When the only tool that you have is a hammer, every problem starts to look like a nail. That analogy applies perfectly to statist ideologues like Barack Obama. This graph from a J.P. Morgan research report (hat tip: The American) does a good job of visually explaining why our naive, government-loving president seems to have no clue how the private sector (i.e. the Real World) works:
My 15 year old son walked up behind me and immediately pointed out what you have likely noticed as well. In the post-war years there is a marked difference between Democrat and Republican presidents in terms of where they seek out the people to fill cabinet positions. Kennedy, Carter, Clinton, and Obama clearly sought out statists with very little private sector experience to fill their appointments. With obvious results.
Sure, Clinton was not as disastrous as the others, but contrary to conventional wisdom it was because the Republicans in congress forced him to triangulate and move away from his leftist ideology. If only Barack Obama had that same political sense… but he remains a freedom-loathing ideologue.
That is definitely “change”.
Pingback: Tweets that mention When the only tool you have is a hammer…. « The War on Socialism -- Topsy.com
That is a fascinating graph. But with such a lack of private sector experience in this administration, I doubt even a hammer is being used to solve problems. But I bet you there are a lot of baseball bats that are being used, because that is the only way freedom-loathing people can get anything accomplished.
What was it that Ron Bloom, Obama’s Manufacturing Czar, said, “We kinda agree with Mao, that political power comes largely from the barrel of a gun…” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rm-Fx5jTbPE — or baseball bats from Chicago.
Abe, I have not believed in conspiracy theories since I was in my 20s. But having said that, I think that there are times that dangerous people have sinister plans and that one should not dismiss the possibility simply because a naysayer can label it as a conspiracy theory.
Watching the actions taken by this administration, I have a harder and harder time not believing that this is the implementation of the Cloward-Piven strategy, which I blogged about here:
http://waronsocialism.com/2009/08/21/the-cloward-piven-strategy/
My knowledge and understanding of the Cloward-Piven strategy is superficial at best, but I plan on learning much more about it in the coming weeks and months. I was referring, of course, to Chicago-style politics – not one particular strategy, not even a conspiracy theory, just a tactic to accomplish political gains.
I, too, don’t believe in conspiracy theories. Why plan a strategy to collapse the capitalist system or overturn the Constitution or deny people personal freedoms in a dark chamber when you can accomplish the same thing in academic circles and be praised for it?
Why? Because in the academic circles it’s just all talk with no results. They wear their Che Guevera t-shirts and everyone just dismisses them as loons.
But take the reins of power and do everything that it takes to destroy the system and you can really increase government power over the lives of citizens, who then become subjects.
The thing about those people who were in those academic circles when they published all of their many books about how great a collectivist society would be, you know, those that “everyone just dismisses them as loons”? Well, they’re all “in the administration” now, whether directly or indirectly, influencing the policy of this nation.
So, we are correct: First, write a book in academia about creating that oh so wonderful utopian, collectivist society. Second, fund college and youth programs that are socialist in nature, like FIST (Fight Imperialism, Stand Together) and make them the loons that people dismiss. Third, be appointed as an advisor to the President of the United States of America who, for fear of being a sell-out, chose his friends carefully, including politically active black students, chicanos, marxist professors, structural feminists and punk rock poets. Fourth, write policy and influence legislation that “increase[s] government power over the lives of [its] citizens, who then become subjects.” Fifth, resign as an advisor after midnight on a Sunday, because proof comes out that you are a socialist, marxist, maoist, communist, or whatever. Sixth, go work for George Soros and continue to write policy and influence legislation that “increase[s] government power over the lives of [its] citizens, who then become subjects.”
It’s scary that the loons are the ones that are now in power.
That is definitely why all of those loons are czars instead of cabinet members requiring confirmation, but you already know that.
Comrade Obama is clearly willing to trade a second term to get his statist agenda through. From an historical perspective it sucks that future generations will utterly revile the first black president because of what he did to our country.
I still cannot understand why he is trying the 9/11 conspirators in the states and giving them U.S. citizen rights. Is it worth it to him just to put the Bush administration and the CIA on trial? If just one of them gets off, he is toast, and I think that it is highly likely that one or all of them WILL get off because of the waterboarding, etc. I have no problem with the waterboarding myself but the evidence from that is useless outside of the military tribunals.
You make an interesting point, Rob. That President Obama “is clearly willing to trade a second term to get his statist agenda through.” So, the question then is, “What’s in it for him?” How would he benefit from getting statist legislation passed once he is out of office?
It will also be interesting to see how history will look back on the first black president in the United States.
As for the trials of the 9/11 conspirators, and the CIA, etc., etc., don’t get me started.