The Antidote for ‘ODS’ - Obama Discouragement Syndrome

A couple of months ago I went to the doctor for my physical. I’ve been seeing him since 1994, so I was ready when he came in to the room, said “hello” and asked how things were going. 

As he flipped through the paperwork and waited for my answer, I responded: “Things are OK except for this bad case of ODS. He looked puzzled and started flipping through the papers with a renewed sense of urgency looking for information on ODS. I kept talking and let him know that while it was having an impact on my life, it was “manageable” and “not terminal” so there was no need to put it on my health form questionnaire.

After a minute of banter, he looked at me and asked: “What is ODS?” I responded: “It’s Obama Discouragement Syndrome. It’s what you get when the government attacks your ambition, discourages your drive, obliterates your optimism and reduces your riches.” He smiled and responded: “Mike, a lot of my patients are suffering from ODS.”

If the latest polls are to be believed, the President’s negative ratings are at all time highs. So this phenomena appears to be widespread throughout the land. (Before going any further, for the benefit of the clueless, a.k.a. Obama supporters, I know what you’re thinking: it’s all Bush’s fault! Don’t get angry. Instead, put down this Blog and go back to sleep. I promise to wake you in November 2010.) 

Now that we have that disclaimer out of the way, as a public service to our readers and Americans who are concerned by what they’re seeing, here is the antidote to ODS: Go watch the movie The Wizard of Oz. Dorothy recognized that things had changed, and though scared, she was still able to admit to her little dog: “Toto, I have a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore.” 

With annual federal deficits in excess of One Trillion Dollars for as far as the eye can see; the takeover of the health care sector, the takeover of large parts of the automotive sector, and financial services legislation that even confuses its authors, let’s face the facts - we’re not in Kansas anymore. The Obama tornado has hit America and we’re living in a different country.

What will the economy look like in this different country? Last year an economist told me that predictions about the future are meaningless because no one knows the following: Will these trillion dollar annual deficits make a difference? Will continued unemployment rates in excess of 9% make a difference? As this economist noted: We’re in uncharted waters and, like Dorothy said:  “We are not over the rainbow.”

Second, “pay no attention to the man behind the curtains.” The great O(z) has spoken, and spoken and spoken (with the benefit of his teleprompter), but at this point, there is a huge gap between his words and reality. For example, the great O(z)‘s proclamation that this is “recovery summer,” which has lots of people asking: If this is recovery summer, what will “lost winter” look like? And with CBS News documenting the fact that the President has told the country that we have 13 “top priorities,” (and I thought my ADD was an issue!) you can not help but wonder just what is his top, as in Number 1, priority.

Ideally that Number 1 priority would be putting people back to work. But with unemployment hovering around 10%, we sense that just like the Wizard, this President is clueless when it comes to creating jobs. What is galling is that it didn’t have to be this way. The President and Congress gave hundreds of billions to the unions and their allies, while ignoring the passage of a transportation infrastructure bill that would have cost less money and created over 2,000,000 jobs. Don’t take my word for it. Read Bob Herbert’s recent editorial in the New York Times.  When a columnist from the NYT criticizes a Democratic President for his failure to focus on creating jobs, it is: “Game, set, match.”

Finally, take it from Dorothy, the Scarecrow, Tin Man, and the Lion: You’re on your own! The Wizard couldn’t meet their needs so they took it upon themselves to work hard, make sacrifices, and overcome obstacles. In Obamaland, people look to the munificent government to take care of them. But think about this:  If the government had taken care of Dorothy’s friends, they would have missed the trip on the Yellow Brick Road and we would have missed a beautiful movie. But fortunately they understood that if you want to get ahead, you have to accept responsibility for your actions.

So if you want to overcome ODS, then watch the Wizard of Oz and be cheered up by the fact that ultimately Dorothy found her way home to Kansas. Oh, one other thing you can do. Click the heels of those pretty red shoes together; but instead of chanting “there’s no place like home,” say “I get to vote on November 2.”  Hopefully, instead of saying “Oh, Auntie Em, there’s no place like home,” we will be able to say “Goodbye Speaker Pelosi.” 

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