Caring

Defending an abysmal economic record is tiring. It forces one to twist statistics to their braking point and still leaves the stench of dishonesty after the "you're better off" argument has been made. And defending a feckless foreign policy in the Middle East is equally tiring. It forces one to become Bagdad Bob and point the finger anywhere but at the President, and still leaves a feeling of incredulity even after the most staunch defense.

It was therefore a blessing for the President's legions of supporters in the media and the Obama campaign to pivot to the "Mitt Romney Video." You know, the one in which he noted that: (1) almost half of all voters do not pay income taxes, (2) that those voters are often dependent on government, (3) that it is highly unlikely that those voters would support Romney's calls for smaller government, less spending and lower deficits (since they are the direct beneficiaries of bigger government, more spending, and larger deficits), and (4) that Romney's "... job is is not to worry about those people. I’ll never convince them they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives." That was the last straw—truth in the face of political correctness. The horror!

The howls from the Left were as predictable as they were comical. For example, Romney is a "sneering plutocrat" (Jonathan Chait, NY Magazine), Romney is conducting "class warfare" (Ed Kilgore, Washington Monthly), Romney's comments are so bad that "this is the end of Mitt Romney" (Alex Koppelman, The New Yorker). This hysteria is amusing, cleansing, and has one common meme—Romney doesn't care about the little guy.

Of course, Romney simply gave a private speech at a fund-raiser. You know, just like the one in 2008 in which candidate Obama suggested that mid-Western voters cling to their bibles and their guns. Just words.

By suggesting that Mitt Romney doesn't care, Obama's supporters imply that the President does care. But there's a problem, Barack Obama has a record.

Let's explore Barack Obama's "caring" four years:

- Unemployment over 8 percent for 43 straight months (that's more months of 8% unemployment than the combined total of all presidents since Eisenhower).

- Unemployment among Hispanics and African Americans that is between 10 and 20 percent

- More people on food stamps than any other time in history

- More people on disability (a substitute for unemployment compensation when that runs out)than any other time in history

- More than half of all college graduates the past few years can't find jobs in their chosen career (a first in American history)

- A deficit that has grown more than $1 trillion dollars every year that Obama has been in office and is projected to grow to $20 trillion if he is re-elected.

- A federal reserve that must desperately keep interest rates artificially low, hurting low income seniors who rely on interest from their meager savings

- Major entitlements (Social Security and Medicare) on the brink of bankruptcy, with no attempt by the Obama administration to rectify the situation

- A housing slump that continues unabated

- A growing regulatory environment that has dampened small business hiring

- A looming "fiscal cliff" that will further erode our credit rating and our economy

Those result's are a sure sign of a guy who really, really cares about the little guy and the little guy's children and grandchildren. But those result's never seem to be mentioned during the wailing that will surely ensue over the "Mitt Romney Video" in coming days. After all, it's words that matter to the Left, not results.

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Update (9/19/12):

And as far as the President's continual claim that "the rich" don't pay their "fair share" and that a "balanced approach" is the only way to reduce the deficit, here's a nice graphical representation of who pays what in income taxes:

And for those who would argue that its "unfair" that the bottom 50% earn only 13 percent of all income, consider that many, many factors contribute—education, motivation, culture, risk aversion, general skills, life skills, organizational skills, family structure, personality traits ... the list is very long, indeed—and that the government cannot and should not try to control all of those aspects in a futile effort to redistribute income. Of course, Barack Obama believes that it should and it can. Sadly, like many things he believes, history indicates that he is mistaken.

Update 2 (9/20/12):

At long last, cartoonists in some major newspapers are beginning to see just how much the President "cares" and what his plea for "more time" really means: