President Obama plays a lot of basketball. And that has translated into his rhetoric. His favorite move is the rhetorical head fake, and he did it again today when discussing potential Supreme Court nominees. It’s his way of sounding like he is taking a middle of the road path, get you going one way and then take you another. I first noticed this device when I read his book, “The Audacity of Hope.” I did actually read it from cover to cover to get an idea about how he thinks.
In it, Obama uses the phrase, “I’m a believer in capitalism” over and over, but that phrase is always followed by a “but” qualifier that undercuts the main proposition. In “The Audacity of Hope,” when you add up all the qualifiers to his assertion that he believes in capitalism, you doubt very much whether he believes in it at all.
He did it again today, denying that there will be a pro-choice litmus test for his Supreme Court nominee, but then followed immediately by saying, “I want somebody who is going to be interpreting our Constitution in a way that takes into account individual rights, and that includes women's rights.”
Catch the head fake? In liberal jargon, “women’s rights” is code for “the right to abortion on demand.” So, what Obama really said is that he doesn’t believe in a litmus test, but make no mistake, there will be a litmus test.
Listen for the head fake. It generally comes when he feels compelled to show that he has a conservative cell or two in his body. It will be a phrase that begins, “I believe in the free market, but…”, “I believe in a strong defense, but…,” “America has a long friendship with Israel, but…,” and so on. Then he will proceed to undercut his assertion.
I’d actually rather have a president that will be blunt with me. I would respect him more if he said, “I believe in the holding of Roe v. Wade and I will undoubtedly nominate someone that is not very likely to deviate from that.” I could deal with that. But don’t think I’ll fall for a simple move. You see, President Obama, like you, I have South Side roots. I played my share of street basketball. You can’t get me with a simple head fake. I know where you’re going.
In it, Obama uses the phrase, “I’m a believer in capitalism” over and over, but that phrase is always followed by a “but” qualifier that undercuts the main proposition. In “The Audacity of Hope,” when you add up all the qualifiers to his assertion that he believes in capitalism, you doubt very much whether he believes in it at all.
He did it again today, denying that there will be a pro-choice litmus test for his Supreme Court nominee, but then followed immediately by saying, “I want somebody who is going to be interpreting our Constitution in a way that takes into account individual rights, and that includes women's rights.”
Catch the head fake? In liberal jargon, “women’s rights” is code for “the right to abortion on demand.” So, what Obama really said is that he doesn’t believe in a litmus test, but make no mistake, there will be a litmus test.
Listen for the head fake. It generally comes when he feels compelled to show that he has a conservative cell or two in his body. It will be a phrase that begins, “I believe in the free market, but…”, “I believe in a strong defense, but…,” “America has a long friendship with Israel, but…,” and so on. Then he will proceed to undercut his assertion.
I’d actually rather have a president that will be blunt with me. I would respect him more if he said, “I believe in the holding of Roe v. Wade and I will undoubtedly nominate someone that is not very likely to deviate from that.” I could deal with that. But don’t think I’ll fall for a simple move. You see, President Obama, like you, I have South Side roots. I played my share of street basketball. You can’t get me with a simple head fake. I know where you’re going.
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