Tuesday, April 03, 2012
Battling Straw Men
Democrats in general and Barack Obama in particular are extremely fond of using straw men while making their political points. Mr President is so attached to straw men arguments that he cannot make his points without one.
Consider this, how often has President Obama said that the Republican idea for health care is everybody fending for themselves? Really? When did any Republican say that? Ever? Truth is, it has never been said, or thought, by any Republican. But that does not stop Mr High and Mighty from pulling out that canard whenever he has a point to make about government mandated health insurance.
Dear Ruler frequently cites opposition concern over increasing regulations as Republicans wanting businesses and Wall Street to run wild without any oversight. He says a lack of regulations caused this country's worst recession since the Great Depression, which is so not true. He says Republicans want no regulations. No one is saying their should be no regulations at all. Straw man. He refuses to admit that he has anything at all to do with the anemic recovery. More regulations and more government spending, er, investments, please.
Republicans would have us breathing dirty air and drinking polluted water. Republicans would push granny off a cliff. Republicans would rather see tax breaks for the wealthy than to pay their "fair share". Those evil, nasty Republicans would "literally" take us back to the era of Jim Crow laws. I cringe whenever the man or his minions open their mouths.
Democrats loudly proclaim that the Republicans are waging a "war on women". Somehow the idea that the government mandated health insurance should NOT pay for birth control and the morning after pill has turned into a war on women. No one ever said that birth control should not be used or even that the morning after pill should not be purchased. The simple fact is that we don't think it is proper for government required insurance to include the cost of this type of coverage. But no one ever said you CANNOT have this, simply that you can and should purchase it yourself. Or buy insurance that covers it specifically.
How is this a war on women?
Obama wants to increase taxes on oil companies. Obama says often that there is no silver bullet for reducing gas prices. He says that anyone who says so is lying. Wrong again. The market is forward looking and looking forward this market only sees trouble because the president hates oil. And he loves taxes. Moratoriums on drilling and on permits for oil leases and pipelines have been thwarted by this president yet he believes that more taxes on oil companies is the answer to, what, more oil? No, more "green" energy is where he's headed.
He has never considered the idea that "future" increases in oil production will affect "current" prices. Oil is a world commodity and, of course, any increase in supply will affect demand which is how economics work after all. Silver bullet? Maybe not, but a sure-fired truth, not a straw man argument. Instead he offers us algae? Seriously?
Obama says Paul Ryan's budget plan is a Trojan Horse. "Disguised as deficit reduction plan, it's really an attempt to impose a radical vision on our country," Obama said in excerpts of his speech released Tuesday. "It's nothing but thinly veiled social Darwinism." Talk about obfuscation! His entire time in office has been spent trying to "radically transform"this country. He told us so before he was elected and he has been following through on that promise/threat.
Straw men of the world unite. Social Darwinism? Come on. I don't even know what he's trying to say here, except that he thinks any viewpoint that isn't his own is not even worthy of discussion, so he pounds away at it without really knowing what the plan entails. Doesn't matter to him, it isn't the liberal way, it isn't Barack Obama's way, so it must be stopped.
Obama takes to his podium and criticizes the Supreme Court, an equal branch of the government, by calling them a group of unelected people who should not suddenly overrule his signature legislation, Obamacare, because it was voted on by democratically elected members of Congress.
Straw Supremes? Can he really be so arrogant as to say that the Supreme Court should not strike down a law because Congress voted on it? That is their job eight days a week! How disrespectful can one idiot be? Rhetorical again.
Set them up and knock them down. When you're battling straw men all day, every day, the battles are hard. I wonder how he feels about Don Quixote.
OH
Consider this, how often has President Obama said that the Republican idea for health care is everybody fending for themselves? Really? When did any Republican say that? Ever? Truth is, it has never been said, or thought, by any Republican. But that does not stop Mr High and Mighty from pulling out that canard whenever he has a point to make about government mandated health insurance.
Dear Ruler frequently cites opposition concern over increasing regulations as Republicans wanting businesses and Wall Street to run wild without any oversight. He says a lack of regulations caused this country's worst recession since the Great Depression, which is so not true. He says Republicans want no regulations. No one is saying their should be no regulations at all. Straw man. He refuses to admit that he has anything at all to do with the anemic recovery. More regulations and more government spending, er, investments, please.
Republicans would have us breathing dirty air and drinking polluted water. Republicans would push granny off a cliff. Republicans would rather see tax breaks for the wealthy than to pay their "fair share". Those evil, nasty Republicans would "literally" take us back to the era of Jim Crow laws. I cringe whenever the man or his minions open their mouths.
Democrats loudly proclaim that the Republicans are waging a "war on women". Somehow the idea that the government mandated health insurance should NOT pay for birth control and the morning after pill has turned into a war on women. No one ever said that birth control should not be used or even that the morning after pill should not be purchased. The simple fact is that we don't think it is proper for government required insurance to include the cost of this type of coverage. But no one ever said you CANNOT have this, simply that you can and should purchase it yourself. Or buy insurance that covers it specifically.
How is this a war on women?
Obama wants to increase taxes on oil companies. Obama says often that there is no silver bullet for reducing gas prices. He says that anyone who says so is lying. Wrong again. The market is forward looking and looking forward this market only sees trouble because the president hates oil. And he loves taxes. Moratoriums on drilling and on permits for oil leases and pipelines have been thwarted by this president yet he believes that more taxes on oil companies is the answer to, what, more oil? No, more "green" energy is where he's headed.
He has never considered the idea that "future" increases in oil production will affect "current" prices. Oil is a world commodity and, of course, any increase in supply will affect demand which is how economics work after all. Silver bullet? Maybe not, but a sure-fired truth, not a straw man argument. Instead he offers us algae? Seriously?
Obama says Paul Ryan's budget plan is a Trojan Horse. "Disguised as deficit reduction plan, it's really an attempt to impose a radical vision on our country," Obama said in excerpts of his speech released Tuesday. "It's nothing but thinly veiled social Darwinism." Talk about obfuscation! His entire time in office has been spent trying to "radically transform"this country. He told us so before he was elected and he has been following through on that promise/threat.
Straw men of the world unite. Social Darwinism? Come on. I don't even know what he's trying to say here, except that he thinks any viewpoint that isn't his own is not even worthy of discussion, so he pounds away at it without really knowing what the plan entails. Doesn't matter to him, it isn't the liberal way, it isn't Barack Obama's way, so it must be stopped.
Obama takes to his podium and criticizes the Supreme Court, an equal branch of the government, by calling them a group of unelected people who should not suddenly overrule his signature legislation, Obamacare, because it was voted on by democratically elected members of Congress.
Straw Supremes? Can he really be so arrogant as to say that the Supreme Court should not strike down a law because Congress voted on it? That is their job eight days a week! How disrespectful can one idiot be? Rhetorical again.
Set them up and knock them down. When you're battling straw men all day, every day, the battles are hard. I wonder how he feels about Don Quixote.
OH
# posted by OH @ 1:27 PM 
