How Obama Can Win Friends and Influence People
After Republican Scott Brown’s impressive and hugely significant victory in the Massachusetts Senate race, I wrote that the one saving grace for Democrats was Republicans. Not all of them drive trucks, and those who reside in Washington tend to be just as clueless, arrogant, and separated from reality as their Democratic counterparts.
But after President Obama’s post-election interview with ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos, it’s time for me to complete the thought. If those clueless and arrogant Republicans who are separated from reality have a saving grace, it’s Obama.
It wasn’t just the obvious head-scratchers. Does the president really believe that “the same thing that swept Scott Brown into office swept me into office,” in reference to voter anger and frustration? With so many Americans so clearly saying that they want this administration to slow down its agenda, did he really head off in the other direction and say, “I wish we had gotten it done faster”? And does the country’s chief executive really think that it’s not in his job description to “navigate” how Congress goes about tackling one public policy issue or another, when that is exactly what presidents do?
What was really troubling about the interview was where it became even clearer that Obama just doesn’t get it.
Like when he tried to explain his first-year failures by blaming the culture in Washington, a place where “you have to repeat yourself a lot because unfortunately it doesn’t penetrate.”
Mr. President, what we have here is not a failure to communicate. Most of the time, you come through loud and clear. Lawmakers just don’t like what you’re saying and their constituents back home like it even less.
Or when he said that his major deficiency was that he hadn’t been better at “breaking through the noise and speaking directly to the American people in a way that during the campaign you could do.”
What? As president, you can speak directly to the American people any time you want to. But you already know that because, since being sworn in, you’ve held so many televised town halls, press conferences, and major addresses to the nation that, at times, you’ve seemed ubiquitous. You’re on everything but American Idol.
Indeed, Scott Brown won in Mass. and has all but cleared the field to become the leading voice in conservative/republican circles. And OBAMA has had an astonishing first year as well. All the issues that were ignored for the past ten years have been dealt with decisively. Iraq: Fixed, Afghanistan: Fixed, The economy: Fixed, Health care: Fixed, Gitmo: Fixed Wall Street: Fixed, Farming: Fixed. With all these issues now being dealt with head on, despite republicans still refusing to help. Brown will have his work cut out for him just trying to get the Republicans in congress moving again (they have not participated in any significant issue in over a year). So his election will at least “Jump Start” the stalled republican, tparty, palin machines.
Mr Naverrette and others who write these 12-step articles to the Pantload-in-Chief providing him insight on how to accomplish a Clinton-esque pirouette to the center..
..please cease and desist!
If this guy’s so damned smart, let him figure it out all by himself. I mean, TEH POSOTUS has been doing just marvy up to this point.
Mr. Navarrette stated, “Moving to the center and reaching out to key Republicans would be a good start.” This misses a critical point, though. You are assuming that Mr. Obama is an experienced administrator with lots of executive experience who can identify a problem and then react properly to it, making adjustments along the way. Uh, when has Obama run anything other than a campaign? I’m tired of saying it again and again, but this man never ran a town, a city, a state, or even a corporation (either big or small). He does not know HOW to be flexible and re-adjust to changing circumstances like a good executive does. The people of this nation elected the “concept” of Obama, the idea that he was this “post-racial” and “post-partisan” candidate, whatever that means. He doesn’t know how to fix the economy, or his own administration, because he’s never had to do anything like this before in his life. Americans fell for an ad campaign during the last election, not a real, substantial, politician with loads of executive experience. So don’t expect much change from Obama. He is behaving like a little boy, who rants and stamps his feet when he doesn’t get what he wants. And when he gets cuaght acting like a child, he does what all children do, he tries to blame other people for what he did. Obama is still blaming Bush for these gigantic deficits HE created. Bush may have been a big spender, but he can’t hold a candle to what Obama and the democrats have spent in just a single year. Nope, you’re going to get more of the same in 2010 from the democrats, which is why they are going to get hammered during the midterm elections.
Obama has let the cat out of the bag. He’s still an adolescent, always sure he knows better that people with experience, totally unaware that his folly has consequences. We haven’t gotten his attention yet. The November election may be the 2×4 in the head that worked on the farmer’s stubborn mule.
It’s one thing for the author to write, “We send men and women to Washington to represent us, to show leadership, and to tackle hard issues that might earn them a one-way ticket home. [TRUE] We don’t send them to sit on committees, [OF COURSE WE DO...THAT'S HOW THE WORK IS DONE!] to gorge on perks, and to feel important”.
But when the author writes, “Not all of them [Republicans] drive trucks, and those who reside in Washington tend to be just as clueless, arrogant, and separated from reality as their Democratic counterparts”, all I can see it that this Kettle-author is calling the Pot “black”.
The author here seems to exhibit tedious-but-typical Leftist self-loathing, not to mention much respect for Americans as a whole.
Which way is it, author? Do We The People wilfully send “clueless, arrogant, and separated from reality” politicians to Washington, or are We The People so gullible that we vote for charlatans and scoundrels who only claim to offer “leadership”?
Either way, not a particularly flattering thought.
Signature Navarrette writing.
Get rid of this writer, PJM!!!
One brief, additional note:
In a related article (http://pajamasmedia.com/rogerkimball/2010/01/24/how-stupid-do-they-think-we-are/2/),
Mr. Kimball charmingly notes how it is the President (and his cronies) who are “out to lunch”:
Excerpt:
“It’s not entirely clear who’s minding the shop. More and more, one hears the criticism that the president is too cool for school: that he is arrogant, disengaged, out of touch. “Narcissistic” is a term many of us used when observing candidate Obama on the hustings. Obama is the time-delay president. Something bad, really bad, happens — a Muslim fanatic guns down forty people at Ft. Hood, say, or an al Qaeda-trained terrorist tries to blow up a commercial jet over Detroit — and what does the president of the United States do? Nada. He “monitors” the situation from afar. He takes several days to respond in public, and when he does it’s all the obfuscation all the time. An “isolated extremist.” Yemen is a poor country. I’m on holiday out here, back soon. Obama’s behavior during a crisis puts me in mind of Harry Graham’s little ditty “The Englishman’s Home”:
I was playing golf the day
That the Germans landed;
All our men had run away,
All our ships were stranded;
And the thought of England’s shame
Very nearly spoiled my game. “
Ruben, you are finally starting to get it, but not quite. Telling Barry Badware* to change from his dream of not just more government, but all government just won’t work. . Anyone who was paying attention to his Marxist ideas could see what was coming. He has been trying economics that have never done anything, but lead to disaster. Go to recovery.com and you will see that the stimulus has spent $158 billion and only created or “saved” 640,000 jobs. At this rate it will create only 3.1 million jobs. Businesses are not hiring because of uncertainty and the prospect of more and more taxes. Telling him what he should do is useless (and I think we will see that when he gives the State of the Union). He is a virus, a cancer. He wants only destroy to control, not to create wealth.
He should resign.
Where’s the money Barry Badware*?
*It replicates and infects, it makes every attempt to steal money; what it scatters around is hard to clean up; it is full of false advertising. It just popped up and said it would fix everything. Instead it is making us crash.
The GOP needs to stop “sending messages” and get out of the way for represenatives that root out the social engineering statists.
Won’t happen.
They’re all Bozo MacCain look-alikes.
They go to DC with their experiences as Countr Club Grounds Keeping committee sub-chairmen, and they continue that expertise on the Foreign Policy and Finance Committees — between dalliances with pages . . .
“You know, we have a political culture that has built up over time that has gotten more and more polarized.” He said that he had hoped “that the urgency of the moment would allow us to join together and make common cause.”
The American public foolishly handed the Democrats control over both houses in 2006 and 2008. Obama’s agenda is so radical that he can’t get it though a Democrat controlled Congress. Anyone who falls for his blaming the other party (and Bush) shtick is uninformed.
The political culture that needs to be attacked is the one where politicians are judged by the goodies they bring home to their state or district rather than their understanding of what’s in the nation’s interest.
A housewife would do a better job of balancing the budget than this fool.
Ruben – What I think the people don’t like is bait ‘n switch. This POTUS campaigned from the center, said he would be bi-partisan, said that he would keep everything open — it would be on C-Span, etc., etc. This POTUS has done virtually nothing he said he would do when campaigning; and the Democrats, led by those loony-tunes, Pelosi and Reid, have only be enablers. Instead of talking sense to hime, they have not only simply gone along but took whatever he wanted to do and moved yet further to the left. Now the chickens are coming home to roost and POTUS is pouting. Like the Bourbons, he seems to be incapable of learning from the error of his leftists ways, and like them as well, he seems to be incapable of forgetting his leftist ways.
Somehow Ruben, I can’t see you in ” Cool hand Luke”,maybe Mary Poppins.
Then he blamed the impasse on “a strategic decision that was made on the side of the opposition.”
Mr. President, that’s not exactly how you make friends and influence people. If you want to blame the polarization in Washington for not getting more done or not getting your message out, then it might be a good idea to avoid saying and doing things that only serve to make the air more polarized.
Mr. Navarrette, you and I do not agree on many things. I thank you for hitting the nail on the head and saying what needs to be said with this statement.
It is WAY past time for our elected officials to find common ground and stop the partiasian B.S.
When the comedy and mockery starts, then it’s time to reflect on oneself. Here’s a great sketch on the Brown win in MA. And no, Obama isn’t Hitler. But it’s fun.
http://www.breitbart.tv/hitler-finds-out-scott-brown-won-ma-senate-seat/
Poor Citizen writes with comic genius, albeit unconscious comic genius.
Dick Morris, a reliable voice of the machinations of the White House and Hill, is reporting that Obama, Pelosi and Reid have a plot to get their Health Bill through both the Senate and House in a backhanded way.
A way that completely snubs Congress, the vote and the electorate. Remember that Obama has been doing this from his inauguration, insisting that His Bills be passed, without reading or debating them. Such a request denigrates Congress and the people who are expected to Follow The Leader based on their trust in him….rather than their own reasoning and analysis of his proposals.
Well, Obama, Pelosi and Reid are apparently planning to get through his health bill in an even more, if possible, nefarious manner. It also includes a ‘not-reading’ phase.
It’s in TWO parts. And one part is only a PROMISE to do something in the future. Heh. If they are even around.
http://newsmax.com/Headline/pelosi-reid-healthcare-obama/2010/01/24/id/347820
“Senate Democrats will go to the House with a two-part deal.
First, the House will pass the Senate’s Obamacare bill that passed the Senate in December. The House leadership will vote on the Senate bill, and Pelosi will allow no amendments or modifications to the Senate bill.
How will Pelosi’s deal fly with rambunctious liberal members of her majority who don’t like the Senate bill, especially its failure to include a public option, put heavy fines on those who don’t get insurance, and offering no income tax surcharge on the “rich”?
That’s where the second part of the Pelosi-deal comes in.
Behind closed doors, Reid and Pelosi have agreed in principle that changes to the Senate bill will be made to satisfy liberal House members — but only after the Senate bill is passed and signed into law by Obama.
This deal will be secured by a pledge from Reid and the Senate’s Democratic caucus that they will make “fixes” to the Senate bill after it becomes law with Obama’s John Hancock.
But you may ask what about the fact that, without Republican Scott Brown and independent Democrats such as Joe Lieberman, Reid simply doesn’t have the 60 votes in the Senate to overcome a Republican filibuster that typically can stop major legislation?
According to my source, Reid will provide to Pelosi a letter signed by 52 Democratic senators indicating they will pass the major changes, or “fixes,” the House Democrats are demanding. Again, these fixes will be approved by the Senate only after Obama signs the Senate bill into law.
Reid also has agreed to bypass Senate cloture and filibuster rules and claim that these modifications fall under “reconciliation” and don’t require 60 Senate votes.
To pass the fixes, he won’t need one Republican; he won’t even need Joe Lieberman or wavering Democrats such as Jim Webb of Virginia.
His 52 pledged senators give him a simple majority to pass any changes they want, which will later be rubberstamped by Pelosi’s House and signed by Obama.
This plan, of course, is a total subversion of the legislative process.
Typically, the Senate and House pass their own unique legislation and then both bills go to a conference committee. In conference, the leadership of both Democrat-dominated houses wheels and deals and irons out differences.
The final compromise bill is then sent back to the full Senate and full House for a vote and has to pass both to go to the president.
In the House, a simple majority passes the legislation. But under Senate rules, major legislation requires 60 votes to end a filibuster.
As it stands, the House bill and Senate bill have major discrepancies. Reid does not have 60 votes to pass a compromise bill that would no doubt include some of the radical provisions House members have been demanding.
But if the House passes the exact Senate bill that passed by a 60-39 Senate vote last month, there is no need for a conference on the bill. It will go directly to the president’s desk.”
The House will apparently also insist on the Unions getting their sweetheart deal on exemption from Cadillac plan taxation, and FINES for people who don’t buy health insurance.
That’s the plan. Check it out
The failed economic policies of the last year, the political doublespeak, and the representation of special interests along with the crazed spending plans have already demonstated that it is too late for this radical to win new friends and influence independents.
Obama doesn’t care what Mr. Naverrette, of course nobody does. Dozens of more talented writers have already written on this subject, don’t waste your time.
WaiT!!!! Obama wants to “reintroduce” himself to the American public!!!! WTF????
the Obama Stephanopoulos interview was difficult to watch. The man elected to lead our country is so out of touch with America it was laughable.
Obama is gonna “grow” jobs. Hell, the man has done more damage than any other person in recent history. He’s a failure, a disgrace and a danger to our Republic.
The deals he has made with unions etc need to be taken off the table, period. All Americans get treated equally, no special interests!
He has a state of the union speech coming up..I doubt we will watch it. I have a difficult time just listening to him, much less watching!
We are by no means die hard Republicans (or dems). However, we are common sense, need to pay our bills, respect our country and fellow Americans people. Obama and his peopole seem to be hell bent on destroying this.
He’s going to reintroduce himself…well, we’ve had enough and need no further introduction.
Time for a little honesty. Based on months of evidence wouldn’t an objective person conclude that Obama is not too bright and in over his head?
All the double-speak and spin isn’t going to change this basic fact. I am convinced he is nothing more than a spokesperson for his inner circle and when the teleprompter or ear piece quit working we see his complete lack of understanding of Americans. Of course there are those on the fringe that will blindly love this man until the end. Happens on both sides. But for the rest of us, the evidence is overwhelming and it does not paint a good picture for our POTUS.
If he was smart he would fire everyone around him and start over. I will not be holding my breath. He will hand on to the tainted baggage until he is voted out of office.
Boy, it almost (but not quite) makes me miss Bill Clinton, who famously said he felt our pain. Obama’s take? We ARE a pain. His stance is not very attractive, not very helpful, and not very hopeful.
He could resign
The only thing that Obama can influence me to do it to vote against as many democrats as I can, and having just gotten my voters registration card I will be using it soon to do just that in November of this year and also in 2012!
Many people still wonder at the stubbornness of Pharaoh as depicted in Exodus (that is, while he was still stubborn on his own). Graphic, extreme events were taking place all around him, yet he stood his stupid ground. His ideology put him at the center of the world, and no mere plagues could change that.
Confronted with a plague, he let his magicians (now we have economists, czars, etc.) try to make their own pseudo-plague. This was nuts! He should have ordered them to try to undo the plague and NOT to duplicate or worsen it (not that they had any chance—but let’s assume he had confidence in them). Or, better yet, he should have done some self-reflection so his own activities would stop inducing plagues.
This is was the model for Obama and other self-infatuated rulers throughout history. They have not necessarily lacked intelligence, but they have been unable to process information to reach logical conclusions. Much as a Pharaoh would, Obama deployed his lackeys to take the worst economic results of the Bush administration and make them worse yet.
Ruben is a lot more like Obama than he would care to admit, from Harvard education, to a little race pimping when convenient, to my suspicions of tacit thoughts of “And it’s not surprising then they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren’t like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations.”.
Kind of the journalist version of Yes We Can! I am frankly surprised there wasn’t more Conservative bashing in this one. Playing to a different audience, I suppose.
Sorry Ruben, your sins are not forgiven for the propaganda run up to helping put the Feckless one in charge. And many of us haven’t forgotten.
All I can say is Navarrette is a RACIST! Please PJM don’t let this writer post anymore of his Pro Illegal Immigration crap, thanks!
I recall one of Obama’s responses to the electoral defeat in Mass was that democrats had not “spoken to the American people enough.”
It is consistent with my evaluation of Obama and the democratic leaders in congress that never in a million years does it occur to them that they have failed to listen to the american people…
1. Poor Citizen:
Indeed, Scott Brown won in Mass. and has all but cleared the field to become the leading voice in conservative/republican circles. And OBAMA has had an astonishing first year as well. All the issues that were ignored for the past ten years have been dealt with decisively. Iraq: Fixed, Afghanistan: Fixed, The economy: Fixed, Health care: Fixed, Gitmo: Fixed Wall Street: Fixed, Farming: Fixed. With all these issues now being dealt with head on, despite republicans still refusing to help. Brown will have his work cut out for him just trying to get the Republicans in congress moving again (they have not participated in any significant issue in over a year). So his election will at least “Jump Start” the stalled republican, tparty, palin machines.
——————————-
Wow, all those “fixes” and Obamas Democrats are still dropping into a political void. Hard to believe! You should stop listening to Robert Gibbs. He is not your friend! How many jobs did he tell you were “saved or created” this month? Any idea?
Republicans not participating? (1) When your enemy starts digging a collective hole for themselves during a monsoon, it’s best to stay out of it and head for higher ground… don’t you agree? (2) Sometimes a spoiled, misbehaving child needs to be told “no”!
I do not find one single thing racist about this article.
If being truthful and seeing things without the vail of stupidity, and speaking out when we see things that are wrong and harmful to America in general is racists..then I sure hope we all become more “racist”.
Obama is “not” an uneducated man, he’s just “stupid”, really there is no better word.
Racist…an over used word, used to intimidate, and hold people in bondage.
We watched the Stephanopoulos interview and just laughed.
What could he do ?
Reject marxism-leninism, fire all the marxist-leninists from the administration, denounce his past connection with a black-supremacist and with terrorists, stop trying to nationalize the American economy, renew Bush’ tax cuts and make them permanent, start drilling for oil, expand the production of coal, build nuclear power plants, stop calling the Police stupid, stop saying that we shouldn’t jump to conclusions when an islamic terrorist murders American Warriors, come away from his vacations when we are under attack, stop hugging all the dictators he can reach, stop attacking Israel in every way he can, stop bowing to the saudis, stop insulting America in every way he can…
This could be a good start.
Then he could resign.
Moving to the center? The Pinko in the White House will NEVER move to the center. Only in campaign mode and when he is outright lying to the American public. He would need a character/personality transplant for that move. He is a stone cold hard core Marxist and those of us who did not vote for him knew what type of animal he is. History is replete with tyrants/authoritarians of his stripe. The American political system set up by the Founding Fathers has put large roadblocks in front of his ambition and the electorate doubled down. Were if not for a combination of circumstances, this despot would have been up to his neck in shredding every last liberty we have. Let’s just pray we get through the next three years clinging to the vestigages of our bithright and hope this duplicitous anomoly justs gets out as fast as possible. As far as you are concerned Mr. Navarette, you are woefully naive or you think your readers are.
Actually, Mr. Navarette, Obama was on American Idol.
Is it possible that Comrade Zero is putting us on? Could he actually be stupid enough to think we don’t get his racist, Commie-thug message? Yes, I think he is stupid enough to think that. Too bad this subversive, lying, incompetent dunce is president of the United States. The good news that he is going to take the D-rat Party down with him big time, and there’s nothing they can do about it, because they’re the real fools. The bad news is that Elephant Ears and his clowns are busy ruining our lives in the process.
The only friends Obama has are terrorists. They love him for trying the sub-human killers of American women, children and me
in New York City, giving them all the rights of U.S. citizen. Instead of spending millions of lawyers to defend them
Obama should spend millions on weapons systems to kill them.
Actually, Obama was
an America hater from hello. He’s in my opinion
the worst President in the history of the United States. A member of the Frequent
Liar’s club many times over. The guy makes Joseph Stalin look like a choirboy.
The word that keeps coming back to me when I try to describe Barry Obambi is “petulant”. He’s like a little kid who has to have his way and consequences be damned. When he’s not getting what he wants he has a tendency to stare down the podium and lecture as if we were all a bunch of rowdy schoolboys who need to be taught a lesson. I want to quantify that statement by adding that I only feel that way about Barry when I’m in a particularly good mood. The rest of the time I suspect that he’s an anti American, closet Muslim Jew/Christian hating socialist who was nursed on the milk of hating White people and America and wants to take the country down the road to European style socialism. If Barry thinks he hasn’t spoken loudly, clearly or often enough to the American people then he’s clearly delusional. What he seems to be missing is that the people, at least in Massachusetts, have decided that Barrycare is not what they want.
very…well..expressed, point made, mr. navarrette.
Look for Obama and the dems to release some money..our money to us…and try to makes things look better.. it will come before the ’10 elections and be a ploy, we’ve been expecting it.
He tries to say he understands what we want, he feels the same way and is trying to clean up what Bush did…bull. Obama and the dems have tried to flush our nation down the socialist/muslim loving drain..and blaming everyone but himself.
A “petulant” child was the best description of Obama. I can’t stand to look at or listen to the man anymore.
I bet the BOGUS POTUS dont even know how to spell ‘narcissist’ but he are one. LOL
How Obama Can Win Friends and Influence People
Tack to the center ? Call for bipartisan effort ?
The first hint I read about the mess we are in now
was in a column by—Anna Quinlan—I think;
Pretty standard Insider Observations about Gridlock
in Congress, then:
” It looks like the nation is headed for Hard Times,
and we could get through them a little easier if
there were cooperation between the two parties,
* but it looks like that is not going to happen * .”
In plain English, people: Legendary Federal failure on the way.
There have been a couple more similar shocked realizations
recently, as the dimly seen shape looming up out of the fog
of the future is more clearly seen as a large, hungry predator,
with an appetite for cowardly CongressCritters, and their flocks;
Better send in some Sheepdogs, and a few Irish wolfhounds,
to replace the CC, before the Beast slouches into attack range.
You have one more year to act; Afterwards inflation will start
its irreversible upward trend, the economy a corresponding decline,
and we will all be in for the ride of our lives, back to the future;
Anyone care to live in 1950, or maybe 1900 ?
Understatement of the Year Alert…
President Obama’s desire to do something “historic” by succeeding where previous presidents had failed was perfectly consistent for a man consumed with his own ego satisfaction, rather than with the welfare of the country or even that of his own political party.
Great Scott!
Listening to Obama and his spin doctors since last week one can only assume that:(1) Brown won in Ma because the voters there all support Obama. (2) Brown won in Ma because the voters there are very mad at Bush (3) If there is a problem, its because the public is just too dumb to understand why tripling an already unmanageable national debt in 10 years is good for them (4) The Democrats have not blamed Bush enough (5) Obama has not been partisan and arrogant enough and (6) Obama needs to spend more time on TV explaining to the idiot voters how fortunate they are to have a smart guy like him as President. If the Gang of Three were not running the country into the ground watching Obama,Reid and Pelosi immolate their party would actually be fun
I would say the utterances Obama made in the wake of the “wake-up” call” are those of sick man, if I didn’t know he was just repeating what his handlers put in front of him. Of course, he might still be sick.
If Poor Citizen thinks Obama has “fixed” anything then he/she is as delusional as the President.
Obama is insane. There is no other reason for him acting like he is. We have a Madman in the White House. May God help us.
It’s not a failure to communicate. It’s the message that stinks. The American public are not buying into communism and hopefully never will. Obama having a big ego and believing his own press releases probably can’t believe it.
The “failure to communicate” that Strother Martin once observed is not the issue here. The real problem is the stunning level of ineptitude characterizing this administration and its Obamateurs. Some 88% of the senior positions in this organization are held by folks who’ve never worked in the private sector, led by a man who’s greatest achievement seem to have been that he graduated from law school. Whether the result of the debacle on the distribution (or lack thereof) of swine flu vaccine (a situation for which they had a year to prepare) to the astonishing assertion that “the system worked” in the aftermath of the plane bombing, the American electorate is finally beginning to realize that they elected a guy who’s watching his own movie. Unfortunately, we are all paying the price of this serious error in judgement.
He’s correct that most Republicans in D.C. are every bit as clueless as the Democrats. After all, who can forget the Bridge to No-Where? OTOH, as long as they lived by the “Contract with America” the Republicans were mostly alright, but some of us haven’t forgotten that in the years the GOP was in control of both houses of Congress as well as the presidency the one & only Washington bureaucracy they got rid of was one of the most tiny, the ICC, the Interstate Commerce Commission.
Instead of downsizing or just getting rid of, the departments of Energy & Education the rascals enlarged them.
That’s one reason I’m a Prohibitionist rather than a Republican.
Yes, the Prohibition Party still exists. See http://www.prohibitionists.org And it’s the only party, as far as I know, that has a Pro-Life plank in its platform.
Obamanation is going down in flames, unless he and his cronies get off the kool aid and wake up. I have a feeling that the State of the Union will be more empty rhetoric, without admitting mistakes and a change of course.
Now go have an Obama day !
All of Obozo’s problems can be summed up in two words…
“I Won”
His attitude from day one hasn’t changed an iota.
It is interesting how many people talk about moving “to the center.” It is never a matter of moving to the center, nor the right, nor to the left, but a matter of doing what is right! I have read many commentaries comparing Obama’s current situation with Ronald Reagan’s years ago. They DO NOT COMPARE! Obama’s actions, in light of a bad situation, is to grow government. That is wrong! It happens to be a left wing view, but the issue is that it is wrong! Reagan, when confronted with similar situation (bad economy), did the opposite, he wanted to decrease government, cut taxes, those things are right! It happens to be a view of the right of the political spectrum. Well, often, the right of the political spectrum do have the right policies and principles. The left is just that: the left. Like, right now, they blame Bush for all the evil. However, I do not see Obama doing anything to fix it. He is doing more of the bad things Bush did. The stimulus package, from all that I have read, was never a job stimulus, it was a grow government bigger porkulus package. Even when it is reported by the White House, when supposedly it saved this or that job in a government position. Interesting, the other day, Obama was talking about some help with students tuition. And they want to give special advantage for those who come to work in government! Isn’t that interesting? Can you see how things the government should grow? I worked in government. They waste, they are not good stewards of resources. So, the issue, is not whether someone is center, right, or left. The issue: is someone promoting the right policies?
Yes, good point, why hasn’t Obama reached out to key Republicans and moved to the center? Why didn’t he try negotiating with people like Olympia Snowe or Joe Lieberman during this healthcare bill? Why didn’t he try dropping liberal provisions like the medicare buy-in or the public option? Why didn’t he consider the healthcare bills that the Republicans put forward instead?
Why didn’t he include Republican ideas like tax cuts as a major part of the Stimulus bill? Why didn’t he listen to Republicans who told him not to close guantanamo in his first year?
As we all know, Obama has been clear and articulate on this issue. Americans don’t report being confused by the bill(s). They know how it would effect their households. So of course, it can’t be a problem of communication.
Why do we consistently act as if this behavior wasn’t apparent to other people before he was elected? I did not want Obama to fail so I could say “I Told You So”. I KNEW he would fail and prayed he wouldn’t be elected. Now that he has been and his policies have (yet to) be(en) enacted, is there any doubt as to the enormity of his failure?
@LoachDriver, I also remember about the “Contract With America.” And, by the way, Gingrich and the Congress at the time, carried out what they promised. They found out what people wanted and had a list of what they promised, and thye endeavored to carry out the people’s will. At the time, Clinton was smart enought not to oppose it! It is interesting how Bill Clinton gets credit for what the Republican congress accomplished back then. Now, as you pointed, when they had the senate, the House and the presidency, they became spenders, not quite like the Democrats, but they became spenders. And Bush was never a fiscally conservative. He was a spender, not a big spender though. Have anyone read the article that shows that in 20 months Obama will have increased the DEBT by 3T? Something that took Bush to it in 8 years. The problem with independents (though I am registered independent) is this: they are reactionary, they do pay attention what is the phylosophy of the individuals they elect. I am pretty sure most of those who are conservative knew what would happen would Obama. And believe me, he would have been worst. He had to “move to the center” in many issues, including HC. Remember if he could he would implement full blown government health care. He is for the SINGLE PAYER SYSTEM. So, again, it is not a matter of left, center, or right. It is a matter of doing what is right. And for the most part the conservative phylosophy is the right one. You know, people blame conservatism for the disasters of the last few years. The problem was not CONSERVATISM, but the LACK OF CONSERVATISM, because, as many have pointed out, Bush was not fiscally conservative. And conservatism means believing in the productivity of the individual. It does not mean corporate corruption.
@LoachDriver, I also remember about the “Contract With America.” And, by the way, Gingrich and the Congress at the time, carried out what they promised. They found out what people wanted and had a list of what they promised, and thye endeavored to carry out the people’s will. At the time, Clinton was smart enought not to oppose it! It is interesting how Bill Clinton gets credit for what the Republican congress accomplished back then. Now, as you pointed, when they had the senate, the House and the presidency, they became spenders, not quite like the Democrats, but they became spenders. And Bush was never a fiscally conservative. He was a spender, not a big spender though. Have anyone read the article that shows that in 20 months Obama will have increased the DEBT by 3T? Something that took Bush to it in 8 years. The problem with independents (though I am registered independent) is this: they are reactionary, they do pay attention what is the phylosophy of the individuals they elect. I am pretty sure most of those who are conservative knew what would happen would Obama. And believe me, he would have been worst. He had to “move to the center” in many issues, including HC. Remember if he could he would implement full blown government health care. He is for the SINGLE PAYER SYSTEM. So, again, it is not a matter of left, center, or right. It is a matter of doing what is right. And for the most part the conservative phylosophy is the right one. You know, people blame conservatism for the disasters of the last few years. The problem was not CONSERVATISM, but the LACK OF CONSERVATISM, because, as many have pointed out, Bush was not fiscally conservative. And conservatism means believing in the productivity of the individual. It does not mean corporate corruption.
@ Poor Citizen: You are wrong on ALL COUNTS. I didn’t think it was possible for anyone to be so gullible. You are completely gullible if you think Barry has fixed a single problem, let alone all of them. Stop watching LameStream Media.
Republicans “…have not participated in any significant issue in over a year” because they HAVE BEEN LOCKED OUT. You and Barry must share the same dark area with your head up your southern region.
48. jd:
All of Obozo’s problems can be summed up in two words…
“I Won”
His attitude from day one hasn’t changed an iota.
Well if Massachusetts New Jersey and Virginia elections did not seem to wake him up to reality, just wait until November 2 this year when Democrats in both the house and senate lose a tremendous amount of seats and power (no more Nancy or Harry) and actually start impeachment proceedings against Obama as first order of business in the new congress.
I want to see his silly face as articles of impeachment are read and passed in the Congress in January 2011 the first day of business after they are sworn in.
I still doubt if the Politicians of either party really understands what is happening in American!
For years we have watched our jobs being outsourced & in-sourced, aided and abide by the ruling Political elite!
On the low end Politicians have allowed the largest invasion of any Nation, at any time, by any means as millions of Uneducated Illegal Aliens pour across our borders in direct volition of our Constitution Article IV Section IV against invasion, the Rule of Law & their Oath of office.
The Democrat support the invasion because a large uneducated dependent welfare class translates into Democrat votes!
The Republicans because their paymaster in the Chamber of Commerce & Business love slave labor with the benefits like Medical, Schooling, Welfare & Incarceration, Section 8 housing etc. are passed on to the tax payers!
On the high end H1 vistas to take the engineering, software jobs etc. at low wages to increase business profits & the insane salaries of the CEO,s their bonuses &, benefits etc.
After years of seeing their standard of living deteriorate & requiring both parents working and still not able to provide a standard of living that one working did it in the past people are frustrated & angry that no one in Washington cares about working Americans or the future of this Nation!
Obama promised Hope & Change so the voters kicked out a Elitist, Arrogant, Spendthrift Republican party that was wading in the swamp of corruption!
Now after one year of Democrat rule and total control most are realizing Obama sold them a bill of good and the Democrats are even more Elitist, Arrogant, Big spending and the swamp of corruption has now turned into a sea of debt & corruption with Acorn , Unions, Seiu, Wall street , Big banks & last but not least the tax funded Racist hate Organization La Raza!
Both parties when they get total control & power get more corrupt, arrogant & worse than the British & King George that resulted in the American revolution and the shot heard around the world!
Now the good people of Mass. have fired another shot. If the Politicians of both parties still refuse to change and keep thinking they are Kings & we are their Serfs & they & the special interest they serve know what is best, the next shots they hear may not be as peaceful.
It is way pass time they realize they are the servants & not our rulers and they exist to serve the American people & this Nation, not the special interest, not Mexico, not Latin American and every country in the world while ignoring and punishing Citizens by taxes, jobs and debt to support the rest of the world!
Obama will NEVER appear on American Idol, for that is a FOX program
I can only assume that Poor Citizen’s post was written with tongue firmly implanted in cheek. Certainly no one can really be that poorly informed, and if so, would not demonstrate it by posting proof thereof.
Only the naive who bought his lines during the campaign are really surprised at the total and absolute dissolution of this president. He was a farce from Day One, he remains a farce to date. The only things he’d done prior to this is get a bunch of street hoodlums agitated to go boycott a bank or some other honest business because he didn’t feel they were getting their “fair share”. The sooner he’s gone from the scene, the sooner we can try to right all the wrongs he’s perpetrated on this country by his misguided, Marxist outlook on life.
Good God, Ruben…don’t give him any more ideas. Idol is my last refuge! One of the few places where I can rest from his face and his dull entonation (oh, sorry, I meant his eloquence.)
Arrogance and Dishonesty! What else can you say from watching Obama, but Arrogance and Dishonesty! I would say clueless, but I don’t believe his is. I think its Arrogance and Dishonesty! We could have had Hillary, but we went with Obama?
This writer is an idiot that is harmful to this country. Get rid of him.
Obama does not understand the American people, his ego is too large to listen, he knows so much better. But I ask you Americans, Do you really have confidence in a president who has to use a teleprompter to talk to a 6th grade clasroom?’
I think Wm F Buckley stated (paraphrased) he’d rather be governed by the first 435 people in the NYC phone book than the idiots currently in CONgress. Still applies to the hilt!
This president is so tone-deaf I cannot believe it. Moreover whenever he tries to be centrist he can’t. Look at his spending freeze. It only affects 8% of the economy, will only cut 15 billion out of the 2011 budget not even 2010 and the overall savings in a decade will not even make up for the debt Obama accrues in a quarter of one year. This is not even neough to satisfy anybody, just piss more people off.
The republicans are not serious about bi-partisanship. No less an authority on this than their own former colleague Arlen Spector, who they chased out of the party, said that tehey had it in for Obama from the minute he was sworn into office. They’ve gotten away with being the party of no so far, but with 41 votes in the Senate they’ll be accountable to the American people as well.
And these “key” Republican would be????? Geezzz, I watched a ton of the Senate Finance Committee was it, the one that got all the TV time. The Republicans were so BAD. Their ideas were mostly worthless and just done to stretch the process and/or try to defeat the bill. Not a great column, Ruben. Not a great column. Quoting Dick Morris shows that you are watching too much FOX, the station that had Obama losing the Presidency right to the end. Let’s get health care reform passed for the good of the nation.
A well written article, and the “How to make friends…” reference was a nice bonus.
Many, including Hillary, said he wasn’t ready to be President. Why is everyone acting surprised now that he proves it with every speech and interview?
The conclusion that general incompetence of the job reigns in the WH, begs the question — how does this ship of state stay afloat for the next 3 years.
OR – how to sail with no one at the helm.
Best case scenario; Reform congress from the inside out and start doing some real legislating based on the consent of the governed (a really wild idea); can the pork! Simply put, simple minded ? — but worth trying for. Start by trashing the health bill and running an experiment in ethical governance by enacting reforms representing the electorate (even if that means turning the process over to the states.!
Mr. Navarette,
I think you got this one exactly right–and I dont often agree with you.
And you wasted how many words to state the obvious most of know already, including the “clueless” Republicans.