Posted on 12/07/2010 1:20:16 PM PST by jazusamo
foxinretreatCLASS WARFARE and some civil unrest , brewing in a neighborhood near you. Hey oligarchs how it turns out is anybodys guess. I hope Wikileaks unleashes its info on the banks ASAP, I could care less if WS has to tank to stop this madness.
mjtaylor22THEY GOT MOR EBANG FOR THEIR BUCK, HOW BOUT INCREASE UI PAYMENTS, AND SEND EVERY CITIZEN A CHECK FOR AT LEAST 1,000..SORRY TAX PAYING CITIZEN
Linda MulenbachDear Mr. President. You had me, and then you lost me! Can we please have a democratic primary challenger! I am DONE with Obama.
Chefbob50Wanted: One backbone and set of balls send to B. Obama c/o 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. Wash. D.C.
Well, Chefbob, you obviously sent Obama your heart in 2008. Why not complete the deal now? Theres more HuffPo commentary at the link, including stuff like this:
srheardThe next time I vote for a President, I am going to rank strong negotiating skills right up there with literacy and intellect.
Thats funny. Conservatives brought up the competency argument in 2008 and got slapped with the race card. Now heres a liberal playing competency against Obama. I happened to be watching MSNBCs Ed Schultz (so you dont have to) when the deal came down on Monday. His guest was liberal Rep. Keith Ellison. I thought the two might have an on-air rage party.
Looking beyond the fever swamps, Paul Krugman doesnt like the deal at all. Sen. Dick Durban thinks the Democrats may walk out on it (which would only mean they will get a worse deal after the GOP takes over the House next year). And liberal Rep. Jim McDermott calls the deal Obamas Gettysburg. Which, if you think about it, puts Obama in the role of Robert E. Lee. Guess that means Biden gets to play Gen. Pickett. Heh.
It does seem as if all of Obamas various bad choices and lack of experience have come to focus here. He has no experience in high level, hardball negotiations prior to the presidency, and it showed here: He lost in the eyes of the base that put him in office. He made a very poor choice in a vice president, and now that vice president is reportedly getting the job of selling this deal. To put that into some perspective, Joe Biden is so magnetic and persuasive that he has resorted to stealing others words and peddling them as his own. Biden is so persuasive that his plan for Iraq opposing the surge, breaking it up into vulnerable mini-states went nowhere. Biden is so persuasive that hes never been more than a footnote to any recent presidential contest, until Obama plucked him for the veep job. Its not a stretch to think that Biden wont be any more persuasive among Obamas liberal base than Obama himself is, and that base is turning on Obama in rage. Then again, heres some counter evidence: As Im writing this, the President is on the air in defensive lecture mode saying that this deal wasnt about the politics of the moment, but about whats possible right now. Uh, ok. And the difference is ? If his future communications on this and other issues remain as laughable as that, perhaps Biden is the better choice to front the band.
This presidency was already in a state of rapid decay, maybe even freefall. The mid-term shellacking robbed it of its congressional power and killed off Democratic allies in several states. Major figures like Rahm Emanuel and David Axelrod were already heading for the exits, leaving behind the radical czars, the damaged and the gaffe prone. Now this deal may go down as Obamas read my lips turn, alienating whats left of his base.
Anything can happen in two years, and the more morbid among Obamas allies are pining for a crisis to resurrect him. Im not yet convinced that Obama is a one-and-done, but the rage among his base sure makes his re-election look a whole lot less likely.
Update: Watching President Obamas press conference, Im struck by just how out of sorts he seems. Hes trying to argue that he took this short term deal, which will end up being a bad long term for Republicans, because of the tax cuts on the rich. What he doesnt seem to get is that hell be arguing about the Bush tax cuts as a whole in two years, when hes running for re-election, having already lost that debate in 2010. Hes coming across as hectoring, defensive, and not well acquainted with the facts or the policy. This may be the worst presidential press conference Ive seen Bill Clinton denied that woman.
Update: Whoa. Now hes angrily lecturing the left for their reaction to the deal, citing their negative reaction to ObamaCare because it lacked a public option. Again, hes coming across as a know-it-all whos reminding you of that unforgivable thing you did that ruined your relationship way back when. While its nice to see someone attempt to inject a little reality in the reality based community, I predict that this wont go over well. At all.
More: Well, that was pretty bad, the kind of presser Napoleon might have given after Waterloo. Obama, among other things, compared Republicans to terrorists holding the American people hostage. That theme is bouncing around the left, indicating either an unhealthy groupthink is going on or that theres an actual strategy at work. Its a bad line to take, and it wont work. Tax policy does not equal terrorism, especially in an age of actual, lethal terrorism.
All in all, not a good finish for 2010 if youre Barack Obama, which will go down as the year of the death of Hope and Change.
Bryan Preston has been a leading conservative blogger and opinionator since founding his first blog in 2001. Bryan is a military veteran, worked for NASA, was a founding blogger and producer at Hot Air, was producer of the Laura Ingraham Show and, most recently before joining PJM, was Communications Director of the Republican Party of Texas.
ROFL! Good advice.
I was reading DU earlier, they have abandoned THE ONE! It’s too funny over there!
Yep, Baghdad Jim jumped out at me, he’s a commie.
Glad to hear it. LOL!
Actually, Zero needs an anti psychotic drug...strong drugs...too strong for anyone who is acting as president...hello Biden...
Does the Navy use garbage scows? I vote for that.
That would work for them IF they hadn't spent the last eight years saying the GOP was the "party of NO." If they now become the party of no, the Republicans will use that very effectively against them.
Amen to that! Especially the new House with the majority we have and it’ll be easier in the new Senate with the added seats.
DU, HP is complete meltdown
I don't think so. There's a double standard where such things are concerned. For the Dems, it can and probably will be characterized as a "principled stand."
The Democrats can, as they always do, claim to be standing up for the little guy -- and they have no scruples about using that endless supply of good folks who really are hurting.
The Republicans, meanwhile, are forced to argue on the basis of why Congress shouldn' help out people who are hurting.
Americans are, by and large, nice people who don't mind helping other people out. And it's very true that good people are hurting. And for that reason, the Democrats have by far the easier job in convincing people of their position.
Over decades they've figured out how to make the emotional appeal, and they've dulled peoples' senses about the economic and moral difficulties associated with their position.
The R's have got to start working on educating people about reality. It may not be possible until things break for real, though.
WH Presser and apocalisp. How appropriate.
AND—they have to start realizing that playing on emotions is as necessary as “playing” to intellect. Some people vote with their heads—but more vote with their GUT! Time for Pubs to stop “being above that” and use soundbites that don’t just buzz around the brain, but actually carry a STING!
Just take a poll of those drawing unemployment who they voted for in 2008.
I lost my job one year ago this month.
I have not even thought about applying for unemployment.
My situation is my concern and not a thing that I would put off on my fellow citizens.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.