Barack Obama: The “Great Pretender”, Orchestrator of the Grand Betrayal

Barack Obama: The “Great Pretender”, Orchestrator of the Grand Betrayal

BY MICHAEL PAYNE, OpedNews.com

America has had some exemplary presidents and some really bad ones and, for the most part, they could be described as “what you see is what you get.” Sure we’ve had some like a “tricky Dick” and one that was an actor but we’ve never had one quite like Barack Obama who can best be described as the “Great Pretender.”

America has had some exemplary presidents and some really bad ones and, for the most part, they could be described as “what you see is what you get.” Sure we’ve had some like a “tricky Dick” and one that was an actor but we’ve never had one quite like Barack Obama who can best be described as the “Great Pretender.”

The inspiration for this article comes from a hit song from the 1950’s by the Platters, entitled The Great Pretender. One day when I was thinking about all the many ways that Mr. Obama has failed to follow through on the commitments that he made to the people of America, I heard that song played on an oldies station and I thought, “That’s him, that’s President Obama, the Great Pretender.”

Here’s an excerpt from that song:

“Oh-oh, yes I’m the great pretender

  Pretending that I’m doing well

My need is such I pretend too much”

That’s it, that fits him perfectly. He pretends to be an agent of change but he’s anything but that; his inspiring campaigning theme “Yes we can” has never materialized. And what he has done and the way that he has gone about it just doesn’t match his soaring rhetoric. We’re still waiting for something of real substance to happen; with this president, there is a distinct disconnect between what he says and what he, in reality, does.

The song goes on with: “I seem to be what I’m not, you see”

He has seriously misrepresented himself. He has used clever sleight of hand tactics to make us think that he was a visionary, that he would take this country in a new direction, that he was a man of peace (how laughable) and that he would fight for the American people and what was in their best interests. Rather, he has shown that he does not have the courage and conviction to confront the powers that control this government and the Republican obstructionists and he has caved in to their demands and dictates time and again.

Here’s what I strongly believe that Mr. Obama and his secret Republican pals have agreed to do about reducing Social Security benefits: With his proposal to substantially dilute these benefits that so many retired Americans depend upon by including the proposed CPI, thechained consumer price index in his budget proposal, he has now gone against the wishes of the majority of Americans, most of the members of the Democratic Party, liberals, and independents. And by doing this he has joined with the Republican Party to pound the first nail into the coffin of Social Security; he has proven without a shadow of a doubt that he is one of the most controlled and ineffective presidents in the history of this country.

You know that Mr. Obama is conspiring with the GOP when you consider the fact that Social Security has nothing whatsoever to do with the national deficit, it functions on its own; it collects revenues and dispenses benefits. But what this president is helping to do is this; the federal government has, over decades, “borrowed” about $2.6 trillion from the Social Security Trust Fund to pay for other government spending. But it has no intention of ever paying its back. So the Republicans want to let the government off the hook and use those reduced benefits to make up for the shortfall in the general budget. In a case where Mr. Obama should be telling the Republicans “Hell No, I won’t allow that to happen he is, instead, aiding and abetting their deceitful plans.

If I’m not mistaken Mr. Obama will be the first Democratic president since the inception of Social Security in 1935 to begin the process of weakening Social Security. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who created it, if he’s out there somewhere in the beyond, is probably in a state of shock and disbelief, and most probably thinking that this is yet another “Day of infamy.”

But at least we have one honorable member of Congress who is an honest representative of the people and stands behind them without reservation; that’s Senator Bernie Sanders, Independent of Vermont who is directly confronting Mr. Obama on this issue by making this statement: “I am terribly disappointed and will do everything in my power to block President Obama’s proposal to cut benefits for Social Security recipients through a chained consumer price index. Check out this article that explains how Senator Sanders is leading the charge to confront this president who is doing the exact opposite.

Any Democrat or Republican who supports this president in attacking Social Security by using the dagger of the CPI should be labeled as having betrayed this country and its people and thrown out of Congress in the next national elections. Any of our elected representatives that want to try to destroy Social Security a large majority of 313 million Americans want it to remain untouched should understand that they are committing political suicide.

Why am I so very critical of this president? Well, I would say it’s because he has done so many things that that are clearly against the best interests of the people; such as supporting and signing off on every piece of legislation that restricts the Constitutional rights and freedoms of the American people. And the fact that both he and his pathetic Attorney General, Eric Holder, have refused to conduct investigations that would likely lead to the prosecution of many members of the Bush administration that have committed crimes against humanity – as well as the many banksters who are guilty of white collar crimes.

And as Mr. Obama continues to alienate a rapidly increasing number of those who once strongly supported him, he is bringing massive damage to the Democratic Party that may spell doom for its candidates in the next national elections. This is a president who had the ruthless, hateful, GOP sociopaths on the run, this was a political party on the verge of imploding, but it seems that he has completely blown this brilliant opportunity.

And this last line from that song; “I’ve played the game but to my real shame.” Let’s think about the meaning of that: Yes, Mr. Obama has brought great shame upon himself and the office of the presidency. He has not stood with the American people when they needed him; he has, in fact, failed them time and time again. And because of these failures here is how the American people should react:

They should return the favor and remove their support from him. He should become a lame duck president for the next 3 plus years starting right now. Because so many of his former supporters are incensed and outraged by his many failings and, most recently, his unconscionable budget proposal, this great betrayal by this master of illusion should be the final straw.

Then here’s what should happen to his atrocious budget proposal: the majority of Republicans will probably reject it and will try to destroy it because their clearly stated mission is to destroy his presidency. Now, what we need is to have the majority of Democrats stand behind the American people and refuse to support it. Wouldn’t it be great to see some combination of Republicans and Democrats launch a filibuster to destroy any chances that it could pass. Would not that be poetic justice for this man who refused to use his power to change the filibuster rules when he had every opportunity?

This president needs to be taught a very important lesson. The American people should unite in informing this president that, “Fool us once, shame on you; fool us twice then shame on us.” And, further, “we won’t give you a chance to fool us three times in a row.” It would be fitting if he were to stay within the Oval Office and become a ceremonial president — have him just stay out of the way until the next presidential election in which maybe, just maybe, we will have better choices and be able to vote for someone other than the lesser of “two evils.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Michael Payne is an independent progressive activist. His writings deal with social, economic, political and foreign policy issues. He is a graduate of Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois and a U.S. Army veteran. His primary objective is to inform readers of the fact that this nation’s agenda of perpetual war is leading it down a path to financial ruin; and that the proliferation of unjustified wars and a military empire must be ended. Secondly that we must find the ways to expel Corporate America from our government and political system before it destroys our democracy.