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New York, 12:46 PM
Fri Nov 27
11 posts in the last 24 hours
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11/24/09
But! His comment wasn't "thoughtless." It was intended to be confidence-boosting. America is tough, we'll get through this, our fundamental assets - hard-working Americans, know-how, etc. - are still strong. He allowed it to be played as a gaffe, that was his mistake (because he really didn't "get it"). And yes, Obama hung it around his neck like a flaming tire. But a more skillful politician wouldn't have reacted with the above-referenced weeklong meltdown (also including a hastily staged White House meeting including Obama, arranged to save face for McCain, where he had nothing to say).
And to tell the truth, Obama has some of the same problem, connecting with average people and showing empathy for their distress, like Bill Clinton did, but that was not a factor during the campaign because contrasted with McCain, Obama looked like the one you'd want to have in charge: cool, calm and collected. But that doesn't make it a major gaffe when, for confidence-building reasons, he makes the case that our underlying economy is strong - even though he did demagogue the hapless McCain over a similarly aimed comment.
The biggest factor in the economy right now is consumer confidence, which depends on people expecting the future to be better than the past (as has been on the rise) so they will spend over the holidays, and that is what Obama is hoping to encourage. Sheesh, when he talked about the gravity of the crisis after he was elected, everyone said he was scaring everyone and spooking the stock market.
11/23/09
This could be Obama's "Mission Accomplished" moment -- pretty risky given the employment numbers
11/23/09
11/24/09
#tips
11/24/09
11/24/09
#tips
11/24/09
What I mean is there is a LARGE difference between hanging a banner off a ship that says "MISSION ACCOMPLISHED" in regards to Iraq, and Obama saying "The core of America is strong" in regards to the economy.
Mission accomplished is a statement that "We are done. We have accomplished what we set out to do." The equivalent, I believe, is if Obama hung a huge banner that says "ECONOMY FIXED" behind him during a press conference. He didn't do that.
11/24/09
11/23/09
11/23/09
This nitpicky, zomg did he just make a gaffe?! style reporting was grating even then. Now it's doubly obnoxious. Can you really not recognize the contextual differences between a) a candidate blithely shrugging off what seemed, at the time, like impending economic armageddon and b) the President reminding a country weary from a year of financial stress that no, this isn't going to last forever--at the end of the day we still have the most powerful economy in the world bar none and the jobs will come back?
McCain said the worst thing possible at a traumatic moment in history. Obama is trying to coax everyone back to sanity in its aftermath. Sort of big distinction?
11/23/09
11/23/09
11/23/09
We're not in the aftermath. I think the statements are similar. But I agreed with McCain then, and I agree with Obama now.
11/23/09
Yes, the unemployment situation is still horrible, but things are less worrisome in general; at the time of McCain's comment, I wasn't entirely convinced that the fundamentals were strong enough to resist what was coming.
11/23/09
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11/23/09
Anyway. No Republican is going to hit him over the head for saying "There are core strengths to the American economy that will put us in good stead over the long term," because you know what core strength he's mainly talking about? Capitalism. Yeah.
Usually you're my favorite writer here, John, but this post seems really off base.
11/23/09
11/23/09
Hey, the man is just buffing up the fitness sector by giving a subliminal pitch for the Ab Roller Plus.
11/23/09
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11/23/09
11/17/09
I used to be the biggest fan of McCain. But the fact that he gave birth to this monster (Palin) will forever stain my fondness for him and what he's done in politics.
Hit the rewind button to August 24th, 2008. McCain is vetting VP candidates. Steve Schmidt mentions Palin. Ideal scenario, McCain responds with, "Who the fuck is that?" "Oh, she's the Governor of Alaska, Senator." "What the fuck has she done?" "Well, she's a former local news anchor who barely graduated with a BA in Journalism from the University of Fucking Idaho. She was Mayor of Podunk-Wasilla for a few years and now has been Governor for two. Her political career so far has been noted for ethics violations, questionable spending habits on the public dime, sponsoring a bill that allows hunters to shoot wolves from helicopters, and building a gas pipeline. She shits out kids like there's no tomorrow and is generally an idiot." "Fuck-in-A, Schmidt. Are you TRYING to lose this thing for me? Get Lieberman on the phone. We're gonna go bi-partisan on this thing from here on out. Fuck Sarah Palin"
Again, ideal scenario. #sarahpalin
11/17/09
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