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Noonan: When Americans Saw the Real Obama
The Wall Street Journal ^ | 25 October 2012 | Peggy Noonan

Posted on 10/26/2012 7:46:59 AM PDT by Senator Goldwater

Why was the first debate so toxic for the president? Because the one thing he couldn't do if he was going to win the election is let all the pent-up resentment toward him erupt. Americans had gotten used to him as The President. Whatever his policy choices, whatever general direction he seemed to put in place he was The President, a man who had gotten there through natural gifts and what all politicians need, good fortune.

What he couldn't do was present himself, when everyone was looking, as smaller than you thought. Petulant, put upon, above it all, full of himself. He couldn't afford to make himself look less impressive than the challenger in terms of command, grasp of facts, size.

But that's what he did.

Which gets us to Bob Woodward's "The Price of Politics," published last month. The portrait it contains of Mr. Obama—of a president who is at once over his head, out of his depth and wholly unaware of the fact—hasn't received the attention it deserves. Throughout the book, which is a journalistic history of the president's key economic negotiations with Capitol Hill, Mr. Obama is portrayed as having the appearance and presentation of an academic or intellectual while being strangely clueless in his reading of political situations and dynamics. He is bad at negotiating—in fact doesn't know how. His confidence is consistently greater than his acumen, his arrogance greater than his grasp.

People saw for the first time an Obama they may have heard about on radio or in a newspaper but had never seen.

They didn't see some odd version of the president. They saw the president.

And they didn't like what they saw, and that would linger.

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


TOPICS: Culture/Society; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: arrogance; condescension; debate; obama
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To: mojito

I totally agree that it was obvious from the start that Obama was a Marxist and would be a disaster for this country. At the time, I could not understand how the likes of Peggy Noonan could not see beyond the false image he presented, and I was very angry about it. Now, I think it is time for us to put our anger aside. Why? If Peggy Noonan hadn’t awaken and many others like her, we will be looking at another four years of Barack Obama. If Obama is defeated on election day, that will not be the end of things. That will be the beginning. The left has taken over many colleges and public schools. They are indoctrinating our children will their ideas. Conservatives need to accept this and start working to reverse the tide of lies and deception that is slowly sweeping away the foundations of our country. We will need everyone available to do this.


21 posted on 10/26/2012 9:36:16 AM PDT by Essie
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To: mojito

I totally agree that it was obvious from the start that Obama was a Marxist and would be a disaster for this country. At the time, I could not understand how the likes of Peggy Noonan could not see beyond the false image he presented, and I was very angry about it. Now, I think it is time for us to put our anger aside. Why? If Peggy Noonan hadn’t awaken and many others like her, we will be looking at another four years of Barack Obama. If Obama is defeated on election day, that will not be the end of things. That will be the beginning. The left has taken over many colleges and public schools. They are indoctrinating our children will their ideas. Conservatives need to accept this and start working to reverse the tide of lies and deception that is slowly sweeping away the foundations of our country. We will need everyone available to do this.


22 posted on 10/26/2012 9:37:40 AM PDT by Essie
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To: July4
Sorry, Peggy, but I can’t forget that you’re part of the reason I’ve just lived through 4 years of hell.

I like Peggy, but I'm having a hard time getting past that too... How could she NOT have been able to see who he really was? It smacks of bimbo-lite or something. Almost like she was some liberal woman.

23 posted on 10/26/2012 9:38:14 AM PDT by GOPJ ('TRUTH is the Enemy of Democrat Thuggishness: Spread it like Napalm!' w/apology to Eric Allen Bell)
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To: Senator Goldwater; All
October 26, 2012 - Glenn Beck: New Explosive Benghazi Allegations: CIA Operators Told to ‘Stand Down’ During Attack & 3 Urgent Requests for Military Back-Up Were Denied
24 posted on 10/26/2012 10:16:57 AM PDT by Larousse2 (The price of Freedom is Eternal Vigilance. ~ Thomas Jefferson)
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To: Senator Goldwater
Noonan: When Americans Saw the Real Obama

Peggy Noonan - Obama enabler, pedantic a$$ clown.

25 posted on 10/26/2012 10:54:55 AM PDT by Common Sense 101 (Hey libs... If your theories fly in the face of reality, it's not reality that's wrong.)
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To: July4

Really Peggy, we all saw this fool for what he was in 2008. But you went back to your true roots—liberalism and ignored everything you saw while working for Reagan.

Peg, just go away, your time has passed...


26 posted on 10/26/2012 11:08:12 AM PDT by sarge83
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27 posted on 10/26/2012 11:35:58 AM PDT by TheOldLady
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To: onyx
Question: When did Peggy Noonan finally see the REAL Obama?

IMO she still hasn't. Her issue with Obama isn't with his ideology, it's with his chances of retaining power. Peggy Noonan swoons for powerful men, capable of winning elections. Obama turned her off by behaving like a loser.

28 posted on 10/26/2012 11:49:46 AM PDT by Alex Murphy
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To: Alex Murphy

She’s worthless. I agree with you.


29 posted on 10/26/2012 12:01:51 PM PDT by onyx (FREE REPUBLIC IS HERE TO STAY! DONATE MONTHLY! IF YOU WANT ON SARAH PALIN''S PING LIST, LET ME KNOW)
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To: onyx

Presumably when the tingle that ran up Chris Matthew’s leg quit making her va-jay-jay tingle...


30 posted on 10/26/2012 12:48:47 PM PDT by NVDave
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To: Senator Goldwater

Peggy, you nailed it, but about 10 years late.


31 posted on 10/26/2012 1:14:09 PM PDT by Right Wing Assault (Dick Obama is more inexperienced now than he was before he was elected.)
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