To a golfer there is nothing worse than a shank. A shank flies off the hossel of the club and goes almost diagonal to the target. The worst thing about a shank is the fear that the next shot may be a shark. The golfer has no idea why he shanked and that very fear may be just what it takes to embed the shanks in the game for days. I once saw a low handicapper get the shanks and keep them for four days in a tournament. Hours on the range and advice from anyone and everyone who would give any couldn’t fix the problem.
President Obama has what appears to be the political equivalent of the shanks. His first big shank came in the State of the Union Address when he changed government spending to investing. The message in the November elections was clear. No more spending, regardless of what you may choose to call the practice. The public does not believe the government is competent to invest. Gee, the Stimulus Bill might have something to do with that. But, Obama pinged one off the hossle and made it the centerpiece of his plans for this year. Ouch.
Then he plopped down his lame budget for the next fiscal year. Even the liberal press noticed that shank. He is going to raise taxes and take credit for a trillion in defense savings already cooked into the budget, increase spending and call it a budget cut. Honestly, Mr. President, the public is tired of your smoke and mirrors budget numbers. There may be someone, somewhere, who accepts your budget for what you say it is, but to 99.9% of the rest, it’s a cold shank, it ricocheted off the club and in your case(lefty) went due left. Further left than you have ever gone.
Once you hit two shanks, Mr. President, it’s in the muscle memory. Your next shark came when you decided to interject yourself into the Wisconsin budget scuffle. You called it an attack on the unions. The governor of Wisconsin saw it as another shank. He plainly said, when Obama gets his budget mess in order he can comment, but until that happens keep your nose out of my business. I other words, Mr. President, I’m busy here trying to hit fairways and greens and I don’t need your shanking problem on my golf course.
I’ve seen and hit enough shanks to know Obama has many more in store for him. He is totally out of step with the electorate and shows no signs of getting in step. Some say he is moving to the center. Based on the shanks documented above, I say his ball is going further and further left. Some are totally out of bounds.
Not much chance of winning that big cup in 2012, Mr. President, if you keep this up. Maybe, just maybe, we’ll get someone who can keep it in play in 2012.
