The Adolescent President
The rhetorical excesses of Barack Obama.
By George Will, April 23, 2014 9:00 PM
http://www.nationalreview.com/article/376446/adolescent-president-george-will
One of the problems with Pulitzer Prize–winning syndicated columnists and other “highly educated” writers is that they seem to want to continually impress us with their “intellect” and literary mastery. Their message often gets a lost in their “poetic prose”. I don’t pretend to be an intellectual so I can focus on simple clarity. I value clear communication. From this perspective I thought I would add my modest comments to portions of an interesting article by George Will.
Will says of Obama that “…he talks like an arrested-development adolescent.”
“Anyone who has tried to engage a member of that age cohort in an argument probably recognizes the four basic teenage tropes, which also are the only arrows in Obama’s overrated rhetorical quiver. They were all employed by him last week when he went to the White House briefing room to exclaim, as he is wont to do, about the excellence of the Affordable Care Act.”
These are the methods that Obama uses to lie to you:
1. A straw man is a weak or imaginary argument or an opponent that is set up to be easily defeated.
“First came the invocation of a straw man. Celebrating the ACA’s enrollment numbers, Obama, referring to Republicans, charged: “They said nobody would sign up.” Of course, no one said this. Obama often is what political philosopher Kenneth Minogue said of an adversary – ‘a pyromaniac in a field of straw men.’”
2. Saying that an argument is “over” or “settled” when it is obviously not. This blatant lie is a crude attempt to quash your objections and shut you up by implying that you should be too embarrassed by your ignorance to open your mouth, but it is also a huge insult to your intelligence. The truth is that you are ignorant if you do NOT recognize Obama’s blatant lie as a lie! Do you like being treated like an idiot? That’s what Obama does to you in his speeches–a lot!
“Adolescents also try to truncate arguments by saying that nothing remains of any arguments against their arguments. Regarding the ACA, Obama said the debate is “settled” and “over.” Progressives also say the debate about catastrophic consequences of man-made climate change is “over,” so everyone should pipe down. And they say the debates about the efficacy of universal preschool, and the cost-benefit balance of a minimum-wage increase, are over. Declaring an argument over is so much more restful than engaging with evidence.”
3. Asserting that his program is working well, and that therefore there is nothing to argue about. This method is similar to #2 above. Note that this method is necessarily vague because it would be obviously wrong if you focused on any of the specifics and actually examined the “alleged evidence” for that specific point. Obama gets away with this flagrant “lie” in speeches, but he would never get away with it in a debate if his opponent would only have the courage to point out the problem and not allow him to gloss it over.
“A third rhetorical move by argumentative adolescents is to declare that there is nothing to argue about because everything is going along swimmingly. Seven times Obama asserted that the ACA is “working.” That is, however, uninformative because it is ambiguous. The ethanol program is “working” in the sense that it is being implemented as its misguided architects intended. Nevertheless, the program is a substantial net subtraction from the nation’s well-being. The same can be said of sugar-import quotas, or agriculture subsidies generally, or many hundreds of other government programs that are, unfortunately, ‘working.’”
4. Implying and asserting that you are stupid and dishonorable if you disagree with him by simply opening your mouth, even if only to ask a question. Some of Obama’s statements are so blatantly false that you are shocked into speechlessness. This is the height of his narcissistic arrogance and conceit.
“Finally, the real discussion-stopper for the righteous — and there is no righteousness like an adolescent’s — is an assertion that has always been an Obama specialty. It is that there cannot be honorable and intelligent disagreement with him. So last week, less than two minutes after saying that the argument about the ACA “isn’t about me,” he said some important opposition to the ACA is about him, citing ‘states that have chosen not to expand Medicaid for no other reason than political spite.’”
5. George Will doesn’t mention the 5th method, but Obama uses it as an overall strategy: he overwhelms you with lies. He tells so many lies, and everything he says depends on even more lies, untruths, and false assumptions, that you are overwhelmed. You cannot untangle the confusing web. It becomes too complicated because of the sheer volume of interconnected lies. It’s just too much to sort out, especially in a debate or interview with time constraints!
Notice that this is also true of Obama’s scandals: Eligibility to be President, Birth Certificate, Social Security number, sealed University records, is Frank Marshall Davis his real father, Fast and Furious, NSA spying on Americans, IRS scandal, Benghazi, Bergdahl prisoner trade, South American children with infectious diseases on our border, assisting Islamic terrorism, and more. As soon as you try to focus on one scandal, another pops up to distract your attention. The sheer volume is overwhelming. You cannot keep track of them, and they all begin to merge into one confusing blur in your mind. Congress needs to assign a separate special prosecutor to each scandal and have him focus on only that scandal. One by one we need get to the bottom of each so that justice will finally be done (hopefully).
One way to combat an Obama follower or any other Leftist is simply to ask: “I heard what you said, but I do not understand what you mean. Please explain.” Ignore any insinuation that you are stupid or an idiot for not understanding them–which is an immaterial personal attack (ad hominem). Be calm and persistent and simply assert your request for a reasonable explanation, again and again and again. Be firm. These people do not have rational explanations for their opinions and positions—which fall apart under close objective scrutiny. It’s all smoke and mirrors with no substance. If they can’t dazzle you with their brilliance, then they’ll try to baffle you with their bullshit! And be prepared for their being upset when their bullshit doesn’t work. Ha ha!
Obama did say in his 2008 Presidential campaign that he would fundamentally change America—which meant that he would destroy our freedoms, establish a Collectivist police state, and diminish America as a world power. At least that statement was truthful!
More examples of Obama’s lies:
Obama’s ‘Big Lie’ set to clash with ‘Big Truth’
Experts warn fudged economic figures will meet reality
http://www.wnd.com/2015/02/obamas-big-lie-set-to-clash-with-big-truth/
The Big Lie: 5.6% Unemployment
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/big-lie-56-unemployment-jim-clifton