Recently comedian Chris Rock said, relating to President Obama’s gun control proposal, that President Obama is kind of like America’s Dad, and that if we don’t listen to him, we might regret it later. A number of Obama critics pounced on this statement from Chris Rock as being silly or propaganda-y, but I think they’re jumping the gun on this criticism. Because when you think about it, Chris Rock really has a point here, and this idea of President Obama being America’s Dad really quite accurately reflects the president’s role in many ways. For example:
A dad can ground his children when they get in trouble, and President Obama has the authority to put people on the “no fly list”, which essentially grounds them.
A dad can make someone go to their room as a punishment, and President Obama has the authority to apprehend and detain pretty much anyone he wants to.
Children often say: “My dad’s going to kill me!”, and President Obama has given himself the authority to kill any American without charge or trial for suspicion of terrorism, and all without oversight.
A dad wants to be the last word and final authority on all issues in his household, and President Obama does not like to be answerable to anyone in government, trying to do end-runs around Congress with his agenda, endlessly blaming powerless Republicans for not being able to exert his agenda as law, and even putting complaints about Supreme Court decisions he disagrees with into his State of the Union speeches, as well as resisting oversight from other branches of government.
Dads protect their children from harm, and President Obama has effectively waged the war on terrorism, finally killing Osama bin Laden, and targeting many al Qaida leaders and fighters worldwide.
Dads don’t want their kids playing with dangerous things because they might get hurt, and President Obama has been pushing for more gun control in the hopes of preventing further gun-related injuries and deaths.
Dads give out an allowance to their kids, and President Obama has increased welfare to many Americans in need during the current recession.
Dads “bring home the bacon” to feed their families, and President Obama has increased distribution of food stamps to people in need during his presidency.
A dad can force kids to eat their vegetables and other foods they don’t want to eat, and President Obama’s government has been pushing a healthy food agenda in public schools, forcing them to serve foods which the kids hate.
Dads tend to set up rules their kids don’t like, and President Obama encounters many, many Americans who oppose many of his regulations and proposals, like tax policy proposals, spending proposals, gun control proposals, etc.
Dads like to tell their children what to do, and President Obama appears to enjoy trying to tell Americans how to run their lives with laws and strictures and social programs.
Dads like to preach to their children to teach them values, and President Obama likes to make speeches preaching to Americans about everything from social justice to gun control to healthy eating habits to the rich paying their fair share of taxes, etc.
Dads like to preach to their children to teach them values, and President Obama likes to make speeches preaching to Americans about everything from social justice to gun control to healthy eating habits to the rich paying their fair share of taxes, etc.
When asked about sensitive subjects (like sex, etc.), dads tend either to avoid the subject or lie, and President Obama’s administration has a history of not responding to subpoenas, obstructing oversight, hiding behind executive privilege, giving misleading explanations about critical topics and events, etc.
The list goes on and on. So as you can clearly see, Chris Rock referring to President Obama as America’s Dad was more appropriate and accurate than I suspect even he ever thought possible.
