I read an excerpt of Sullivan's obsequious polemic at Politico.
Sully has a point of sorts, though it's not the one he intends to make.
Obama is not a man devoid of talent or ability or gumption or perseverance. He has all of those things. (Sadly his competence does not extend to governing.)
He does have an ability to appear to a great number of people as a sympathetic character and succeeds brilliantly at deflecting blame and marshaling vitriol against his enemies.
And he doesn't give up, he plays something of a long game.
A lesser talent would be polling in the 20s or 30s at this point. He is not to be misunderestimated.
"He does have an ability to appear to a great number of people as a sympathetic character and succeeds brilliantly at deflecting blame and marshaling vitriol against his enemies."
He does? Does he really appear to be a sympathetic character, or does the massive PR campaign orchestrated by the MS make him appear that way?
Is he really brilliant at deflecting blame? How many times can you say "It's Bush's fault" and expect people to believe him, except those who are refuse to see reality?
Does Obama marshal the vitriol against his enemies or is it an orchestrated plan by anti-American agitators who were looking for someone to fill the bill, and Obama just happened to be in the right place at the right time, with a skin color to put the race card into play should anyone have the nerve to disagree with him?
Matt, Obama has help in the MSM, to be sure. That said, he's still a canny political operator.
FWIW I think the Democratic party establishment was fine with a coronation for Hillary last time around but Obama flat beat her out with a combination of ruthlessness and finess.
Most people prefer their own narrative over "reality". I worry about falling into this pattern myself and so I question my own narratives early and often.
As an aside - just one example - I have a reflexive instinct that the fact that the US is backing down against Iran right now has something to do with Obama's anti-colonial and anti-Israel hangups.
But there is also the reality that the global economy cannot afford the consequences of an embargo or a naval war in the Gulf right now. Cannot. I've been watching this play out for months and the consensus is that it doesn't pencil out right now - and it's not the US which would be most impacted, but Japan and the Mediterranean (broke-ass) states of the EU. So they'll slow down the embargo, at the cost of letting Iran think it won this round.
I'm not sure Obama has much to do with it, actually. The US is effectively confronting China in Asia and Iran in the ME. China has lost the latest diplomatic posturing round in Asia (Walter Russel Mead had a nice piece on this a while back and he's hardly an Obama apologist). The Iranians are in monetary crisis right now due to the sanctions on the central bank there.
I wouldn't make too much of the very latest events or Obama's policy preferences. There is less distance in terms of operational policy between John Bolton and Barack Obama than there is between Barack Obama and Ron Paul.
I don't think Obama ahas much to do with it. He is like Peter Sellers' Chance in "Being There." He is a tool.
China is also having economic problems. The Chinese government tried to spend its way into economic expansion, and it is now catching up with them.
Rusia has said that any attack on Tehran is like an attack on Russia. Since Obama has spent the last three years pissing on Israel, Russia know that it can get away with its sabre rattling -- especially since Obama also through our new allies in Eastern Europe under the bus.
I am not convinced that someone surrounded by a sycophant media is a canny political anything. Don't bombard the room with Lysol then tell me his shit doesn't stink.
I don't read anything by "Sully". That's a good name for him as he has indeed sullied the reputation of decent political commentators. After all that business concerning S. Palin's handicapped child, I wrote him off as a person I'm better off paying no mind to.
I think you both have good and accurate insights on Obama, Matt and lewy. He is an adept politician bolstered and protected by the liberal media, academia and the usual lefties.
Fay, I didn't know of Niall but if Ayaan Hirsi Ali married him he must have *something* going for him! We dropped our long-time subscription to either Newsweek or Time (interchangeable, IMO) a decade ago after receiving the latest issue chock full of political bias. We're happy with the Weekly Standard and Nat'l Review :-)
OK here's a piece which goes against my bias - it's written by Matthew Yglesias, whom I routinely dismiss as a juicebox-mafia partisan progressive hack.
But I read this piece and found him to make some pretty good points in defense of small companies and startups.
The Progressive Policy Institute 'memo' is horrible; I read it as a "let's have big government and big business make peace and run everything" proposal. I'd have expected Yglesias to sign on to that. I'm encouraged that he didn't. I went back and read a bunch of Yglesias' recent posts at Slate and while I'm certainly not in agreement with him, at least he's less hackish than what I recall - or, possibly, I'm only more familiar with his hackish partisan stuff because that's what Glenn Reynolds and Mickey Kaus call him out on.
Newsweek, if I resubscribed, would sit on the shelf next to the toilet paper. Like florrie, I ditched them years ago.
As far as Sully, I'll pass on reading his ramblings. I think he has serious mental health issues. If I want to read the dribbles and drabbles of a loonie, I'll read my own stuff. :D
I appreciate the discussion here, but I'm through with searching for orts of competence in this president. He has failed us at a pivotal time in our history.
The emperor has no clothes. Nekkid as a jaybird, he is.
Newsweek is still in publication?
ReplyDeleteThat's the real news.
I read an excerpt of Sullivan's obsequious polemic at Politico.
ReplyDeleteSully has a point of sorts, though it's not the one he intends to make.
Obama is not a man devoid of talent or ability or gumption or perseverance. He has all of those things. (Sadly his competence does not extend to governing.)
He does have an ability to appear to a great number of people as a sympathetic character and succeeds brilliantly at deflecting blame and marshaling vitriol against his enemies.
And he doesn't give up, he plays something of a long game.
A lesser talent would be polling in the 20s or 30s at this point. He is not to be misunderestimated.
"He does have an ability to appear to a great number of people as a sympathetic character and succeeds brilliantly at deflecting blame and marshaling vitriol against his enemies."
ReplyDeleteHe does? Does he really appear to be a sympathetic character, or does the massive PR campaign orchestrated by the MS make him appear that way?
Is he really brilliant at deflecting blame? How many times can you say "It's Bush's fault" and expect people to believe him, except those who are refuse to see reality?
Does Obama marshal the vitriol against his enemies or is it an orchestrated plan by anti-American agitators who were looking for someone to fill the bill, and Obama just happened to be in the right place at the right time, with a skin color to put the race card into play should anyone have the nerve to disagree with him?
And to think Sully was the reason IfoundLGFandtherestishistorygangdangit.
ReplyDeleteWell, Newsweek can't be all bad if they are still publishing conservative economist Niall Ferguson (who, by the way, is married to Ayaan Hirsi Ali).
ReplyDeleteMatt, Obama has help in the MSM, to be sure. That said, he's still a canny political operator.
ReplyDeleteFWIW I think the Democratic party establishment was fine with a coronation for Hillary last time around but Obama flat beat her out with a combination of ruthlessness and finess.
Most people prefer their own narrative over "reality". I worry about falling into this pattern myself and so I question my own narratives early and often.
As an aside - just one example - I have a reflexive instinct that the fact that the US is backing down against Iran right now has something to do with Obama's anti-colonial and anti-Israel hangups.
But there is also the reality that the global economy cannot afford the consequences of an embargo or a naval war in the Gulf right now. Cannot. I've been watching this play out for months and the consensus is that it doesn't pencil out right now - and it's not the US which would be most impacted, but Japan and the Mediterranean (broke-ass) states of the EU. So they'll slow down the embargo, at the cost of letting Iran think it won this round.
I'm not sure Obama has much to do with it, actually. The US is effectively confronting China in Asia and Iran in the ME. China has lost the latest diplomatic posturing round in Asia (Walter Russel Mead had a nice piece on this a while back and he's hardly an Obama apologist). The Iranians are in monetary crisis right now due to the sanctions on the central bank there.
I wouldn't make too much of the very latest events or Obama's policy preferences. There is less distance in terms of operational policy between John Bolton and Barack Obama than there is between Barack Obama and Ron Paul.
I don't think Obama ahas much to do with it. He is like Peter Sellers' Chance in "Being There." He is a tool.
ReplyDeleteChina is also having economic problems. The Chinese government tried to spend its way into economic expansion, and it is now catching up with them.
Rusia has said that any attack on Tehran is like an attack on Russia. Since Obama has spent the last three years pissing on Israel, Russia know that it can get away with its sabre rattling -- especially since Obama also through our new allies in Eastern Europe under the bus.
I am not convinced that someone surrounded by a sycophant media is a canny political anything. Don't bombard the room with Lysol then tell me his shit doesn't stink.
Nice articles on how the political game is played these days: Obama and Romney. More here.
ReplyDeleteGreat discussion, I enjoyed reading all the thoughts on Obama.
ReplyDeleteIn related news, Huntsman has dropped out of the race (or will do so officially tomorrow) and throws his support behind Romney.
I don't read anything by "Sully". That's a good name for him as he has indeed sullied the reputation of decent political commentators. After all that business concerning S. Palin's handicapped child, I wrote him off as a person I'm better off paying no mind to.
ReplyDeleteI think you both have good and accurate insights on Obama, Matt and lewy. He is an adept politician bolstered and protected by the liberal media, academia and the usual lefties.
Here is the link to Mead's article.
Fay, I didn't know of Niall but if Ayaan Hirsi Ali married him he must have *something* going for him! We dropped our long-time subscription to either Newsweek or Time (interchangeable, IMO) a decade ago after receiving the latest issue chock full of political bias. We're happy with the Weekly Standard and Nat'l Review :-)
At least they publish bias we can agree with ;-)
ReplyDeleteOK here's a piece which goes against my bias - it's written by Matthew Yglesias, whom I routinely dismiss as a juicebox-mafia partisan progressive hack.
ReplyDeleteBut I read this piece and found him to make some pretty good points in defense of small companies and startups.
The Progressive Policy Institute 'memo' is horrible; I read it as a "let's have big government and big business make peace and run everything" proposal. I'd have expected Yglesias to sign on to that. I'm encouraged that he didn't. I went back and read a bunch of Yglesias' recent posts at Slate and while I'm certainly not in agreement with him, at least he's less hackish than what I recall - or, possibly, I'm only more familiar with his hackish partisan stuff because that's what Glenn Reynolds and Mickey Kaus call him out on.
Ugh, every time I log on I have to look at a close-up of Obama's mug with his nose up in the air.
ReplyDeleteI must be racist.
Florie,
ReplyDeleteThey must have heard you. I had hot linked it, but it doesn't seem to be working anymore.
Hot linker! ;p
ReplyDeleteNewsweek, if I resubscribed, would sit on the shelf next to the toilet paper. Like florrie, I ditched them years ago.
As far as Sully, I'll pass on reading his ramblings. I think he has serious mental health issues. If I want to read the dribbles and drabbles of a loonie, I'll read my own stuff. :D
I appreciate the discussion here, but I'm through with searching for orts of competence in this president. He has failed us at a pivotal time in our history.
The emperor has no clothes. Nekkid as a jaybird, he is.