The longest goodbye in presidential history appears to be winding down. It isn’t that Barack Obama has been provided more days than previous presidents to wrap up his administration, he insists he must do so publicly on a seemingly endless basis.
Not unlike the beginning of his presidency, Obama is on a tour to explain his presidency that comes across as an ongoing series of excuses, denials and allegations. Many Americans never forgot the “apology tour” he made shortly after being sworn in. His message was America had been bad, and he was here to fix it.
His last goodbye tour is not much different. On Tuesday night, in an atmosphere of jubilation and orchestration, he gave his (final?) farewell speech in an address at McCormick Place in Chicago. It was a speech filled with what he perceived were his accomplishments over eight years in the Oval Office.
His arm must have hurt from patting himself on the back.
It was the sort of speech the American people had heard hundreds of times, as though it would seep in if said enough times no matter the content. He praised the economy, unemployment, his leadership in the world and his fight for those who cannot fight.
Generalities flew in every direction and there was not one fact-checker in sight. The media reviews Wednesday morning were typical of Obama’s tenure in office; mostly glowing. There was basically no criticism of many of Obama’s outrageous claims of success where failure was obvious.
For instance, the president painted a picture of the Middle East that is on the rise. Even at this late hour of his presidency he is unable to use the term “Islamic terrorism.” It was obvious to anyone not in lockstep with this man that no matter what he says, his self-admiration was filled with half-truths and outright lies.
Dan Hicks once wrote a song that best describes the coronation-type macabre celebration in Chicago; “We keep telling you day after day, but you won’t listen, you always stay and stay, how can we miss you when you won’t go away?”
Like most of the speeches Obama gives, it is mostly in the first person. That was a constant for a man obsessed with his legacy. He truly believes that Obamacare was a success as it is being dismantled and repealed as he spoke. Only the most spellbound enthusiasts of this man can do anything but sit with mouth agape.
He mentioned “The quiet dignity of working people.” These were the same “deplorables” his supposed successor ridiculed during her campaign that now leaves his true legacy in the hands of a Republican-controlled government thanks to his policies that awakened millions of angry voters last November.
Ten minutes into his speech, when it was time to spin the fairy tale of his presidency, he brought out his favorite excuse for the abject failure of his presidency; George W. Bush. No one man has ever endured more trash talk without firing a shot back than this man.
It brought cheers to those numb with the loving cup of blind admiration. That sparked him to point out his “gayness.” He mentioned “marriage equality.” Those who have not lost their memories swooning over this man shall remember Obama was against gay marriage before he was for gay marriage. Last night he took credit for his political correctness straight-faced.
The 44th president then went on to conveniently forget, and rightly so, some of the real realities of his presidency.
How could he forget his hand-picked and regretfully confirmed Attorney General Eric Holder resisting any criminal investigation into the DOJ’s gun-running to drug cartels providing thousands of automatic weapons, one of which killed a border agent? Holder resigned from his post and the scandal was never pursued by Obama’s next hand-picked and regretfully confirmed AG Loretta Lynch who herself was engulfed in scandal concerning Hillary’s private server scandal.
It should be noted that Holder and his high-priced Washington law firm will now be paid $300,000 annually by the State of California, run by far-left liberal Jerry Brown, to identify any “wrongdoings” by the incoming Trump administration with the state’s taxpayers picking up the bill for this man.
There was no mention of the IRS scandal of auditing conservative organizations such as the Tea Party under the watchful eye of Lois Lerner in the Cincinnati office. The evidence was clearly there, but Holder’s successor, Loretta Lynch, chose to ignore that, like she did Hillary’s private server scandal. Lois Learner is now retired with full government (taxpayer) benefits for life and no hint of prosecution of her or anyone else, including Lynch.
The Benghazi murders, written off to the American people as an incident caused by a video comes to mind Mr. President. Even Obama said that was the reason for the murders in front of the United Nations more than three weeks after it was proven to be blatantly false.
There was no mention of millions of illegal aliens on welfare, 333 rounds of golf, 217 days of vacation (costing $95 million), the disgrace of the Veterans Administration and treatment of our former soldiers, one in 20 adult Americans on “disability,” 95.1 million Americans out of the work force and an additional 10.7 million Americans on food stamps.
Then there is the elephant in the room; the “crown jewel” of the so-called legacy known as Obamacare. Passed in the midnight hour back in April, 2010, and passed without a single Republican vote.
It brought the American people a health care plan that cost $3,750 in 2015 that today is $5,250. A plan that Obama said would allow you to keep your doctor and cut your premiums decisively. Remember House Speaker Nancy Pelosi saying, We need to pass it so we can see what it says, or words to that effect?
The president began his orchestrated carnival by saying, “Hello Chicago, it’s good to be home.” Good to be home? Hasn’t he told us for eight years, and $100 million in taxpayer money to travel there, that Hawaii is his home? Now it’s Chicago with a crime rate in the stratosphere? Make up your mind as you prepare to make Washington, DC your home.
If nothing else, Obama has the talent to change on a dime. The greatest orator with a teleprompter the White House has seen since Teddy Roosevelt will be gone in just nine days. He has no plans to leave the Washington area, citing the need to stay until his daughter graduates. Really?
It can be assured that is not the reason. The ego of this man is such he will stay in town to “lead” the opposition. He will oppose the drastic changes that are essential to get this country back on track economically and overseas where the rest of the world is scratching their heads thinking; was that “Hope and change” we just witnessed for eight long years?
You were supposed to overlook all those little lies. Eric Holder, Hillary Clinton, Tim Geithner, Loretta Lynch, non-stop fundraisers, endless golf outings, the IRS, Solyndra, Lois Lerner, Benghazi, “Fast and Furious,” on and on and on.
He ended this love-fest by telling the now-breathless worshipers of the messiah, “We remain the wealthiest, most powerful nation on earth, the unemployment rate is near a 10-year low and we’re going to have to forge a new social safety net.”
Its a pity 90 million people are not in the workforce and 43 million are on food stamps.
Like life, as the Bard would say, “A politician’s but a walking shadow that struts and frets his hour upon the stage and then is heard no more.” The biggest problem posed by Barack Obama is, how can we miss him when he won’t go away?
