King Midas and Obama’s Less Than Golden Touch

By Rachel Land

Ancient Greek myths tell of a god named Midas who ruled over Phyrgia (present day Turkey). The gods bestowed him with a touch that turned everything into gold.

Today, we have a President who is quite the opposite; from climate gate and healthcare setbacks, to failed help in midterm campaigns; it is hard to point to an area of focus that is truly running well.  He fancies himself a something of a deity, often posing with halos superimposed over his head, yet, just as those touched by Midas found out; his “gifts” are not really the boon for which we have hoped.  Just as Midas fell victim to the Gods and became the object of their trickery, Obama’s casts himself as the unwitting victim of the “policies of the last eight years.”

Faced with a staggering national debt, President Obama has outspent all previous administrations in only his first year in office; but it is Bush’s fault.  He has presided over the highest unemployment rate in decades, hovering near 10% nationally; but he blames this on Bush as well. Government-owned GMC lost $5 billion in the 4th quarter last year.  Is there any segment of the Federal Government that the President’s touch has improved?  That’s probably Bush’s fault too.  At least Midas could truly fault the gods with giving him his gift.

Am I the only one tired of this ridiculous excuse?  It seems as though the national consciousness is beginning to catch on as more and more bloggers and columnists are writing about Obama’s seeming administrative impotence, and the overused Bush excuse.  Neil Braithwaite from American Thinker gives us this consideration. 

“A young relief pitcher was called in with the game tied in the bottom of the 9th inning with a runner on third and no outs. As he takes the ball from the manager, Mariano Rivera looks into the manager’s eyes and says, “I’ll give it my best coach, but remember, I inherited this situation.”

Unfortunately for Obama, we elected a President; we did not hire a relief pitcher.  But to continue the analogy, it’s okay to make an inside joke among peers, but even the best reliever would be considered toxic in the clubhouse if he more than jokingly blamed the starters in every media interview.   

It’s about attitude.  Obama took the mound with a cocky, shake off the pitcher and do it my way attitude; some might even say he came in with an air of negativity toward the home-team.  And that kind of attitude would not be tolerated for an instant from any coach or teammate, or fan, for that matter. That type of player’s selfishness and egotism would always upset the balance and continuity of team play, making it very difficult to win. As a detriment to the team, they would be eliminated as soon as possible (contracts not withstanding).

For years Barack Obama wanted to play on the team. No, he begged to play on the team. He asked over and over to be put in the game. He was adamant and confident that only he could win. He even promised the team and fans that he would win. …..

…The rookie took the ball and began to swell with pride as he reminded team America in the face of this great adversity — they could count on him — but he also made it very clear to the team that he inherited this whole situation.

With three years left on Obama’s contract, how is America’s franchise player working out for the team now?

My all-time favorite sentiment in the blame Bush genre was, “George Bush hates black people.” That mantra was screamed hysterically by the left in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.  A thorough search of the facts revealed that then Governor Blanco and Mayor Naggin were warned repeatedly about the need to have evacuation plans in place, and that what they had at the time was inadequate.  Both fiddled while New Orleans drowned.  No need to worry about personal responsibility when one can wait for a Federal Government solution, and when that solution did not materialize quickly enough, out comes, “It’s all Bush’s fault!”  So, how does the Obama Administration fare in a similar game situation?  Here is what Joshua Keating from Foreign Policy said.

“As mentioned in this morning’s brief, the U.S. has resumed medevac flights of injured Haitians to Florida hospitals. But I’m surprised how little attention pro football’s role in the story has gotten: ‘The need to be ready for a mass emergency or disaster at the Super Bowl or Pro Bowl played a part in the decision, as did the fact that South Florida hospitals were getting “saturated” with evacuees and that disaster planners had no specific plan for handling the injured at other hospitals, officials said.’”

So basically, the Obama Administration’s plan to take in Haitian refugees was executed poorly and as a result Haitian medevac flights were suspended for the Pro Bowl and Super Bowl.  Does this mean Obama hates black people?  Of course not; however, Joshua Keating was correct—it didn’t get much press attention.

The impression this Administration leaves its citizens is that even in his best attempts, President Obama is incapable of doing anything correctly, uncaring as to his effect on others, and so hopelessly disconnected that even his own party is fleeing his “Midas touch.”