Live from Omaha, it’s Barack Obama

I’ve had more than enough Barack Obama for one week, but it’s good to get the perspective of Nebraska attorney David Begley on Obama’s current road show. When President Obama made an appearance in Omaha at Baxter Arena yesterday, Dave was there. The Omaha World-Herald reports on Obama’s appearance here; it has posted a transcript of Obama’s remarks here. Dave’s report is below:

A crowd estimated at 11,000 saw President Obama at the University of Nebraska Omaha’s brand new basketball and hockey arena. The crowd reflected Obama’s electoral coalition: young people and minorities. English was not the first language of many in attendance, including the two young women sitting next to me.

President Obama is at his best when he plays the role of Denzel Washington pretending to be President John Kennedy. The likable and joking guy who refers to Omaha as “Obamaha” and also the guy you want in your golf foursome. He excels rhetorically when he plays the unity card. In Omaha it was, “We are all in this together” and “We are at our best when we act as one people who rise and fall together.” “Yes, we can” and not “Yes, I can.” If only he had done what he said. Deeds, not words. America has never been more divided and he is a big part of the reason.

Much of Obama’s Omaha speech was from Tuesday’s State of the Union remarks analyzed by Scott Johnson here. Both in Omaha and in the State of the Union address he denounced tribalism. But tribalism is the organizing principle of today’s Democrat party. For readers who want a better (and humorous) understanding of this problem I highly recommend Tom Wolfe’s Back to Blood.

Obama is a master of speaking out of both sides of his mouth. For evidence I refer to the young high school teacher who introduced Obama. At 4:00 a.m. while feeding her baby she became distraught about climate change and wrote a letter to the White House. She had a sense of dread for her newborn because if the temperature rose two more degrees than the earth would be in a crisis. I broke my discipline and laughed out loud.

The obvious contradiction came when in his speech Obama bashed the GOP candidates in Iowa for campaigning based upon “doom and gloom” and “America in decline.” Kettle, meet pot.

I can’t understand why people want to subsidize with today’s tax dollars (and add to the $19 trillion in debt) the wind and solar industry in order to fix an alleged crisis based on an unreliable prediction about uncertain events decades in the future. The Dems, however, have frightened that poor woman under the guise of “science” and secured her vote. Mrs. Clinton and Bernie Sanders agree that what now goes under the name of “climate change” represents a crisis.

President Obama essentially lined up with both Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders in calling for two years of “free” community college.

The biggest cheers came when Obama declared that people should reject politics that “targets people due to their race or religion.” Who would that be? He also received big cheers when he asserted that “immigrants are not the reason wages haven’t gone up.” In the same speech Obama also acknowledged, however, that “employers have more leverage.”

I give Obama points for shrewdness for putting Joe Biden in charge of curing cancer. I follow biotech companies and many are on the verge of major cancer breakthroughs. Apparently former President Carter is a beneficiary of one of the new drugs. The political calculation for the Democrats is that Biden and Obama can take credit for the new drugs developed in the private sector. Someone in the White House has been reading Wall Street’s biotech research notes.

Obama implied during his State of the Union remarks that Republicans disparage the strength of the United States. Obama touts the fabulous multinational coalition that is allegedly defeating ISIL (er, ISIS). Obama reported that Iran is shipping nuke materials out of the country. (Are we sure? What happens if they ask for them back?) The $150 billion check to Iran will be cut in the next few days despite Iran’s two prohibited missile tests and the humiliating detention of our two boats and ten sailors.

In this week’s Power Line podcast John Hinderaker asked Senator Jeff Sessions if Barack Obama had an understanding of what an awful president he has been. The answer from Omaha is a resounding no. According to Obama, things are great in the Cornhusker State and we can all thank him for getting us out of the ditch into which George W. Bush drove us.

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