President-elect Ego

It's the same old change we are about to get in the new Obama administration. As usual, the marketing of Barack Obama the candidate masked the empty suit those not voting for him knew he was all along.

From NewsBusters.org, a transcript appears with a bit of the Barbara Walters interview with President-Elect and Mrs. Obama. You may remember Walters enjoyed telling Obama how very sexy he is on her regular daytime henfest. And, continuing on with that hard-hitting journalistic style, she didn't bat a false eyelash as Obama once again showed that he will be ego-in-chief come January.

Walters asked: "Do you have a Thanksgiving message that you would like to give to the people?" As NewsBusters' contributor, Mark Finkelstein, pointed out, using the words 'the people' was odd. How about Americans?

In typical Messiah fashion, Obama makes it all about him and brings his wife into the mix, too. And, he used poor grammar while doing it. For a Harvard guy, he sure must have struggled with English class. "I want to remind people that, as tough as times are right now, and they're a lot tougher for millions of people around the country than they are for Michelle and I that, we have been through tough times before, and the extraordinary blessings of being an American, of having a nation that has a tradition of communities pulling together. A country where somebody like myself, or somebody like Michelle, has a shot, no matter what the circumstances."

So, never fear, Barack Obama is your inspiration and message of Thanksgiving. And, the little woman, too.

How about telling us his family will be together for the holiday and counting their blessings as Americans - living in freedom and grace? How about just skipping the all-about-me life story for just one interview? How about thanking the troops overseas protecting our freedom? How about being thankful he is living in a country that sees one administration out and the next one in all in a peaceful transition? How about thanking the current President and his administration for their unusually open and supportive briefings and support in the transition? Or even acknowledging that President Bush continues to show Barack Obama far more respect than Obama has ever shown President Bush. No, an egoist mind doesn't work like that.

Friday, when asked by reporters how his administration is shaping up in light of his promise of the "change" theme as he continues to announce one after another nominees pulled from the Clinton days - including Hillary Clinton - Barack Obama said that change is coming from him, not his administration. The change is his 'vision', his ideas.

Why, he must be the first incoming President with that whole new vision idea.

And, soon enough, Obama and his administration will have to begin to admit that while the economy is stumbling, all is not lost. Holiday shopping on Black Friday was up 3% from last year. That bodes well for retail sales receipts this season.

I'm guessing after continued Bush bashing for the first months of the Obama administration, how all those failed Bush policies brought us the worst economy since the Great Depression, suddenly Obama will want Americans to think the economy is recovering nicely under his guidance. Those who do serious analysis of the economy, though, point to the fact that the Great Depression brought about changes that are in place to avoid such a slide of our economy now. And, that the disaster that was the Jimmy Carter administration brought about a worse economy than we have now. Talking up economic doom and gloom was useful for Obama the candidate. He was elected on economic tension. So, if he doesn't pull the economy back into less stressful times, he'll not be a two term President.

Real estate foreclosures came about thanks to the Democrats in control of policy for decades. The tipping point came about from folks in homes that they couldn't afford. Most people, despite what the incoming administration wants you to continue to believe, are still in their homes and paying the mortgage. And, we don't have interest rates upwards of 20% as we did under a President Carter.

And now, the likes of Barney Frank, Christopher Dodd and Barack Obama will be setting and legislating policy - the very people who most benefited from the old ways.

President Bush had nothing to do with that.