Obama’s week: Sequester con game, fence-mending in Israel

LA JOLLA, California — In my previous writings, I repeatedly denounced the mainstream media “dereliction of duty,” their blind unconditional support for the president and his party, their selective reporting of the news, their self-imposed silence and even coverups of  Obama’s deficiencies, failures, and scandals. This silence, much akin to the “omerta” en vogue in the mafia, resulted in a very anti-democratic situation where, as I formulated it, “half the country does not know half the truth.”

But recently, the first welcome breach appeared in the thick wall of the media citadel when Bob Woodward, the Washington Post’s  well-respected liberal reporter of Watergate fame, dared to remind the president that it was he who initiated the infamous “sequester” which he signed into law in November 2011, and which he is now shamelessly denouncing and blaming the GOP for its horrible consequences.

It didn’t take long for the “special units of the Democratic propaganda machine,” most of them on the taxpayer payroll, to deny the facts, to viciously attack Woodward, accusing him of lying and even threatening him. In his TV interviews, a determined  but nervous Woodward stood fast and publicized the threats. A few other celebrities, staunch Democrats and inveterate supporters of Obama, such as John Cusak and Tom Brokaw vented their criticism of the president for the first time. The hole in the dike widened a little bit, and that’s when Obama’s numbers dropped from 52% to 46%.

What caused the disproportionate reaction of the Democratic establishment is the belief that the media are its allies, in the tank, totally subservient, hence the outrage at what they saw as “sacrilegious,disloyal” behavior, even as “treason.”

Nevertheless, the president and his acolytes pursued their “campaign” at demonizing the GOP with their usual scaremongering and  gross exaggerations, distortions, and outright lies. Each cabinet member received his/her talking points that paint an apocalyptic near future caused by the odious “sequester” and the Republicans who “wanted it.”

.- Arne Duncan (Education) announced that thousands of teachers will get “the pink slip;” there will be no janitors; the ‘headstart” program will be curtailed etc. Later, he admitted there were mistakes, false alarm.

.-Ray Lahood (Transportation) threatened to fire airport controllers which will cause long lines, delays, and cancellations.

He,too, backpedaled, and admitted mistakes when nothing happened.

.-Janet Napolitano (Homeland Security) announced the massive layoffs of police and border patrols and prison guards. This was the most EGREGIOUS of all because she ACTED on her predictions and, physically, released thousands of criminal illegal aliens who now roam the streets (why , if truly necessary,not drop them on the other side of the border instead?) Then she blamed others for the dangerous furlow, and her staff lied about the numbers and their criminal records.

.- The White House announced it will suspend WH tours for schoolchildren ( a paltry $ 74,000 a week–why so expensive?–

in a budget of 1.4 billion a year to operate the White House,a quarter of 1%?). This is the most RIDICULOUS of all and was mocked by all, Left and Right, which caused Obama to blame the Security Service for the idea, which was immediately contradicted by his spokesman Carney who re-blamed the White House.

It is really mind-boggling to see the government unable to “absorb” relatively small amounts required by law (sequester), and do nothing about the billions lost on  Abuse, Waste, and Fraud UnLimited  (AWFUL), but on the other hand, continue to spend,and give,hundreds of millions of dollars, dangerously increasing our national debt. The list is long but why, for example, do we have to give Morocco 27 million dollars to study how to improve the design of their pottery which they have been doing very well for thousands of years without our help? Or, as I wrote before, why spend 100 million for the president’s trip to the Middle-East with so many planes and a protective armada due to the inherent dangers of this troubled area?

A propos this trip, I waited for its end to evaluate its importance: True, Obama seems to have “mended the fences” with Netanyahu; their press conference was cordial, tinted with humor and mutual accolades, but the main differences on the main subject, Iran’s nuclear threats, remain unresolved, mainly on the “imminence” of the danger–a few months apart– but it was comforting to hear the American president declare that Israel has the “right to defend itself BY itself” echoing Netanyahu’s own words. No word about the “settlements” until he spoke in Ramallah to balance his call that both sides should hold direct negotiations. But I still believe nothing will come out of this trip on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Obama’s “keynote” address  in Israel, at a venue reminiscent of his campaign speeches at home, University young students, didn’t sit well with Netanyahu and other right wing ministers in his new cabinet because he went above their heads, inciting the impressionable youth to “pressure” their government to do this and that for the poor and innocent Palestinians.

Now, having softened up the government and the people of Israel, the President will leave Secretary of State Kerry to make the real demands and to put the real pressure. Time –short time– will tell if there is “daylight” between the two friends and allies.

Now, to return to the “sequester:” It is beyond doubt, and even admitted by  some “Democratic Strategists,” that this false campaign against the sequester had one sole objective : to regain control of the House in 2014 — they call it “Pelosi II “– and reign supreme for the last two years to enact “the transformation of America:” nationalize health, education, energy, and pass gun control and immigration laws that will add millions of Democrat voters and perpetuate the Democrat hegemony in American politics.

And for that end, all means are justified: they hide the truth from the people by not telling them that the 85 billion dollars that the sequester requires are NOT “cuts in spending” (as most people think) BUT “reduction in the increase of spending.”

Nor would they inform the people about the relative insignificance of that amount when measured against the whole budget, as explained here: 85 billion for a budget of 3.6 trillion is 2.3 % .Even more, the real figure for the immediate “reduction” is only 44 billion ( the other 41 billion to be reduced later), which makes it even more negligible , just 1.2 %. How many households and businesses and schools would be delighted to “cut” their expenses by just over 1%? or 2%,or 5% or 20%?

What is more reprehensible is the disingenuous modus operandi, the apocalyptic scenario of what will happen if,God forbid, the government is forced to temper its extravagance a tiny bit. Rather than try to mitigate the damage, to develop a set of priorities that will minimize the pain, as is the duty of any democratic government, the president and his spokesmen aggravated the situation by threatening — and even acting as in the case of releasing criminal illegal aliens –to inflict on the people the most pain for an expected political gain . But this time he went too far, enough to alienate many among his erstwhile supporters;  his stratagem has boomeranged, and the polls show it.

Like Guillot in the fable, his  repeated “cry wolf ” with no wolf in sight has dealt a blow to his credibility, already shaking.

Let us hope that , for the sake of Democracy, more Woodwards open their mouths and force the mainstream media to report the other half of the truth to the other half of the people and let them make their free choices.

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Yetiv is a freelance writer and lecturer based in La Jolla.  He may be contacted via isaac.yetiv@sdjewishworld.com