Posted on 09/16/2009 7:56:02 AM PDT by Kaslin
On the Internet, there is a famous principle that has come to be known as Godwin's Law. Named after columnist Mike Godwin, the Godwin Law states that as Internet discussions grow longer, the probability of a comparison involving Nazis or Hitler (whether legitimate or illegitimate) approaches. Anyone who has spent any time browsing the blogosphere can verify Godwin's Law.
Anyone who pays any attention to the trials and tribulations of President Obama can recognize the existence of another law. Call it Shapiro's Law: As any conversation involving an Obama supporter grows longer, the probability of the Obama supporter citing the failings of President Bush approaches. In fact, Obama supporters rarely wait longer than 30 seconds before referencing President Bush's shortcomings. President Obama himself talks about President Bush more than FDR, JFK, Lincoln and Martin Luther King Jr. combined.
Why do Obama supporters believe that President Bush's weaknesses excuse President Obama's total incompetence? When you mention that President Obama has driven the national debt to unprecedented levels, they mention that the Bush administration spent too much, too. When you mention that President Obama has nationalized industries and seeks to subvert private health care, they mention that President Bush passed an expansion of drug benefits and sponsored bailouts of the financial firms.
This is utterly illogical.
If O.J. Simpson had committed double-homicide, then cited Ted Kennedy's manslaughter as justification, we would have scoffed. Yet we are supposed to accept "Ignore Obama, Bush was horrible" sloganeering as the apotheosis of argumentative rhetoric.
This is an administration that does not deign to make logical arguments. This is an administration that calls names and levels slurs at its opponents rather than challenging them on logical grounds. This is an administration that embraces the polarizing politics of racial pandering and class warfare while claiming a nonexistent high-mindedness.
But the Obama administration does not recognize one simple truth: presidents are not the same as presidential candidates. Presidents must prove their mettle; they cannot blame their predecessors. They applied for their job, spending time and money and tears and sweat in order to get it. Once they're in office, we're no longer interested in hearing slurs about their predecessors. It is both unseemly and untimely.
Presidents must govern, not complain. Their supporters must support their policies, and they must justify them. If Obama does something wrong, it does not suddenly become right because Bush pursued similar measures. If Bush supporters did not stand up against Bush when he pressed for erroneous policies, that was a failing, to be sure -- but it does not justify continued silence in the face of exponentially more erroneous policies.
And just to be clear, any analogy between the spendthrift policies of the Bush administration and the Obama administration falls flat on the merits. Bush left office with a $455 billion budget deficit for 2009 and a $10.7 trillion national debt. In well under a year, Obama has more than tripled the budget deficit to $1.58 trillion, and the national debt is now up to $11.8 trillion. The Obama economic policies will add a minimum of $9.05 trillion to the national deficit over the next nine years -- and that is a vastly optimistic estimate. Some economists say the deficit will increase by over $14 trillion.
It is time for Obama and his followers to grow up and stop proving living embodiments of Shapiro's Law. Bush has not been in office for nine months. Democrats have controlled Congress for three years. If Obama can't defend his policies rationally, he should change them. If he can, he should defend them. George W. Bush has nothing to do with anything anymore.
Except Illinois nazis. I hate Illinois nazis...
Godwin’s law. Got it.
Shapiro’s law. Got it.
What is the name of the law which counts the minutes before a obama supporter accuses a Republican of racism?
This guy just wants Shapiro’s Law named after him because HE’S SHAPIRO!
I see waht u did thar!
Sorry, that last post is wrong. Instead of minutes I should have posted “nanoseconds”. It’s more accurate.
One of the many things that infuriates me is the complete lack of accountability regarding the massive shift to Democrat control of Congress in 2007.
That is the absolute political bright line to the current economic crisis. The deficit was going down up until that very point.
I still adamantly believe that Bush did a fantastic job on those parts of his jobs that were executive— security/ military.
The blaming of budget and economy on Presidents and not the Congress is part of why Congress is and has long been so profoundly corrupt. That corruption took a powerful uptick in 2007 and no one— including far too many conservatives are willing to own up to this reality.
Instead we here bloviating about how Bush should have . . . essentially exceeded his constitutional authority and ‘put Congress in their place’ like Reagan did— which again never happened.
Kaslin's Law.
A veto or two would have been exceeding his Constitutional authority? Who knew?
That is a check constitutionally provided to the executive against the legislative branch.
It means the Congress is screwing up.
Again as seen here, we cannot blame Congress.
We must blame Bush— even conservatives are part of his BDS game. Reagan did not reduce the deficit with his vetoes and I have no doubt that he was a conservative.
Show me where the vetoes in any instance did what you propose as good.
I respect conservatives who have the spine to stand up for Bush. Obama and the Democratic Congress put in in 2007 have raised spending exponentially and conservatives are happy to agree with liberals that it is the same as Bush.
That is a lie— in precisely the kind of outrageous terms that got Joe Wilson fired up.
Please explain what you mean
Bozo’s law.
Well, no one is going to know that things got worse after the Dems took over Congress, because no one in the GOP is saying it. That should have been part of the campaign last year. Instead the entire GOP played on the defensive (except Ms. Palin). Bush, McCain, the congress and senate candidates all accepted the premise of the failed last eight years, and got destroyed in the process. Sad, and more so pathetic.
BRAVO Bump!
“This is an administration that does not deign to make logical arguments.”
That’s because the Left doesn’t believe in logic, reason, evidence, etc. Their system is based upon feelings and they hold that certain Philosopher Kings are imbued with a mystical ability to read the tea leaves of history and thus read where mankind should “progress.” They call themselves Progressives, believe that their agenda is in tune with our destiny. Those who oppose them are called reactionaries, because by definition, they aim to thwart our destiny of a hard-left Utopia.
They feel that if everyone believed in what they did, their unworkable ideas would work. Those who do not are the cause of their policies not working, so they must be silenced, converted, marginalized or destroyed.
Hence the Killing Fields, the Gulag and the Cultural Revolution.
We must understand their mindset when dealing with them. They truly are beyond the reach of reason. They are True Believers and Obama is their current Messiah.
What is the name of the law which counts the minutesnanoseconds before a obama supporter accuses a Republican of racism?
The law of "I'm a scorpion; it's my nature."
(fable reference)
I agree with your argument but still believe the refusal of conservatives to defend Bush’s rhetoric was part of the planned failure. Palin and McCain agreed to the premise that Bush was a failure as President.
That is absolutely outrageous in my own mind. I honestly believe Bush did a better job than Reagan and I like Reagan a lot. I don’t like Bush’s dad much. I think history will vindicate W, but it still infuriates me that the GOP strategy was “ we are not Bush lite” That is pure cowardice.
People can clarify their disagreements [i.e. Medicare Part D and such] and still champion the awesome things he did: Afghan war, Iraq war, defeating Charles Taylor, tax cuts, two pro life justices, increase parent control of education etc. Capitulating to the Left’s control of public memes is part of why conservatives have gotten into such a corner. Now they have to say some fairly outrageous stuff to get out of that corner where simply defending the good parts of Bush would have been more legitimate and courageous.
Even Katrina was actually a good effort by Bush but conservatives refused to rally for their leader. Without the massive airlifts by the military out of NO thousands would have died. As it was, a tiny fraction of deaths occurred compared to empirical predictions for that hurricane of more than 10,000 dead. Conservatives do not defend their own and they pretend that they are waiting for Reagan’s dead body to be resurrected.
Only Jesus get’s that honor— the rest of us are left with the ugly reality of politics.
Excellent point bump
Show me a Bush veto.
Do you think Disidente Juan McCain could have pounded home that fact during his campaign? Loser.
. . .
In well under a year, Obama has more than tripled the budget deficit to $1.58 trillion
Do you think the Republicans might want to consider repeating that fact now? Losers.
. . .
Winners control the debate. Losers nominate crippled old men to run against cool young Democrats.
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