Obama Bullshit Chronicle II: Obama the Centrist

It's hard to say whether the Cult of Barack actually knew why they voted for Obama, but many of those with whom I spoke seemed to believe he was the best choice to unite the Left and Right sides of the country. Obama was the new post-modern candidate: post-racial, post-political and, most of all, post-partisan. Indeed, to listen to an Obama supporter, Barry's bipartisanship is legendary.

And indeed it is, if by "legendary," you mean, "doesn't actually exist."

In his victory speech, Obama declared:
Let us resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long. Let us remember that it was a man from this state who first carried the banner of the Republican Party to the White House - a party founded on the values of self-reliance, individual liberty, and national unity. Those are values we all share, and while the Democratic Party has won a great victory tonight, we do so with a measure of humility and determination to heal the divides that have held back our progress. As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours, "We are not enemies, but friends... though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection." And to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn - I may not have won your vote, but I hear your voices, I need your help, and I will be your President too.

That sounds wonderful. Too bad none of it is turning out to be true. The Obama Presidency hasn't even begun yet, and already, the sounds of liberal partisanship are ringing from the Halls of Government. Democrat leadership in the legislature has always been hyper-partisan. But one would think that, given his promises to put it aside, Obama would take extra effort to include those not within his own party in planning for his administration. However, his selection of Chief of Staff -- the first major decision of his Presidency -- is setting a tone that screams otherwise. Rahm Emanuel is noted for his extremely liberal positions, his attempts to shout down or otherwise silence opposition, and his attack-dog style.

In defending the selection of the hyper-partisan Emanuel, Valerie Jarrett, who co-chairs the Obama transition team, said, "tone starts at the top." Indeed it does. As with everything else about Obama's bid for presidency, however, what Barry says and what Barry does are two different things. "Tone," according to the Obama team, is to be taken as what Obama has said, while what Obama actually does is called "distraction." We'll get into other examples of Obama NewSpeak later. But let us look at the fine example of bipartisanship Obama has been so far.

Beyond his choice for Chief of Staff, we also have his selection of an economic advisory board. Surely, with all the problems happening, and given the reasons for Obama's election, not to mention that this problem is, as Emanuel himself has said, "big enough that there's going to be an ability for people of both parties, as well as independents, to contribute ideas..." -- surely, Obama chose members of both parties to advise him on this crisis, right? As it turns out, not so much. Instead, Barry has chosen people like Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm, who has run that state straight into the ground, and Penny Pritzker, who did the same thing to the Superior Bank of Chicago. People, by the way, who gave him money. Also on the board, hyper-partisan Warren Buffett, Google chair Eric Schmidt (Google employees donated over $700,000 to Obama) and Democrat William Daly. About the closest Obama comes to bipartisanship with this board is the selection of Time Warner Chair Richard Parsons, who has in fact given money to both Democrats and (moderate) Republicans.

In short, people who will with no hesitation nod enthusiastically to whatever Dem plan Obama comes up with.

You're right, Valerie. Tone starts at the top. But tone is not just what is said, but what is done. Obama can say "bipartisan" all he wants -- but his actions are starting to speak too loudly for me to hear him.