Thursday, February 4, 2010

Can Obama Do One Thing Without Taking Jabs? Or Is That Just Politics As Usual?

At Prayer Breakfast, Obama Jabs 'Birthers'

Watch CBS News Videos Online

President Obama has adopted a new kind of bipartisanship -- daring Republicans to offer their policy views so that he can discredit them.
You might call it punching-bag bipartisanship. The president and his party believe that by eliciting Republican policy ideas they can remind Americans how much they hate the GOP.
Obama now says he is not going to let Republicans "sit on the sidelines" while Democrats are stuck trying to solve problems.
It's a big shift from last year, when his theme in dealing with the GOP was summed up in a favorite line from his stump speech for Democratic candidates: "I don't want the folks who created the mess to do a lot of talking."
The Left believes voters have soured on Democrats because Americans have forgotten the awfulness of GOP policies.
In truth, voters tossed out the GOP because of arrogance, incompetence and corruption. It was not the policy, it was the people.
Sex scandals, corruption, profligate spending and recklessness in Iraq didn't put people off limited government, but rather government itself.
Rather than correctly reading a mandate for a sensible and competent government, Obama's hubristic agenda and dithering execution was exactly the thing to convince voters that Washington was not able to solve problems.
Now, having been thrice rebuked by voters for pushing a big, complex agenda, Obama is betting his presidency on his ability to create jobs in the next nine months.
The president wants to convince the American people that he's working every day in practical ways to put people to work while Republicans are offering no constructive answers for joblessness.
This is a poor strategy.
If Tom DeLay or Donald Rumsfeld were the ones offering the alternatives, it might flash voters back to the second Bush term with a shudder. But it's unlikely that some fresh face like Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin or Sen. John Thune of South Dakota will provoke much horror.
The administration did not learn the right lesson from picking a fight over terror policies with the greatest villain of the Left, Dick Cheney. Cheney took Obama to school and helped solidify bipartisan opposition to the president's plans to close Guantanamo Bay and treating terrorist attacks against the United States as criminal matters.
Now, Obama will attempt to give Democrats a boost by taunting Republicans for their ideas to help the economy. It will likely meet the same end as the administration's attempt at bearbaiting Cheney -- the bear gets off its chain and the dogs get mauled.
Democrats had their big chance to trap Republicans, but their health plan was too big and too shoddily built to pass, even with a supermajority in Congress. Democrats went from first and goal to their own 1-yard line on delay-of-game penalties alone. Then Scott Brown picked off their final passing play.
Republicans have little experience doing anything but opposing health care policies, but they all love to talk about economic policy and their answers sound good to voters.
Obama is offering another complex, nuanced mix of green, socially conscious stimulus efforts. So Republicans will say, "We want to get government off your back, cut spending and cut taxes."
Obama will chuckle at their simplistic answers and remind voters of the failures of the Bush era. But since Obama has lost so much credibility on issues, it's unlikely that voters will prefer his opaque promises to the straightforward solutions of the GOP, especially if the economy remains anemic after so much big talk and big government.
Even if Obama were inclined to play against type and offer straightforward solutions, his own precarious political position would not allow it.
The Wall Street Journal tells us that for the first time ever, the members of public employee unions outnumber the members of industrial unions. The slow demise of American manufacturing and the explosive growth of government means that 51 percent of the 15.4 million union workers are government employees. In 1973, they constituted less than 20 percent of the union work force.
The president and his party have always depended on unions for votes and done their bidding in Washington. Now, that means expanding the government as a jobs program for the party's most important constituency.
But alas, the more government jobs, the higher the burden on the private sector and the weaker the recovery.
That means Obama will struggle not only in the rhetorical struggle with Republicans over the economy. He will also have a devil of a time delivering results.

26 comments:

  1. Good for President Obama. It's about time he started hitting back against the radical right that has called him everything from Hitler to Chairman Mao.

    I hope he keeps hitting back and shows some real backbone against the Republicans and the Tea baggers and birthers.

    He has to realize the Republicans have no interest in any bipartisanship cooperation. Republicans are only interested in the next election cycle and not the good of the country. They want President Obama to fail and it shows in their votes.

    He was right to go to the prayer breakfast and call them out on their ridiculous rhetoric about the birth certificate issue and their involvement in the Ugandan Kill the Gays legislation.

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  2. I agree with my brother from another mother,Bruce. Obama need to destroy the republican party. I found this joke on a Democratic christian blog. Why are the right wing Democrats pushing this stuff?

    A little girl wrote to Sarah Palin and asked; 'How did the human race start?'

    Sarah Palin answered, 'God made Adam and Eve;

    They had children; and so was all mankind made.'

    Two days later the girl wrote to Michelle Obama

    and asked the same question.

    Michelle Obama answered,

    'Many years ago there were monkeys from which the human race evolved.'

    The confused girl went to her father and said,

    'Dad, how is it possible that Sarah Palin told me

    the Human race was created by God,

    And Michelle Obama said they evolved from monkeys.'

    The father answered, 'Well, Dear, it is very simple,

    Sarah Palin told you about her ancestors

    and Michelle Obama told you about hers.'

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  3. I guess that was the radical left that called Bush Hitler and worse. And hey, FAILk, aren't you a "truther"? What a nut you are. Nutty nutty fruitcake.

    Jay-Ney, are YOU a truther?

    The Republicans may want Obummer to fail in instituting Socialism, on that you are right FAILk. That's awfully nice of Obummer to help them out by being so damn incompetent. Same with the Hypocrat "leadership". BWAAAHAHAHAHA ... oh man, I can't write leadership in conjunction with the Hypocrats without bursting out in laughter! LOL

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  4. Jay-Ney, thanks for sharing the joke, that was funny I guess because a Hypocrat told it? Otherwise it would be considered racist. Good thing I can laugh because you told it!

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  5. John, no, I'm not a truther. If you refer to that video again, you will totally destroy what little credibility you have left. That is not me in that video at Knollenberg's office.

    John, there is no socialist agenda. That's just plain silly, John. You and your ilk want President Obama to fail on every level.

    You can't expect to be invited to help govern if all Republicans do is vote no and obstruct the Democrats' agenda.

    John, you might want to read Naomi Wolfe's book, The End of America. The letters of a young patriot. You might learn something.

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  6. It's because they are all racists. Isn't it Bruce? Why else? He is a good man and he has great ideas. It's because he is half black. I know the neo-cons are racist. But to see it on the "Left Wing" blogs amazed me. There are a lot of Americans that are blaming Obamas black half. He is becoming an "Uncle Tom" when he should be bitch slapping the republicans instead.

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  7. In a "Special Report" on the president's question-and-answer session with Republicans last Friday, MSNBC's jock-sniffers Chris Matthews, Keith Olbermann and Rachel Maddow produced a museum-quality show:

    MATTHEWS: Everybody agrees he could handle everything today. ...

    OLBERMANN: It almost felt like watching the stories of John L. Sullivan, the 19th-century boxer, who would volunteer to fight anybody and everybody in the house and knock them all out. ...


    MADDOW (imagining Obama thinking): You've brought a pet issue here, congressman, who is the ranking member of the Budget Committee, let me tell you 400,000 things about it, and invite you to continue the discussion with me later. ...

    MATTHEWS: (T)oday showed me that we do produce probably the best candidate and best president we can in this system you can imagine in the world. ...

    OLBERMANN: They had 140 players on the field and the other team had one guy and they lost to him. ...

    MATTHEWS: You were so unbelievably hot, Mr. President! You blew away the other team!

    OBAMA: Beat it.

    MATTHEWS: OK, I'll go stand in my locker now.

    Unlike the jock-sniffers, normal people watching the president's tete-a-tete with the Republicans only wondered why Obama always responds to imaginary arguments no one made, rather than the questions actually being asked.

    That is Obama's signature move: Invent "people" who are "saying" ridiculous things and then encourage the audience to laugh at these made-up buffoons.

    Since Obama's reformulations of Republican arguments are always absurd, no further response from him is necessary -- and none is ever forthcoming.

    Thus, for example, Obama's description of Republican criticism of his plan to nationalize health care was that "this thing was some Bolshevik plot."

    No. No one said it was a "plot," Bolshevik or otherwise.

    Republicans' objection to national health care could be more accurately portrayed as follows: Obama's plan to nationalize health care was a terrible idea because it would turn over one-sixth of the American economy to Washington bureaucrats, who would run the system as competently as the federal government runs everything else, from airport security to the post office to FEMA.

    How about responding to that argument? (And as long as Obama brought it up, can he explain which part of national health care the Bolsheviks would have objected to most strongly?)

    This isn't how adults conduct serious political debates; it's how children argue with their parents. Don't have a cow! Liberals hide conservative arguments from the public like teenagers hide contraband from mother under the bed.

    Repeatedly positing imaginary attacks by Republicans accusing him of a "plot," Obama said that "the way these issues are being presented by the Republicans is that this is some wild-eyed plot to impose huge government in every aspect of our lives."

    Again, not a "plot" and certainly not "wild-eyed." The only person accusing anyone of "plotting" here is Obama accusing the GOP of plotting against him. I guess they don't teach irony at Harvard Law School.

    If Obama is going to keep imagining others accusing him of "plots," could he provide just one example?

    Republicans also did not accuse Obama of trying to "impose huge government in every aspect of our lives." Just the part of it that determines how long we get to live.

    Continuing his fantasy battle with imaginary opponents, Obama said, "What you've been telling your constituents is, this guy is doing all kinds of crazy stuff that's going to destroy America."

    I gather Obama is incapable of responding to his opponents' actual argument, which is that he is proposing all sorts of things that would be very bad for America.

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  8. Since he pleads innocence only on the claim that he is doing "crazy stuff that's going to destroy America" -- an argument no one made -- apparently he's guilty as charged on the claim that he's merely doing very bad things to America.

    Adopting the pose of limpid nonpartisanship, Obama repeatedly accused Republicans of horrible things using his peculiar straw-man technique.

    He told Republicans he was "absolutely committed" to working with them, "but it can't just be political assertions that aren't substantiated."

    Can Obama please name a single "unsubstantiated" political assertion by a Republican before wasting everyone's time by instructing Republicans to stop making them?

    I can name a few from Obama!

    How about the whopper he told about national health care not covering illegal aliens? Or the one about it not covering abortions?

    Weeks after Obama made those unsubstantiated political assertions before a joint session of Congress, Democrats were in death-match battles with Republicans (and some moderate Democrats) who tried to exclude coverage for illegals and abortion from the very bills Obama said never contained such coverage in the first place.

    How about Obama's claim in his State of the Union address last week that a recent Supreme Court ruling would allow "foreign corporations to spend without limit in our elections"?

    In the case Obama mentioned, the court overruled section 441a of the campaign-finance law, which had banned all corporate spending on elections. The case did not concern, nor did the court address, section 441e, which prohibits foreign corporations from making any "contribution or donation of money or other thing of value ... in connection with a Federal, State or local election."

    History will record that these remarks from his State of the Union address were the only case legendary barrister Barack Obama ever argued before the Supreme Court. And he lost.

    Even when presented with a short, straightforward, simply stated question by Rep. Mike Pence, Obama couldn't help but to formulate a different question.

    Pence asked: "Mr. President, will you consider supporting across-the-board tax relief, as President Kennedy did?"

    The question Obama wanted Pence to ask was: Mr. President, will you join Republicans in cutting taxes of billionaires?

    Luckily, Obama's reformulation gave him an opening for a killer answer: "What you may consider across-the-board tax cuts could be, for example, greater tax cuts for people who are making a billion dollars. I may not agree to a tax cut for Warren Buffett."

    Republicans should take that answer and run like a thief in the night! OK, let's cut taxes on everyone except billionaires. I'd even support a specific tax expressly on Warren Buffett. Now, son, how much will you give us for these magic beans?

    If only Republicans could maneuver Obama into answering a question on abortion, we could probably get him to agree to ban all abortions -- except in the case of teenage girls who have been raped by their fathers. (This is how I assume Obama would rephrase the question.)

    No conservative argues like this. To the contrary, we're morose that Nexis archives are not more complete, so we can't quote liberals directly more often.

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  9. ROFLMAO ... refer to WHAT video?!?! I didn't even refer to a video. What a nut you are FAILk! Man, talk about a paranoid left-winger. Do you have your tinfoil hat on right now FAILk, or your KKK hood? Maybe you have them both on, who knows.

    Hey FAILk, maybe you should check out allllll the laws that have passed last year, in bi-partisan fashion. Just because the Republicans are bowing to the will of the people and not allowing a Socialist takeover of the health care industry, or a big giveaway to Big Insurance, Big Pharma and Trial Lawyers (not to mention Unions) doesn't mean they are being obstructionist, it means they are doing their jobs.

    Aha! You even say the Republicans want to "obstruct the Democrats' agenda". THEIR agenda, not the people's agenda, or the bi-partisan agenda. THEIR SOCIALIST AGENDA. Shove it FAILk, you just proved my point for me! BWAAAAHAHAHAHA

    Hey FAILk, you might want to read The Constitution of These United States, YOU might learn a thing. I think I'll pass on YOUR reading suggestions, knowing that you bow at the altar of Olbuttman and MadCow. I can't begin to imagine the nonsense that you read. I'll take some advice on interesting books to read from Joey, but never from you, cyst-boy.

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  10. Oh, and FAILk, we all know you are a truther. You claimed that Bush had Iraq all divided up before he went in ... you're more of a conspiracist than any of the birthers. Nutjob. They really did remove a piece of your brain with that cyst, didn't they? Time to go back on your meds FAILk, you're starting to lose touch with reality again.

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  11. Now FAILk has me intrigued. Does anyone know of some video of FAILk being a truther at Knollenberg's office? I gotta see this one.

    Are you talking about this one FAILk, where you were running away from the guy asking you simple questions? I bet you were exhausted if your jacked-up mouth can only allow you to draw in half the air you require to let your fat body function:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vws1MkTTfT4&feature=player_embedded

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  12. LOL.John you are hilarious.

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  13. It doesn't look good on the Beltway. It doesn't look good for the Democrats on the Undiebomber. Every minute that is spent on the Detroit terrorist the Democrats cringe. Now the White House is looking like they are playing politics with key info given by the Detroit terrorist after he got his Maranda rights. If it turns out that the White House is playing politics with national security that is the lowest thing ever. Something is stinking in Washington and they all have a (D) after their names. If what is being said is correct then the White House is in a big mess. We don't need this kind of BS coming from the White House. We will find out the truth either way.

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  14. You must have been listening to Drudge or Rush again, Chris.

    Vague accustions are their cup of tea.

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  15. Bruce Vague Accusations Is What You DO,Are You a Closet Conservative, You Devil!

    Closed Door Meeting With Nobama and Democrats Regarding Health Care! Once Again Transparentsy For TERRORIST, CLOSED Doors for Citizens Hard to Figure!

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  16. Al has your number FAILk. BWAAAAHAHAHAHA!!!

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  17. FAILk, is this the video that you claim is not of you? Granted, the right half of this guy's face seems to be functioning, but I can't tell the difference between your angry rants and his. He is at a Knollenberg protest so I guess if we have to claim the "birthers" you have to claim this guy. He's as good as your twin, the resemblance is uncanny. Except for the jacked up face on the right side. Having that lobotomy might be your saving grace on this video evidence!

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1yB71wX3YvE

    Now you go and compare it to your drooling Fox News appearance (they were fair and balanced for letting a physically handicapped person like you on, weren't they?) and you tell me that this raving maniac isn't the spitting image of you!

    Thanks for the tip on the video Bruce, I would have never found it if not for you. Do you have any more videos where you are raving mad like this? Right now all I have is your comments on Chris' blog, and they're entertaining and all, but the video is where you really let your freak flag fly you truther.

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  18. No Bruce I don't listen to Rush or Drudge. Look into my vague accusations and you will read all about it. They are transparent when it comes to information gotten from a terrorist.But the health care aint a debate that's why it's closed door. They don't want Americans to see what they are doing with our money. But they put our troops in harms way so they can make a political statement.

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  19. John it does look like Bruce and the person that taped it says it's Bruce Fealk. Bruce that guy sounds like you and looks like you.

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  20. I know, right?!?! I think FAILk said not to post that video as kind of the thing that Scott Brown did, when he told Obama that he shouldn't come campaign for Coakley. Remember that ruse? Remember when Obama took the bait and came and campaigned and Coakley's numbers TANKED, just like when Obama went and campaigned for the two Gubernatorial elections!?!? That was toooo funny. How everyone hated Obummer so much that they went out and voted for the Republican candidate, they didn't even care who they were!! LOL

    I can't figure out what FAILk's endgame is though. Maybe he just wants more exposure of his truther movement. Movement ... that's a great word for anything FAILk puts together. Like bowel movement, and it smells the same. BWAAAHAHAHAHA

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  21. Anonymous said...

    "Can Obama please name a single "unsubstantiated" political assertion by a Republican before wasting everyone's time by instructing Republicans to stop making them?"

    Can i step in for him since he's not here to respond?

    Here's my list of "unsubstantiated assertions" by republicans

    He's not a citizen
    He's secretly a muslim
    He wants terrorists to win
    He's a socialist
    His wife's staff is three times larger than Laura Bush

    Here's some more...

    Death Panels
    Socialized medicine
    email with 48 claims about HR 3200
    Gun seizure claims and taxes
    Cap and trade costs
    Energy audit home sales claim

    Would you like some more????

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  22. No, what we would like are the names of the republicans that you contend made those unsubstantiated assertions. And no, blaming your cousin or the guy living down the street doesn't count.

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  23. Paul, you can have that my friend...

    Sarah Palin.....Death Panels

    John Boehner .. inflated cap and trade costs

    Rep. Tom Price..Rationing board "stimulus bill"

    Rep. Erik Paulsen...Disc golf course (stimulus)

    John Boehner....overstates tort reform savings

    RNC ad (M. Steele).........Wheelchair tax

    Boehner, Limbaugh....Energy audit for home sales

    Candice Miller...Magic train to Disney land (stimulus)

    RNC bill of rights...Tricare insurance raise

    Is that good enough for you???

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  24. See how easy that was.

    Sarah Palin.....Death Panels
    True: http://michellemalkin.com/2009/08/09/death-panels-what-death-panels-oh-those-death-panels/

    John Boehner .. inflated cap and trade costs
    True: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123655590609066021.html

    Rep. Tom Price..Rationing board "stimulus bill"
    True: http://www.resistnet.com/profiles/blogs/heathcare-rationing-board

    Rep. Erik Paulsen...Disc golf course (stimulus)
    True! http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123369271403544637.html

    John Boehner....overstates tort reform savings
    Not sure what Boehner said, but there's no doubt that Tort Reform makes sense. http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/oct/15/tort-reform-savings/
    RNC ad (M. Steele).........Wheelchair tax
    This one I'll give you. Unfortunately, with the multitude of other taxes, it represents a minor victory. http://www.factcheck.org/2009/09/rnc-tax-attack-goes-too-far/
    Boehner, Limbaugh....Energy audit for home sales
    True: http://www.cnsnews.com/public/Content/Article.aspx?rsrcid=50365
    Candice Miller...Magic train to Disney land (stimulus)
    This one is suspect, but you would be hard-pressed to argue it wasn't being considered. http://www.fra.dot.gov/us/content/203

    RNC bill of rights...Tricare insurance raise
    Definitely a legitimate concern.
    http://www.military.com/opinion/0,15202,206957,00.html

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  25. Paul,
    Did you use Malkin as a source??? lmao thats rich, she's biased as can be. Anyways i refute your claims with my own...


    Sarah Palin - death panels- False
    http://www.factcheck.org/2009/08/palin-vs-obama-death-panels/

    Boehner- Cap and trade costs - false
    http://factcheck.org/2009/09/boehner-and-the-cost-of-cap-and-trade/


    Boehner Limbaugh- required audits- false
    http://www.factcheck.org/2009/07/energy-bill-and-existing-homes/


    Rep Erik Paulsen Disc golf course false

    A Paulsen aide admitted to us that no funds are specifically allocated for the projects the congressman mentioned in his letter. "We didn’t say they were in the bill," said Legislative Assistant Desiree Westby. But "inappropriate requests such as these will be considered for funding." Maybe so, but Paulsen’s letter didn’t say they would be "considered," he said they "will" be funded. http://www.factcheck.org/2009/02/gop-stimulus-myths/


    John Boehner.tort reform savings false

    http://www.factcheck.org/2009/10/malpractice-savings-reconsidered/

    Rnc Bill of rights Tricare insurance raise- false

    It was actually the Bush administration that most recently proposed changes in TRICARE, which the hospital industry said would cost hospitals $458 million in its first year. http://www.factcheck.org/2009/08/rncs-bill-of-rights/

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  26. Great job and thanks for helping to point out what I wanted to prove. The stench in Washington emanates from both parties and yet you'd never realize that fact is understood by almost everyone posting on this and Bruce's blog.

    I'm amazed at the partisanship, complete lack of critical thought or acknowledgment demonstrated by almost everyone. These people, including you, are convinced that their side holds a monopoly on virtue and actually believe one party is better than the other. How sad!

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Please keep it clean and nice. Thank you for taking the time to post you thought. It means a lot to me that you do this.