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What the Hell Happened?
Greg Palast / News Analysis
Published: Thursday 4 October 2012
“Mr. President, if you can’t explain why you are the Commander-in-Chief in this class war against the billionaire bandits attempting to seize our government, then get off the horse and let someone in the saddle who can ride.”
What the hell happened? Did Barack have a fight with Michelle? Was it nicotine withdrawal? Do really rich guys just scare you, Mr. Obama?
Dear Mr. President: As a journalist I don’t take partisan sides, but I do take America’s side. And as Commander-in-Chief, you simply cannot fall asleep in the saddle.
I mean Commander-in-Chief in the Class War. The war of the billionaires against the rest of us.
You were asked, “What is the role of government?”
You seemed stumped. Lost.
Well, here’s three, Mr. President:
- Issue Social Security checks. Checks for cash money. Not some bullshit voucher.
- Save General Motors and Motor City.
- Kill Osama.
Maybe you should have written those on your palm.
When Mr. PBS Bumblebrain asked you the difference between your views and Gov. Romney’s on Social Security, you said, “You know, I suspect that, on Social Security, we’ve got a somewhat similar position.”
Really, Mr. President, REALLY?
Romney says that if you’re 38 or 54, it doesn’t matter that you’ve paid into Medicare and Social Security all your life, you don’t get the insurance you paid for. You get some stinking voucher, some coupon that says, “Here’s a hundred bucks kid, go buy a gold watch.”
Who exactly is going to take a voucher to provide health insurance to a 72-year-old with asthma, in a walker and prostate problems?
Governor Romney said, with that smirky, smarmy grin, “I’d assume I’d rather have a private [health] plan.” Gee, Mr. Romney, could you give me the number of your insurance company and tell them to take my “voucher”?
Mr. President, you gabbled on about the Cleveland Medical Clinic and its “best practices.” Who the hell cares, Mr. President? There are people bleeding out here, LITERALLY BLEEDING, who now can get health coverage because of ObamaCare. For all its failings, it saves lives, saves homes from foreclosure caused by insane medical bills – only recently, the number one cause of foreclosures in America.
Can’t you even defend the one thing that’s worth a damn and has your name on it?
Romney’s wife has MS. That’s sad. But what’s tragic is that there are millions in America with MS who couldn’t get insurance because they have this prior condition—and are not married to an investment banker demi-billionaire.
I don’t care that you couldn’t seem to defend yourself tonight, Mr. President. That’s a Democratic Party headache. What I resent, what gets me furious and angry, is that you didn’t defend ME. Me and my family.
When Romney says he defends small business, let me tell you, I have a small business. I don’t need a tax break – hell, like most small businesses, we don’t make money. We need health insurance. We need government loans.
When Romney says government never does anything cheaper than the private sector, Mr. President, don’t you know that it was government mortgage agencies that funded America’s middle class homeownership? That’s what government did – and licked Hitler to boot.
When mortgages were privatized, we were thrown at the mercy of the Banksters.
(And why the hell did you, Mr. Obama, bring up that right-wing canard that banks just gave out mortgages to people who couldn't afford them – blaming sub-prime predatory mortgage crimes on the victims. Sounds like you agree that 47% of Americans are leeches.)
Maybe it’s true that you, Mr. President, are actually just a hollow man, a creation of PR consultants and rich donors, a Ken-doll of repeating lines about “Hope,” “change” and “this country thrives when the middle class thrives.”
The truth is, you were ready to raise the retirement age for Social Security and cut back-room deals with drug companies. Maybe in the end, progressive policies are just a marketing niche you’ve found to cover aimless ambition and a yearning to compromise.
If someone drilled a hole in you, could we blow in and play you like a flute? Or is there some substance, some hard core of principle that couldn’t break out tonight because it was imprisoned by advisors who told you to play it safe, play it in a coma?
Mr. President, if you can’t explain why you are the Commander-in-Chief in this class war against the billionaire bandits attempting to seize our government, then get off the horse and let someone in the saddle who can ride.
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ABOUT Greg Palast
Greg Palast is the author of the New York Times bestseller, "Armed Madhouse" (Penguin Paperback 2007). When Palast, an investigator of corporate fraud and racketeering, turned his skills to journalism, he was quickly recognized as, "The most important investigative reporter of our time" [Tribune Magazine] in Britain, where his first reports appeared on BBC television and in the Guardian newspapers.
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By Aviva Shen
21 comments on "What the Hell Happened?"
October 06, 2012 6:49am
Ropa Dopa. Draw out the opponent. Watch him Flip-Flop on National TV. Do no harm to the Obama NoDrama image. Get him in the Town Hall.
Biden has the harder task because Ryan actually believes the Right-Wing Rhetoric.
October 05, 2012 9:40am
Mr. Romney spoke in generalities - never giving and honest answer..."I'm going to cut!!!" but never where or what
.........sorry to repeat the paste and clip but these are their words ???
. A simpler code, they say, with fewer available deductions, would mean more people paying and a larger revenue base . . . .
. . . . when confronted and asked for specifics – which loopholes, in particular – both Romney and Ryan have demurred, telling interviewers that they'd negotiate those details with Congress after the election.
AFTER THE ELECTION ?.?.?.?.? A simpler code but again not address what ....
no cuts on Education....no cuts on Social security ?? no tax hike for the middle class ???
The Republican Party of CUTS - - and that includes the "tea party" All the cuts discussed yesterday and today ???? Including the minimum wages . . which Michele Bachman wanted to blanketly do away with...
Scott Walker governor of Wisconsin cut collective bargaining ( still in the courts)- - GEE - WHY DON'T I BELIEVE THEM ???
yes after the election........
remember to vote......and please think before you do
politicians do not cover for the people they cover for themselves.....after the election???
October 05, 2012 5:32am
This article is blasphemy!
We must not take our focus off of the two candidates who have been pre-selected for us.
That would be 'unrealistic!'
We must not waver from the choices that have been given to us by The Party!
October 04, 2012 11:24pm
Greg Palast, glad to see the President got under your skin. Perhaps what's really getting under your skin is the fact that it is sometimes very tiring for an intelligent man to keep the plaster from cracking and falling from the empire - a fake democracy. I hope he snubs you again in the next two debates and on the election trail and rocks your ill-percieved USA family values - not only are the presidential debate staged but so-called journalist like you choose to play 'plaster' also, when real issues like the waste of war (ie- Afganistan 10 year occupation), Globalization, indefinate detention, Bradley Manning, GMO poisioning, and corporate takeover of media, government and democracy are buried.
If Obama at all has the will to shed the plastic gloss of a failing state and start reconciling the USA with the planet than I would support that, but I'm not holding my breath - you and all of us on the planet seem to be stuck with him - like John Lennon at a stadium concert, he can play and/or muck around - "screw you - stupid kids". The only other Wall Street appointee, "President Romney" would tear down more plaster more quickly and expose the naked kingdom once and for all - he's a liability, unless revolution is what we are all looking for - I don't see any "winners" for a very long time.
October 04, 2012 10:20pm
It looked to me like Obama was trying to control his temper. Can you even begin to debate a liar like Romney?
October 04, 2012 10:19pm
A vote for Stein in a vote for Romney.
October 04, 2012 8:17pm
Pre-planned?
So all that was about posing and posturing?
We're in more trouble than I thought.
Maybe next time they'll model their skivvies...Mitt's 'magic undies' would win super hands down!!
No contest - 2 for 2!! Women would be lighting up the switchboards across the globe to get more of that! HA!!
October 04, 2012 8:04pm
Maybe he was upset that some idiot scheduled these debates on their anniversary .
He did seem off kilter last night but I've heard that that debate was all preplanned
October 04, 2012 8:07pm
I've heard that the debates were preplanned
October 04, 2012 6:59pm
Very unfair characterization of the President. Yes, he didn't do well last night, stood there and took it, but did it occur to you that maybe he planned it that way, knowing there are two more debates coming up when he would expose this guy for the phony he is? He gave him a chance to win this one with all the half truths to the American people, then when challenged do his usual flip-flop-flip again. The difference this time is that some 50 million people heard the same thing. It's not over, and we know the President can deliver when he has to, so be fair and give him the support he needs. Democrats do not show as much enthusiasm and support as Republicans seem to be able to do
October 04, 2012 4:59pm
Hello again Greg.
How well I remember you shouting from the rooftops (with PROOF, mind you) when Diebold stole the 2000 election - and nobody seemed to care.
I so wish our illustrious leader would read this article.
The most poignant statement herin was, and I quote -
"I don’t care that you couldn’t seem to defend yourself tonight, Mr. President. That’s a Democratic Party headache. What I resent, what gets me furious and angry, is that you didn’t defend ME. Me and my family."
Well, sir, that's ME and MY family as well; and I concur wholeheartedly.
Diebold is still around awaiting its next dark availability and our illustrious leader is still not defending us.
I fear we are, well, 'humped', as they say in more congenial circles.
Keep up your vigil.
God, I miss Ron Paul...but, that's another story.
Apparently good men are still doing nothing.
October 04, 2012 3:01pm
I'm Glad to see I'm not the only one who thought last night's debate was a disaster for Obama. He needs to get Michelle and Bill Clinton out on the stump right away to do damage control, and immediately fire all the smart-ass know-it-alls who did his debate prep. He better bring in some smarter advisors tomorrow, and starting getting ready for the next debate or Obama is toast.
October 04, 2012 1:26pm
If Obama weren't the incumbent, his performance last night would have killed any chance he had of taking the presidency. Maybe Newsweek should re-run its Romney "Wimp Factor" cover with a different face.
October 04, 2012 1:00pm
Greg - only NOW you get what we've been noticing for years? Commenter Butch has said it very well about this DINO who not only is to the right of Nixon but - despite all his analytic-sounding speeches - cannot with any passion articulate even what little he may actually believe. Just as GWBush shamed the Goppies who rubberstamped his nominations, so too Obama shames the Dems who renominated him. In 1968 and 1980 we had real Dems who - as Greg puts it - were ready to 'get in the saddle and ride', and contested the inadequate Dem incumbents. But in 2012 all those Dem 'leaders' showed themselves to be as wimp as Obama himself. Our only remaining hope is that maybe we'll get in the Congress a critical mass ready to filibuster and vote against cloture on the most outrageous bills that will be mounted under either an Obama or Romney administration.
October 04, 2012 12:32pm
Excellent, Greg !!!!!
October 04, 2012 11:43am
do nothing concerning medicare and it runs out of $ in 2016 but the "we do not care about the future just win today " crowd rant at any changes to save it
October 04, 2012 11:27am
Jill Stein -- GREEN Party -- for President.
October 04, 2012 8:14pm
It will never happen unfortunately
Please just vote the lesser of 2 evils
October 04, 2012 11:01am
My thoughts exactly. I couldn't believe he said he was in agreement with Romney on Social Security. Romney and Ryan want to destroy Social Security no matter what lies he told the people last night. Romney is a pathological liar. Obama is no better. I remember all the lies he told when he was campaigning in 2008 pretending he was a moderate democrat to win the election. He turned into a moderate republican the minute he stepped into the oval office. Now he appeared spineless and cojoneless on stage last night. I have given up on his act because that is all it is. If he had real conviction in what he was saying he would stand by his words and actually fight for them. This man actually wants to destroy our safety net too. I wish we could have had real liberals on that stage from the third party candidates representing the people of this country so we could have heard their passion defending the people. You would have heard them standing up for our rights with more passion than this president did last night. They would have held this lying republican bully accountable for what he pulled last night. I have no faith in Obama. He looked spent, he has no direction in the wars he is pretending he is leading and we really need someone to jump on these republicans in the Congress. He is not strong enough to do it and they know it.
October 04, 2012 12:25pm
Democracy Now did what they called an expanded debate, a real debate with Green and Justice Party candidates being allowed to respond to the same questions. Of course this didn't happen in real time because they had to cut into the recording and then allow the other two to respond. It was incredible to hear the Green New Deal and all it has to offer. I hope folks will go back and listen to the true debate. Jill Stein has my vote.
October 04, 2012 8:13pm
I have thought about voting for her too but we all know its 1 vote taken away from Obama and given to Romney :(