Open forum: The King of Script

“You read your lines so cleverly  and never missed a cue.” Elvis Presley,  “Are You Lonesome Tonight,” 1960

Most would agree that President Obama’s single most effective political advantage happens to be his speaking skills. He’s the king of script, just as surely as Elvis is the king of Rock ‘n’ Roll. And sometimes he makes people wanna scream, just like Elvis did.

But the script that Mr. Obama reads from is carefully crafted and prepared in advance by speechwriters and political advisers under his direction to achieve his intended results. For those who know the facts, the hype is blatantly obvious. For those who are uninformed or underinformed, his message probably scores big for him.

The fact is that we still have an economy with its head barely above water after four years of Obamanomics. And four years should be plenty of time for this overachieving genius to revive America’s economy, regardless of Bill Clinton’s statements to the contrary at the convention. After all, Mr. Clinton is looking out for Hillary’s future.

Our economic demise is a result of overspending and excessive federal control over America’s free-market system, creating uncertainty and hiring freezes among big and small business concerns. The inclusion of ObamaCare and tax-policy increases under this administration further adds to the doubt and uncertainty for business owners. They have no choice but to rein in spending until they can predict an outcome.

If you compare today’s economic indicators to those of four years ago, you'll find that little has changed. Unemployment remains high at 7.9 percent, job recovery is zilch, spending remains out of control, annual deficits are at record amounts, and the country remains divided. Even worse, over those four years, the national debt has more than doubled and economic growth by GDP for the fourth quarter of 2012 was a negative 0.1 percent for the first time in 3¹⁄₂ years.

Let’s be honest, Mr. Obama’s record of accomplishment during his first term should have led to a second-term loss. But there were enough voters who were willing to believe the hype and ignore the facts to push him over the top. Mr. Obama and his bully pulpit, along with his scriptwriters and the liberal news media, created an effective combination. But what about the hype that he uses so often that it reminds me of a broken record?

For example, when Mr. Obama’s broken record starts skipping on “border crossings are down 80 percent from the peak in 2000,” he fails to mention that 1 million immigrants have fled America due to our weak economy and lack of jobs. He wants you to believe that he secured the borders. That’s hype.

When Mr. Obama’s broken record starts skipping on “the more privileged among us should pay their fair share,” he fails to mention that the top 10 percent of wage-earners pay about 70 percent of the total tax burden and that the top 50 percent essentially pay all of the federal tax burden.

He fails to mention that they are the job-creators and that most of them have enjoyed success in America by working hard, making sacrifices and risking their money. He’s using the script to try to convince you that top wage-earners are greedy and selfish and only supported by Republicans. That’s hype.

When Mr. Obama’s record starts skipping on “even playing field,” he seems to forget about the Declaration of Independence, which states in part that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That speaks of an “even playing field,” which is the very centerpiece of American culture. We all have a fair shot at some degree of success in America and any message to the contrary is more hype and demagoguery.

When Mr. Obama assumed the office in 2009, he promised to restore America’s economy. He has failed America on his promise and no amount of prepared script will ever change that. Although he reads his lines cleverly, the message is crafted to demonize his Republican opponents and appeal to the emotions of potential voters. Some facts are exaggerated and others are omitted, but he makes it all sound believable to some. But those who keep up with the rest of the story know he’s just puttin’ on the hype.

Leroy Donald is a resident of Stephens City.