RUTHFULLY YOURS

What, did he forget sunscreen? Was his umbrella still being repaired ^[2]?

He was meeting with a Fairfax family for a backyard discussion on the economy in an effort to improve voter perceptions about his empathy with ordinary people.

I see. Rather than standing on a grand podium surrounded by Corinthian columns, he decided that the best way to reach out to the commoners was to have a “backyard discussion” about the economy and prove that he’s really one of us. Like the infamous “feeler-in-chief” of the 1990s, Bill Clinton — oh, sorry, that sounds worse than it was supposed to — Obama now claims to “feel your pain” shortly after he returned from hitting the links with politician pals in Martha’s Vineyard ^[3] and just before two big galas and a reception ^[4] at the White House.

It’s interesting to note that Barry didn’t make his little “feel your pain” speech in someone’s backyard in Reno, located in the state which has the dubious status ^[5] of being the most economically stressed in the nation: “1 in 4.5 Nevadans in July was either unemployed, owned a home in some stage of foreclosure or had filed for bankruptcy.” And Reno’s housing market is currently being described as ^[6] an “American nightmare.” I guess it’s more comfortable to feel the pain of a city where unemployment is at 5.7 percent rather than ^[7] a city in a state where unemployment is at a whopping 14.2 percent.

One also has to wonder if Barry feels guilty for his comments ^[8] about wasteful spending that specifically targeted Las Vegas.

Nah. I doubt it. Barry probably worries more about his own hurt feelings when criticized by his opponents, like his latest whinge about ^[9] being talked about “like a dog,” than he worries about making disparaging public comments about various states.

Just ask Arizona ^[10].

It would have been nice if our president decided to try to “feel our pain” during the early days of his administration when, according to the New York Times, the economy was already ^[11] “spiraling down at an accelerating pace.” But instead, he chose to spend his time blaming Bush and the GOP (even as recently ^[12] as August of this year) — forgetting that the Democrats have held both houses of Congress since 2006.

I’m sure there are readers out there who would say that it doesn’t matter what Obama says or does, that nothing would satisfy me. Not true! I’d be thrilled if he were to say, “I resign.” But I know that’s not going to happen. And I wouldn’t say I’m the only one to doubt Obama’s sincerity in this latest attempt to shore up his tanking poll numbers. Allahpundit at Hot Air says that ^[13] “professorial Obama didn’t work, and ‘feisty’ Obama seemed vaguely absurd thanks to his heavy reliance on slurpee jokes and car metaphors, so here’s the latest incarnation.” William Teach asks ^[14], “How sad is that, that Obama has to still pull this kind of stunt?” And the Busted Nut blog notes ^[15], “It’s ironic that the man who now feels our pain, is the same guy extending our pain.”

The question is this: Can Obama really feel your pain? If you believe Robin of Berkeley’s chilling assessment of ^[16] the man, no, he cannot because

Obama will not change. He will not learn from his mistakes. He will not grow and mature from on-the-job experience. In fact, over time, Obama will likely become a more ferocious version of who he is today.

Bill Clinton may be a bit too smarmy for my liking. And when Bill says he feels your pain, he may not actually feel it — but I think he believes that he does. I believe this is the key difference between Bill Clinton and Barack Obama. Billy can, at least for a few minutes, put himself in your place. But Barry cannot. It’s all words, words, words, both at the beginning of his administration and now. Back in March of 2009, S.E. Cupp pointed out that ^[17]:

Since he was a young community organizer, in fact, Barack Obama was told he had a way with words, that he could rally people to a cause, and that he represented a new generation of movers and shakers.

So it’s no real surprise that President Obama thinks having a way with words, rallying people to a cause and representing a new generation of movers and shakers is all he must do to win popular favor and get things done in Washington.

A friend from my childhood was fond of telling me during our disagreements that “actions speak louder than words.” Too bad Obama doesn’t seem to have heard of that little axiom.