Obama and Debt: “evasion, contradiction and deception.”

Democracy and Power 108:  Obfuscation

Wherever politics intrudes upon economic life, political success is readily attained by saying what people like to hear rather than what is demonstrably true. Instead of safeguarding truth and honesty, the state then tends to become a major source of insincerity and mendacity. – Hans F. Sennholz

The politician’s speech is seldom precise or logically reasoned.  Seeking a favorable image, the politician talks in generalities, exaggerates and obfuscates. 

Obama and Debt: “evasion, contradiction and deception.” 

Robert Samuelson in Real Clear Politics posts solutions to America’s debt;  gasoline, taxes, means-testing entitlements, cuts to military spending and many more concepts are proffered.   Every federal politician knows the debt is dangerous and solutions must be made now to solve the continued problems in America’s future.  Samuelson chides President Obama for evading the budget crisis:

We aren’t having this debate, and President Obama is mainly to blame. His recent budget speech at George Washington University was a telling model of evasion, contradiction and deception.

After defining the gigantic debt, the President offers no solution.  Samuelson reports:

But Obama has no plan to balance the budget — ever.

Samuelson detects “evasion, contradiction and deception.”

He (President Obama) asserted “every kind of spending (is) on the table.” But every kind of spending is not on the table. He virtually ruled out cutting Social Security, the government’s biggest program (2011 spending: $727 billion). For example, Social Security is excluded from a proposed “trigger” that would automatically reduce spending and raise taxes if certain deficit targets weren’t met. He also put Medicare (2011 spending: $572 billion) largely off-limits.

Samuelson notes the President’s hypocrisy: 

The president keeps promoting an “adult conversation” about the budget, but that can’t happen if the First Adult doesn’t play his part.