Obama is still suffering from the Speech Illusion, the idea that he can come down from the mountain, read from a Teleprompter, cast a magic spell with his words and climb back up the mountain, while we scurry around and do what he proclaimed.
The days of spinning illusions in a Greek temple in a football stadium are done. The One is dancing on the edge of one term.
The White House team is flailing — reacting, regrouping, retrenching. It’s repugnant.
After pushing and shoving and caving to get on TV, the president’s advisers immediately began warning that the long-yearned-for jobs speech wasn’t going to be that awe-inspiring.
“The issue isn’t the size or the newness of the ideas,” one said. “It’s less the substance than how he says it, whether he seizes the moment.”
The arc of justice is stuck at the top of a mountain. Maybe Obama was not even the person he was waiting for.
Holy carp. When Dowd says that, he’s done.
That’s her equivalent of an up-the-side-of-the-head slap to wake Obama up. Problem is, he was never conscious in the first place.
blind mole
On the other hand, I continue to believe that even old mo is viewing this guy through the wrong filter. He isn’t normal and they aren’t normal.
Even old mo kinda likes the country and naturally expects that any American leader is serving it.
Couldn’t be more wrong. Couple of things are absolutly certain. He doesn’t consider himself a fairlure, and he isn’t going quietly into the night. He and his have invested decades getting to the brink of extinguishing the flame.
He’s only one con away from making it happen.
Nothing is beyond them.
The psychology is interesting. The liberal establishment came to a fork in the road. Either give up on Obama, or give up on the dream of a liberal utopia. So you have three possible responses: 1) throw the liberal dream under the bus, 2) throw Obama under the bus, or 3) punt. Mo took door #2, the independents are taking door #1, and most liberals are taking door #3.
I don’t see this trashing of hopenchange gathering much more steam, but I could be wrong. I think about 30% of the public are Obama dead-enders, and 30% of 50% gets their way.
Now that aides are backtracking on the importance of “the jobs speech” ( http://hotair.com/archives/2011/09/02/white-house-already-lowering-expectations-for-the-big-speech-on-thursday/ ), Boehner should double-down and publicly ask whether Obama would like to repudiate his aides or withdraw from the plan of disrupting congressional business with a nothingburger.
The only good thing about this speech is that it is scheduled to end before the opening kick-off of the new NFL season. At least I will know when I can turn on the TV without listening to the newest incarnation of THE POLICY TO END ALL POLICIES.
I really am very tired of this guy….
His ratio of substance/words spoken is becoming vanishingly small.
GO PACK!
This is the Carter Malaise speech moment. This is Ford Stumble moment. This is the Bush 41 “Message: I Care” moment. This is the tipping point where it is obvious to his supporters that the wheels are seen to come off the bus. The one thing that Obama could do in his sleep (deliver a teleprompter speech) is now going to show him to be the empty suit his detractors have claimed he is. This will be the moment that he moved from being the President to being just a future ex-President.
Lowering expectations… something Dowd and the rest of the chattering class dickweeds should’ve considered 3 years ago. Morons.
What just happened here is Maureen Dowd prepared Chris Matthews for the fact that a thrill WOULD NOT run up his leg.
– us the hedging genuflection:
“Polls show that most Americans still like and trust the president…”
We should wince when sentences begin with “Polls show…”
Polls show? Then why not reward failure? Don’t turn him out, but return him to office. Change is scary so Hope there won’t be any?
I wonder if, as per usual, he will turn up late?