NEWS AND OPINION:
Seems like old times, perhaps — or maybe just a repeat performance. Former President Barack Obama gave an overseas speech 48 hours ago in front of a substantial crowd. He had another audience though. Grabien News also monitored the speech, and here’s what it found.
“President Obama was in Germany on Saturday, ostensibly to speak about ‘community leadership and civic engagement’ on behalf of his eponymous Obama Foundation, but Berliners soon discovered his main topic of interest was Barack Obama. Obama talking about himself in an almost obsessive manner is no new phenomenon, but today he shattered his own records. Over the course of a 90-minute town hall with ‘emerging leaders,’ Obama mentioned himself an eye-popping 392 times,” the news organization said.
The Grabien analysis noted that Mr. Obama had used the just the word “I” more than 300 times with dozens more references to “me” and “my” among the myriad ways a person can refer to himself.
Yes, well.
“The post-presidential era of his life seems to be a bit of a challenge to the ego of Barack Hussein Obama. Never shy about referring to himself while president, now that man in the White House is reversing his policies and spectacularly succeeding, it’s got to be hard on his self-esteem. And let’s not forget the psychological pressure that may be building in the wake of the collapse of the Russia Hoax and the possible investigation of its origins,” writes Thomas Lifson, editor and publisher of American Thinker, after reviewing the Grabien findings.
“So, what’s a comparatively young (age 57) man with decades of life ahead to do to compensate? Self-reflection and personal growth are out of the question, of course (this is Barack Obama, after all, the man who claimed to be better at everything than his aides charged with speech-writing, economic policy and much more), so it appears that defensive ego boosting is his chosen course,” Mr. Lifson observes.
BERNIE’S SECRET PLAN
Sen. Bernard Sanders has caught criticism from progressive fans for his decision to appear on an upcoming Fox News town hall — despite the fact that the network enjoys a huge audience and has been the most-watched cable news channel for 17 consecutive years, according to Nielsen Media Research.
The Vermont independent, however, has a plan.
“Trust me, I know Fox News. I know who they are and I know what role they are playing. However, in the last campaign, I did a town meeting with a fellow named Bret Baier, who did it very fairly. He did it straightforwardly. Believe me, we went over the ground rules beforehand, and they kept their word,” Mr. Sanders told Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show” host Trevor Noah.
“To me, it is important to distinguish Fox News from the many millions of people who watch Fox News. And I think it is important to talk to those people and say, ‘You know what? I know that many of you voted for Donald Trump, but he lied to you. He told you, for example, he was going to provide health care to all people, now he wants to throw 30 million people off the health care that they had. He told you that he was going to give tax reform that would not benefit the wealthy. Eight-three percent of the benefits go to the top 1%.’ I think it is important to talk to Trump supporters and explain to them to what degree he has betrayed the working class of this country and lied during his campaign,” Mr. Sanders said.
So that is what he has in mind when he joins Fox News for the town hall on April 15 in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
STILL STANDING WITH THE NRA
And speaking of speaking engagements, President Trump has a significant audience coming up. He’ll address National Rifle Association members on April 26 during the organization’s Institute for Legislative Action Leadership Forum in Indianapolis, Indiana.
They can’t wait.
“Donald Trump is the most enthusiastic supporter of the Second Amendment to occupy the Oval Office in our lifetimes. It is truly an honor to have President Trump address NRA members for the fifth consecutive year. His Supreme Court appointments ensure that the Second Amendment will be respected for generations to come,” says Chris Cox, executive director of the NRA’s Institute for Legislative Action.
THE GRASS GROWS GREENER
Well, here’s more business news that would have amazed the hippies of yore, who frolicked through life back in the days when marijuana was illegal.
Time marches on, and so does legality. Marijuana Business Magazine reports that the “average cannabis CEO” now earns $285,113 a year — some $89,000 more than the typical “mainstream CEO,” who earns $196,050. The magazine’s analysis is based on findings from four different staffing companies plus Bureau of Labor Statistics.
It also found that legal dispensary manager earns 37% more than liquor store managers, while “budtenders” earn an average of 23% more than bartenders.
The Colorado-based publication advises that some states pay more than others.
“Cannabis jobs in Maryland consistently pay more than other states in all categories for which Marijuana Business Magazine collected data. Maryland’s medical marijuana industry raked in nearly $100 million in its first year of operations — more than the combined first year medical sales in Illinois, Massachusetts and New York,” the magazine said.
POLL DU JOUR
• 2% of Americans are “bothered a lot” that some corporations don’t pay their fair share of federal taxes; 42% of Republicans and 79% of Democrats agree.
• 60% are bothered a lot that some wealthy people don’t pay their fair share of taxes; 37% of Republicans and 79% of Democrats agree.
• 39% are bothered by the complexity of the tax system; 39% of Republicans and 40% of Democrats agree.
• 27% are bothered by the amount they pay in taxes; 27% of Republicans and 28% of Democrats agree.
• 16% are bothered if some “poor people don’t pay their fair share of taxes”; 21% of Republicans and 12% of Democrats agree.
Source: A Pew Research Center poll of 1,503 U.S. adults conducted March 20-25 and released Friday
• Helpful information to jharper@washingtontimes.com
