Maybe Someone Should Ease A Finger His Way

Book Deal Barack explains the rationale behind the bailouts:

The president said, "It was the right thing to do, even though it's infuriating, even though it makes you angry because you're thinking, 'I was responsible and these folks are irresponsible and somehow I'm paying for them.' The same is true with AIG.  It was the right thing to do to step in."

"Here's the problem," Mr. Obama said, "It's almost like they've got -- they've got a bomb strapped to them and they've got their hand on the trigger.  You don't want them to blow up.  But you've got to kind of talk them, ease that finger off the trigger."

Wow.  To be fair, this was at a town hall meeting Q&A so we mustn't blame the teleprompter, which I'm sure was mortified; this is just Book Deal Barry speaking live (and isn't it great to have a smart President who can speak so well?). 

Still, I wonder how the suicide bombers at Fannie Mae feel about their retention bonuses, explained in today's WSJ:

James Lockhart, director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, or FHFA, which regulates Fannie and Freddie, said the bonuses they are paying are "critical" to retain people needed to support the mortgage market and work on foreclosure-prevention efforts. After the companies' chief executives were ousted in September, "it would have been catastrophic to lose the next layers down and other highly experienced employees," he said. Mr. Lockhart added that compensation has declined for many employees because other types of bonuses weren't paid last year, and "past stock grants are virtually worthless."

I have the strong suspicion that some of these people would be more inclined to liken themselves to a bomb squad charged with defusing someone else's mess.  But the President of the United States thinks differently.

Well, I have a specific suggestion.  Book Deal Barry took in $130,000 from the suicide bombers of AIG during the 2008 campaign (hmm, maybe they really were committed to our destruction...).  I'm sure he doesn't want to be seen as putting on Ayers by taking money from domestic terrorists so I just know he will want to give that back; maybe it can come out of his latest book advance.

Does he even realize that he is talking about real people? 

MORE:  Maybe he can stand in front of a mirror and scratch himself.  It would be well earned.

Comments

[Dorothy Jane]

"Does he even realize that he is talking about real people?"

Yes, I think he does and he does not care.

[Rick Ballard]

Geesh, everybody knows that the running dogs of capitalism aren't "real" people. "Real" people earn their money by betraying their constituents by selling their votes to slumlords and stealing from children while claiming to be "helping" them.

What a silly premise. Every dirty socialist journo in the world writes that capitalists aren't "real" people - just pick up a tabloid like the NYT and read it (I recommend a strong dose of anti-nausea medicine prior to doing so.)

[Thomas Collins]

I am sad. This man doesn't even operate by the minimal standards of conduct that one has a right to expect in a POTUS. Dennis Kucinich would have been a better POTUS. I'm not kidding.

[Porchlight]

"Does he even realize that he is talking about real people?"

I don't think so. To narcissists, other people are just means to their ends.

For a hearty laugh, check out this article on narcissistic personality disorder, published just yesterday in Slate. The author states "This is the cultural moment of the narcissist," yet never mentions Obama in the article, though she is describing him perfectly in every paragraph.

But Enough About You...

Years from now, people will read about Obama and will not believe that the country was so blind to the impending disaster of his presidency.

[clarice]

Rush is quoting from the One's speech in Orange County yesterday--Among other fantasies, he wants "comprehensive immigration reform" because all those illegals living in the shadows can't join unions.

How long before his own party catches on that he's nuts and driving them into the ground?

[pagar]

. I'm sure he doesn't want to be taking money from domestic terrorists

A. William Ayers held a fund raiser for him in his home.

B. In a lot of cases, we have no idea who he (or his campaign) was taking money from.

C. Him or his administration at least is talking about importing foreign terrorists. I guess as backup or something

20 Gitmo Terrorists May Be Freed In US

I have no faith whatsoever that:
he doesn't want to be taking money from domestic terrorists

[roux]

When will Barry and Chris give the money they got from AIG back? I don't think I'll hold my breath.

[Jim Ryan]

Just heard that, Clarice. Why doesn't O call for all criminals at large to be given amnesty on the grounds that it's hard for them to go out in public and do their shopping, go to the dentist, ect. under the circumstances?

[clarice]

To even float such a wildly unpopular measure at this moment seems to be a sign of madness/

[DebinNC]

In these excepts from "Dreams From My Father, Obama sees white people as so fearful of blacks they must be approached with caution and spoken to softly, and blacks so full of internalized rage they could blow at any time. He seems to be the only fuseless person in his universe.

[Phelps]

So now he is admitting that it is his policy to negotiate with suicide bombers?

[PeterUK]

"Does he even realize that he is talking about real people?"

People are simply extras in his starring movie.
Look ,just build a facsimile of the White House somewhere out of the way,stick Obama in it and have some bit part actors give him "Yes Sir,No Sir three bags full Sir" all year round.He will never notice nothing is happening.

[jimmyk]

"... it makes you angry because you're thinking, 'I was responsible and these folks are irresponsible and somehow I'm paying for them.' "

Couldn't one say the same thing about many components of the welfare state? Especially the version of the welfare state that Obama would like us to move toward?

[DebinNC]

That article on narcissism is a keeper, Porchlight. I'll be checking it as further BO symptoms appear. His chronic lateness is already being reported.

[Donald]

I gotta finger for him.

[Captain Hate]

People are simply extras in his starring movie.

Bingo, including his impoverished relatives that he hasn't done a damn thing to help out while admonishing us with mangled biblical passages that, having been immersed in Daddy Seotero's Islamic Open Sesame Street and Jeremiah Wright's shuck 'n jive show, he couldn't really be expected to understand. I still want to see those Columbia transcripts for tangible evidence that he understands anything

[William Teach]

I'll take Bush's making up words and stuff when speaking off the cuff over someone who cannot even string 3 words together without putting in "ah," "um," etc, any day.

PS: Even CNN seems to be turning on Obamateur: Analysis: Obama's 'blame me' means 'move on' (http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/03/19/aig.fallout/index.html)