Search This Blog

Thursday, July 10, 2014

The Style of Doing Nothing

President Obama was in Texas yesterday to raise campaign cash.  The problem for Obama is that while he was down there filling the cash register at the DNC, people kept bringing up the "crisis" at the border.  How inconsiderate of them!  These people actually wanted Obama to visit the border or at least to visit one of the camps where the thousands of unaccompanied alien children are currently housed.  Such a visit would have given Obama a first hand look at the conditions at the camps as well as a view of the impact that this unnatural disaster has inflicted on the area.  No wonder Obama refused to go.  Think about it.  If Obama were to visit a camp, then he would be unable in a few weeks after there is an epidemic or some other problem coming from that camp that he found out about the problem from the media and that he is mad as hell about it.  Indeed, seeing the problem might require Obama's doing something about it.  We surely can't have that, can we?

Because of the large numbers of people demanding a border visit, Obama was forced into a truly distasteful situation yesterday.  Obama had to attend a meeting with Rick Perry, the governor of Texas for a supposed discussion of the border situation.  It was a pure photo op.  Nothing was decided.  Nothing was done.  Obama made no promises of any action.  It was Obama's stylish way of doing nothing.  Indeed, Obama has moved doing nothing from being an inadequate excuse to being an art form.  No one in recent history has done nothing with such élan, such style.  Think about it.  Obama did nothing in Syria when the red line he announced was crossed.  Iraq is collapsing and Obama has done nothing.  That one did require Obama to pretend to do something; he sent hundreds of troops to the US embassy in Baghdad, but that was only to look like he was doing something WHILE DOING NOTHING.  A similar strategy was used when Russia took over Crimea.  America and its president did NOTHING.  Oh, Obama put some sanctions on a few Russian leaders, but nothing was done that might actually bother or upset the Russians.  The economy has been in the doldrums for years, but Obama has done nothing.  There is no program he suggests to grow the economy.  There is nothing, just nothing.  And let's not forget the Keystone Pipeline.  Here too, Obama has just DONE NOTHING.  Doctors take an oath that begins "first do no harm."  The Obama oath must be "first, last and always do NOTHING!"

Now I know that there are some of you who do not accept what I am saying.  Well consider this:  after yesterday's photo op of a meeting in Texas, Obama made a statement and answered a few questions.  Here are my two favorite moments from that session:  first of all, after exiting his photo op, Obama told the assembled media that he would not go to the border because he "does not do photo ops."  It was priceless.  It was as if Miss America came to the podium and told us that she does not do beauty pageants.  It was as if a junkie told us that he does not do drugs.  It was a joke.

The second telling moment yesterday came when Obama discussed deployment of the National Guard at the border.  Such a move was requested by Governor Perry as an immediate solution to the huge flow of illegals across the porous border.  Obama's response was a masterful moment of doing nothing.  Obama said that he "would be happy to consider" deployment of the Guard.  Get that?  Obama would not just consider that possibility, he would be happy to do it.  Of course, considering deployment is far, far from actual deployment.  Considering deployment means more time for DOING NOTHING.  Oh, and Obama added that using the Guard would just be a temporary solution.  In Obama's language, that means that there is no point doing this because it would only work for a year or two.  Instead, he will DO NOTHING.



No comments: