Obama Surprised at Angry Americans

Last Sunday, President Obama appeared on five shows for interviews. It was a blitz and the media was all slobbery about it. Only George Stephanopoulos had the integrity to ask real questions and hold the President accountable. Obama repaid George by chastising him for using a dictionary definition of the word "tax".

That is how we know Team Obama is slowly becoming aware they have lost the American people. Slow to the party, this new administration came in on a head of steam. They believed their own press, their own talking points and thought all this massive governmental change was going to be a snap. Why, the American voters voted for change, right?

Well, good morning, Mr. President. The American people voted against President Bush and the Republicans. After eight years of constant media drumming that Bush and the Republicans are evil, warmongering, racist homophobes who want children to go unvaccinated and old people to eat cat food while living on the street, they said enough is enough. The economy crashed last fall and that all but guaranteed a Democratic President. Remember, last September John McCain was still ahead of Obama in the polls.

So, what's everyone so ginned up about now? The administration came in and immediately closed Camp Gitmo without a plan as to where the prisoners would go and no country stepping forward to take them. The administration said they would investigate CIA interrogators after Obama pledged to 'move on' and not look back on the campaign trail - and the reported incidents had already been investigated. The administration pushed through the largest piece of legislation that would produce the highest national deficit in history without even being read by politicians. No Republicans voted for it. Now Blue Dog Democrats are having regrets after a summer of town hall meetings where their constituents have let their opinions be known.

We were promised unemployment would not rise above 8% if the stimulus/spending bill was passed. It is almost 10% now. We were told all about all of these shovel-ready jobs just waiting for the go-ahead to begin. Hasn't happened. The administration continues to measure success in the form of 'jobs saved' which is gibberish and impossible to measure. It's a stunt.

And now health care/health insurance reform is the topic of greatest concern. Obama want control of 1/6 of our national economy with solely Democrats writing the legislation. They won, you see, so they get to call all the shots. Americans are scared and outraged at the same time. Obama has yet to clearly state what his plan is. He has no plan. He farmed out the bill to the House and the Senate. He has thrown under the bus Doctors, Drug Manufacturers, Hospitals and demanded they all trot up to the White House and go along with the extortion of deal making to survive when the 'reforms' are made. The medical insurance companies are all that are left. Originally the favored comrades, now they are the enemy. Yes, reform is needed in insurance coverage and delivery. There is much waste in government run Medicare and Medicaid. The government run VA hospital system is a mess.

People of common sense ponder why we don't fix the abuses and overages first, then go from there. Assure all are able to receive insurance that want it and no denials for pre-existing conditions. If someone becomes terminally ill, coverage cannot be dropped.

And, most importantly, tort reform. States like Mississippi and Texas have shown great strides in cutting insurance costs due to tort reform.

The hypocrisy is emerging, too. Last week, Speaker Pelosi arrived in a caravan of darkened windowed SUV's (carbon foot print!) to speak for a few minutes to a group at a privately owned - doctor owned - hospital here in Houston. Pelosi visited North Cypress Medical Center long enough (45 minutes) to pick up whatever checks she was there to pick up. A group of 200 assembled quickly - the event was not publicized for obvious reasons - and protested her arrival along the street she traveled. They were not allowed on hospital property. My friend was among them with her husband and she reported that even the Constables - out in big force at taxpayer expense - were grinning at the protesters. Mounted officers were on site and bomb-sniffing dogs, too, she reported. Passing cars and trucks honked support to those standing in protest.

Then MoveOn decided they would call for protests in front of insurance offices around the country. They called on their friends at SEIU, AFL-CIO, and Van Jones's Color of Change to produce warm bodies for the protests. They were called "Big Insurance: Sick of It". Clever, huh. Houston Tea Party got wind of this and a quick protest was organized in front of an insurance company in a busy spot of town.

Getting the picture? Town halls and meetings with Congress people all summer were dismissed by Team Obama as angry mobs, racists, Nazis, and gasp, 'organized'. Ironic coming from the man who bragged of being a community organizer. And, Sen Barbara Boxer wanted to know why they were all so 'well-dressed'? She, you see, is used to a different kind of protester out there in California.

Obama continues to ask for, and be given, lots of air time to talk about health care/insurance reform. He says nothing different, though and frustration grows. He blames blogs and cable news - OK, just FOX News - and talk radio for his problems. He is the Whiner-in-Chief.

85% of Americans say they are insured and happy with their health care. That is a big problem for a man who wants to toss it all out and bring in government run health care. He'll deny it but he lies. He is on video telling audiences for the past 10 years that he is in support of the public option as the only real reform.

There is little else more personal than health care to Americans. It affects each and every one of us. The President thought his election was a mandate to finally, after trying for 40 years, push America to the far left in politics. Whoa! Is he ever surprised at his reception.

Soon, the American press will start to actually act as journalists and not fans of Obama. OK, probably not, but we can hope for some of that kind of change.