The Obama Opposition Syndrome Epidemic

This morning I awoke to news that my President, our President, the President of the United States of America was bestowed the prestigious honor of being a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize.  By most measures, it should be hailed as an enormously proud moment for all Americans.  However, within moments of posting the news on my Facebook page, I was reminded of the continued hypocrisy of the right and evidence of the virus that has infected the Republican Party and manifest itself as Obama Opposition Syndrome.

The Nobel Peace Prize has rarely been giving to recipients who have completed a work or eradicated a social issue.  The Nobel Peace Prize is awarded to those who are the major catalyst for the momentum of a movement.  In 1984, Desmond Tutu won a Nobel Prize for his efforts to topple apartheid and it was abolished 10 years later in 1994.  In 1935, journalist Carl von Ossietzky won a Nobel Prize for his efforts in symbolizing the domestic opposition to the rise of Hitler and yet Hitler still rose and fell several years later.  In 1964 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. became the youngest to ever receive the award to a chorus of critics but history has deemed him worthy. World hunger, world peace, climate change and even civil rights have never been resolved by a Nobel recipient, but each of these issues has had a catalyst to focus the energy, effort and attention to the cause.  That catalyst is the Nobel Peace Prize winner.

We must remember that the Republican Party is the same group of people that has celebrated America’s, yes America’s loss of the 2016 Olympic Games as a blow to the Obama Administration.  They never considered the notion that each nation in final consideration for the Olympics sent their heads of state to the nomination ceremony. The Republicans never came to the logical conclusion that these heads of state understood that in this global economic climate, the Olympics could serve as a major stimulus for economic development.  Specifically, America has lost the majority of its jobs in the construction and manufacturing sector and those sectors would stand to benefit the most from an Olympic bid.  However, when infected by OOS (Obama Opposition Syndrome) it is hard to apply much logic or reasoning.

We must remember that the Republican Party is the same party that labeled the President’s stay in school speech as, “…an attempt to indoctrinate our children with his socialist agenda.”  The rhetoric toned down days later to, “…our children shouldn’t be subjected to listening to any President’s policies.” The speech contained no mention of any policy or agenda, but this is an example of OOS striking again and this time failing the memory of those in the party to the recollection of Bush senior and Bush junior both giving speeches to school children.  In addition, there was one severe outbreak of OOS in an Arlington school district where it was decided Obama’s speech wouldn’t be shown but kids would be bused to hear Bush junior speak.
http://thinkprogress.org/2009/09/09/obama-bush-bus/

We must remember that the Republican Party is the party that initially opposed health care reform because of two main reasons.  First, Republicans opposed the public option.  Second, Republicans opposed the cost of the measure for fear it would balloon federal deficits.  The Baucus bill left the Senate finance committee with no public option included and the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office reported that the bill would decrease the federal deficit, but Republicans still refuse to lend support.  What’s the excuse now? Obama Opposition Syndrome has taking over and is blinding the right wing.

I heard the Chairman of the Republican National Committee state, “The real question Americans are asking is, ‘what has President Obama actually accomplished’… President Obama won’t be receiving any awards from Americans for job creation, fiscal responsibility…” My reply is you’re right Mr. Chairman, an ailing economy, job losses, a ballooning deficit and two wars were shiny trophies and awards Mr. Bush left on his desk for Obama to receive.  Obama Opposition Syndrome strikes again.  In the words of Representative Alan Grayson, “If Obama solved world hunger, Republicans would blame him for overpopulation.  If he solved world peace, Republicans would blame him for the destruction of the defense industry.  If he said he was going to eat a B.L.T. tomorrow, Republicans would try to ban bacon.”

President Obama campaigned on the promise of changing America’s standing amongst its peers of the world.  He persuaded Americans to vote for him and his promise of strengthening America through diplomacy.  When his opponents doubted him, he stood for reaching out to nations and offering an opportunity for a new beginning.  He was and is the modern catalyst for peace and the world embraced him, while others in our country dismissed him as a “rock star”.  President Sarkozy of France stated, “…this marks America’s return to the hearts of the people of the world.”  It is for this reason, that President Obama was awarded the Nobel Prize, but you would only recognize this if you have had your Obama Opposition Syndrome vaccine.

Obama Doesn’t Have a Plan Right?

I have recently heard several points made in opposition to health care reform, the bulk of which comes directly from Fox and its “Fair and Balanced” programming.  I will dedicate some time over the next few days responding to these points as they are undoubtedly echoed by many others who use Fox News talking points for debate.

The first argument and in my opinion, the most glaringly inaccurate is, “Obama doesn’t have a plan.”

If you only view Fox News and this channel doesn’t bother to cover his speeches, how can you reasonably expect to garner any information regarding the President’s initiatives straight from the source?  You can’t, but I will do my part in helping and post the initiatives here.  All of this information can be found on the White House’s Website.  But the President doesn’t have a plan right?  Only if you never venture from the Fox News channel.

If You Have Health Insurance:

• Ends discrimination against people with pre-existing conditions.
• Limits premium discrimination based on gender and age.
• Prevents insurance companies from dropping coverage when people are sick and need it most.
• Caps out-of-pocket expenses so people don’t go broke when they get sick.
• Eliminates extra charges for preventive care like mammograms, flu shots and diabetes tests to improve health and save money.
• Protects Medicare for seniors.
• Eliminates the “donut-hole” gap in coverage for prescription drugs.

If You Don’t Have Insurance:

• Creates a new insurance marketplace — the Exchange — that allows people without insurance and small businesses to compare plans and buy insurance at competitive prices.
• Provides new tax credits to help people buy insurance.
• Provides small businesses tax credits and affordable options for covering employees.
• Offers a public health insurance option to provide the uninsured and those who can’t find affordable coverage with a real choice.
• Immediately offers new, low-cost coverage through a national “high risk” pool to protect people with preexisting conditions from financial ruin until the new Exchange is created.

For All Americans:

• Won’t add a dime to the deficit and is paid for upfront.
• Requires additional cuts if savings are not realized.
• Implements a number of delivery system reforms that begin to rein in health care costs and align incentives for hospitals, physicians, and others to improve quality.
• Creates an independent commission of doctors and medical experts to identify waste, fraud and abuse in the health care system.
• Orders immediate medical malpractice reform projects that could help doctors focus on putting their patients first, not on practicing defensive medicine.
• Requires large employers to cover their employees and individuals who can afford it to buy insurance so everyone shares in the responsibility of reform.

Harvard Endowment Down 30 Percent

In an article today published in the Huffington Post, it was reported that Harvard University’s endowment fund has plunged by nearly 30% over the last 12 months.  The alarming point here is that even at a University that houses and develops some of the most brilliant minds in the word, they were unable to escape the far reaching effects of a global recession and posted declines that outpaced the S & P 500.  How does that happen?

The Harvard Management Company president and CEO Jane Mendillo said its portfolio was impacted by “extreme volatility and financial dysfunction.” But she said the long-term performance of the endowment remained strong, with a 5-year annualized return of 6.2 percent and a 10-year return of 8.9 percent.

However in an article posted by Bloomberg, the University of Pennsylvania (also an Ivy League school), posted losses of only 16% which is a nearly 10% better return than the S & P 500.  Kristen Gilbertson, the Chief Investment Officer for the fund stated, “Our portfolio is not typical of a large endowment and the model is not having a lot of private equity, real estate, natural resources. I think the endowment model is about being creative.”

The times appear to have changed.  The normal investment strategies of the past no longer seem to apply.  Those who have been crowned experts are losing the most.  At least according to the University of Pennsylvania, it’s time to get creative and find new ways to make your money work for you.  I will have more to share soon.

Republican Congressman Yells at President

In an all-time new conservative low, Representative Joe Wilson of South Carolina had an absence in civility and brought the behavior of his town hall meetings to the halls of Congress. Just as the President pointed out that the rumor of the health care bill covering illegal immigrants was untruthful, Rep. Wilson yells out, “You Lie!’ Shocking and reprehensible that any member of Congress would deem it acceptable to disrespect the President of the United States in a joint session of Congress or any other setting for that matter.

Here’s a clip of the speech interruption:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/09/09/gop-rep-wilson-yells-out_n_281480.html

A prominent Republican called on his apology right away. Senator John McCain said this on Larry King, “Wilson’s outburst was “totally disrespectful — [there's] no place for it in that setting or any other and he should apologize immediately.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVgnuGtZICk

Let’s address the claim of covering illegal aliens. Here is a copy of the wording from the bill and an article from factcheck.org both clearly debunking the Republican claim.

H.R. 3200: Sec 246 — NO FEDERAL PAYMENT FOR UNDOCUMENTED ALIENS
Nothing in this subtitle shall allow Federal payments for affordability credits on behalf of individuals who are not lawfully present in the United States.

http://www.factcheck.org/2009/08/seven-falsehoods-about-health-care/

If that isn’t enough for you, I have uploaded the entire bill to a web server and you can feel free to download it and read page “143″ for yourself. Here’s the link.
http://files.me.com/guruologist/jben5l

I thought with Congress returning to session from the summer break, we would see a new debate surrounding facts and not classic Republican fear mongering, distortions and in this instance…lies. Shameful display of professionalism Mr. Wilson, and no sir, it is you that lied.

Hypocrisy of the Right

Recently, I have seen a firestorm of conservatives upset about the President of the United States speaking to school children about staying in school on September the 8th. There are two elements I am finding hypocritical by the right.

First, allow me to quote Florida’s GOP chair Jim Greer who labeled Obama’s speech to the children as, “…dastardly inculcation into socialism and a viral spread of liberal propaganda.” He issued this statement before seeing the speech or having any evidence of any policy being mentioned in the speech. Yet, he has no issue encouraging parents to remove kids from school or petition for excused absences. There is no evidence of any mention of policy or domestic agenda. In fact, here is the information enclosed by the White House.

“The goal of the speech and the lesson plans is to challenge students to work hard in school, to not drop out and to meet short-term goals like behaving in class, doing their homework and goals that parents and teachers alike can agree are noble,” a White House spokesman tells ABC News, “This isn’t a policy speech. This is a speech designed to encourage kids to stay in school.”

Here is where the second and largest element of hypocrisy lies, when President Bush was pushing his “No Child Left Behind” Act (which has yielded no positive results), he took his policy speeches to schools. I don’t recall Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, or any conservative encouraging parents to keep their kids from school or protesting the speech. Here are the youtube videos to the speeches.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LgHYU2_yT-k
http://www.ny1.com/Default.aspx?ArID=69025&SecID=1000

The bottom line is, why must things be politicized each time Obama does anything? If he takes his wife on a date, the complaints start rolling in; if he doesn’t wear a tie in the Oval office, people get upset. I think it’s wonderful that the President would take the time to address students during the first weeks of school, how can more exposure to civics hurt? It’s this type of unnecessary and unsubstantiated bickering that turns young Americans off.