Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani started a firestorm recently. At a private dinner he stated that he believes President Obama “doesn’t love America.” He expanded on his comment — I am paraphrasing — saying that the president constantly criticizes America and apologizes for the wrongs and sins he perceives this great nation has committed.
Predictably, the mainstream media went apoplectic and interpreted Giuliani’s remarks as an assault on the president’s patriotism. This column will not comment on Giuliani’s view of Obama, but instead on the president’s record to date and the impact his policies have had on “the shining city on the hill” that is the United States.
This, in my view, is fair game.
What has framed Obama’s presidency, and what he has stated numerous times, is that he wants to “fundamentally transform America.”
And make no mistake about it — during the six-and-a-half years of Obama’s tenure, he and his administration have gone about rapidly doing just that.
Not long after taking office, Obama and the Democratic Congress rammed through Obamacare, putting the federal government in charge of one-sixth of the American economy, limiting Americans’ health care choices while falsely stating, “if you like your health care plan, you can keep your health care plan.” Meantime, Obama unilaterally has delayed or changed parts of the Obamacare law when it suited his political needs or those of his allies — circumventing Congress and the legislative process.
Another case in point is Obama’s executive amnesty that would let over 5 million illegal aliens stay in the United States and not be deported. He announced this “executive action” even though he had stated that he did not have the authority to deal with immigration laws administratively: “If, in fact, I could solve all these problems without passing them through Congress, I would do so. But we’re also a nation of laws.” Fortunately, a federal judge has stepped in and temporarily halted executive amnesty.
Regarding the economy, although the stock market is at record heights, a staggering 50 million people are enrolled in the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program, or food stamps. A record number of Americans sit on the sidelines, no longer looking for work. Young African-Americans have been hit particularly hard, with nearly one in every four black youths age 16 to 25 unemployed.
Meanwhile, the national debt is growing by leaps and bounds. America’s debt was $10.6 trillion in 2009 when Obama took office and has increased by 70 percent during his presidency. It now stands at over $18 trillion with no end in sight.
With respect to foreign policy and the defense of our homeland, Obama and his national security team seem to make it up as they go along. There have been so many blunders it’s hard to keep count. Just a few come to mind: the prolonged negotiations between Iran and the United States over Iran’s ability to acquire nuclear weapons; Benghazi and the collapse of Libya; Russian intervention in Crimea and Ukraine; the collapse of Yemen; and the rise of ISIS throughout Iraq, Syria, and the Middle East.
So does Obama love America? I’m sure he does.
But his policies have devastated America, both at home and abroad.
Marc Rotterman (@oldschooolmarc) is a senior fellow at the John Locke Foundation and former Reagan administration appointee.