“THE AMATEUR” BY EDWARD KLEIN
· 1) Obama is a president who is inept in the arts of management and governance, who doesn’t learn from his mistakes and who therefore repeats policies that make our economy less robust & our nation less safe.
· 2) Bill Clinton: “Loyalty doesn’t exist in politics. I’ve heard more from Bush, asking for my advice, than I’ve heard from Obama. I have no relationship with the president - none whatsoever. He’s incompetent.”
· 3) Dr. Scheiner (personal physician for 22 yrs) :…He is a great speaker and a lousy communicator….Obama’s whole cabinet has been a disappointment. …He’s academic, lacks passion & feeling & doesn’t have the sense of humanity that I expected. Obama invited his barber to his inauguration, but not me. That hurt!
· 4) Twelve years Obama was a lecturer at Law School, a ghostly presence on the faculty---rarely seen & virtually never heard from….How could you make a tenured offer to a man who had never written a scholarly article?
· 5) It’s one thing to be charismatic but another thing to be a leader---to hire people, motivate people and manage decision making.
· 6) As a senator, Obama was conspicuous by his absence. He had no interest in the process, or in learning the process of being a good senator.
· 7) The relationship with Chicago’s African-American moneyed elite blossomed for several years then turned sour, degenerating into bitterness, rancor, and resentment.
· 8) Jesse Jackson (Operation PUSH-People United to Save Humanity) invited Obama to speak every Saturday so he could hone his speaking skills. Obama never acknowledged his debt to Jesse. Barack is not necessarily known for his loyalty.
· 9) Professor Steven Rogers from NU helped Obama with the promise “When I get elected I’ll bring your students to Washington.” Obama said, “Come on, man, you should know better when politicians make promises.” Rogers said, “What you have with Barack Obama is a lack of character.”
· 10) Jeremiah Wright became far more than a religious & spiritual guide to Obama, he was his substitute father, life coach, and political inspiration wrapped in one package.
· 11) Obama would sit week after week in a church that preached white wickedness & black superiority.
· 11-1) There is a long interview with Wright whereby he said, “I received an e-mail offering me money not to preach at all until the November presidential elections.”
· 12) Tony Rezko traveled with Obama on his campaign plane, played basketball with him, and secretly handled some of Obama’s stickiest personal problems.
· 13) Liberal journalists didn’t want to rock the boat or do anything to stand in the way of Obama’s becoming America’s first black president.
· 14) Obama invited nine prominent American historians and wasn’t shy about flaunting his famous self-confidence. During this secret meeting Obama became testy. This was a breathtaking display of narcissistic grandiosity. He revealed the characteristics that made him totally unsuited for the presidency….excessive pride…he believes that only he understood the issues…he acted as though he was the smartest person in the room.
· 15) The inner circle treated him like a movie star, or heavyweight champion of the world. David Axelrod, privately coined a nickname for his boss: “Black Jesus.”
· 15-1) In short, he didn’t know what he didn’t know.
· 16) He was a child of destiny, a special person who had been singled out for great things. In his mind, he had been elected to be a transformational president & to save America from itself.
· 17) Unnamed historian said, “Obama’s problems stemmed less from his inflated self-image than from his unmitigated incompetence.” He continued, “Obama hasn’t been able to capture the public’s imagination & inspire people to follow him. Vision isn’t enough in a president.”
· 18) Reagan had the ability to make each American feel that the president cared deeply & personally about them. That quality has been lacking in Obama.
· 19) Obama is a product of Chicago-style politics, which is a byword for patronage, nepotism, bribery, and corruption.
· 20) Tavis Smiley, African-American talk show host criticizes Obama…it’s been interesting to see how off course and off track Obama has gotten in the White House.
· 21) He lets others in the White House deconstruct polling data & analyze electoral maps, because he thinks that such behavior is beneath him.
· 22) Obama’s arrogance, his sense of superiority, & his air of haughtiness-but above all, his AMATEURISM- are responsible for his record of political fiascos. (many are explained in the book) James Carville lambasted Obama for the “political stupidity” of his response to the calamitous oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico
· 23) Religious freedom…Chris Matthews called it “frightening” E.J.Dionne, ardent Obama loyalist wrote Obama had “utterly botched” the issue.
· 24) Presidential historian Fred Greenstein, “With all of Obama’s rhetorical brilliance and flash he went into the phone booth as Superman and came out as Clark Kent.”
· 25) Obama doesn’t find joy in being president. Like Richard Nixon and Jimmy Carter, he is an introvert who prefers his own company to that of others. Obama rarely reaches outside the tight groups of advisers. After meetings there is no lingering, no schmoozing on the way out, no clinging to personal relationships.
· 26) Robert Dallek, historian…Obama has been unable to earn the trust of his countrymen because he is at heart, predominantly concerned with his own thoughts ideas & feelings rather than the thoughts & ideas & feelings of the people he was elected to serve.
· 27) Valerie Jarrett is the president’s trusted watchdog. No one gets past Jarrett and sees the president if they have a grievance, or a chip on their shoulder, or even an incompatible point of view. Obama views Jarrett as the voice of authentic blackness in a White House that is staffed largely by whites. Michael Lavin said, “She has no international experience & no background in economics or fiscal policy.”
· 28) “The first method for estimating the intelligence of a ruler is to look at the men he has around him.” Niccolo Michiavelli
· 29) Rahm Emanuel, Valerie Jarrett, David Axelrod, Robert Gibbs…There was no love lost between Jarrett & Emanuel.
· 30) The only thing consistent in this White House is that politics always trumps legislative policy. The major goal is whipping your opponent.
· 31) Some situations were explained…loss of Olympics to Chicago; Solyndra, (Close ties to George Kaiser which controlled 35.7% of Solyndra & he visited the White House 16 times.)
· 32) Jarrett privately urged the president not to send in a Navy SEAL team.
· 33) Neither the president nor his closest advisers came to DC with experience managing a large staff. There is a tremendous amount of jockeying in the White House, fighting over stupid stuff…member of staff said. Valerie is both the arsonist and the fire-fighter. She creates fear. Only the people she feels she can control can get in.
· 34) The Wrath of Michelle Obama hides the fact that Michelle is the president’s most important political adviser. The Obama’s share a sense of entitlement, an attitude that they know best, a contempt for the political process, and a callow understanding of the way the world works.
· 34-1) She said, “I didn’t come to politics with a lot of faith in the process.” Another time she said, “I am tired of just giving the political process over to the privileged, to the wealthy, to people with the right daddy.”
· 34-2) She resented the political power structure that failed to recognize her beloved father’s value.
· 34-3) She often behaves as though others have let her down and she’s better than they are.
· 34-4) Despite her fiery reputation among friends & family, stories about Michelle’s temper have rarely appeared in the liberal mainstream media, which have gone out of their way to protect her.
· 34-5) Democratic Party official…Michelle certainly played a role in selecting Joe Biden. She was one of the strongest voices for appointment of Judge Sotomayor. Her best friend, Valerie Jarrett is the messenger of her displeasure. She never got along with Rahm Emanuel and undercut his authority.
· 34-6) When her approval rating lingered she changed the content and tone of her speeches. She changed the way she dressed. However she overruled the staff and took a lavish vacation to Spain with an entourage of 70 people. One out of 9 days she was on vacation while people on food stamps increased.
· 34-7) For her 44th birthday, Obama bought her a $5,000 set of diamond earrings which she exchanged for bigger diamonds that cost $12,000. She has expensive tastes.
· 34-8) In this chapter there is no mention of her high-paying job nor her forfeit of her law license.
· 34-9) Michelle suspects that at one point Oprah secretly encouraged Hillary to consider a run against Barack in 2012. Michelle calls Hillary “a snake.” Campaign dialed up a charm offensive and there are sudden invites to Oprah.
· 35) Daley secretly arranged an Oval Office meeting between Obama & Archbishop Timothy Dolan which was a major rift among his closest advisors.
· 36) Most of the president’s major supporters have been given the brush off…like Oprah Winfrey, Caroline Kennedy and leading members of the Jewish community. A month after the election, Oprah’s relationship with Obama had become unglued. Oprah had a plan to redecorate the Lincoln bedroom. She also had ideas about how Michelle could put more zing into White House social events. Oprah raged “Michelle hates fat people & doesn’t want me waddling around the White House.”
· 37) There is a whole chapter on the presidential snub of Carolyn Kennedy. She has never been invited to the Family Quarters where Carolyn lived and played as a child.
· 37-1) Carolyn said “that shaking hands with Michelle was like shaking hands with a cold fish.”
· 38) The section of Jewish problems with Obama was in depth because 73% still vote Democratic. With the past associations with anti-Semitic Rev Wright & Israel-bashing Columbia Univ Prof Rashid Khalidi, troubling questions are being raised in the minds of many jews.
· 39) Ed Koch said, “It’s obvious Chuck Schumer wants to be the majority leader in the Senate if Harry Reid leaves, and Chuck doesn’t want to criticize the president & diminish his chances.”
· 40) Author’s research…”I was surprised by how badly America’s first black president had bungled his relations with black America.”
· 41) Firing Shirley Sherrod revealed Obama to be politically inept. Not a single black person was consulted before she was fired.
· 42) Emanuel Clever, Black Caucus, “I’m frustrated…the president and his team are trying to minimize the discussion of race as it relates to job creation.”
· 43) Chief national security advisor James Jones followed John Wayne’s advice…”Never apologize, never explain - it’s a sign of weakness.” There was a personality clash…”For all of Obama's talk about being open-minded & willing to listen to competing ideas, he was only comfortable with people who shared his view of America as a less predominant power in a multipolar world.”
· 43-1) Jones was not permitted to pick his own staff. He was rarely allowed to see the president alone. Obama conducted meetings on foreign policy & liked to do most of the talking.
· 44) 6 million American Muslims “I’ve come here to seek a new beginning between the US and Muslims around the world.” Prohibited mention of Islam or Islamic terror in law enforcement training. Removed term Islamic extremism.
· 45) Anonymous Hillary aide said she had meticulously avoided criticizing Obama, was “fed up with a president who can’t make up his mind.”
· 46) Military…Under Obama America has become weaker than at any time since the end of the Cold War. Our Navy has been cut in half and is growing smaller. Our Army & Marine Corps have 600,000 fewer troops, & will soon have even fewer. Our military budget is being slashed by billions.
· 47) What the media miss is that a series of ad hoc military operations do not add up to a successful foreign policy. Obama lacks faith in the goodness of American leadership.
· 48) Presidents don’t get points for trying!!!
· 49) “The president is constantly complaining about what others are saying about him.” Peter Wehner, Politics Daily columnist.
Love this ending….
· 50) Senator Marco Rubio is quoted: “I’m troubled by rhetoric that pits people against each other…We have never been a nation of haves and have-nots. We are a nation of haves and soon-to-haves, of people who have made it and people who will make it. And that’s who we need to remain.
No comments:
Post a Comment