During the 2008 presidential campaign, Barack Obama’s slogan was “Yes, we can!” But if you thought that was an inspiring call for individual empowerment, think again. His new message is, “Oh no, you didn’t.”

On Friday, the president laid bare the logic behind his call for higher taxes on the wealthy. “You know, there are a lot of wealthy, successful Americans who agree with me, because they want to give something back,” Obama said in a campaign speech. “They know they didn’t — look, if you’ve been successful, you didn’t get there on your own. You didn’t get there on your own.”

“I’m always struck by people who think, well, it must be because I was just so smart,” Obama continued. (He is apparently not struck by people who think they can centrally plan the economy or wield substantial political power over others because they are just so smart.) “There are a lot of smart people out there.”

Having dismissed the old noggin as a possible explanation of individual success, Obama next started in on hard work. “It must be because I worked harder than everybody else,” he imagined the winners of life’s lottery to believe. “Let me tell you something –there are a whole bunch of hardworking people out there.”

Okay, people don’t succeed because of their inherent brain power or hard work. By now the audience must have been sitting on the edge of their seats, wondering how dear leader would explain success. Obama finally obliged: “If you were successful, somebody along the line gave you some help.”

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