I thought this article about our radical POTUS was interesting especially after the Michael Reagan piece.
By PEGGY NOONAN
Updated Nov. 14, 2014 6:00 p.m. ET
Seven years ago I was talking to a longtime Democratic operative on Capitol Hill about a politician who was in trouble. The pol was likely finished, he said. I was surprised. Can’t he change things and dig himself out? No. “People do what they know how to do.†Politicians don’t have a vast repertoire. When they get in a jam they just do what they’ve always done, even if it’s not working anymore.
This came to mind when contemplating President Obama. After a devastating election, he is presenting himself as if he won. The people were not saying no to his policies, he explained, they would in fact like it if Republicans do what he tells them.
You don’t begin a new relationship with a threat, but that is what he gave Congress: Get me an immigration bill I like or I’ll change U.S. immigration law on my own.
Mr. Obama is doing what he knows how to do—stare them down and face them off. But his circumstances have changed. He used to be a conquering hero, now he’s not. On the other hand he used to have to worry about public support. Now, with no more elections before him, he has the special power of the man who doesn’t care.
I have never seen a president in exactly the position Mr. Obama is, which is essentially alone. He’s got no one with him now. The Republicans don’t like him, for reasons both usual and particular: They have had no good experiences with him. The Democrats don’t like him, for their own reasons plus the election loss. Before his post-election lunch with congressional leaders, he told the press that he will judiciously consider any legislation, whoever sends it to him, Republicans or Democrats. His words implied that in this he was less partisan and more public-spirited than the hacks arrayed around him. It is for these grace notes that he is loved. No one at the table looked at him with colder, beadier eyes than outgoing Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid , who clearly doesn’t like him at all.
The press doesn’t especially like the president; in conversation they evince no residual warmth. This week at the Beijing summit there was no sign the leaders of the world had any particular regard for him. They can read election returns. They respect power and see it leaking out of him. If Mr. Obama had won the election they would have faked respect and affection.
Vladimir Putin delivered the unkindest cut, patting Mr. Obama’s shoulder reassuringly. Normally that’s Mr. Obama’s move, putting his hand on your back or shoulder as if to bestow gracious encouragement, needy little shrimp that you are. It’s a dominance move. He’s been doing it six years. This time it was Mr. Putin doing it to him. The president didn’t like it.
From Reuters: “‘It’s beautiful, isn’t it?’ Putin was overheard saying in English in Obama’s general direction, referring to the ornate conference room. ‘Yes,’ Obama replied, coldly, according to journalists who witnessed the scene.â€
The last time we saw a president so alone it was Richard Nixon, at the end of his presidency, when the Democrats had turned on him, the press hated him, and the Republicans were fleeing. It was Sen. Barry Goldwater, the GOP’s standard-bearer in 1964, and House Minority Leader John Rhodes, also of Arizona, who went to the White House to tell Nixon his support in Congress had collapsed, they would vote to impeach. Years later Goldwater called Nixon “The world’s biggest liar.â€
But Nixon had one advantage Obama does not: the high regard of the world’s leaders, who found his downfall tragic (such ruin over such a trifling matter) and befuddling (he didn’t keep political prisoners chained up in dungeons, as they did. Why such a fuss?).
Nixon’s isolation didn’t end well.
Last Sunday Mr. Obama, in an interview with CBS ’s Bob Schieffer, spoke of his motivation, how he’s always for the little guy. “I love just being with the American people. . . . You know how passionate I am about trying to help them.†He said what is important is “a guy who’s lost his job or lost his home or . . . is trying to send a kid to college.†When he talks like that, as he does a lot, you get the impression his romantic vision of himself is Tom Joad in the movie version of “The Grapes of Wrath.†“I’ll be all around . . . wherever there’s a fight so hungry people can eat, I’ll be there.â€
I mentioned last week that the president has taken to filibustering, to long, rambling answers in planned sit-down settings—no questions on the fly walking from here to there, as other presidents have always faced. The press generally allows him to ramble on, rarely fighting back as they did with Nixon. But I have noticed Mr. Obama uses a lot of words as padding. He always has, but now he does it more. There’s a sense of indirection and obfuscation. You can say, “I love you,†or you can say, “You know, feelings will develop, that happens among humans and it’s good it happens, and I have always said, and I said it again just last week, that you are a good friend, I care about you, and it’s fair to say in terms of emotional responses that mine has escalated or increased somewhat, and ‘love’ would not be a wholly inappropriate word to use to describe where I’m coming from.â€
When politicians do this they’re trying to mush words up so nothing breaks through. They’re leaving you dazed and trying to make it harder for you to understand what’s truly being said.
It is possible the president is responding to changed circumstances with a certain rigidity because no one ever stood in his way before. Most of his adult life has been a smooth glide. He had family challenges and an unusual childhood, but as an adult and a professional he never faced fierce, concentrated resistance. He was always magic. Life never came in and gave it to him hard on the jaw. So he really doesn’t know how to get up from the mat. He doesn’t know how to struggle to his feet and regain his balance. He only knows how to throw punches. But you can’t punch from the mat.
He only knows how to do what he’s doing.
In the meantime he is killing his party. Gallup this week found that the Republicans for the first time in three years beat the Democrats on favorability, and also that respondents would rather have Congress lead the White House than the White House lead Congress.
A few weeks ago a conservative intellectual asked me: “How are we going to get through the next two years?†It was a rhetorical question; he was just sharing his anxiety. We have a president who actually can’t work with Congress, operating in a capital in which he is resented and disliked and a world increasingly unimpressed by him, and so increasingly predatory.
Anyway, for those who are young and not sure if what they are seeing is wholly unusual: Yes, it is wholly unusual.
So much for you amateur psychoanalysis of POTUS. But by all means, keep reaping the benefits of net neutrality and the First Amendment. Accuracy is not required.
Peggy Noonan is not a psychologist, but she’s not an amateur either Linda. She is a well regarded political analyst. Her comments sting, don’t they? Like salt in an open wound. In this case the open wound is the current sitting POTUS.
No, they really don’t sting and I have no open wounds. I am really excited to see what the next few months bring. We lefties tend to be more optimistic than you righties.
Btw, my name is still “Laura”.
My bad Laura. No offense meant with the name. I am no “righty” other than a strong believer in the “Rights” endowed to the legal citizens of this great nation by the Constitution and it’s first 10 Amendments. I am in disagreement with the attitudes of the extreme right-winger tea baggers as much as I am those of the left-wing nut jobs. I too am interested in what the next few months, and next 2 years, bring.
LKB
finally I understand what you typed, it went like this : Blah Blah Blah Blah
This ones 34th comment by listing “currently today. ” 😉
Noonan is whining (CountryBoy too) because Obama isn’t laying down and giving up. In fact, the measure of a politician mostly grows when he has a strong competitor….and Obama seems to be in a good mood, and it is driving CountryBoy and other Tea Party hags nuts.
Can we do away with the pretense here?
Obama WANTED a significant GOP win in midterms. He needed a GOP to fight with. And Harry Reid is PISSED because HE KNOWS THAT Obama wanted a GOP Senate.
Watch…..and expect CountryBoy to whine, throw a fit and complain it doesn’t make sense….Obama’s stature is rising and so will his poll numbers.
Noonan is scared of ANYONE (GOP or DEM) who might compare in popularity with Ronald Reagan. Her claim to fame is she was a speechwriter for him. And Noonan actually knew Ronald Reagan about 100 TIMES MORE PERSONALLY than Michael Reagan, by the way. The President had to be told who Michael Reagan was during his re-election campaign, in fact. The President had no relationship with Michael Reagan since 1948 when he divorced Jane Wyman, a Hollywood actress, and decades before Reagan even considered politics.
…..notwithstanding,
the CLEAR WINNER of the “we kicked ass and won big Contract with America” GOP Congress and the “we’re gonna impeach him now!” Democratic President Clinton,
…was President Bill Clinton. His poll numbers his last two years in office were outstanding. He’s STILL the most popular living President.
Key word: “living”
…..PCD, you’re that worried about Hillary, huh? Planning to have Ted Cruz beat Hillary are you?
Hillary has about the same chance of winning the presidency as a white person getting elected to the city council in the racist 4th ward. Hillary is displaying the symptoms of early onset of dementia, probably initiated by the rapist, liar, child abuser and sexual predator she calls husband and liberals refer to as god.
Pov, there is skeletons in everyone’s closet that is in politics. I does not matter which political party they belong.
“Loosely” following a nation wide credit card advertisement.
“What is in your closet”?
As far as past presidents stumping for their party members, was the past republican president stumping his political members? Or was it damage control, out of site, out of mind?
I believe you meant to direct that comment to POV, not PCD…..
….Ha! That is too funny POV. I just read your reply. I take it the answer from you is YES.
Is that why everyone he campaigned for in the last election lost, shem?
……..You don’t know about national elections C-Sense. They were collecting favors from Dem State party machines that will be cashed in later. Hillary, while not unbeatable, is wholly formidable in the next Presidential election. If you don’t think so, you are “wishing” how things would be…or you’re trying to sell something you know stinks.
There are no favors for the Clintons to collect from that tsunami defeat, shem.
I am selling nothing and not even thinking about the next election. If Obama is successful in giving amnesty to 10-20 million illegal aliens you won’t be either. You’ll be wondering where the sovereign United states of America went.
Did any candidates allow any ties to Little George? Seems he is considered a plaque to their party?
Hopefully, in two years time, this nation can elect a President, a national leader, who can lead. Whether he/she is a Democrat, Republican, or Independent is irrelevant. We need a leader, not a manager. I pray that in the next 2 years the heads of the national political parties recognize the need to offer competent, able candidates for national offices in lieu of the sad, pitiful options that have been presented in recent elections.
Could it be true it may be the wealthy, that go thru the lobbyist, who go thru congress representatives that set the agenda? The President position has the same people pulling their strings as well!
Dear Editor
During one of our past disagreements over certain posts, you always removed all posts (well, at least the ones I used) where it was a direct “copy and paste” of an entire article from online. You made some sort of statement about copyright or something along those lines.
Therefore, why allow the antics (and they are frequent) of 1countryboy to copy and post long (LONG) articles completely from online sources?
An answer or some consistency, please?
You might want to consider the inherent value of the pieces posted. It might just be that a middle of the road analysis is of more intellectual value than an a sloppy fabrication based in ideology.
I think you’ll find that Copyright laws are laws without regard to subjective evaluations of the “intellectual worth” of the material.
I had missed out on that, but you do make a lot of sense. CB1 is really good at copying and pasting long,long articles. It is probably because he lacks capability to summarize, but whatever the reason, it does get tiring.
Thanks Laura. Great observation
Personally I never totally agreed with the Copyright issue. What bugs me is the hypocritical stance of CCO on this topic. Put this IIT on your calendar. If I started posting lengthy articles verbatim on CCO that were anti-right wing or pro-Democrat they would get censored and removed by CCO. I think if I look I can find past postings to prove it
So what do you say CCO? Answer the question. Is it your policy to allow wholesale cut and paste of entire websites and lengthy articles authored by others?
No it is not. We do encourage links with hints. We also have zero paid staffers to watch such things, especially on the weekends. I for one do not have a clue what comment you are speaking about. I also do not have 2 hours to dig through a couple of hundred comments to guess.
Don’t have to dig very far. It’s the very first one.
Dear Editor
OK, a few things
1. PoseyCountyDutchman points out the obvious, it was the FIRST post on the IIT!
2. I identified the user name who did it (1countryboy), which should have helped
3. Even after being identified, you left it up in violation of your supposed policy of only “encouraging links”
4. Lack of staff never stopped you before, although my perception is that enforcement remains selective. If the rant is one you like, you leave it, otherwise, it gets removed
I have tolerated this long enough and would like to copy and post an example of hypocrisy and plagiarism from “Crybaby Classy”. I don’t “always” copy and post articles but the timing and the fact it was “Open Forum Weekend” I took liberties.
A good bit of this blather was taken right from Newsweek, probably copy and posted.
ClassyEvillePolitics
Oct 29, 2014 at 1:27 pm
1countryidiot
The level of your ignorance never ceases to astound me. The article and the cartoon are an embarrassing travesty, and the CCO should be ashamed for running it.
First issue I have: This article is written by a “humor columnistâ€. Yeah, that ranks him way up there are the science and medicine credibility list. Why the hell should be listen to scientists and doctors from the Centers for Disease Control, the World Health Organization, and the dozens of other respected and well-credentialed organizations who have expressly stated that the entire quarantine idea is ludicrous? Why should we trust the experts in disease when we can rely on a third-rate “humor columnist†hack who is stoking the fires of ignorance? Of course, that explains why you like the article.
Furthermore, your reliance (and that of the hack who who the column) on the National Review is also a joke. The National Review is widely considered one of the most conservative publications in the world and as it explains in its “About†page, it constantly aims at providing the “right’s take†on political issues facing the world. So the partisan leanings of the website are crystal clear on this article, another hack piece that is stoking the fires of fear and ignorance.
It’s interesting how the author cherry-picks his examples. Yes, NIH spending has increased by 3% (from 29 to 30 billion) from 2007 to 2014. But if he had gone back to 2003, he would have found that the budget was actually higher than it is today. This coming after years of steady NIH budget increases in the late 90s. Then he cites a number of studies he finds fault with, which add up to approximately 0.01% of the NIH’s budget. Read that again: 0.01% of the NIH budget! Waste is waste and should be eliminated, but show me another organization of any sort (public or private) with that degree of wasted spending and I’ll show you a very well run organization.
Top epidemiologists and health care professionals at the CDC and elsewhere say not only would travel restrictions fail to protect Americans from Ebola, they would likely make the situation worse.
A travel ban would hinder our ability to monitor the 100 to 150 people who enter the U.S. from “hot zones†in Africa every day. Right now, we know who’s coming in. If we try to restrict travel, they might come in overland, making potential disease carriers harder to track.
The CDC and U.S. Customs and Border Protection has layers of entry screening at five U.S. airports that receive over 94 percent of travelers from the Ebola-affected nations. Being able to trace individuals who may be infected with the virus is one of the most useful tools at the CDC’s disposal for stopping the disease’s spread.
Enacting a travel ban would make it harder for the international community to fight the disease in West Africa. Health care workers need to be able to get into West Africa if they are to fight the disease. And they need to know they will be able to come home again when they’ve finished their work. Forcing health care workers to sit in quarantine before they can return home is likely to decrease the number of workers who go to help in the first place.
A travel ban won’t work because it would actually make stopping the outbreak in West Africa more difficult. Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said, “To completely seal off and don’t let planes in or out of the West African countries involved, then you could paradoxically make things much worse in the sense that you can’t get supplies in, you can’t get help in, you can’t get the kinds of things in there that we need to contain the epidemic.â€
I think the fact that the Center for Disease Control (CDC), the Red Cross, and the World Health Organization (WHO) (and the above listed Director from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases) have all specifically NOT advocated for a blanket travel ban shows the informed opinions from medical and scientific experts.
The best thing we can do right now is what we are already doing, which is help through infrastructure. Some 4,000 American troops are in Africa helping to build field hospitals and bring the desperate people who are infected the medicine and equipment they need. This has had a significant impact on fighting the disease, as healthcare workers are able to treat their patients in clean, safe environments as opposed to unsanitary tents in the wilderness.
That’s how we keep Ebola out of America and end this outbreak: not a travel ban, but raised awareness and an increased desire to help. Republicans are the ones going on the attack with Ebola and blaming the administration for it coming to American shores. However, Obama is still doing far better than the GOP hero, Reagan, who allowed thousands of people to die from Aids before doing anything significant.
It appears ISIS has beheaded another American. This time it is a Hoosier who headed an aid organization. I do hope our Congress can take time out from repealing Obamacare, passing Keystone XL, and impeaching the President to deal with funding and otherwise supporting our troops. I hope Congress finds the courage to debate and approve further action in Iraq and Syria, so this country can present a united front on something.
As a side note to ISIS, I see where they will start minting gold, silver and copper coins. With the “new world order” of globalization, and with a group who have pushed the minting of this type of coinage and their hatred of fiat money. Will we be seeing local interest in obtaining this “non fiat” money with disregard of where it is coming from?
I seriously doubt this congress will attempt to impeach Obama. Obama is the best friend the republicans have, if he keeps going in the same direction for the democrats, which is down, Sarah Palin could win whoever the democrats put up for president. Besides if he was impeached Biden would be president. I’m still somewhat connected to the military from some past contracts and our military is in shambles. All the funding in the world will not changed or improve our social engineered military, anymore than unlimited funding would improve our schools. Our military is not trained or allowed to fight and win a war with muslims. The Geneva Convention will have to be set aside as it was during the civil war for us to effective fight and win. The number of young people returning with PTSD is a sure indicator that the selection process for combatants is flawed.
Are using Sarah Palin as a “bottom of the barrel”, or a legitimate contender?
So, you’ve taken up bashing the “caliber” of the people who volunteer to fight for this country? Oh, I get it. A lot of them are from racial minorities and are trying to make it into the middle class.
You honestly haven’t the remotest feelings of shame about the crap that comes out of your head , do you ?
pov is quite correct, since the 70’s the prerequisite requirements and calibre of inductees has sorely tanked. It was necessary because of the dumbing down of our yutes in the government indoctrination centers, aka, public education.
We had a vast across the board talent/intelligent soldiers that came through the draft for the Great War and WW2. The Korean War, I think would fall into this also. By the time Vietnam came along, the privileged ( includes last two former presidents) were able to escape combat and were hide stateside/out of harms way. Volunteer army is just that, volunteers, but they want to be there unlike the privilege that could be, but will not!
I feel like you privileged should join the military and raise it up to where “you” think it should be!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Pov
Are you rewriting U.S. history?
1864 Geneva agreement was only among the European nations. This had no bearing on the USA and the CSA! Now the United States did sign that agreement 15-17 years “after” the civil war ended. There has been three more versions of this since.
It most certainly did. The Geneva convention was not signed by this country so the union troops would be free to do a scorched earth attack and kill southern women, children and civilians. The north was losing the war and needed to change their tactics and strategies. The union troops refuse to fight and Lincoln used the draft for the first time in the history of this country.
Pov,
Did some more searching on this 1864 Geneva agreement. Even though their was a U.S.A representative there, there were international reasons/diplomacy that tied to their neutrality on the world scene (civil war was not one of them). Your still rewriting history unless you give me direct facts to back it up! I’m staying open minded on this!
……I’m a Republican. I voted for Romney. (Tea Party people are undisciplined, and too often bigoted idiots and need to form their own political party, by the way.) The GOP is started WAY BEHIND a Hillary Clinton candidacy. But you are a fool POV for thinking Republicans will have a cake walk in 2016.
Never said the republicans would have a cake walk in 2016. I think Hillary has some serious organic brain damage that will force her out of the race. I think Elizabeth Warren will be the democrat candidate. Shift happens and it is happening to the democrats in a negative way. I think the only sure votes the democrat can count on is the union vote, the African American vote is shifting to the republican side. The anti gun zealots and obamacare have done a lot of damage to the democrats. It’s pretty well established that liberals want guns registered so they can be confiscated so the NRA will hammer that. The naacp’s reluctance to congratulate Republican African American winners in this last election probably has W.E.B. Dubois turning over in his grave. Regardless of who/which party wins they’re just going to be a clean up crew.
SBR, I think you are probably reading these comments or will sometimes today. First know that I’m a fan and will definitely contribute to your re election. Question about the JCI fiasco, the city council vote was 7-2 against JCI, Jack McNeely apparently addressed the council and the vote changed 9-0. Why? How does Jack McNeely weld this type of power? Thanks for standing up for us. I wish Connie Robinson of the 4th ward had the intestinal fortitude to represent her constituents in the same fashion.
A few more long-timers down at C/P. Linda Negro, Roger McBain not sure of the others.
See where the editor was proclaiming their ties with the Washington Post this morning for their subscribers.
Is this good, or a desperate attempt before failing?
I believe it is desperation. When Scripps severed the truly failing print editions from their weak online products the death knell rang loud.
Our beltway people say that’s just locally puffed fluff, you don’t even need a spectrographic grain of salinity charted notch’s to know that’s someone’s disparity. They can’t give copies of those C&P things away at a entry doors on grocery outlet’s anymore. “Everybody knows that.”
Really the things just another slowly executed waste of good carbon energy.
The pulp has more balanced globally applied and defined purposes. Once its read ,understood, or redemption timing renders it worthless. Actually, how many more useful carbon use tipping points should be expended in the more technically advanced regionals?
When a dollar is involved, as it usually is, they’ll hang on ’til the last free-working intern says no mas. The dollar and the 1st amendment as it applies to them are their main concerns, and they don’t care that much about the 1st amendment. Roll the presses, roll the trucks, the environment be damned. Cashier a few more long time employees, they’ll live to print another day. Maybe even another year.
‘Seven ways to avoid being overcharged by a mechanic… , QUIZ: Which famous television mustache are you?’ Not worth the energy to stick your hand out to accept a free copy. My bird wouldn’t shit to the C/P, if I had one. They should shutter their doors, silence their presses. They are an antiquated news delivery model, done poorly.
My best guess is that they will somehow keep it on life support long enough to shill for the re-election of Winnie the Poop, but after that I look for it to be unplugged. It won’t be allowed to die with any dignity at all.
You don’t think mizzoner keeps The Poop dressed up in his chicken suit in a large brass cage lined with the C/P, do you? She might have been summoning him by that name long before you coined it. I had wondered why he communicates so frequently through Tweets. I’ll bet on occasion he taught he taw a puddy cat.
We know those hacks have been down and out for some time, but does this mean that now they’re down and gone?
Did anyone ever hear anything else on the huge amount of trash bins being stolen around town? I am personally more interested in why (what are they being used for) than who.
It wasn’t bin Laden. Probably a squad from the bin maker doing their biennial sweep to drum up business.
We helped with that trash bin migration at a different municipalities location. Pet recovery leaser information chipped’em. Solar charged per logo decal. “Lil’ Bin” comes home to roost that a’way’s. “So too speak” …… easy. Bins quit running loose so much too. ” The (star) shines (on) the trash bin”. “cheap”.
Just ignore those posts that are way off base and long winded. No sense in spending your valuable time reading BS.
Bottom line, Obama is as big as disaster for the Demos as he is a disaster for the United States.
I thought this article about our radical POTUS was interesting especially after the Michael Reagan piece.
By PEGGY NOONAN
Updated Nov. 14, 2014 6:00 p.m. ET
Seven years ago I was talking to a longtime Democratic operative on Capitol Hill about a politician who was in trouble. The pol was likely finished, he said. I was surprised. Can’t he change things and dig himself out? No. “People do what they know how to do.†Politicians don’t have a vast repertoire. When they get in a jam they just do what they’ve always done, even if it’s not working anymore.
This came to mind when contemplating President Obama. After a devastating election, he is presenting himself as if he won. The people were not saying no to his policies, he explained, they would in fact like it if Republicans do what he tells them.
You don’t begin a new relationship with a threat, but that is what he gave Congress: Get me an immigration bill I like or I’ll change U.S. immigration law on my own.
Mr. Obama is doing what he knows how to do—stare them down and face them off. But his circumstances have changed. He used to be a conquering hero, now he’s not. On the other hand he used to have to worry about public support. Now, with no more elections before him, he has the special power of the man who doesn’t care.
I have never seen a president in exactly the position Mr. Obama is, which is essentially alone. He’s got no one with him now. The Republicans don’t like him, for reasons both usual and particular: They have had no good experiences with him. The Democrats don’t like him, for their own reasons plus the election loss. Before his post-election lunch with congressional leaders, he told the press that he will judiciously consider any legislation, whoever sends it to him, Republicans or Democrats. His words implied that in this he was less partisan and more public-spirited than the hacks arrayed around him. It is for these grace notes that he is loved. No one at the table looked at him with colder, beadier eyes than outgoing Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid , who clearly doesn’t like him at all.
The press doesn’t especially like the president; in conversation they evince no residual warmth. This week at the Beijing summit there was no sign the leaders of the world had any particular regard for him. They can read election returns. They respect power and see it leaking out of him. If Mr. Obama had won the election they would have faked respect and affection.
Vladimir Putin delivered the unkindest cut, patting Mr. Obama’s shoulder reassuringly. Normally that’s Mr. Obama’s move, putting his hand on your back or shoulder as if to bestow gracious encouragement, needy little shrimp that you are. It’s a dominance move. He’s been doing it six years. This time it was Mr. Putin doing it to him. The president didn’t like it.
From Reuters: “‘It’s beautiful, isn’t it?’ Putin was overheard saying in English in Obama’s general direction, referring to the ornate conference room. ‘Yes,’ Obama replied, coldly, according to journalists who witnessed the scene.â€
The last time we saw a president so alone it was Richard Nixon, at the end of his presidency, when the Democrats had turned on him, the press hated him, and the Republicans were fleeing. It was Sen. Barry Goldwater, the GOP’s standard-bearer in 1964, and House Minority Leader John Rhodes, also of Arizona, who went to the White House to tell Nixon his support in Congress had collapsed, they would vote to impeach. Years later Goldwater called Nixon “The world’s biggest liar.â€
But Nixon had one advantage Obama does not: the high regard of the world’s leaders, who found his downfall tragic (such ruin over such a trifling matter) and befuddling (he didn’t keep political prisoners chained up in dungeons, as they did. Why such a fuss?).
Nixon’s isolation didn’t end well.
Last Sunday Mr. Obama, in an interview with CBS ’s Bob Schieffer, spoke of his motivation, how he’s always for the little guy. “I love just being with the American people. . . . You know how passionate I am about trying to help them.†He said what is important is “a guy who’s lost his job or lost his home or . . . is trying to send a kid to college.†When he talks like that, as he does a lot, you get the impression his romantic vision of himself is Tom Joad in the movie version of “The Grapes of Wrath.†“I’ll be all around . . . wherever there’s a fight so hungry people can eat, I’ll be there.â€
I mentioned last week that the president has taken to filibustering, to long, rambling answers in planned sit-down settings—no questions on the fly walking from here to there, as other presidents have always faced. The press generally allows him to ramble on, rarely fighting back as they did with Nixon. But I have noticed Mr. Obama uses a lot of words as padding. He always has, but now he does it more. There’s a sense of indirection and obfuscation. You can say, “I love you,†or you can say, “You know, feelings will develop, that happens among humans and it’s good it happens, and I have always said, and I said it again just last week, that you are a good friend, I care about you, and it’s fair to say in terms of emotional responses that mine has escalated or increased somewhat, and ‘love’ would not be a wholly inappropriate word to use to describe where I’m coming from.â€
When politicians do this they’re trying to mush words up so nothing breaks through. They’re leaving you dazed and trying to make it harder for you to understand what’s truly being said.
It is possible the president is responding to changed circumstances with a certain rigidity because no one ever stood in his way before. Most of his adult life has been a smooth glide. He had family challenges and an unusual childhood, but as an adult and a professional he never faced fierce, concentrated resistance. He was always magic. Life never came in and gave it to him hard on the jaw. So he really doesn’t know how to get up from the mat. He doesn’t know how to struggle to his feet and regain his balance. He only knows how to throw punches. But you can’t punch from the mat.
He only knows how to do what he’s doing.
In the meantime he is killing his party. Gallup this week found that the Republicans for the first time in three years beat the Democrats on favorability, and also that respondents would rather have Congress lead the White House than the White House lead Congress.
A few weeks ago a conservative intellectual asked me: “How are we going to get through the next two years?†It was a rhetorical question; he was just sharing his anxiety. We have a president who actually can’t work with Congress, operating in a capital in which he is resented and disliked and a world increasingly unimpressed by him, and so increasingly predatory.
Anyway, for those who are young and not sure if what they are seeing is wholly unusual: Yes, it is wholly unusual.
http://www.richsamuels.com/nbcmm/obama/bfirstcong.html
So much for you amateur psychoanalysis of POTUS. But by all means, keep reaping the benefits of net neutrality and the First Amendment. Accuracy is not required.
Peggy Noonan is not a psychologist, but she’s not an amateur either Linda. She is a well regarded political analyst. Her comments sting, don’t they? Like salt in an open wound. In this case the open wound is the current sitting POTUS.
No, they really don’t sting and I have no open wounds. I am really excited to see what the next few months bring. We lefties tend to be more optimistic than you righties.
Btw, my name is still “Laura”.
My bad Laura. No offense meant with the name. I am no “righty” other than a strong believer in the “Rights” endowed to the legal citizens of this great nation by the Constitution and it’s first 10 Amendments. I am in disagreement with the attitudes of the extreme right-winger tea baggers as much as I am those of the left-wing nut jobs. I too am interested in what the next few months, and next 2 years, bring.
LKB
finally I understand what you typed, it went like this : Blah Blah Blah Blah
This ones 34th comment by listing “currently today. ” 😉
Noonan is whining (CountryBoy too) because Obama isn’t laying down and giving up. In fact, the measure of a politician mostly grows when he has a strong competitor….and Obama seems to be in a good mood, and it is driving CountryBoy and other Tea Party hags nuts.
Can we do away with the pretense here?
Obama WANTED a significant GOP win in midterms. He needed a GOP to fight with. And Harry Reid is PISSED because HE KNOWS THAT Obama wanted a GOP Senate.
Watch…..and expect CountryBoy to whine, throw a fit and complain it doesn’t make sense….Obama’s stature is rising and so will his poll numbers.
Noonan is scared of ANYONE (GOP or DEM) who might compare in popularity with Ronald Reagan. Her claim to fame is she was a speechwriter for him. And Noonan actually knew Ronald Reagan about 100 TIMES MORE PERSONALLY than Michael Reagan, by the way. The President had to be told who Michael Reagan was during his re-election campaign, in fact. The President had no relationship with Michael Reagan since 1948 when he divorced Jane Wyman, a Hollywood actress, and decades before Reagan even considered politics.
…..notwithstanding,
the CLEAR WINNER of the “we kicked ass and won big Contract with America” GOP Congress and the “we’re gonna impeach him now!” Democratic President Clinton,
…was President Bill Clinton. His poll numbers his last two years in office were outstanding. He’s STILL the most popular living President.
Key word: “living”
…..PCD, you’re that worried about Hillary, huh? Planning to have Ted Cruz beat Hillary are you?
Hillary has about the same chance of winning the presidency as a white person getting elected to the city council in the racist 4th ward. Hillary is displaying the symptoms of early onset of dementia, probably initiated by the rapist, liar, child abuser and sexual predator she calls husband and liberals refer to as god.
Pov, there is skeletons in everyone’s closet that is in politics. I does not matter which political party they belong.
“Loosely” following a nation wide credit card advertisement.
“What is in your closet”?
As far as past presidents stumping for their party members, was the past republican president stumping his political members? Or was it damage control, out of site, out of mind?
I believe you meant to direct that comment to POV, not PCD…..
….Ha! That is too funny POV. I just read your reply. I take it the answer from you is YES.
Is that why everyone he campaigned for in the last election lost, shem?
……..You don’t know about national elections C-Sense. They were collecting favors from Dem State party machines that will be cashed in later. Hillary, while not unbeatable, is wholly formidable in the next Presidential election. If you don’t think so, you are “wishing” how things would be…or you’re trying to sell something you know stinks.
There are no favors for the Clintons to collect from that tsunami defeat, shem.
I am selling nothing and not even thinking about the next election. If Obama is successful in giving amnesty to 10-20 million illegal aliens you won’t be either. You’ll be wondering where the sovereign United states of America went.
Did any candidates allow any ties to Little George? Seems he is considered a plaque to their party?
Hopefully, in two years time, this nation can elect a President, a national leader, who can lead. Whether he/she is a Democrat, Republican, or Independent is irrelevant. We need a leader, not a manager. I pray that in the next 2 years the heads of the national political parties recognize the need to offer competent, able candidates for national offices in lieu of the sad, pitiful options that have been presented in recent elections.
Could it be true it may be the wealthy, that go thru the lobbyist, who go thru congress representatives that set the agenda? The President position has the same people pulling their strings as well!
Dear Editor
During one of our past disagreements over certain posts, you always removed all posts (well, at least the ones I used) where it was a direct “copy and paste” of an entire article from online. You made some sort of statement about copyright or something along those lines.
Therefore, why allow the antics (and they are frequent) of 1countryboy to copy and post long (LONG) articles completely from online sources?
An answer or some consistency, please?
You might want to consider the inherent value of the pieces posted. It might just be that a middle of the road analysis is of more intellectual value than an a sloppy fabrication based in ideology.
I think you’ll find that Copyright laws are laws without regard to subjective evaluations of the “intellectual worth” of the material.
I had missed out on that, but you do make a lot of sense. CB1 is really good at copying and pasting long,long articles. It is probably because he lacks capability to summarize, but whatever the reason, it does get tiring.
Thanks Laura. Great observation
Personally I never totally agreed with the Copyright issue. What bugs me is the hypocritical stance of CCO on this topic. Put this IIT on your calendar. If I started posting lengthy articles verbatim on CCO that were anti-right wing or pro-Democrat they would get censored and removed by CCO. I think if I look I can find past postings to prove it
So what do you say CCO? Answer the question. Is it your policy to allow wholesale cut and paste of entire websites and lengthy articles authored by others?
No it is not. We do encourage links with hints. We also have zero paid staffers to watch such things, especially on the weekends. I for one do not have a clue what comment you are speaking about. I also do not have 2 hours to dig through a couple of hundred comments to guess.
Don’t have to dig very far. It’s the very first one.
Dear Editor
OK, a few things
1. PoseyCountyDutchman points out the obvious, it was the FIRST post on the IIT!
2. I identified the user name who did it (1countryboy), which should have helped
3. Even after being identified, you left it up in violation of your supposed policy of only “encouraging links”
4. Lack of staff never stopped you before, although my perception is that enforcement remains selective. If the rant is one you like, you leave it, otherwise, it gets removed
I have tolerated this long enough and would like to copy and post an example of hypocrisy and plagiarism from “Crybaby Classy”. I don’t “always” copy and post articles but the timing and the fact it was “Open Forum Weekend” I took liberties.
A good bit of this blather was taken right from Newsweek, probably copy and posted.
ClassyEvillePolitics
Oct 29, 2014 at 1:27 pm
1countryidiot
The level of your ignorance never ceases to astound me. The article and the cartoon are an embarrassing travesty, and the CCO should be ashamed for running it.
First issue I have: This article is written by a “humor columnistâ€. Yeah, that ranks him way up there are the science and medicine credibility list. Why the hell should be listen to scientists and doctors from the Centers for Disease Control, the World Health Organization, and the dozens of other respected and well-credentialed organizations who have expressly stated that the entire quarantine idea is ludicrous? Why should we trust the experts in disease when we can rely on a third-rate “humor columnist†hack who is stoking the fires of ignorance? Of course, that explains why you like the article.
Furthermore, your reliance (and that of the hack who who the column) on the National Review is also a joke. The National Review is widely considered one of the most conservative publications in the world and as it explains in its “About†page, it constantly aims at providing the “right’s take†on political issues facing the world. So the partisan leanings of the website are crystal clear on this article, another hack piece that is stoking the fires of fear and ignorance.
It’s interesting how the author cherry-picks his examples. Yes, NIH spending has increased by 3% (from 29 to 30 billion) from 2007 to 2014. But if he had gone back to 2003, he would have found that the budget was actually higher than it is today. This coming after years of steady NIH budget increases in the late 90s. Then he cites a number of studies he finds fault with, which add up to approximately 0.01% of the NIH’s budget. Read that again: 0.01% of the NIH budget! Waste is waste and should be eliminated, but show me another organization of any sort (public or private) with that degree of wasted spending and I’ll show you a very well run organization.
Top epidemiologists and health care professionals at the CDC and elsewhere say not only would travel restrictions fail to protect Americans from Ebola, they would likely make the situation worse.
A travel ban would hinder our ability to monitor the 100 to 150 people who enter the U.S. from “hot zones†in Africa every day. Right now, we know who’s coming in. If we try to restrict travel, they might come in overland, making potential disease carriers harder to track.
The CDC and U.S. Customs and Border Protection has layers of entry screening at five U.S. airports that receive over 94 percent of travelers from the Ebola-affected nations. Being able to trace individuals who may be infected with the virus is one of the most useful tools at the CDC’s disposal for stopping the disease’s spread.
Enacting a travel ban would make it harder for the international community to fight the disease in West Africa. Health care workers need to be able to get into West Africa if they are to fight the disease. And they need to know they will be able to come home again when they’ve finished their work. Forcing health care workers to sit in quarantine before they can return home is likely to decrease the number of workers who go to help in the first place.
A travel ban won’t work because it would actually make stopping the outbreak in West Africa more difficult. Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said, “To completely seal off and don’t let planes in or out of the West African countries involved, then you could paradoxically make things much worse in the sense that you can’t get supplies in, you can’t get help in, you can’t get the kinds of things in there that we need to contain the epidemic.â€
I think the fact that the Center for Disease Control (CDC), the Red Cross, and the World Health Organization (WHO) (and the above listed Director from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases) have all specifically NOT advocated for a blanket travel ban shows the informed opinions from medical and scientific experts.
The best thing we can do right now is what we are already doing, which is help through infrastructure. Some 4,000 American troops are in Africa helping to build field hospitals and bring the desperate people who are infected the medicine and equipment they need. This has had a significant impact on fighting the disease, as healthcare workers are able to treat their patients in clean, safe environments as opposed to unsanitary tents in the wilderness.
That’s how we keep Ebola out of America and end this outbreak: not a travel ban, but raised awareness and an increased desire to help. Republicans are the ones going on the attack with Ebola and blaming the administration for it coming to American shores. However, Obama is still doing far better than the GOP hero, Reagan, who allowed thousands of people to die from Aids before doing anything significant.
It appears ISIS has beheaded another American. This time it is a Hoosier who headed an aid organization. I do hope our Congress can take time out from repealing Obamacare, passing Keystone XL, and impeaching the President to deal with funding and otherwise supporting our troops. I hope Congress finds the courage to debate and approve further action in Iraq and Syria, so this country can present a united front on something.
As a side note to ISIS, I see where they will start minting gold, silver and copper coins. With the “new world order” of globalization, and with a group who have pushed the minting of this type of coinage and their hatred of fiat money. Will we be seeing local interest in obtaining this “non fiat” money with disregard of where it is coming from?
I seriously doubt this congress will attempt to impeach Obama. Obama is the best friend the republicans have, if he keeps going in the same direction for the democrats, which is down, Sarah Palin could win whoever the democrats put up for president. Besides if he was impeached Biden would be president. I’m still somewhat connected to the military from some past contracts and our military is in shambles. All the funding in the world will not changed or improve our social engineered military, anymore than unlimited funding would improve our schools. Our military is not trained or allowed to fight and win a war with muslims. The Geneva Convention will have to be set aside as it was during the civil war for us to effective fight and win. The number of young people returning with PTSD is a sure indicator that the selection process for combatants is flawed.
Are using Sarah Palin as a “bottom of the barrel”, or a legitimate contender?
So, you’ve taken up bashing the “caliber” of the people who volunteer to fight for this country? Oh, I get it. A lot of them are from racial minorities and are trying to make it into the middle class.
You honestly haven’t the remotest feelings of shame about the crap that comes out of your head , do you ?
pov is quite correct, since the 70’s the prerequisite requirements and calibre of inductees has sorely tanked. It was necessary because of the dumbing down of our yutes in the government indoctrination centers, aka, public education.
We had a vast across the board talent/intelligent soldiers that came through the draft for the Great War and WW2. The Korean War, I think would fall into this also. By the time Vietnam came along, the privileged ( includes last two former presidents) were able to escape combat and were hide stateside/out of harms way. Volunteer army is just that, volunteers, but they want to be there unlike the privilege that could be, but will not!
I feel like you privileged should join the military and raise it up to where “you” think it should be!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Pov
Are you rewriting U.S. history?
1864 Geneva agreement was only among the European nations. This had no bearing on the USA and the CSA! Now the United States did sign that agreement 15-17 years “after” the civil war ended. There has been three more versions of this since.
It most certainly did. The Geneva convention was not signed by this country so the union troops would be free to do a scorched earth attack and kill southern women, children and civilians. The north was losing the war and needed to change their tactics and strategies. The union troops refuse to fight and Lincoln used the draft for the first time in the history of this country.
Pov,
Did some more searching on this 1864 Geneva agreement. Even though their was a U.S.A representative there, there were international reasons/diplomacy that tied to their neutrality on the world scene (civil war was not one of them). Your still rewriting history unless you give me direct facts to back it up! I’m staying open minded on this!
……I’m a Republican. I voted for Romney. (Tea Party people are undisciplined, and too often bigoted idiots and need to form their own political party, by the way.) The GOP is started WAY BEHIND a Hillary Clinton candidacy. But you are a fool POV for thinking Republicans will have a cake walk in 2016.
Never said the republicans would have a cake walk in 2016. I think Hillary has some serious organic brain damage that will force her out of the race. I think Elizabeth Warren will be the democrat candidate. Shift happens and it is happening to the democrats in a negative way. I think the only sure votes the democrat can count on is the union vote, the African American vote is shifting to the republican side. The anti gun zealots and obamacare have done a lot of damage to the democrats. It’s pretty well established that liberals want guns registered so they can be confiscated so the NRA will hammer that. The naacp’s reluctance to congratulate Republican African American winners in this last election probably has W.E.B. Dubois turning over in his grave. Regardless of who/which party wins they’re just going to be a clean up crew.
SBR, I think you are probably reading these comments or will sometimes today. First know that I’m a fan and will definitely contribute to your re election. Question about the JCI fiasco, the city council vote was 7-2 against JCI, Jack McNeely apparently addressed the council and the vote changed 9-0. Why? How does Jack McNeely weld this type of power? Thanks for standing up for us. I wish Connie Robinson of the 4th ward had the intestinal fortitude to represent her constituents in the same fashion.
A few more long-timers down at C/P. Linda Negro, Roger McBain not sure of the others.
See where the editor was proclaiming their ties with the Washington Post this morning for their subscribers.
Is this good, or a desperate attempt before failing?
I believe it is desperation. When Scripps severed the truly failing print editions from their weak online products the death knell rang loud.
Our beltway people say that’s just locally puffed fluff, you don’t even need a spectrographic grain of salinity charted notch’s to know that’s someone’s disparity. They can’t give copies of those C&P things away at a entry doors on grocery outlet’s anymore. “Everybody knows that.”
Really the things just another slowly executed waste of good carbon energy.
The pulp has more balanced globally applied and defined purposes. Once its read ,understood, or redemption timing renders it worthless. Actually, how many more useful carbon use tipping points should be expended in the more technically advanced regionals?
When a dollar is involved, as it usually is, they’ll hang on ’til the last free-working intern says no mas. The dollar and the 1st amendment as it applies to them are their main concerns, and they don’t care that much about the 1st amendment. Roll the presses, roll the trucks, the environment be damned. Cashier a few more long time employees, they’ll live to print another day. Maybe even another year.
‘Seven ways to avoid being overcharged by a mechanic… , QUIZ: Which famous television mustache are you?’ Not worth the energy to stick your hand out to accept a free copy. My bird wouldn’t shit to the C/P, if I had one. They should shutter their doors, silence their presses. They are an antiquated news delivery model, done poorly.
My best guess is that they will somehow keep it on life support long enough to shill for the re-election of Winnie the Poop, but after that I look for it to be unplugged. It won’t be allowed to die with any dignity at all.
You don’t think mizzoner keeps The Poop dressed up in his chicken suit in a large brass cage lined with the C/P, do you? She might have been summoning him by that name long before you coined it. I had wondered why he communicates so frequently through Tweets. I’ll bet on occasion he taught he taw a puddy cat.
We know those hacks have been down and out for some time, but does this mean that now they’re down and gone?
Did anyone ever hear anything else on the huge amount of trash bins being stolen around town? I am personally more interested in why (what are they being used for) than who.
It wasn’t bin Laden. Probably a squad from the bin maker doing their biennial sweep to drum up business.
We helped with that trash bin migration at a different municipalities location. Pet recovery leaser information chipped’em. Solar charged per logo decal. “Lil’ Bin” comes home to roost that a’way’s. “So too speak” …… easy. Bins quit running loose so much too. ” The (star) shines (on) the trash bin”. “cheap”.
Just ignore those posts that are way off base and long winded. No sense in spending your valuable time reading BS.
Bottom line, Obama is as big as disaster for the Demos as he is a disaster for the United States.
http://www.courierpress.com/news/national/toyotas-hydrogen-powered-mirai-coming-in-2016
The cars of the future are almost here today.
Comments are closed.