Listening to my echo

I've been challenged for many reasons - the most annoying is that I'll even do things that I say that I won't do.  Immediately after saying that I won't. Like when I said that I wouldn't try to influence the British vote on whether to leave the European Union. And then I kind of threatened them with the consequences. Ha!

Could that be true?  And, if it is, what does that mean? 

I suppose I might meditate on the words of  Dejan Stojanovic.

But there are more important considerations to examining my words. Do you hear that historians of my legacy?

There was my biggest whopper:  "No matter how we reform health care, we will keep this promise: If you like your doctor, you will be able to keep your doctor. Period."  That helped pass the Affordable Care Act. And now it begins to crumble. But I won't be here to take the blame. 

I've massaged the truth in getting the Iran nuclear deal passed - even if I had to ramp up criticism on Israeli leaders.

If you google "Bush lies," you get about 49,000 hits. BUT if you google "Obama lies," you get almost 360,000 hits. 

Of my five biggest lies, I like the one about amnesty: "I am not a dictator." Because I did exactly that through my personal executive power.

Or take a look at my State of the Union address - I just couldn't help myself. 

Why do I do that?

Now, that is where historians should begin any discussion of my legacy. 

Making America average: I speak, they listen

You've probably heard the complaints that I'm dethroning America. Like giving up the internet root directory at ICANN. So what if China, Russia and Iran can control their people better by only allowing pro-government domain names.  More important is that WE don't make those decisions, but let all countries in on the root directory game.  We shouldn't be forcing our way of thinking about freedom on others; there are more important things like progressive values and everyone being for the people.  Social justice, not everyone's own little castle.

I  just spoke my mind and Tom Wheeler at the FCC caved. That's how it works. I speak, they listen. And the Republicans can't do squat. I'll just veto it.

The same thing with the IRS. I spoke and Lois Lerner listened. We poked those conservatives hard with our IRS. 

The same thing, also, with my Affordable Care Act.  I talked up how important health care insurance was for the people and Justice Roberts just keeled over and changed what the words in the law actually meant to what it didn't mean. A tax is a tax even if it isn't called a tax.  What I saw is what others believe.

The same with Hillary. She was just careless with that email server.  I bet Loretta Lynch is listening to the news on Fox.

And so it goes. Get it? America will be just another place; nothing special - but everyone gets a piece of the pie.

My secret desire

I could have done so many more things .  .  .

Some of the things I've done -- 
I've covered for Hillary saying she was just careless about her private server;
I've saddled corporations with rules and fees and will not unburden them with competitive world-wide tax rates;
I've created a class of true-believers that think the sky is falling from too much man made climate change (or should I say, too much person-made climate change?);
I've killed the coal industry and created a sea of solar panels and windmills;
I've launched partisan use of tax investigations;
I've preached uniting the country while dividing them into segments;
I've manipulated the health care industry;
I've handcuffed our military and marginalized our international friends;
I've drawn red lines and pushed the reset button (many times);
I've tempered the nuclear arms race in the Middle East by returning to Iran the billions of dollars that is rightfully theirs (and I hope they stop funding terrorism, I hope, I hope, I hope); 
I've watched ballgames with Cuban dictators while showing ISIL I'm not afraid of their terror attacks in Europe;
I've change the vocabulary of the military to gender-free combat, man made disasters, and extremism - there is no more Islamophobia;
I've made major moves to open our border with Mexico - no wall, just a free flow of people north;
I've defended sanctuary cities; 
I've defended every form of abortion.
The list goes on and on.

Just imagine if I had a lifetime appointment!

Truth to power: Here is what Hillary said to the hedge fund managers

There should be no surprise about what Hillary Clinton said to the Goldman Sachs, and other, hedge fund managers. For about a quarter a million per speech. Do we really need her transcripts?

I read one of her transcripts. Lots of glad handing, commending them for making America a vibrant economy and only mild criticisms about some of the bad apples.

The only problem is that Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren would say. She can make one of them Treasury Secretary and the other Commerce Secretary. Image problem solved.

I'm a lot smarter. When I go to these folks to help build out my presidential center and library, I'll be more discreet. Especially when it comes to the Islamic conference room that the Saudis will likely help finance.  They'll remember my supportive remarks .  .  .

I cannot say radical Islamic terrorist - that's not the Islam I was taught

I grew up learning about Islam. It is a religion of peace. 

Obviously, I needed to have the U.S. military handbook purged of any and all negative references to Islamic terrorists. Anything negative said about Islam comes from the mind of an Islamophobe.

When Major Nidal Malik Hasan killed military personnel at Fort Hood several years ago, that was workplace violence even though he shouted allahu akbar while he shot our troops. This is the same with other workplace violence - even if the perpetrator cuts off the head of a co-worker and populating his Facebook page with an ISIS salute and a nod to Osama ben Laden. Better to downplay the superficial connections and to maintain a positive approach.

I'm just like George W. Bush is stepping lightly about identifying radical Islamic terrorists as Islamic. Just because it looks like a duck, quacks like a duck, walks like a duck doesn't mean it is a duck. Simple. 

It is important that you don't read books by feminists like Ayaan Hirsi Ali, especially Heretic. You might become convinced that there are radical verses in the Quran. Just because she grew up Islamic, just because she is a woman who was oppressed in the patriarchal culture of North African society, and just because she was the target of a religious fatwa for speaking her mind, doesn't mean Islam has a problem with being a religion of peace today. 

And you should remember how I use a logical fallacy to attack the accurate radical Islamist comments. I simply say those folks are attacking all Muslims. Religious leaders and community leaders and political partisans all fall for this illogical thinking. Good thing I have a lot of lemmings listening to me.

We need to share more - even the ICANN root directory

I think it is important for you to know my philosophy about political discourse on the international stage.

We need to get out of the "America is exceptional" mindset and realize that we are little different than most other countries. We've had a head start in some areas, but we're a colonized country just like Cuba and many other countries. We will have a legacy of racism. We don't need to talk down to leaders like President Raúl Castro. 

If we go to baseball games and the like, we can build positive bonds. We can open up trade and eventually he'll moderate his views. Might be a bit slower, but it beats isolating Cuba and trying to force freedom on them.

That's the same way we can get other countries we call totalitarian to moderate their treatment of their own people.

The ICANN root directory is an easy way to get them to develop a more sensitive approach to their own people.

It's just by accident that we developed the internet first. It's our responsibility to let them join in the management of this technology.

That's how the peace will be won in the world. This is how I see the world.

Will I morph into The Donald?

Some see me as paving the way for The Donald.

I can understand being seen as the positive and articulate, liberal antecedent to The Donald.

But there is a meaner view.

Consider one of my platitudes - being on "the right side of history." I don't have to do anything; history just happens.  The Donald is the bull in the workshop - "I get things done." He's so active that he'll break things; for me, things just break around me without me having to do anything. I know how to lead from behind.

I started out as a uniter, but ended up as a divider. Well, what can I say, the Republicans are the enemy; Wall Street is the enemy, not Occupy Wall Street.  I suppose The Donald will also fail as a uniter; he'll be a divider too, but as my opposite.  

Maybe I am giving birth to The Donald. We're both celebrities and we'll both dictate to the world from the Oval Office.