Would You Buy a Car from These People?

Often the best way to judge the competence of a leader is to look at the people surrounding him or her. Mitt Romney has just provided a good account of himself with the selection of Paul Ryan for Vice president. He has demonstrated that he is not afraid of being overshadowed by a man of ideas and intelligence.

But Romney has displayed a penchant for favoring talent before. When he was at Bain, he routinely hired smart and impressive subordinates, which was one of the reasons the company did so well. Meanwhile, what sort of track record has Barack Obama amassed?

Consider the people our president has backed. We can begin with Joe Biden, his vice president. Biden is so gaffe prone that he has been muzzled on more than one occasion. His policy judgment is also so poor that he recommended against the Iraq surge; instead arguing that the country should be partitioned in three.

Next let us look at the cabinet. The Attorney General Eric Holder has demonstrated his political acumen by seeking to try Guantanamo terrorists in New York City. He similarly confirmed his quest for the truth in stonewalling the fast and furious investigation and failing to prosecute Black Panthers accused of intimidating voters.

Then there is Secretary of the Treasury Tim Geithner. His advice on getting us out of the recession has palpably proven his economic shrewdness. By the same token, his wiliness to sponsor a General Motors bailout that made union members whole, while leaving creditors and salaried workers out in the cold, confirmed his even-handed fairness.

And how about Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius? She has seen fit to champion ObamaCare and to begin the implementation of its Byzantine regulations. These, of course, have included disrespecting the religious convictions of the Catholic Church.

Turning the page to scrutinize Obama’s campaign staff reveals an analogous proclivity. The leader of this band of ruffians is David Axelrod. If ever there was a sleazy snake oil salesman, it is this man. He can barely open his mouth without uttering an egregious misstatement of the facts, put forth in the smarmiest manner.

Following close behind in his sleaziness is the cherubic David Plouffe. Also not one to be overly concerned with stating the truth, his skill lies in deflecting embarrassing questions. One of these unfortunately was about why he accepted speaking fees of one hundred thousand dollars from sources connected to Iran.

After this, we have the exemplary Stephanie Cutter. As spokesperson for the Obama team, she denied any knowledge of Joe Soptic’s accusation that Romney’s callousness led to his wife’s cancer death. Then it came out that Cutter hosted a conference call in which Soptic was a featured speaker.

Last, we must make bow of recognition toward Bill Burton. Not technically a member of the president’s campaign squad, this former White House aide heads the political action committee that put out the Soptic ad. Then, after the uproar over its deceitfulness arose, he boldly contended that the commercial did not say what it obviously had.

I could go on, but this is a significant hall of infamy. No only have these people indulged in the worst sorts of political deceit in living memory, but their sponsor, Barack Obama, has never seen fit to distance himself from them, or the McCarthyite tactics of allies such as Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi.

Once upon a time Richard Nixon was castigated for being so crooked that you would not want to buy a used car from him. This judgment should be doubled and redoubled for the Obama crowd.

A scant four years ago, Obama was a shiny new vehicle that promised hope and change. Today his slimy minions are still trying to keep his exterior bright and gleaming. But the engine has seized up. The car can no longer run. How then can it drive us out of the financial and moral ditch we are in?

Melvyn L. Fein, Ph.D.

Professor of Sociology

Kennesaw State University