The Conservative Cave
Current Events => Politics => Topic started by: TheSarge on September 28, 2009, 10:55:21 AM
-
If ubiquity were the measure of a presidency, Barack Obama would already be grinning at us from Mount Rushmore. But of course it is not. Despite his many words and television appearances, our elegant and eloquent president remains more an emblem of change than an agent of it. He's a man with an endless, worthy to-do list—health care, climate change, bank reform, global capital regulation, AfPak, the Middle East, you name it—but, as yet, no boxes checked "done." This is a problem that style will not fix. Unless Obama learns to rely less on charm, rhetoric, and good intentions and more on picking his spots and winning in political combat, he's not going to be reelected, let alone enshrined in South Dakota.
The president's problem isn't that he is too visible; it's the lack of content in what he says when he keeps showing up on the tube. Obama can seem a mite too impressed with his own aura, as if his presence on the stage is the Answer. There is, at times, a self-referential (even self-reverential) tone in his big speeches. They are heavily salted with the words "I" and "my." (He used the former 11 times in the first few paragraphs of his address to the U.N. last week.) Obama is a historic figure, but that is the beginning, not the end, of the story.
There is only so much political mileage that can still be had by his reminding the world that he is not George W. Bush. It was the winning theme of the 2008 campaign, but that race ended nearly a year ago. The ex-president is now more ex than ever, yet the current president, who vowed to look forward, is still reaching back to Bush as bogeyman.
He did it again in that U.N. speech. The delegates wanted to know what the president was going to do about Israel and the Palestinian territories. He answered by telling them what his predecessor had failed to do. This was effective for his first month or two. Now it is starting to sound more like an excuse than an explanation.
Members of Obama's own party know who Obama is not; they still sometimes wonder who he really is. In Washington, the appearance of uncertainty is taken as weakness—especially on Capitol Hill, where a president is only as revered as he is feared. Being the cool, convivial late-night-guest in chief won't cut it with Congress, an institution impervious to charm (especially the charm of a president with wavering poll numbers). Members of both parties are taking Obama's measure with their defiant and sometimes hostile response to his desires on health care. Never much of a legislator (and not long a -senator), Obama underestimated the complexity of enacting a major "reform" bill. Letting Congress try to write it on its own was an awful idea. As a balkanized land of microfiefdoms, each loyal to its own lobbyists and consultants, Congress is incapable of being led by its "leadership." It's not like Chicago, where you call a guy who calls a guy who calls Daley, who makes the call. The president himself must make his wishes clear—along with the consequences for those who fail to grant them.
The model is a man whose political effectiveness Obama repeatedly says he admires: Ronald Reagan. There was never doubt about what he wanted. The Gipper made his simple, dramatic tax cuts the centerpiece not only of his campaign but also of the entire first year of his presidency.
Obama seems to think he'll get credit for the breathtaking scope of his ambition. But unless he sees results, it will have the opposite effect—diluting his clout, exhausting his allies, and emboldening his enemies.
http://www.newsweek.com/id/216210
-
Awesome article! Let's hope we see more of the same.
Hello?!?! Hello world?!?! Is this thing on??
-
No kiddin--I seem to see the President on more often than a Billy Mays commercial.
-
Or a bad repeat of Beevis and Butthead without the heavy metal
-
No kiddin--I seem to see the President on more often than a Billy Mays commercial.
Billy Mays would be a better President...even in his present condition.
-
I am absolutely stunned. That article came out of Newsweak? An unabashed bastion of liberalism? Howard Fineman? A scumsucking liberal of the first order? (Okay, maybe just behind Lord Zero, Bela Pelosi, and Rahm E.)
You could knock me over with a feather right now.
-
I am absolutely stunned. That article came out of Newsweak? An unabashed bastion of liberalism? Howard Fineman? A scumsucking liberal of the first order? (Okay, maybe just behind Lord Zero, Bela Pelosi, and Rahm E.)
You could knock me over with a feather right now.
Same here. You know you're in pretty bad shape with your base when stuff like this starts making it to print.
-
Billy Mays would be a better President...even in his present condition.
And that's sayin somethin!
-
The problem isn't only that Obama is on TV all the time, but he never says anything new.
He has repeated the same montage on every issue, I already know what he will say before he says it.
And blaming the previous administration for all your problems makes Obama look massively insecure about tackling the issues.
Obama has an obsession with getting everyone to like him--it's like he can't function without everyone worshiping him.
All of these are clearly signs that Obama is a person who was thrust into the greatest executive position in the world
with no executive experience. This is why people should vote Governors, Mayors, and former business executives for President...
I applaud Bush for behaving with dignity and completely ignoring Obama's attacks on him. By ignoring Obama, he makes Obama look even more stupid. If Bush responded, it would give Obama and the left wingers some political ammunition. I'm glad our former President doesn't want to play their game.
-
The problem isn't only that Obama is on TV all the time, but he never says anything new.
He has repeated the same montage on every issue, I already know what he will say before he says it.
And blaming the previous administration for all your problems makes Obama look massively insecure about tackling the issues.
Obama has an obsession with getting everyone to like him--it's like he can't function without everyone worshiping him.
All of these are clearly signs that Obama is a person who was thrust into the greatest executive position in the world
with no executive experience. This is why people should vote Governors, Mayors, and former business executives for President...
I applaud Bush for behaving with dignity and completely ignoring Obama's attacks on him. By ignoring Obama, he makes Obama look even more stupid. If Bush responded, it would give Obama and the left wingers some political ammunition. I'm glad our former President doesn't want to play their game.
Big Ditto Mustang
-
Bill Maher expressed displeasure with Obama, on his show Friday night....I was stunned.
Then today, Ariana Huffington (just who made her the know all liberal authority on American politics?) on The View and she was expressing displeasure with Obama not accomplishing anything.
My goodness gracious....could it be?
Could it really be?
Those who voted for him are finally seeing the "light" for what it really is?
Nothing but some good lighting skills by trained lighting technicians?
-
Then today, Ariana Huffington (just who made her the know all liberal authority on American politics?)
The Libtards did the moment she renounced her conservative ways.
-
The Libtards did the moment she renounced her conservative ways.
she is sooo obnoxious...
-
she is sooo obnoxious...
She is just showing the colors she had hidden IMHO
-
Way back when Bill Maher first started Politically Incorrect on Comedy Central, he had a more balanced show. Ariana was funny then, as was the show, but it seemed that moving it to ABC made Maher go full libtard.
-
Way back when Bill Maher first started Politically Incorrect on Comedy Central, he had a more balanced show. Ariana was funny then, as was the show, but it seemed that moving it to ABC made Maher go full libtard.
No that he's on HBO, he's pretty disgusting....especially when he gets started on religion.
I watch him based on the theory of "know what your enemies say".....
-
Way back when Bill Maher first started Politically Incorrect on Comedy Central, he had a more balanced show. Ariana was funny then, as was the show, but it seemed that moving it to ABC made Maher go full libtard.
I actually remember watching it in the early to mid 90's on Comedy Central and you're right it was more balanced and actually funny. I got through half an episode after it went to ABC and I was like "WTF happened to this show?" and haven't watched anything with Maher on it since.
-
No that he's on HBO, he's pretty disgusting....especially when he gets started on religion.
I watch him based on the theory of "know what your enemies say".....
I watched it for awhile after the move to ABC, then gave it up. Tried watching a few shows after the jump to HBO, but could no longer stand his smarmyness.
I actually remember watching it in the early to mid 90's on Comedy Central and you're right it was more balanced and actually funny. I got through half an episode after it went to ABC and I was like "WTF happened to this show?" and haven't watched anything with Maher on it since.
I was tempted to cancel HBO after his comments about terrorists not being cowards, but that we were because we dropped bombs from a safe distance.
-
His poll numbers are falling....he is over-saturating the media. Let him keep showing his ugly smug. It's working against him. The american people are not a patient people..they want results..yesterday. The housing market is still falling, unemployment rate is higher, the deficit is climbing. The republicans need to hammer down these points for next year's midterm elections.
-
I've seen the terms "elegant" and "eloquent" thrown about when describing 0, but I don't get it. I watched his speech at the UN the other day. I don't mean that I just listened to it. I actually sat there and watched him. There was something about his tone, facial expressions, and gestures that screamed arrogance.
Maybe it was just me. Or maybe it was just this speech.
-
I've seen the terms "elegant" and "eloquent" thrown about when describing 0, but I don't get it. I watched his speech at the UN the other day. I don't mean that I just listened to it. I actually sat there and watched him. There was something about his tone, facial expressions, and gestures that screamed arrogance.
Maybe it was just me. Or maybe it was just this speech.
He does not present to the people, he speaks down to them. The arrogance is very clear in his tone, vocabulary, facial expressions and body language. There is a very clear disdain for "the little people". He comes across as a pompous jerk.
Although I disliked BillyJeff, Uncle Eg0 could learn a lot from his style of speaking.
-
she is sooo obnoxious...
Right now, her gay ex-husband is laughing his ass off. She's such an attention whore, she'd go to the opening of an envelope.
Remeber her during the recall campaign when she was running for Governor? Classic.