The Audacity of Conceit

Stop Lecturing Us, Mr. President

"All politicians," Limbaugh said, "including President Obama, are temporary stewards of this nation. It is not their task to remake the founding of this country. It is not their task to tear it apart and rebuild it in their image."

If Americans turn their backs on Obama, and at this point that looks unlikely but possible if the economy continues in its downward spiral, it will be because he tried to remake America in his own image. We didn’t sign up for a new founding father. We did not abandon our belief that despite our imperfections, America is the solution—not the problem—to every challenge facing the people in this country and, in many cases, the world. Most of us did not come to the same conclusion Obama did that America behaved badly and now we are being punished. Most of us love this country for the opportunity she provides. We love her for the decency of her people. And we believe that our president’s job is to cheer her on not talk her down.

When we turn on the television and see this gifted young leader scolding us and sending the successful and prosperous people of this country to detention, many of us scratch our heads. Who does he think is going to do the hiring and the growing and the building and the paying of the taxes? If Obama continues to paint all the job creators in this country with the same broad brush that he used last week when he condemned the greedy and the corrupt for their bad behavior, America’s recovery will be a long time coming. He seems to forget that we have a system in place for people who break the law. The people who defrauded investors and scammed unwitting homebuyers will be punished. But the vast majority of business owners and job creators are decent and honest, and their success is vital if we are to re-enter a period of economic expansion in this country.