President Obama said today that he believes he lost a direct connection to the American people in his first year in office because he focused too heavily on policymaking."If there's one thing that I regret this year is that we were so busy just getting stuff done and dealing with the immediate crises that were in front of us that I think we lost some of that sense of speaking directly to the American people about what their core values are and why we have to make sure those institutions are matching up with those values."
Ah, I see. We just didn't get to know the man.
Talk about revisionism. For this statement comes from a fellow who was constantly on our television screens, in the headlines, and on the magazine covers. Indeed, only 21 days in the whole doggone year did he not have a public appearance or splashy press event!
Indeed, the President who now claims his ideas and policies are unpopular merely because he didn't speak about them enough did, in fact, talk to us ad nauseam.
Here's the record:
How about 411 speeches, released remarks and carefully crafted public comments? 52 of them specifically dealing with his health care schemes.
For crying out loud, the guy's teleprompter was in use 178 times!
He gave 42 news conferences including 4 which took over prime time TV.
He did 158 interviews for a fawning press, 90 of which aired on television.
He presided over 23 "town hall" gatherings where he pontificated on his issues.
He traveled to 21 nations in his first year and to 58 U.S. cities (always accompanied by a huge throng of adoring reporters who let the American people know his every word and gesture).
He did 28 political fundraisers and 7 campaign rallies.
He had 13 bill-signing ceremonies plus plenty of media coverage on the other 111 bills he signed into law.
Goodness gracious, President Obama has been the most ubiquitous politician in history -- perpetually in our face -- talking to us via his teleprompter, his surrogates, his lapdog press and his arrogant self until we can't catch our breath.
Yet now he tells us we don't like his budget-busting, socialist revolution because...he "lost some of that sense of speaking directly to the American people."
What bizzaro political dimension does this guy live in? Couldn't even his friend and fellow Democrat, George Stephanopolous (to whom he made this remarkable statement) warn him that he was denying history, denying rationality, setting himself up as a bad joke?
And does this mean that we're going to start hearing more of Barack Obama?
Is that possible?
