It took him four years but the real Barack Obama exposed himself as unabashedly liberal ideologue in his second inaugural address this week. The myth that Barack Obama has portrayed, aided by his friends in the media in 2004, 2008, and 2012, that he was a “transformational” leader who “transcended” politics is a complete and utter charade. The soaring rhetoric from his keynote address at the 2004 Democrat Convention was replaced by a deeply partisan campaign speech in the vein of a second inaugural address.
Rick McKee / Augusta Chronicle (click to view more cartoons by McKee)
President Obama’s true liberal colors were out in full bloom during his speech and I have a hunch that those colors will not soften over the next four years. One just has to take a look at when Obama said, “Preserving our individual freedoms ultimately requires collective action.” When President Obama says “collective action” what he really means is Big Government.
President Obama’s views since he was a community organizer on the south side of Chicago have always been liberal and in the context of how government should be the central authority in our lives. President Obama and his campaign team knew that he could not be elected in 2008 running on a full throated liberal platform. So they created the myth that President Obama would reach across party lines and work to improve Washington.
What America saw during President Obama’s second inaugural address was him completely unvarnished and taking petty partisan swipes at those who disagree with him. When President Obama said, “The commitments we make to each other – through Medicare, and Medicaid, and Social Security – these things do not sap our initiative; they strengthen us. They do not make us a nation of takers; they free us to take the risks that make this country great.” He is trying to demonize those who believe in the reality that entitlement reform must take place. The problem is President Obama’s head is in the sand, but as a liberal ideologue he refuses to reform New Deal and Great Society programs no matter what.
The Congressional Budget Office said last fall that Social Security will become insolvent by 2033. Social Security is clearly not on solid ground, that is why entitlement reform must take place now or the fixes will only be tough for those American people who depend on these programs. To demonize those who want to reform the entitlement system does not serve the American people well. It is evident that President Obama does not want a reasonable discussion and will play towards people’s fears rather than solving problems in the next four years.
The Republican led House of Representatives must stand firm against the upcoming onslaught of liberalism that the Obama Administration will espouse over the next four years. President Obama will continue to push his ideology on a grander scale since he never has to face voters again. It is incumbent among Republicans to hold those Democrats accountable for declining to address entitlement reform before it is too late. The battle lines are clearly drawn now, and Republicans must band together to fight for a smaller more efficient government. If we do not hold firm the age of Big Government might go on for perpetuity.
