The 10 Biggest Amateur Mistakes By the Obama Administration So Far

Fred Garvin's picture

The 10 Biggest Amateur Mistakes By the Obama Administration So Far

3) After making a stink by sending back a Winston Churchill bust, Barack Obama blew off a press conference with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown -- but, the real kicker was the gifts.

After Brown presented Obama with a pen holder crafted from the timbers of the 19th century British warship HMS President (whose sister ship, HMS Resolute, provided the wood for the Oval Office's desk), Obama offered up ... 25 DVDs of American movie classics.
The Brits offered Obama a thoughtful, priceless gift and he handed them back a bad Netflix queue that was probably picked up at Wal-mart earlier that day.

2) Choosing tax cheat Timothy Geithner to be his Treasury Secretary was such an incredible screw up that it deserves it own entry. It's mind boggling that any Administration would choose a tax cheat to run the department that's in charge of the IRS. Moreover, in Obama's case, he has already announced plans for the largest tax hike in American history, nearly a trillion dollars, and the man in charge of that effort doesn't pay his taxes? Prediction: a few years from now, if the New York Times isn't out of business by then, they'll write an article telling you that they're baffled, baffled I tell you, by the massive increase in the number of people cheating on their taxes.

1) Barack Obama may be a liberal thriller, but he's also a stock market killer. Since he came into office, his Bunyanesque new spending proposals, his plans for a trillion dollar tax hike, his regular badmouthing of the economy, and his incessant tinkering with banks and the housing market have caused the stock market to go into a freefall. Granted, stocks would have likely dropped anyway because of the economic crunch we're in, but the market wouldn't have already reached the lowest level since 1997 without lots of help from Obama. As Democratic financial wiz, Jim Cramer, has said of Obama’s performance, "it's amateur hour at our darkest moment" and it's "crushing nest eggs around the nation."

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Some Advice for the New President
Submitted by wheeljc on Wed, 03/11/2009 - 1:01pm.

Based on his first 50 days in office, think there is a growing number of individuals -- from both parties -- who are beginning to scratch their heads in sheer wonderment!

Think he should take the following under advisement:

1) Select cabinet members who are not tax cheats! Such is a reflection on his own values.

2) Stop the new Attorney General from calling the nation 'cowards' and fueling divisiveness. Scolding after the fact is not convincing.

3) At least in the beginning, ADHERE to the promises made regarding doing away with EARMARKS and PORK BARREL spending; and keeping lobbyists out of key cabinet positions. REMEMBER -- HE HAS VETO POWERS!! Now that the FY 2009 Appropriations Bill ($410 Billion in Omnibus) has been approved, he COULD HAVE vetoed it if he did not want to fund over 8,500 earmarks! (NO MORE EXCUSES!)

4) Cease talking down business, and attempting to make successful enterprises the enemy! He will have to rely on these same businesses to pay the bills for his initiatives in the future.

5) Refrain from speaking of the 'stock market' in a cavalier way since there are millions of Americans who had depended upon the 'market' for their retirement through planning their own futures (401k and IRAs). At age 70, one's options are limited, BUT WE STILL VOTE!

6) Do not use tax payer money to bail out individuals who were not disciplined enough to think through personal financial obligations before committing to same. THIS IS REWARDING RISKY BEHAVIOR -- AT OUR EXPENSE! (Many of us learned the hard way as well, and came out the better for it!)

7) Stop blaming the current situation on his predecessor when his own party has had both chambers of Congress for over two years -- WHICH HE WAS A MEMBER -- and, Barney Franks and Chris Dodd were in charge of the Congressional Banking Committees. Additionally, he had friends in Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae (Mr. Raines and Mr. Johnson). This just causes folks who voted for him to question their own judgment as to whether or not they chose a guy NOT UP TO THE TASK!

8) The 'bipartisanship' touted during the campaign to be brought to Washington by the Obama Administration is not a 'one way street', or a night at the Whitehouse watching a movie or a game. It requires mutual trust, compromise, and demonstrated credibility .. with true bipartisanship. Beating up on Eric Cantor -- or the 'boogey person' of the day is not a recommended strategy. Suggest the serious process begin!

9) Refrain from using the Whitehouse to attempt to silence critics-- Jim Cramer, Rush Limbaugh, Rick Santelli and now Eric Cantor. It cheapens the office, and causes one to seriously question his priorities when we are in a serious economic crisis. Refer to item #8. Remember, this is not Chicago politics!

10) Deal more with substance rather than style, including weaning one's self from the teleprompter.

11) If in charge, TAKE CHARGE -- that includes engaging the Speaker of the House. SHE IS NOT THE CO-PRESIDENT!

12) Daily pronouncements/speeches (stem cell research and education as examples) without detailed plans; impacts on citizens; specific objectives and outcomes -- NOT GENERALITIES; and the costs; are really a waste of time, and he will find that his bully pulpit will rapidly become an ordinary soap box -- made of cardboard. Do the homework before calling a crowd and saying 'nothing'.

13) Bring on a chief of protocol who can keep the Whitehouse and State Department straight, where there will be fewer embarrassments -- such as we suffered (and still suffering) the week of March 2d. That was pretty sophomoric. (Please do not blame the previous administration for this debacle!)

14) LISTEN TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE -- NOT WHAT YOU WANT TO THINK THEY ARE SAYING, BUT, WHAT THEY ARE SAYING!! MAKE FOLKS WANT TO SUPPORT YOUR EFFORTS, NOT -- REGRET THEIR VOTE OF NOVEMBER 4!!

Credibility of a leader is EARNED -- IT IS NOT BESTOWED.

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Buyer's Remorse Yet?
JAFO 72's picture
Submitted by JAFO 72 on Wed, 03/11/2009 - 11:56am.

I'm wondering if the folks that voted for Mr. Obama (I don't think I can ever bring myself to call him "President") are beginning to get buyer's remorse. He ran on a platform of earmark oversight, and eliminating pork barrel spending.

Now, he has signed into law a $1.5 trillion (yep that's with a "t") bail out, lined with 9,000 pork projects, and a $410 billion omnibus spending bill with at least $7 billion in scrapple. After signing the omnibus bill he said that he was going to begin working on the earmark reform. Riddle me this Batman; WHY THE HECK WOULD HE SIGN THE DARN THING IN THE FIRST PLACE? Hypocrisy at the highest level.

I know, I know. The Republicans that voted for the bill had 40% pork included (more or less depending on who's posting a reply), including the RINOS from Maine.

So, I'll go ahead and answer my own question...They have no buyers remorse, because they are not watching this man-puppet. They're still drooling in awe of his Audacity of Dope.

“Ignorance can be fixed. Stupidity is forever”


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Fred-the government doesn't make mistakes
DarthDubious's picture
Submitted by DarthDubious on Tue, 03/10/2009 - 1:12pm.

As even FDR once said, if something happens in politics, or government
you can bet that it has been planned for months, if not years.

The viewing public sees these things as surprises, and oopsies, but no one in the know is surprised by ANYTHING the government does, for it is always by design.

In Liberty,

DarthDubious


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