The Retaliatory, Modus Operandi of Barack Obama

Obama has never let me down. First some housekeeping flavored with a little personal history.

From the time when my memories begin, my siblings and I were raised and encouraged to seek and form opinions. We garner our opinions through intelligence and experience. Reading, listening, and looking at history to see what works and what doesn't. That was the fertile soil of my youth. So most often and quite predictably, my beliefs and opinions about life are the direct result of my observations, experiences, and education.

This is the place where I share them. You are never required to agree.

A few weeks ago, I asked my girlfriend why some people seem so highly offended when confronted with opinionated people. I have never, ever, viewed someone else's opinion as something I had to believe nor does someone's opinion really bother me with a few exceptions. However, I have learned some of what I know because people were willing to share an opinion with me. I have spent my life absolutely perplexed by people who get pissed off at opinionated people. So it was, I asked my insightful girlfriend why people get angry when others state their opinions. Here is what she said. This of course, is also an opinion.

She stated that fragile people dislike opinionated people because they lack confidence and self esteem but also- they hear opinions as preaching. They see opinionated people as folks who are telling them how to think, act, or behave and sometimes they feel threatened. As I mulled that answer over, bounced from my experience of people who dislike my opinions, I believe the insight was valid and correct.

Often I see passive aggressive statements or comments directed at me for that very reason(s). When I see those reactions, I immediately know who and what I am dealing with. So I have two absolute steadfast rules for opinions.

Everyone is entitled to their opinions but you damn well better be able to defend them. If you are out there spewing false propaganda, you better be prepared to defend yourself. So it is- that rule number one is that you are entitled to your own opinion- but you are not entitled to your own set of facts.

Rule number two. Quit taking everything personally. If you feel threatened by opinions, that has more to do with you than anyone uttering an opinion. Agreement number 2, which I use on a daily basis, is quit taking everything personally. People are just living their lives. They are not out there trying to victimize you. They are simply uttering their version of the truth which we universally accept as something we all do. So with that bit of housecleaning out of the way...

Onto President Obama- who I had pegged correctly, just mere weeks into his first term. This is how my opinion of Obama evolved and why.

Each of us have an operating system installed in us as a result of our education and experiences. In the world of criminality, we refer to an individual's operating system or way of doing things as a "modus operandi" or MO. After a lifetime of sifting through reactions based on any given set of circumstances- I began to form opinions on how and why people behave the way that they do. Behavior is always purposeful and it is also very useful in predicting future behavior. You just have to pay attention.

In early June of 2009, President Obama fired Gerald Walpin. Walpin was an Inspector General or IG assigned to protect taxpayer dollars. Walpin's position as an IG was supposed to be beyond the reach of politics or a President. In other words, Walpin was supposed to be free to go about his job without fear of reprisal. The short version of this story is- is that President Obama canned Walpin for doing his job. That was not as significant as the method and tactics which Obama employed to get rid of Walpin. Obama went well beyond established boundaries to terminate Walpin. If you care to refresh yourself, here is the story from the Wall St. Journal.  http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124511811033017539.html

This retaliatory theme was something that grabbed my attention. I always kind of suspected it, especially because Obama went to such great lengths to make himself appear as this noble, non retaliatory victor- offering his vanquished opponent, Hillary Clinton, the Secretary of State job.

Shortly after the Walpin episode, as the Obama administration took over automaker GM and began to shutter GM dealerships, a large number of Republican owned dealerships found themselves on the chopping block. At first I thought this was just paranoia on the part of angry dealership owners. Like most of America, I didn't think Obama would stoop to such levels. The honeymoon was still on. As it turns out, Obama probably did target Republican owned dealerships for closure. There is plenty of evidence to support that allegation including the lack of transparency or just how the administration determined which dealerships would close and which would stay open. It has never been thoroughly investigated. http://www.examiner.com/article/were-republican-owned-gm-dealerships-targeted-for-closure-2010

Then there was the Gibson guitar case. Gibson was raided twice by Federal agents for using illegal "wood." The charges were never proved and the case was dismissed. Of course Gibson had to endure all that bad press, loss of revenue, and the costs of defending itself against a bully government who in theory can bring billions of dollars to any prosecution. Did they do this because Gibson was a top GOP donor? In light of the allegations of the IRS targeting Tea Party groups, probably. http://foxnewsinsider.com/2013/05/28/judge-napolitano-gibson-guitars-raid-and-government-targeting-republican-groups

Obama canned a couple of Generals too. These are valuable men, men who did nothing wrong really- except get on the wrong side of Uncle Sugar. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2010/06/mcchrystal-rolling-stone-interview-obama-afghanistan.html

While all of this was happening, Obama cabinet officials began to depart without ever disclosing why. Not that such non disclosures are uncommon- it's just that everyone leaving the administration did so rather quickly while keeping their mouths shut. I suppose by this time, everyone figured out that Obama's MO was to retaliate and personally attack anyone he saw as an opponent. Clearly, Obama has demonstrated the will to destroy any given career or livelihood should a perceived adversary find themselves on the wrong side of the tracks.

Most of the vanquished were doing nothing immoral, unethical, or illegal. Most if not all, were simply disagreeing with Obama's politics or his policies. That's most likely why staffers quietly fled Obama and why Shrillary was so ungawdly careful not to publicly offend Obama. She knows the punishment for anything less than blind obedience. She has another presidential bid to protect.

So I was not particularly surprised to see Obama publicly attack his GOP detractors during this government shutdown week. It did not raise my eyebrows to watch as Obama tried to close the WW2 Memorial which is situated in a 24 hour, admission free- park type venue. Administration leaks had Obama mulling how he could stop the Army-Navy game. In a speech yesterday, Obama all but asked Wall Street to sell off. This in an effort to spook investors and force the House to end the government shutdown and pass the budget resolution.

So that's my opinion. A conclusion based on a set of well documented incidents. Obama is a petty dictator who punishes his perceived enemies. He takes everything personally. You see, Obamacare is personal. That is his signature and singular accomplishment. You cannot take a man like Obama and strong arm him. He makes you bend or suffer the consequences, that's part of his MO. You don't think those Gop'ers know that? You can safely bet your ass they do. That's why things are at loggerheads. The Affordable Care Act is neither affordable nor caring. In the same horrible fashion that it was conceived, passed without reading, and stuck up our asses with plenty of trickery and deals-  the GOP is employing the same type of horrible means to get rid of it. Somehow all of that seems fair to me.

Sorry Barack, but you just aren't somebody who is going to garner a lot of sympathy from me. The great writer Hunter Thompson had Nixon to rely on- and all this mediocre writer has- is you.

You haven't let me down yet.