President Obama is trying to prevent major Democrat losses in November 2010 by accusing corporations of providing large amounts of unaccountable funds to support Republican candidates. Obama also raised the specter of foreign corporations and “oil companies” intruding into our nation’s electoral process. David Axelrod has called such spending a “threat to democracy” and called upon business associations to open their internal records for public inspection.
Few business organizations deny that their members tilt towards Republicans, who promise lower taxes, less regulation, and reduced federal spending. These groups suggest that Obama is just trying to divert attention away from his own economic policies. The gravitation of Obama towards accusing or threatening political opponents is ominous. Secretary Napolitano, infamously, suggested that domestic terrorism threats were posed by Americans who agitated in favor of lower taxes or the Second Amendment.
Attorney General Holder sued the State of Arizona to prevent the state enforcement of federal immigration laws, but alarmingly found no merit in pursuing New Black Panther Party members who openly threatened voters in Philadelphia (and who were caught on tape suggesting that “Cracker” babies might need to be killed). When President Obama uses his “bully pulpit” to attack individuals or associations in America, we move closer to a demagogic system of government.
Obama has attacked, by name, Fox News as a danger in America society. Last October, the administration urged other networks to treat Fox News as if it was “not a news organization.” The Obama approach of attacking political opponents rather than engaging their arguments seems to have few takers among the many harried Democrats in this election cycle. Singling out onle news network, indeed, seems to have backfired on Obama.
Attacking the Chamber of Commerce at a time when most Americans are extremely anxious for economic growth and job creation also seems a dubious strategy. Demonizing economic enterprise at the very time when government-manufactured prosperity has failed so dismally and when people are looking to businessmen to help restore American prosperity seems another example of a tone-deaf administration, locked in the Marxist rhetoric of the Sixties, and finding many Americans more disturbed than energized by government which seems hostile to private enterprise.
