Herman

Cain

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January 26, 2009

Obama: Right Inspirational Style, Wrong Signals

There is no doubt that President Obama is one of the most gifted inspirational speakers on the planet. And in politics, his inspirational speaking abilities have helped to propel him to the presidency.

The president can lead a nation in the right direction or the wrong direction. That direction starts with general themes expressed to Congress and the public, which signify the type of specific proposals or programs he would support.

When we get past the historical significance of President Obama’s political victory, and we get past the rightly deserved celebrations, there are some themes spoken by now-President Obama that are beginning to cause me great concern for the future of our country.

When he was presidential candidate Obama, these themes were caution lights. As President Obama, they are red lights, because when the president speaks people listen and take their cues from what he says.

In my December 29, 2008 column, I pointed out what I considered to be Obama’s big mistake when he stated on Meet the Press that “deficits don’t matter” even before he took office. That sent a signal to Congress, and now the Senate has authorized the remaining $350 billion in TARP economic “stimulus” spending.

I do not believe that was coincidental or accidental.

My article last week highlighted the significance of spending another $350 billion of our money without a clear line of sight on how it would actually stimulate the economy. That fiscal warning light got lost in presidential inauguration anticipation, Senate seat political drama and an airplane landing safely, thankfully, on the Hudson River.

President Obama sent another “spending does not matter” signal in his inaugural speech last Tuesday: “The question is not whether government is too big or too small, the question is whether government works.” 

Red light! Here we go again.

The first part of the statement is another version of “open up the public’s checkbook again” for when he asks Congress for another $500 billion for “infrastructure stimulus” projects. The question as to “whether government works” has been answered many times in many ways for those of us who are not in denial.

The answer is yes our military works, and our intelligence agencies are working better than ever. But government’s ability to control spending and keep taxes low does not work. So much so, that we are headed for a bankrupt America.

We know what to do about The Coming Tsunami of a Bankrupt America, but the leadership in Congress is in denial, incapable of leading or both.

And now, President Obama is sending the wrong signal again.

President Barack Obama is a refreshing inspirational political speaker, but we need a refreshing inspirational leader sending the right signals.

© 2009 North Star Writers Group. May not be republished without permission.

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