As IF Times

DRUDGE: PRESIDENTS STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS.

After listening to the recent State Of The Union Address by President Obama, excerpts of which are in the link above, I am struck at how incongruous the message delivered is to the actions taken by this administration over this first year in office.  When you brush aside the expected rhetoric about this “this great nation”, “our collective love for America and American values”, words that are standard in the speech of any U.S. president, you are left with the issues and principles that are dear to the particular incumbent.

In this case, the theme of “change”, the buzzword of his victorious election campaign remained through his 70 minute address.   Again he asks Americans to embrace his notion that America needs to change and in particular change towards his vision of what America will look like after the transformation.  It doesn’t seem to have dawned upon him that the change he envisions is not in tune with the vision of America held by the majority of the people.  This was most clearly evident by the stunning rebuke of the Democratic candidate in Massechussets, a heretofore Democratic stronghold for over 50 years.

Clearly, the president was swept in to office as a backlash to the perceived shortcomings and failings of the previous administration as well as the perfect storm of profile, of organization and of public anger and frustration.  It is clear that in observing the actions of this administration over the past year, the players in the administration and the general direction of domestic and foreign policies, Americans are retracting their mandate for most of Obama’s policies.  To be fair to the president, he was thrust into a position to which he could not win.  The unrealistic objectives that were proffered during the campaign which, while melifluous to the ears of his supporters and to the uncommitted, were idealistic at best, naive at worst.  For an individual with very little real life experience in administration of any kind to suddenly have the controls of the world’s greatest economy, its mightiest military and arguably most influential culture was a role he was woefully unprepared for.  The theories of the classroom, even at Harvard (some would say especially at Harvard) are not adequate to steer the complex ship which is the United States.  The other factor working against him is the conspicuous lack of talent in his cabinet to fill the roles required of government.

But if all of this sounds like a partisan rant, let’s assess this solely by the numbers as they say.  As we all know, all politicians lie, it’s a career requirement.  Some are white lies, some are lies of ommission, some are lies of expedience and some are just big fat whoppers.  Without regard to which party he is affiliated with, let’s take an admittedly quick review of what was promised and what was delivered.  This short list has been gone over ad nauseum by the conservative writers, but they do speak to credibility.

As a candidate: Against lobbyists in adminstration    In office:  More lobbyists than previous administration.

As a candidate: We don’t want to run auto companies.  In office: Government owns GM and Chrysler.

As a candidate: Criticized deficit spending.  In office: Quadrupled size of government debt.

As a candidate:  Criticized lengthy bills that were hard to understand.  In Office: Health care bill over 2000 pages long.

As a candidate: Promised transparency, even C span coverage of process.  In Office, all negotiations behind closed doors, no C span

As a candidate: CIA agents would not be prosecuted for jobs.  In Office, doing just that.

As a candidate: Vow to keep America safe and to fight terrorists.  In Office, civilian trials for 9-11 antagonist.

As a candidate: Emphatically stated no new taxes for sub  $200,000 earners.  In Office, new taxes to pay for healthcare plan.

This has all happened in only one year.  It is truly alarming to listen to speeches in which what he champions is exactly the opposite of what is implemented.   I love to invoke George Orwell in my commentaries and truly this guy is a textbook example of opposite speak.  Any rational person comparing words to deeds would have to doubt seriously any action by this administration but more importantly should be very skeptical of what is promised going forward.  It has little to do with partisanship and everything to do with credibility.  It appears that most Americans have become wiser to the agenda, however many have not.  The old stock market saw is, watch what they do, not what they say.  Wise words.

EXCLUSIVE: Olympic protocol guide says “smile gently” but don’t overdo it – CityCaucus.com.

The Stepford Games.  That is my naming suggestion for the Vancouver 2010 games after reviewing briefly some highlights from the 120 page protocol book distributed to Vancouver City employees instructing them on deportment  to dignitaries during the Olympic games.  This final touch is excellent planning by the city because everything else about the event has been doctored to show a gleaming face to visitors to the city.  This recent move to spruce up the local rubes are some good last minute touches.  From the official guide:

“…It is important to wear clothing that fits properly. Never dress in clothes that are too tight, they may make a slim person look gaunt and a large person look heavier. make sure all attire is clean and pressed. Dress shirts may stain easily. Some protocol personnel carry extra shirts with them. Avoid wearing short socks. If they are too short, they may show bare leg when you sit down. Wear knee-high socks or stockings that reach above the calf. Socks should match pant colour. Accessories such as jewelry should be conservative. hair should be kept tidy yet stylish…”

No mention of displaying the “tramp stamp” tattoos that are ubiquitous in this town, so we’re ok there.  Surprisingly, some expected protocols did not make the manual.  For instance, white gloves, parasols and push up bras were to be issued to the women, while  waistcoats and bottles of Grecian Formula were planned for the male staffers, but were nixed at the last minute due to budget considerations.  It becomes more clear as to why employees need such precise wardrobe direction, for further along in the manual:

“…You’ll be busy throughout the day so it is important that you keep hydrated by drinking lots of water and fluids. When you have an extra minute or it is convenient, use the toilet because you never know when you’ll next have a break…”

This implies of course that employees are unable to determine when to drink or pee on their own and must be reminded.  It is assumed that there are strings issued along with the manual to tie around fingers as reminders.  We are led to believe that the staff are pretty much gomers in their normal state. 

Being familiar with Vancouver residents, we should also point out some other etiquette faux pas.  For instance, since Vancouver is renowned as a pot friendly city, staffers should be reminded to exhale their marijuana smoke downwind from the dignitaries and to offer tokes only if a roach clip is available.  Any bodily noises should be suppressed or kept to the higher octaves outside of the range of normal human hearing. Bathing should occur at least once a week, any less is not only unhygienic, it may be illegal.  Naturally, any spitting on the streets shall consist only of clear fluids.

Finally and most important, do not speak unless spoken to.  Do not annoy dignitaries with descriptions of your awesome workout or how you  know someone who knows Michael Buble.  Do not mention the killing you just made on your last condo flip.  Real estate in visitors’ home towns may not be as buoyant and your bragging will cause resentment.

In the hypothetical circumstance of the Olympics being situated in New York city, or New Orleans one wonders whether the natives there would be ordered to tone down their personalities for visitors.  In New Orleans, jazz musicians would be directed  to play only tunes by Mozart or Schubert on Bourbon Street.  Dancing in the streets would be prohibited for fear of offending some dignitaries. 

Heck if the city was smart, they should have just given all employees 3 weeks off and hired a truckload of waiters and waitresses from the local Earl’s restaurant chain as stand-ins for the Olympic period.  That would create a heck of an impression.  Imagine the visitors reporting back to their home cities, ” Vancouver’s nice, but man, they have some kind of gene pool up there!” 

From anecdotal experience, I think most Vancouverites feel like kids who have to go to a wedding.  The parents scrub them,  dress them up and tell them not to get their outfits dirty or mess their hair.  The promise of fun looks iffy.  Let’s get on with it already.

I think the local poobahs should worry less about how the rubes look and more about whether there’s going to be any snow.  We can’t do anything about that, but we can loosen up and have some fun.  Let’s not re-inforce the image of Vancouver as a no fun city.

And, but of course, the games are carbon neutral.