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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2009
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 OPINION 
14

Anti-Biz Obama 'Loathes Profit Motive': Barnes

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(Newser) – “Anti-business may be too crude a label” for President Obama, Fred Barnes writes in the Weekly Standard, but America's leader certainly "has a dark view of profits." Surveying Obama's appointments, policies, and remarks about business, Barnes concludes that "Obama loathes the profit motive or at least what he thinks it causes.” Yet Obama maintains that "he's a free-market guy who hates 'meddling in the private sector.'"

In fact, the president has done “quite a bit to restrain” job growth by regulating banks, spanking credit card companies, and limiting executive bonuses, says Barnes. Obama's bailouts of GM and Chrysler betray a government-controls-business attitude that dismisses free markets. And his public comments, which favor nonprofits over profit-making, seal the deal for Barnes: "Given the evidence, rendering a verdict on Obama and business is easy."

President Barack Obama.
President Barack Obama.   (AP Photo)
President Barack Obama and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner.
President Barack Obama and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner.   (AP Photo)
President Barack Obama meets with Zimbabwe's Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, not shown, Friday, June 12, 2009, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington.
President Barack Obama meets with Zimbabwe's Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, not shown, Friday, June 12, 2009, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington.   (AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari)
President Barack Obama speaks at a town hall meeting on health care reform, Thursday, June 11, 2009, at Southwest High School in Green Bay, Wis.
President Barack Obama speaks at a town hall meeting on health care reform, Thursday, June 11, 2009, at Southwest High School in Green Bay, Wis.   (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
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Anti-business may be too crude a label. But this we can conclude: Obama doesn't trust free markets, he prefers government over business, he thinks Americans are too concerned about money, and he has a dark view of profits.
- Fred Barnes

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14 comments
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Doctor_Zaius
Jun 13, 09 4:35 PM CDT
Fred Barnes - Just another conservative douchebag that can't see the forest for the trees. Reply
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+5
IN RESPONSE:
JonmarkP
Jun 13, 09 5:10 PM CDT
Fred Barnes can't see the forest OR the trees. Good thing, too - you know he'd clear cut them all if he could.
Vote up! Vote down!
+6
IN RESPONSE:
Newser001
Jun 13, 09 7:07 PM CDT
After the spanking the banking and securities industries just gave the entire world (economies)... Barnes complains? Those that failed should have failed - What a whiny ass schmuck; status quo.
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+3
Thisplacemakesmepuke
Jun 13, 09 5:07 PM CDT
Please Democratic Presidents don't appoint business people: What about FDR and Kennedy and Johnson? The fact that in our new, instant, news cycle any business people are tarred by their business back ground is more the problem. Can you say Pritzker or Rattner? Imagine a Harriman, Hammer or Joe Kennedy surviving a nominating process today. That in the past, we overlooked the obvious in return for experience is neither Liberal nor Conservative, but speaks volumes to our new-found desire for a bit of ethical skin wrapped around that business acuity. Reply
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+1
emptycalm
Jun 13, 09 5:13 PM CDT
I'm sure anyone with the slightest bit of humanity is leery about profit motives. Reply
Vote up! Vote down!
+3

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