Monday, February 24, 2014

A Different Beat on "Sound Bites"





"You Didn't Build. . .We Have to Pass. . " (Source: White House (Pete Souza))
"You Didn't Build That. . .We Have to Pass it. . ." (Source: White House (Pete Souza)
 
















Carl Petersen, the “Different Drummer", claims that three Democratic politicians were "victims of creative quote shortening". I commend Mr. Peterson, or the Different Drummer (DD) for bringing a greater picture of what the three individuals stated. However, rather than positing that their statements were mishandles, DD inadvertently confirms the folly or the moral bankruptcy of those three politicians and their statements. 


-President Obama

President Obama veers from “someone” to “government”, and those two things are not the same. One of the basic problems with liberal arguments such as this one rests on the assumption that "The Government" is a beneficial, stable entity. DD distinguishes federal from local at the outset: more than "the government". Furthermore, state, county, and local governments are parsed into many agencies, filled with individual who fail in their tasks or successfully execute them.

President Obama said: "You didn't build that." He was indeed referencing the business and the businessman. The government did not build the business, and in many cases government regulations actually hinder the installation and expansion of businesses. Apart from diligent parents and teachers, "the government" did not educate the individuals who formed or furnished those businesses. There are even stories in which successful business entrepreneurs failed high school or dropped out of college.

Yes, individuals do receive information, skills, and training from other people, places, institution. This transmission of knowledge and identity is called "culture", not government. The argument of "The Government" as the source of essential/existential support is insupportable.



-Nancy Pelosi

Peterson comments that lawmaking is like sausage-making.  Exactly, and that's why many lawmakers dress up legislation in a cloud of controversy or pass legislation late at night: like Obamacare, with its kickbacks, vote-buying; the hundreds of pages of unread legislation, onerous regulations, unconstitutionality, and Obama claimed that it was not a tax . . .

 

Contrary to Peterson’s assertions, Pelosi wasn’t exuding excitement. She mumbled her words as soon as she spoke them. Meet the Press' David Gregory called her on the statement. Even President Obama has unilaterally delay/ignored portions of the law without Congressional approval. Apparently, he doesn’t like what's in the law, either. And in this case, both Obama and Pelosi (and their Dem colleagues) "built that".



-Hillary Clinton

In order to figure out what happened and to prevent future attacks, it makes a big difference what happened. It also makes a difference whether the State Department ignored the consulate’s pleas for more security or not. It also makes a big difference whether the talking points regarding investigations were scrubbed, and why. Not just Republicans, but Democratic lawmakers felt that it made a big difference. And 50% of Democratic voters want further investigation into Benghazi.

Obama, Pelosi, and Clinton meant what they said, and said what they meant. As lawmakers dedicated to upholding the Constitution, they have not been faithful 100%. The context of their statements does not diminish the unthinking or unreflective nature of their comments, but rather encourages greater, critical scrutiny into their motives and ideology.

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