Prickly City by Scott Stantis for February 06, 2009

Well, thank God I live in a Australia where our success is not inextricably linked to whether our leaders succeed in getting their agendas through or not.

If Obama fails, as in fails to get some of his more egregious policies through; America will probably be better off.

Rush didn’t say that he hopes that Obama’s presidency is a failure, he hopes that Obama is a good president. What Rush wants Obama to be a failure at is pushing his stated policies through.

I'm no fan of Rush Limbaugh, but I hate the idea of identifying the country with the political leadership. There's a big difference between ‘I hope Obama fails to protect America from terrorist attacks.’ (which I'm sure even Rush believes Obama wants to do) and ‘I hope Obama fails to push through his economic legislative package.’ (which is probably along the lines that Rush was thinking).

To the extent that Obama tries to do good things, I hope he succeeds. And to the extent that he tries to do bad things, I hope he fails. Isn't that much obvious?

Odd that Stantis would fall for the same song and dance that the liberal media fell for? I suspect that follow-up toons will move further toward the truth. And the truth is that Rush hopes Obama’s collectivist policies fail.

Some months ago I delivered a talk to a small group on the three types of socialism that dominated the 20th century: 1) Soviet-style, in which ownership of all significant economic activity belongs to the state; 2) Fascist-style, in which there is a pretense of private ownership (just to appear different from the Soviet style) but the economy is still centrally directed by the government; and 3) the Swedish-style welfare state, which can have more or less government ownership but is mainly characterized by gigantic taxation and redistribution of wealth (as I put it, the nationalization of the taxpayer).

At the time I was convinced the U.S. was heading toward the Swedish style, but things have changed abruptly. First, the government gives billions to failing (and SUCCESSFUL!) businesses in one industry after another in return for some type of ownership stake. Then the government begins ratcheting up its demands on how the businesses should or should not be run. And in the meantime, the goal is to take as much money as possible from those who earned it to give to others who didn’t.

In other words, I am now amazed that we are moving toward all three forms of socialism at once, a situation I would never have believed possible.

Based on this, history shows that Obama’s programs are doomed to fail, like every type of socialism ever tried.

pschearer, Great analysis! I hope you are right about the turn to socialism failing. The thing you overlook is that 50% of the voters do not pay taxes. We have come to the tipping point where the non-taxpayers can vote to give themselves stuff paid for by the taxpayers. It is already happening. Business should not be taxed; they just pass it on to the consumer. Everyone should pay tax based on what they spend, not what they earn. And, EVERYONE should pay some tax. We have a large group of people now who get “refunds” when they paid nothing.

That is why this country needs a FEDERAL sales tax. No one is exempt. A small percentage is added on to everything, from a pack of gum to private jets. There would no longer be the need for individual income tax, the national debt would disappear, and this will never happen because Washington is run by the wealthy.

thank you mr santis, however it is more than “sometime” we are all glad that you picked this format that allows the truth to be at least hinted at outloud. put a huge shadow of rush behind the 3rd panel holding a bottle of ‘slimfast’and chocking on a cigarette.-great yucks!

Rush did not say he wants Obama to fail. I heard him myself. However, he believes his plans to improve our country will fail. They have been tried other places and failed miserably! Our country is in dire straights and I fear for the future of my sons.

Pschearer, you are so right!

“If Obama fails, doesn’t that mean America fails?”

Not necessarily. Obama is just one man, and America does not stand or fall on the success or failure of just one man.

And we have never depended on the outcome of elections for our prosperity or our security. If ever we do, that’s when America fails.

So, PSC, in your opinion, the simultaneous stock market crash / housing crash / employment crash of 2008 represents the success of the free market. To emulate your straw man argument, I’d say the economic policies of the US moved in the last eight years toward that of China, by devaluing labor, devaluing the currency, and increasing restrictions on human rights to implement unpopular economic policies which benefit the richest fraction of their citizens to the detriment of the remaining 95%. Except that China still manufactures stuff and we no longer do. That’s the ultimate goal of Friedmanist economics.

We survived Carter! But then he did not want tax refunds for people who do not pay taxes! I hope Obama is unsuccesful with pushing his liberal agenda! In this “stimulus” bill he wants money to go to Acorn!!

Obama stands for “Change” which many think will primarily result in “change for the worse”. This cartoonist is intellectually dishonest because he intentionally misquotes Rush. And name-calling is the final refuge for those whose ideas cannot be successfully defended.

America failed when they elected him in the first place.

Rush did not say he hoped that President Obama fails, he said he wants his policies to fail. Bill Oreilly had a poll asking whether or not you want President Obama to succeed? Sixty percent (I was one of those votes) voted yes. When his cabinet choices were announced I was pleasantly surprised. Then reality has set in. As his pay off to ACORN ,the unions, and other far-left organizations is being scrutinized more and more people are jumping off the badwagon. What our President should do is to have a private conference with President Clinton about how to walk the fine line successfully.

Seem to be a lot of Rush apologists on this board. In fact, Rush did call for Obama’s failure.

Only LATER ON did he qualify his statement in subsequent interviews etc. so that it sounded less harsh than what he originally said.

Stantis, you idiot. You know good and well that the entire basis for today’s strip is taken out of context.

I cant believe that you would write such a stupid comic with out using the whole quote in which he simply stated that if Obama want his agenda to succeed that he hopes he fails. I don’t see how that can be taken out of context .

OK, it’s clear to me now. Rush doesn’t want Obama to PERSONALLY fail, he just wants everything that that Obama tries to DO to fail. Ummm… Wait a minute. I guess he wants Obama’s agenda to get passed, and then he will watch with pleasure while it plunges the nation into worse trouble than it already is… No, hold on, he wants every effort made to prevent Obama’s ideas from being implemented, but he will hold Obama blameless if it therefore appears that Obama has been ineffective… Just a second, I’ll get it eventually. In what universe would Obama’s failure to achieve the objectives he’s stated, and which the majority of Americans elected him to achieve, not be considered a failure of Obama? And Stantis has spent the bulk of the week stating that the LIBERALS are harboring “irrational hatred”?

Thank you. There are some of us who care about the country more than partisan politics. I want the country to succeed, I want Obama to succeed and I want the Americans who are currently suffering to succeed. Again, thank you Scott, for encouraging a move away from hate.

Some people forget Obama has only been the President for 3 weeks. Todays problems are not of his making. I also did not see one Capitalist Bank refuse taxpayers money to save themselves, and then they took bonuses for their failed efforts.Rush simply wants this to continue. Two America’s, the elite class and their servants. Guess who pays Rush’s salary.

My political heart has been broken. I really believed Scott to be fair and remain above the fray by getting the facts straight.

OK Carman, perhaps you should listen to Rush Limbaugh before you make a statement like that. I have, and here is what he said. ” I don’t want Obama’s POLICIES to work, I want them to Fail. I love my country and I think that his policies will do great harm to the United States” If that is what Rush meant by hoping Obama fails, and that is what he said he meant, and if you listened you would know that, then I have to agree. I want him to fail in his giant expansion of Federal Power. I hope he lives and Be’s well, but I don’t want his policies to succeed.