Robert Gibbs is a punk
I don't know how many caught Rick Santelli on CNBC letting off a little steam about the mortgage bail but I saw it and loved it. I think he was speaking for the vast majority of Americans who live within their means and use common sense on a daily basis. His point was simple "Why does our government insist on rewarding and promoting poor decisions and bad behavior?"
So, a couple days later I stumble into a clip of Whitehouse press secretary Robert Gibbs getting all snarky on the Santelli story. His rebuttle was that every day, every American is struggs to keep their job, their healthcare and their home. Really Robert? Really?
The last time I checked, unemployment was under 8%, over 90% of homeowners were paying their mortgage right on time and over 80% of Americans had health insurance. Not that Rick Santelli was asking, Mr. Gibbs.
Now I'm no Mary Sunshine myself. I know that's not a perfect scorecard. I know it's tough out there, I lost my own job a month ago, but I know that it ain't that bad out there. So I'm starting to believe that this is the Obama administration's strategy: Gin up the panic out there in fly-over country and play on our fears rather than our strength. What's even more infuriating is that at the same time they offer up policy that is defined as "the only solution" they talk down the chance of it even working! So what it is Mr. Obama, are going to be part of the solution or are you just content to exaggerate the problem?
Isn't about time we focus on what we can do and what makes this country great? We are a nation that rewards risk and hard work. Not the risk of over-leveraging a bank based on complex debt derivatives, but the risk of following a dream and the reward that comes from hard work and believing in an idea.
Unless of course, that idea is that we can no longer believe in what makes America great and we only have punks like Robert Gibbs to turn to for inspiration.