The Loud Talker

Last week I was the topic of a lengthy note by a Facebook friend. He is a registered Democrat and took offense at a status update I posted asking for my Jewish friends to give me their thoughts on Barack Obama’s treatment of Benjamin Netanyahu during his visit to the White House last week. I pointed out that Obama failed to pose with him for a press photo (which was unheard of until this administration), and after their meeting he left Netanyahu alone to ponder their private discussion while Obama left for a private dinner. Not the usual treatment for world leaders in the White House, but this is not the usual White House anymore. I asked for feedback specifically from my Jewish friends because historically Jews have voted Democratic, and this held true in 2008 when Obama won 77% of the Jewish vote.

When looking back at the 2008 campaign we see that a major contributor to Team Obama’s success was its use of social media including Twitter and Facebook. These tools make it easy to deliver bite-sized statements and talking points simple enough for even the shortest attention spans to ingest. Thousands, if not millions, of new voters were fueled by hip messages and slogans that offered flash over substance. Combine this with the complicit kool-aid drinking media and Hollywood/television studios and you get a voting populace that remembers more about what Tina Fey said than what Sarah Palin said.

So, back to Facebook. I have nearly a thousand “friends” now that encompass the varying facets of my chameleon-like life. My posts reach a very diverse audience. When I post political things, I do so to point out facts about this administration that the press simply won’t talk about or worse, actually suppresses. I do so to educate my friends, to introduce them to concepts that they won’t hear Keith Olbermann, Katie Couric or Bill Maher talking about.

For example: believe it or not, I have very intelligent co-workers that never heard about the ACORN scandal, his ties to Chicago criminals, his raising of questionable campaign donations, etc. But they still voted for him, and this my friends is the problem. Obama won because of his charisma, his promises, and his predecessor. He did not win on experience (he had none), or his business leadership (he had none) or his economic experience (he had none). He won because he was cool to like. And that is NOT how to choose the leader of the most powerful nation on Earth.

What drives most conservatives absolutely crazy is that the evidence of Obama’s incompetence was plain to see for anyone that made even the smallest amount of effort. But instead, the press focused on trashing Sarah Palin because she was a charismatic threat.

Why is this all important? Because as we are now seeing, the price tags on Obama’s initiatives are staggering. Massive. Seriously messed up. His supporters are quick to remind us that Bush inherited a surplus and eventually doubled the debt. This is true. But we were coming out of that debt until the housing bubble burst and the Wall Street bailouts. Even with that to chew on, Obama took Bush’s already doubled debt and quadrupled it. We never talked about trillions before, now it’s a common quantity.

Why do I post this stuff? Because I want to expose the lies and fraud of this administration. They far outdo anything that the left claims GWB did. The Obama agenda will intrude much deeper into our personal lives than any Patriot Act line item. His incompetence has already damaged our global reputation, just look at how much Venezuela, Iran, Russia and North Korea are flexing their muscles now. They know Obama is a political pushover. So, the more I point this stuff out, the more likely another person will click on a link and say “hey, maybe Paul is right. Obama is doing something pretty stupid.”

I know I have educated lots of people already via Facebook. I fell that there are lots more out there wondering where all of the “change” is that Obama promised. Remember, he campaigned specifically against the old-fashioned beltway political system, right? He wanted to unite the country, act in a bipartisan manner. Has he done any of that? I don’t see it, and I watch a ton of news (not just Fox either). Obama said everything he needed in order to get elected. He is the consummate Chicago politician, which I think is worse than a beltway insider.

In other words, Obama was elected mainly due to an uninformed populace enamored by his smile, charm and eloquence. America didn’t care about job qualifications, they elected a friend. And now we are all paying the price. As a father of two young kids it is my duty to make the country a better place for them. Obama is taking America in the wrong direction and I can’t help but try to educate people so that this doesn’t happen again. Facebook lets me reach out to my own world, and as long as I keep things civil, support my position with facts and sources, and remain diligent, I know I can educate even more people. Sure, many will be offended, some may “unfriend me” (oh the humanity), but at the end of the day I will know that I made an effort to make America a better place through the power of education and communication. I suggest you use Facebook the same way, it is an excellent vehicle to reach people not interested in watching the news or actually studying the issues.