Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Honey, I Shrunk the President
Wall Street Journal ^ | October 4, 2012 | JAMES TARANTO

Posted on 10/05/2012 1:54:36 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife

.....We could spend hours quoting disparaging reviews of Obama's performances from journalists who were never as head-over-heels as Matthews and Sullivan, but we like to pretend as if we have space constraints, so we'll just take one representative example,...Tunku Varadarajan writes: "My God, in the four years that we've seen him in the White House, I don't think we've ever seen the president so flaccid, so dull-brained, so jejune, so shifty, so downcast."

This columnist has to disagree. Obama's lame performance last night seemed typical to us. We can think of a few occasions in which we've seen the president less flaccid, less dull-brained, less jejune, less shifty, less downcast. But only a few.

But these qualities--or, to put it another way, this lack of quality--was harder than usual to miss last night because of the contrast with the highly effectual Romney. One reason it came as such a shock to Obama is that it was the first time in his career that he shared a debate stage with a serious opponent.

...... The test he failed last night is one to which he had never been put.

But the journalists who are pointing the finger at Obama have three fingers pointed back at themselves. Instead of challenging the president, the press corps--with a few honorable exceptions,like ABC's Jake Tapper and the guys from Univision--have spent the past four-plus years puffing him up and making excuses for him. The American Spectator's Jeffrey Lord explains:

>>>"The great James Taranto...long ago posited what is called the "Taranto Principle." In short, it means that the liberal media so coddles liberal politicians that they have no idea how to cope outside that liberal media bubble...

Barack Obama has been so totally coddled by the liberal media that he looked absolutely shell-shocked in this debate. Stunned,unhappy,angry,sour--and at some points genuinely incoherent..........."<<<<<

(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Editorial; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: competency; mediabias; obama; presidency; presidentialdebate
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061 next last
To: Bullish

Easy, Sean is a repeating talking point.


41 posted on 10/05/2012 5:29:31 AM PDT by bmwcyle (Corollary - Electing the same person over and over and expecting a different outcome is insanity)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies]

To: lentulusgracchus

I recommend this as the “Post of the Day!” Great observation!


42 posted on 10/05/2012 5:45:40 AM PDT by jennings2004 (Dear Leader's new math: 1(brutalized, dead Ambassador)+2(dead seals)+...= 1(bump in the road))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: Cincinatus' Wife
That was seriously laugh out loud funny!


the part about Moocheles lunch program was priceless!!!
43 posted on 10/05/2012 6:09:20 AM PDT by dagoofyfoot
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: Salamander

Oh goodness! *That* was an education! Lady parts and man parts.


44 posted on 10/05/2012 6:16:28 AM PDT by Daffynition (Self-respect: the secure feeling that no one, as yet, is suspicious. ~ HLM)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 25 | View Replies]

To: Cincinatus' Wife

Jejune - juvenile, immature, also dull or insipid, among others.


45 posted on 10/05/2012 6:21:31 AM PDT by bert ((K.E. N.P. N.C. +12 ..... Present failure and impending death yield irrational action))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: jonascord
Some author once pointed out that the only Pres that didn't seem to age rapidly was Nixon, and he was like a vampire. He seemed to feed on the stress.

Nixon handled his job with three fingers of brown liquor and frequent prayer and invocations of his late, sainted Quaker mother, Hannah Nixon. Having plenty of blood sugar from the booze had the virtue of relieving his liver and pancreas of frequent demands that they get up and deliver quads of energy to meet the strains of the office.

46 posted on 10/05/2012 7:10:24 AM PDT by lentulusgracchus
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 33 | View Replies]

To: Daffynition
Good save from Memory Hole oblivion (or is that, "mammary hole"?).

It's another good example of the peculiar tendency of the Left to debase and degrade casually and carelessly, with neither necessity or expedience to prompt the lapse of manners and grace.

47 posted on 10/05/2012 7:19:03 AM PDT by lentulusgracchus
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 21 | View Replies]

To: jennings2004
Why, thank you for the kind words!
48 posted on 10/05/2012 7:21:09 AM PDT by lentulusgracchus
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 42 | View Replies]

To: Liz

“Watch for Obama taking the debate podium w/ a portable oxygen unit, a ProAir inhaler, snorkeling equipment, adult diapers, and an economy-size bottle of SuperBeta Prostate pills.”

Nah, all he needs is a breathalyzer!


49 posted on 10/05/2012 8:39:23 AM PDT by CSM (Keeper of the Dave Ramsey Ping list. FReepmail me if you want your beeber stuned.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 27 | View Replies]

To: GeronL

Apparently Tunku has forgotten how many pics there are of Obama with his middle finger raised towards the audience & the press.

The chickens have come home to roost——and they brought along some buzzards to pick the carcass clean.


50 posted on 10/05/2012 9:27:04 AM PDT by ridesthemiles
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: lentulusgracchus

Jake Tapper has so many frowns when he is on camera that he will be needing Botox very soon, IMO.


51 posted on 10/05/2012 9:28:29 AM PDT by ridesthemiles
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: livius

My local Reno TV cut away. I didn’t get to see the stage fill up.


52 posted on 10/05/2012 9:33:07 AM PDT by ridesthemiles
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 17 | View Replies]

To: livius

He was very, very angry. Did you see the photo of him and his lovely wife right afterwards? She was truly furious!””

Happy Anniversary, Honey!


53 posted on 10/05/2012 9:33:57 AM PDT by ridesthemiles
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 17 | View Replies]

To: Liz

His Blackberry needs to be taken away from him & someone competant needs to examine his ears for a VERY small earpiece into which his handlers are giving remarks.


54 posted on 10/05/2012 9:38:45 AM PDT by ridesthemiles
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 27 | View Replies]

To: Liz

How come the smartest man in the world didn’t know about high altitude?

Got HIGH too many times in the past on drugs??


55 posted on 10/05/2012 9:39:43 AM PDT by ridesthemiles
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 27 | View Replies]

To: lentulusgracchus

Mark Levin holds Hannity in high regard as guess what? A conservative.

Is mark wrong about Sean?


56 posted on 10/05/2012 11:36:59 AM PDT by Bullish (The stink from this amateur regime smells all the way to Kenya.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 37 | View Replies]

To: lentulusgracchus
Hannity does what he does, and Michael Medved does what he does, but I don't think of either of them as conservative, but more Republican, rather.

Did you know that Hannity is not a Republican? As I recall, he is registered as Conservative party. The last few years Hannity has come around and is now as much a tea party conservative as anyone on the radio. He didn't used to be but I think he's evolved over the years. I've heard him take it to Rino's as harshly as Levin or anyone else for that matter. He is respectful and not rude to any of his guests, however, even if they're from the hard left, though that should be considered part of his job, I guess. If he was nasty all the time he wouldn't get anyone from the left to interview on his show. He still has a way of getting under their skin and peeling the onion. Just in a kinder manner, I think.

I'm am not a Hannity-bot by any means, but I think he is more and more conservative lately and deserves credit for fighting the left along with Rush and Levin, etc. that's the only reason I pointed out that he should be included because in my opinion, he's a bulldog for our side and he deserves to be included and credited for his efforts.

A lot of people are turned off by Hannity's delivery, I think. But to say he's not conservative, well I can't think of anything he's said in the past year or two that wasn't conservative. If you haven't listened to him lately maybe give him another shot.

I agree with you on Medved, though, he is center right at best and comes from a very religious Jewish perspective.

57 posted on 10/05/2012 5:45:15 PM PDT by Bullish (The stink from this amateur regime smells all the way to Kenya.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 37 | View Replies]

To: Cincinatus' Wife
Thanks for the link -- yes, I know the St. Pete Times is a 'Rat rag deluxe, think they've hosted Politifact's Soros spew from the beginning.

Interesting evaluation on their part, no doubt written with long, tear-streaked faces and testicles sucked up into chests.

58 posted on 10/05/2012 6:25:36 PM PDT by lentulusgracchus
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: Daffynition
[Quoting your source] "Because they kinda do."

Democrats have always surprised with their willingness to descend to offend. Here they offer us a nice balance between delicate Art Nouveau pen work, on the one hand, and vulgar mental imagery -- as if someone were actually going to dismember a crowd of women the way Charles Manson's gang did.

What do you do with people determined to offend?

59 posted on 10/05/2012 6:32:42 PM PDT by lentulusgracchus
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 21 | View Replies]

To: generally; SueRae
... and don't forget Breitbart! Another of the fearless ones willing to speak the truth when it was not popular.

All hail the courageous Breitbart and his jolly co-conspirators. Breitbart, who may have paid for his impiousness toward the power-mad with his life.

I still want to know how he really died.

60 posted on 10/05/2012 6:36:24 PM PDT by lentulusgracchus
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 28 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061 next last

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.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson