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View Full Version : How the West Was Lost by the Selfie President


Dusty
12-15-2013, 13:29
There's an original thread regarding the "selfie", but I think this message stands alone due to the seriousness of the devastating worldwide impact the ridiculous antics of Obama have and will have. It's beyond disgusting, to me. :mad:

http://nypost.com/2013/12/15/how-the-west-was-lost-2/

My bookshelves sag with encyclopedic volumes arguing that America and the West are in decline. But proving that a picture is worth a thousand books, the “selfie” seen ’round the world ends the argument.

It’s official — the government of the United States of Obama consists of boobs and bores and is led by a narcissist. It is no consolation that Great Britain joins us in racing to the bottom.

President Obama’s flirting with Denmark’s prime minister would be shameful on any occasion. That it happened at the memorial for Nelson Mandela only adds to the embarrassment.

But the “selfie” episode also symbolizes the greater global calamity of Western decline. With British prime minister David Cameron playing the role of Obama’s giggling wingman, the “look at me” moment confirms we have unserious leaders in a dangerously serious time.

Iran marches toward nuclear weapons and already there is talk in military circles that a nuclear-armed Iran could mean mushroom clouds in the Mideast within five years.

China is flexing its muscles throughout Asia, its ships brazenly confronting ours on the high seas. Russia is expanding its writ in the Arab lands and in Eastern Europe while making casual threats about bombing America. Syria’s Assad uses chemical weapons and Obama and Cameron rattle little sabers before meekly agreeing to become his partner.

The sign-language interpreter wasn’t the only fake at the Mandela funeral. Obama and Cameron were posing as world leaders.

They will never be confused with FDR and Churchill. The fratboys stand in stark contrast to the days when the “special relationship” meant two great leaders uniting two great countries in the fight for freedom. Those leaders understood the consequences if evil prevailed and were committed to victory.

Modal Trigger
British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and President Franklin Roosevelt carried a more somber tone during their 1945 meeting in Yalta.Photo: AP

Churchill coined the term “special relationship” during World War II and used it again in his “Iron Curtain Speech” in 1946 that marked the unofficial start of the Cold War. Fearful the West would disarm again, as it did after World War I, he wanted to combat communism by maintaining the “special relationship between the British Commonwealth and Empire and the United States.”

To him it meant our “kindred systems of society” must grow ever closer to provide mutual security and a framework for global peace. That special bond later cemented the Ronald Reagan-Margaret Thatcher partnership that led to the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Try to imagine any of those four embarrassing their nations by acting like indulgent teenagers while civilization hung in the balance. You can’t because they wouldn’t.

Hitler’s greatest mistake was being born too soon. If he were on the march now, would there be will in Washington and London to stop him? Would there be an arsenal of democracy to save mankind from darkness?

In fact, while Obama and Cameron were yukking it up in South Africa, the White House was denouncing bipartisan efforts in Congress to pass more sanctions against Iran. Doing so, it said, would scuttle the feeble interim deal Obama and Cameron accepted. Incredibly, administration arguments echoed Iran’s position.

Try to imagine FDR and Churchill siding with Hitler against their national legislatures. You can’t because they were the antitheses of the appeasers of their times.

World War II proved that the international order collapses when there is no one to support and enforce it. Obama himself has said that, but apparently believes talk is sufficient.

Cameron also talks a good game, but hollowed out the British military to where it is no longer capable of sustained missions.

Words don’t matter to tyrants and genocidal maniacs. They push until they are convinced there will be consequences if they go further.

Our weakness invites their aggression and makes war more likely, not less. That is the perilous state of the world, as the clown kings of the West party on.

Snip

tonyz
12-15-2013, 13:33
The old saw... "a picture is worth a thousand words."

Jersey Dirtbag
12-15-2013, 17:09
There may be some meat to the argument that world leaders should not be engaging in such adolescent behavior, and especially not in public. I'll buy that for a dollar. However, this article was written by a guy who not only voted for Obama (http://nypost.com/2009/12/20/dreading-our-future/) but whose most resounding criticism of the man in 2009 was that he'd become "boring." This is the shallow and superficial cheerleading which has become prototypical of the Republican party. Here we are, facing a radically Leftist, anti-Western, and anti-white infiltrator in the Oval Office and it's a "selfie" that gets "conservatives'" attention.

Such is the paralyzing stupidity afflicting "conservatism" today. We will continue down this road until we no longer allow intellectual lightweights like Goodwin to be the face of the movement.

Just my $0.02...

Jersey Dirtbag
12-15-2013, 17:16
Obama is a symptom of the problem ie moral decline of our society and lack of fiber by the me me me we have bread into this culture.

Yes, yes, yes. This is an important point because the Republican cheerleading you hear typically revolves around the notion that once a Republican is in office and Obama is gone that everything will be alright, which is bullshit. I hate to say it, but we got the leader that we collectively deserve.

Dusty
12-15-2013, 17:40
Yes, yes, yes. This is an important point because the Republican cheerleading you hear typically revolves around the notion that once a Republican is in office and Obama is gone that everything will be alright, which is bullshit. I hate to say it, but we got the leader that we collectively deserve.

I don't know if you're old enough, but-could you have said the same thing about BJ Clinton at the time? Or Carter?

It's cyclical. First time I voted, it was for Nixon, so-I've been through it.

There's nothing a Congress controlled by non-dems and a conservative POTUS can't fix. It'll take time, because Obama has spent more money and shown more ass than his two lib forerunners, but it's fixable via the polling booth.

GratefulCitizen
12-15-2013, 17:42
America is not its leaders.
America is not its government(s).

America does happen to have many corrupt fools in government(s).
America also has many corrupt, foolish citizens.

It is a large, diverse nation.
There are many oases of peace and prosperity to be found.

If someone finds themselves among corrupt fools, it would be wise to relocate.
Somewhere, an oasis awaits.

The rest of the world needs to start shouldering more of their own problems.
Dens of corruption and foolishness within the nation need to start shouldering more of their own problems.

Let them figure it out for themselves.

echoes
12-15-2013, 19:04
There's an original thread regarding the "selfie", but I think this message stands alone due to the seriousness of the devastating worldwide impact the ridiculous antics of Obama have and will have. It's beyond disgusting, to me. :mad:
Snip

Thank God We still have QP's!!!

Holly

MtnGoat
12-15-2013, 19:47
Obama is a symptom of the problem ie moral decline of our society and lack of fiber by the me me me we have bread into this culture.

We'll said Okie.

I will add that you can really take into account historical figures. The times are different from FDR during and after WWII, same to Nixon and Carter and BJ Slick Willie. I think Slick willy and Bush 43 would have each done selfies during their tenured. Today's environment is driving a lot of what key figures are doing. In public they will get caught, the camera is always there. In "private" or semi-private less likely for someone seeing you take that selfie or whatever's.

MtnGoat
12-15-2013, 19:53
America is not its leaders.
America is not its government(s).

America does happen to have many corrupt fools in government(s).
America also has many corrupt, foolish citizens.

It is a large, diverse nation.
There are many oases of peace and prosperity to be found.

If someone finds themselves among corrupt fools, it would be wise to relocate.
Somewhere, an oasis awaits.

The rest of the world needs to start shouldering more of their own problems.
Dens of corruption and foolishness within the nation need to start shouldering more of their own problems.

Let them figure it out for themselves.
Yet the actions of one or few out weight the actions of many.

GratefulCitizen
12-15-2013, 20:42
Yet the actions of one or few out weight the actions of many.

Power, like income, has always suffered from inequality.
In a nation of 314 million people, even great power misapplied becomes quite diluted once it lands on the individual.

This is where we find the best place to counter.
Rather than trying to influence 314 million little, influence 10 deeply

In time, those 10 will each influence 10 deeply
In yet more time, those 100 will each influence 10 deeply.

Exponential growth wins.

Those who seek direct power over hundreds of millions will ultimately lose because their influence, while broad, is also shallow and loyalties are fickle.
Those who focus on influencing a few deeply might not live long enough to see the fruits of their labor, but they can rest knowing the passage if time serves their cause.

GratefulCitizen
12-15-2013, 21:00
The system of our government was set up SPECIFICALLY to keep power out of one person or group of people however the laws have been perverted, and balance of power and twisting the system has happened to the point that a small group of people have gained more power than was intended by our forefathers.

The same thing happened to the Roman Republic and that is why Julius Cesar had the backing and popularity to overthrow the Republic and turn it into an empire. Long story short the "cure" was worse than the illness.

So much can be learned from that piece of history you could write volumes.

There was a small group of religious people from an obscure sect of Judaism who lived under tyrannical Roman rule.
They were quite persecuted.

They influenced a few at a time, deeply.
Eventually, the influence of their belief system surpassed the power of Rome at its greatest.

tonyz
12-15-2013, 21:32
There may be some meat to the argument that world leaders should not be engaging in such adolescent behavior, and especially not in public. I'll buy that for a dollar. However, this article was written by a guy who not only voted for Obama (http://nypost.com/2009/12/20/dreading-our-future/) but whose most resounding criticism of the man in 2009 was that he'd become "boring." This is the shallow and superficial cheerleading which has become prototypical of the Republican party. Here we are, facing a radically Leftist, anti-Western, and anti-white infiltrator in the Oval Office and it's a "selfie" that gets "conservatives'" attention.

Such is the paralyzing stupidity afflicting "conservatism" today. We will continue down this road until we no longer allow intellectual lightweights like Goodwin to be the face of the movement.

Just my $0.02...

Your point is well taken...but...

Goodwin wrote an article that reinforces what many objective observers believed from the beginning - Obama is basically a self-absorbed narcissist who's economic policies and lead from behind strategies make the world a more dangerous and unstable place.

In fact, Goodwin - a past Obama voter - may present a message that makes it ok for other educated, productive, tax paying Obama supporters to remove those rose colored glasses and see that the emperor really has no clothes...go ahead, it's ok..."The sign-language interpreter wasn’t the only fake at the Mandela funeral. Obama and Cameron were posing as world leaders."

Now, that may be shallow and superficial...but so was voting for this incompetent to make history. And, that notion (making history) subconsciously appealed to many.

The fact that Obama now has a record, that his policies have been tried and have failed miserably and that it is ok to call him on his record...that it is not racist to pull support from a failed politician, a self-absorbed ineffective narcissist...and if it took boorish behavior on the part of these narcissists for others to see that the emperor has no clothes -- so be it.

ETA sometimes it is in the small moments when you get the true measure of a man. I have learned much about some folks when we have been drinking, shooting, golfing, how they treat subordinates, whatever, the little moments that provide insight into the real person...others I'm sure have similar experiences...Obama's behavior at this memorial may have just been one of those moments that resonates with some folks.

Team Sergeant
12-15-2013, 21:46
One bad presidency doesn't mean America is in decline, IMO, and it is foolish for any "scholar" or "analyst" to try to claim that America is destined for greatness or destined for decline. Right now, this is a hard time for our country because of this president, but in a way, Obama and his healthcare may, longer-term, be a massive gift to the country, because it could deal a HUGE blow to the progressive concept of big, involved government in people's lives.

The GOP would only need to say, "You mocked us when we argued about all the bad things that would happen from Obamacare, and then they ended up happening, which means the designers of the program were not nearly as expert as they thought they were..." But our country can get back on track. Look at China's ascendance, and they rose from a much worse state than the United States is in right now. We just need a good president who will implement a pro-free market economic policy, a more market and less government-centralized healthcare reform, a strong, muscular foreign policy, etc...:lifter

Carter was never voted into office for a second term because he was an idiot. Obama is worse as an incompetent idiot and narcissistic "leader".

IMO I believe this country is lost when over 50% of the people believe and vote for a moron of his caliber, twice.

Dusty
12-16-2013, 09:24
Carter was never voted into office for a second term because he was an idiot. Obama is worse as an incompetent idiot and narcissistic "leader".

IMO I believe this country is lost when over 50% of the people believe and vote for a moron of his caliber, twice.

That's the difference, IMO, Team Sergeant.

I don't believe over 50% did vote for him.

Noslack71
12-16-2013, 13:03
We have traded our political freedom for personal freedom and material comforts!

Guymullins
12-16-2013, 13:08
Carter was never voted into office for a second term because he was an idiot. Obama is worse as an incompetent idiot and narcissistic "leader".

IMO I believe this country is lost when over 50% of the people believe and vote for a moron of his caliber, twice.

Imagine being a Zimbawean and seeing the same clown being put into office, regularly for 30 years, after he has lost his countries currency, brought starvation and disease and behaved so badly that 30% of the population has fled to South Africa, a place hardly led by paragons of virtue. Try and maintain your respect and enthusiasm for democracy after decades of this kind of stupidity.

VVVV
12-16-2013, 14:04
Much ado about nothing! Hey Shrub and Bono..say cheeze!

plato
12-16-2013, 15:28
We have traded our political freedom for personal freedom and material comforts!

If I may.......

Others have traded MY political freedom and MY personal freedom for THEIR material comforts.

Team Sergeant
12-17-2013, 10:37
Imagine being a Zimbawean and seeing the same clown being put into office, regularly for 30 years, after he has lost his countries currency, brought starvation and disease and behaved so badly that 30% of the population has fled to South Africa, a place hardly led by paragons of virtue. Try and maintain your respect and enthusiasm for democracy after decades of this kind of stupidity.

And the US Government wants Special Operations involved in Africa......:rolleyes:

We have a place for you here in Arizona or Texas, if you sneak in now you will get amnesty, free food, free obama phone, free education and free medical care! All paid for by the few Americans that actually work.

Let me know when you're coming and I'll get you across the border. ;)