Our First Phony's Pandering Push

Don't bother trying to understand Obama's recent policy pronouncements in any rational way. They are strictly political and mark the start of the failed president's campaign effort to pander his way to reelection by following rather than leading popular opinions.


Yesterday's announced drawdown of troops deployed in the Afghan war was not based on any strategy considerations. The scheduled force reductions are contrary to the recommendations of the military leaders in the field but in accord with domestic opinion polling results. Even at the highly politicized command level, the Obama force reduction rate is viewed as risky, as is detailed in this report.


Similarly, today's administration announcement of a release of oil from the nation's petroleum reserves is intended not to further any national interest. It is intended to curry popular favor by reversing -- temporarily during the run up to the 2012 election -- the surge in gasoline prices caused by the administration's production-hostile energy policies for which the administration has earned public opprobrium. The release will cover the nation's oil consumption for all of 36 hours and is just political trickery according to this article. Also, an excellent Investors Business Daily commentary on the subject and Obama's ingenuous explanation of his actions can be seen here. 


Meanwhile, the administration has shoved most of its radical agenda onto the back shelf, hoping voters will forget about the repugnant individual items until a successful reelection effort enables the Obama gang to begin pushing them again when there will no longer be any consequences for alienating the nation's citizens. Not being delayed are little noticed but very significant administrative measures demanded by union bosses as a price for the continuation of big labor as part of the core constituency upon which Obama is so dependent that he is captive to it, irrespective of the damage to the rest of the nation and its economy. Among these administrative actions are NLRB efforts to (i)  prevent Boeing from expanding production facilities elsewhere than in union shops in and near Seattle, and  (ii)  severely curtail  the ability of employers to effectively campaign against labor organizing efforts prior to an employee vote on affiliating with a union.


Today the pretend champion of the ordinary Americans is hobnobbing with -- and seeking financial support from -- the Wall Street manipulators who brought down the nation's economy -- the very people he publicly reviles as "fat cats." He is lunching with the financial gang's  common man members who were able and willing to come up with $38,500 apiece to lunch with him at a posh Manhattan eatery.


The enchantment is gone. People are weary of listening to his teleprompter blabberings. His policies are disasters and increasingly recognized as such. In short, he's in deep doodoo politically and knows it. So he's resorting to shoring up his corrupt and dependent core constituencies and trying to pander to enough others to enable him to extend his tenure.