impoverished or bordering on
it. Hunger and homelessness grow. Nothing's done to
help. Unaddressed human need is incalculable.
Over 25 million remain unemployed. Job creation is nil
except for low wage/no benefit temp or part-time ones.
Inequality in America is unprecedented. Obama supports
austerity when massive stimulus is needed. Rich elites
never had it so good at the expense of ordinary people
left out.
Obama's Failed State isn't fit to live in for growing
millions.
Nonetheless, an accompanying Times editorial
headlined, "The State of the Union in 2012," saying:
"A year ago....we applauded" Obama's plan to "put
millions of struggling people to work (and his support
for) wrestl(ing) down the deficit (by requiring) the
wealthy (to pay) a fairer share of taxes."
Applause continued, ignoring Obama's duplicitous
Tuesday address and agenda.
Fact check
It includes imperial wars, tax cuts for the rich,
corporate handouts, and austerity for ordinary people
losing out.
His America perpetuates permanent wars,
disproportionate wealth extremes, spiraling debt, and
unaddressed human need.
He ignores growing millions unemployed and
impoverished. He cut Medicare for seniors and
America's disabled as well as Medicaid for poor and
disadvantaged recipients. He left growing millions of
students debt entrapped, many for life.
He's destroying Middle America. His latest proposal
involves looting pension funds to enrich mortgage
lenders. Yet he's packaging fraud as a boon to
ordinary people. It's typical Obama - say one thing,
do another.
Nonetheless, major media scoundrels applaud. As a
result, they're part of the problem, not the solution.
The editorial highlighted Obama's "achievements" and
plans. It ignored his destructive agenda. It was
typical Times, backing rogue politics.
Obama's address wreaked of failed state duplicity,
coverup and denial. Throughout his tenure, rhetoric
and gimmickry substituted for constructive policies.
Tuesday was no different.
He left festering social and economic distress
unaddressed, as well as the American dream in
shambles. Expect continued business as usual to assure
harder than ever times ahead.
He lied saying "The state of our union is getting
stronger....In the last 22 months, businesses have
created more than three million jobs."
Progressive Radio News Hour regular, economist Jack
Rasmus said Obama's "stimulus" programs consisted
largely of corporate and personal super-rich tax cuts.
As a result, they failed.
Corporations hoarded cuts and other subsidies. Job
creation investments weren't made. Business benefitted.
Ordinary people lost out. Economic recovery failed.
Ongoing policies assure continued failure packaged as
success.
According to Rasmus, Obama's agenda "failed because
(it) relied on the private market sector to generate a
sustained recovery, instead of on the government
directly taking the lead to create jobs, rescue
homeowners and resurrect housing, and stabilize
state-local government finances long run."
He "bailed out banks that (don't) lend, rescued
corporations that (don't) create jobs, and
(inadequately) subsidized state and local governments
for a brief period and then cut them loose to fend
fiscally for themselves."
His agenda was and remains devastating for ordinary
Americans. At the same time, corporations and rich
ones flourish. His "built to last" economy favors them
alone. He lied saying he wants to assure "everyone
gets a fair shot." His notion of "American values"
rewards the rich at the expense of everyone else.
He took credit for letting auto giants destroy jobs,
slash worker pay and benefits, ban strike actions, and
let corrupt union bosses serve as corporate enforcers.
He said what Detroit did "can happen in other
industries."
In fact, Detroit's "success" is bankruptcy and ruin.
Motown became ghost town. In death throes, it
symbolizes America's decline. In disrepair and
decline, it's dying with shocking unemployment,
poverty and unaddressed human need levels.
What Obama did to Detroit, he offers other cities
packaged as populism. He took direct aim at destroying
decades of painful labor struggles. They included
taking to the streets, going on strike, holding
boycotts, battling rogue bosses, police and National
Guard forces, as well as paying with their blood and
lives before real gains were won.
Now they're lost, including a living wage, decent
benefits, and the right to bargain collectively on
equal terms with management. Obama deplores the idea
and fights it.
What grassroots struggles achieved, he and other rogue
leaders destroyed. All this in a nation claiming to be
government of, by and for the people, most of whom are
working class ones struggling to get by. What Reagan
era politics began, Obama raised to new levels.
Praising "America's Armed Forces," he also assured
permanent war. They "exceed all expectations," he
said. "Imagine what we could accomplish if we followed
their example." Perhaps he has destroying humanity in
mind to assure unchallenged US hegemony.
Ron Paul Responds to Obama's Address
Obama "once again showed that he does not represent
the fundamental change this country needs. Instead of
offering solutions to the problems our country faces,
(he) deliver(ed) a campaign speech....typical (of)
Washington political gamesmanship that (got) us
exactly nowhere close to improving the lives of the
American people."
His policies assure "continue economic stagnation" and
decline. He "claims to want an economy where everyone
gets a fair shot, everyone does their fair share, and
everyone plays by the same set of rules."
"Yet he remains committed to the same old system of
debt, deficits, bailouts and cronyism that created our
economic troubles."
"Of course, (he) refuses to even mention the role the
Federal Reserve plays in creating an economic system
where some are denied a fair shot or even to support
my efforts at bringing transparency" to an opaque,
secretive process.
"In the area of foreign policy and civil liberties, (Obama's)
rhetoric" belies his agenda. It's "hardly 'change we
can believe in.' " No wonder more and more Americans,
especially young people, (reject his) phony
alternatives (and those of) establishment
Republicans.."
A Final Comment
Throughout his tenure, Obama waged multiple imperial
wars, plans others, looted the nation's wealth,
wrecked the economy, consigned growing millions to
impoverishment without jobs, and institutionalized
tyranny to target dissenters challenging political
corruption, corporate crooks, or abuse of power
lawlessness.
He also destroyed hard won labor rights, wants
education commodified as another business profit
center, and wages war on whistleblowers, dissenters,
Muslims, Latino immigrants, and environmental and
animal rights activists called terrorists.
He wrecked America, governs lawlessly, and threatens
worse ahead. Imagine the unpalatable options facing
voters in November between a lawless/crime
boss/militarist/pro-war/anti-populist/morally corrupt
president, and a rogue's gallery of alternatives
looking more like a police lineup than legitimate
candidates.
They assure continued
pro-business/pro-war/anti-populist policies. They
threaten Middle America's survival and perhaps
humanity if they're not stopped.
Imagine a president taking credit for what should be
condemned. Imagine an aroused public refusing to let
him.
It's happening with legs but needs to grow. What OWS
began, millions need to join and support. That's how
great struggles are won. This one's the mother of them
all.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached
at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net. Also visit his blog
site at sjlendman.blogspot.com and listen to
cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on
the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive
Radio Network Thursdays at 10AM US Central time and
Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are
archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour/.
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