Voters' Choice, in Sharp Relief (Obama V. Rep. Paul Ryan)

Wall Street Journal ^ | 9/11/10 | Gerald F. Seib

[BCrago66]

While Democratic President Barack Obama stood before a crowd in Cleveland delivering a speech describing his economic philosophy Wednesday, Republican Rep. Paul Ryan sat in his Racine, Wis., district office, eating a Quiznos sandwich and describing his.

Those parallel discussions are significant, because these bright young men—Mr. Obama is 49, Mr. Ryan 40—have become the opposite poles of economic debate in the current congressional campaign.

Mr. Obama describes an America where the middle class has been squeezed by tax cuts for the wealthy that have left education, research and infrastructure investments under-funded, undermining job creation even as unfettered market forces helped push wealth away from Middle America and toward the top.

[bcsco]

From the article (Obama's words): "But in the words of the first Republican president, Abraham Lincoln, I also believe that government should do for the people what they cannot do better for themselves. And that means making the long-term investments in this country's future that individuals and corporations can't make on their own: investments in education and clean energy, in basic research and technology and infrastructure."

Oops! Somehow (on purpose, of course) he left out the "..of the people, by the people" part. IOW, a government which does the people's bidding for the people, not for those who are elected to "serve" the people.

If anyone wants a clear distinction between Democrat and conservative philosophy, there it is.

Oh, and don't get me started on that "what they cannot do better for themselves" part. That's elitist crap. We the people are capable of managing ourselves and our own fortunes. We don't need some worthless community organizer who hasn't done a worthwhile thing in his life to tell us what we need.

[ez]

Yeah, it’s tax cuts for the rich that haved caused education to be underfunded (lol), infrastructure to be underfunded, and not the politicians raping the Treasury or the unions. What a joke.

[kabar]

Those parallel discussions are significant, because these bright young men—Mr. Obama is 49, Mr. Ryan 40—have become the opposite poles of economic debate in the current congressional campaign.

Comparing the intellects of the Supreme Reader to Ryan as being equivalent destroys whatever credibility and insights the author may have.

[BelegStrongbow]

I do not recall that A. Lincoln said that the government should ‘do’ anything for, to or of the people. This is the secular version of Clinton’s perversion of I Cor. 2:9, suggesting that a particular ordinary human man could do for humanity what Scripture reserves to God alone (guess it was inevitable that Obama would take the next step beyond Clinton anyway).

[ballplayer]

At least one thing this debate has exposed is the Fraud that every Democrat near a Microphone for the past ten years has uttered,George Bushs tax cuts for the rich,You Notice now Obama wants to extend the Bush Tax cuts for the Middle class and just extend the tax on the 2% of the Millionares and Billionares.The other 98% were for the Middle class? Wow, Now thats news after all these years,just a Coincidence its 50 some days until an election.
Imagine that Bush Led us into the ditch with those taxes on the 2%. What a Crock Of crap

[altair]

Oh, and don't get me started on that "what they cannot do better for themselves" part. That's elitist crap.

It's disingenuous. The thing is that it's true, but not in any way that Obama is using it.

My conversion from a government is 100% evil to OK, OK, we must have some limited government moment was when I was living in Mindanao and was trying to work out scenarios as to how basic infrastructure could be built.

As is typical for Obama, he takes an ambiguous statement, mixes in a handful of truths, half truths and untruths and attempts to draw a conclusion which forces the listener to believe that it is all true.

(OBAMA)And that means making the long-term investments in this country's future that individuals and corporations can't make on their own: investments in education and clean energy, in basic research and technology and infrastructure.

I've got to bump the old threads on Obama's use of hypnotic techniques during the 2008 campaign. He's still attempting to use them, but the disconnect now is great enough that it tends to make one believe that whomever was controlling Obama during the campaign, is no longer doing so now. He's trying to wing it and failing.

Obama Mesmerizes Voters with Hypnotic Speech Techniques

An Examination of Obama’s Use of Hidden Hypnosis Techniques in His Speeches

[altair]

He's trying to wing it and failing.

By "he" I mean whomever is writing the speeches that appear on Obama's teleprompter, or Obama's acting coach.

[bcsco]

I do not recall that A. Lincoln said that the government should ‘do’ anything for, to or of the people.

"Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate -- we can not consecrate -- we can not hallow -- this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."

This is what he was misrepresenting. As I said, he left out "of the people, by the people,...". It completely changes the meaning.

[BelegStrongbow]

Your cite supports what I thought I recalled. It wasn’t about government ‘doing’ anything, but about preserving a government that derives its just powers from the people, who are the true Sovereign. Typical of Obama to turn the whole concept on its head. The man is not delusional, he is powermad and megalomaniacal, to a degree that makes Nixon look positively demure.

[bcsco]

It wasn't about government 'doing' anything, but about preserving a government that derives its just powers from the people, who are the true Sovereign.

That was my point. He completely misrepresented Lincoln's focus to suit his own designs. He had to leave out the "of the people, by the people" part otherwise his statement would fall apart. Unfortunately, too many in this country are history deficient, and don't know better, or are one with Obama and his hatred of America.

[bcsco]

The thing is that it's true, but not in any way that Obama is using it.

It's true only in a very limited sense. There are things better left to a limited federal government to deal with; foreign diplomacy, defend the federation against foreign and domestic enemies, etc. But those issues are very limited in number.

But Obama turns this on his head, misrepresenting Lincoln to do so. That's disgusting and deceitful. This is a prime example of why governments are evil because man is evil.