Hicks Nix Execs Bucks
What does President Obama think of the American people?
Uncross your eyes, close your mouth, wipe your nose, and read on
Arrayed around a long mahogany table in the White House state dining room last week, the CEOs of the most powerful financial institutions in the world offered several explanations for paying high salaries to their employees — and, by extension, to themselves.
“These are complicated companies,” one CEO said. Offered another: “We’re competing for talent on an international market.”
But President Barack Obama wasn’t in a mood to hear them out. He stopped the conversation and offered a blunt reminder of the public’s reaction to such explanations. “Be careful how you make those statements, gentlemen. The public isn’t buying that.”
“My administration,” the president added, “is the only thing between you and the pitchforks.”
Pitchforks—that’d be me and you. Hayseeds. Hicks with grass stems sticking out from between our tooth. Buncha Verns, and Earls, and Bettys, and Eunices.
But if that doesn’t sound like you, if you’re not likely to treat an economic downturn as the opportunity to overthrow the standards and rules that turned a bunch of upstart colonies into the richest, most powerful nation in history—don’t worry: there are plenty to take your place.
Carol said,
April 3, 2009 @ 9:12 pm
I read that as the Contemptible-in-Chief threatening businessmen with mobs. I immediately pictured Frankenstein movies with the mob chasing the monster with torches and, you guessed it, pitchforks. Either way, he thinks of us as uncivilized and incapable of behaving ourselves.
I’ll take his contempt and raise him a despise.
Bloodthirsty Liberal said,
April 4, 2009 @ 7:33 am
He frightens me.
- Aggie