Wednesday, December 8, 2010

"Don't move or I'll shoot!"

William K. Black

What Aspect of Dealing with Bullies Did Obama Fail to Learn as a Child?

Bullies play a well known game. Their strategy is to intimidate. Sometimes they threaten us directly sometimes they threaten those we care about. By the age of 14 we have all identified who the bullies are, figured out their strategy, and learned that one cannot "persuade" them to act appropriately. The only way to stop a bully is to "play games" -- to act strategically. They must be confronted and this can, we can all attest from personal experience, be painful. Bullies are cowards and most people hate bullies and will form alliances to stop them. Obama, as is his norm, raged at those who would have been his allies against the bullies. Giving in to bullies guarantees that they will act ever more abusively.

Obama thinks he can "persuade" Senate Republicans who are "playing games" about tax cuts. Their strategic (non)negotiating position is that unless they get tax cuts for the top one percent no American will get tax cuts (or any other necessary legislation). They are holding 99% of Americans hostage to benefit the top one percent. Obama thinks that if the Republicans play games he is helpless to resist them no matter how harmful his capitulation will be to the nation.

Note to President Obama: you misunderstand your position description. An adult who repeatedly gives in to a bully is a coward, not "reasonable." Do you realize that the Republicans have been calling you a coward with regard to your foreign policies for two years and that they hold you in utter contempt? That is why they believed they could get away with bullying you in Congress despite your large majorities in both Houses. I guarantee that they have view your falling for their Blazing Saddles threat to commit suicide as the ultimate demonstration of that your administration has descended into farce.

Yo, O-man - give the bullies your lunch money if that's the way you are. Don't give them mine.

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