If I were to advise those Republicans formulating the opposition to the President’s policies, I would tell them to study his campaign from the end of the Democratic convention until the beginining of the financial meltdown. Then, the otherwise much (and rightfully so) vaunted Obama organization was an inept operation. Hugh Hewitt quipped that “We are watching a crack-up under pressure.” Obama’s team, while great on offense, had no clue how to mount an effective defense.
When John McCain stumbled badly as the financial crisis came to dominate the headlines, Obama no longer needed a good defense; he could return to his original battle plan.
Watching Obama’s presidency unfold, it seems hs agility on offense is related to the same skill which makes him such an effective speaker with a teleprompter. He’s great when he follows a predetermined plan.
Which brings me to ice cream.
There is no doubt in my mind that his excursion with his daughters this Father’s Day weekend to an Alexandria ice cream parlor was a piece of political theater. All that said, for all Barack Obama’s flawas as chief executive, all evidence indicates him to be a good father. That he would bring his mother-in-law to live in the White House suggests a concern for the welfare of his children, that they have an adult there to guide and supervise them when affairs of state keep him and his wife busy.
Even though he could rustle up any kind of ice cream for his family via the White House kitchen and enjoy more quiet time alone with them that way than he would in a public place where he’d be surrounded by a gaggle of reporters, security and curious onlookers, he went to just such a place so the reporters would cover the excursion and show him to be just a regular Dad on the weekend when we’re all thinking of our own Dads. Clever political theater that.
He likely planned this excursion long before the citizens in Iran rose up against a fraudulent election and a repressive regime. No Burkean he, he didn’t realize the need to adjust his plan because of world circumstances. What looked like great political theater in the planning stages was perceived by many as indifference in the execution. He just didn’t anticipate how some would react.
Or maybe he thought he wouldn’t matter, assuming all the media, save FoxNews and the conservative blogs would cover for him — while they would have howled in outrage had his predecessor done that very thing.
Never let a photo op go to waste.
Appearances are all there is with narcissists
seriously, people, if this is what you’re talking about…
get a freakin’ life.
please try to get a life.
kthxbye.
Now is the time to pile on. Now is the time to define this young President as a naive, out of touch, out of his element weak coward. His administration is possibly doomed to be Carter II.
Is this a definition of irony?
Ronald Reagan proposed a missle defense shield. He created it and sold it to the American people. The process of developing it began in the 80’s. Both Bushes believed in it and funded it dispite the objections of liberal Democrats for 12 years. The systems have been develped to the point where 20 years ago success was intermitent. Today we come close to eliminating 90% of missles in tests. Obamateleprompter has proposed CUTTING MISSLE DEFENSE BY 15-20%.
Last week…..
the Obama administration sends a portable floating missle defense array to defend Hawaii against the N Korean threats of attack on July 4th. Obama uses the Reagan Bush missle defense shield, which virtually no Democrat supported or supports today…to defend Hawaii a blue state. Talk about onions!
Now that our young President’s approval ratings are upside down, these latest pictures of him enjoying ice cream, and golfing with the VP are not going to help. Viewing them side by side with the dying Iranian young people. Shame.
I believe MSNBC said Obama had promised his daughters during the campaign that ” he’d take them to an ice cream parlor in VA “if they won. hehe
Think the Mullahs and dictators in Iran are showing Obamas excursion to a golf course and ice cream parlor while freedom fighters are being gassed on their state run TV?
America use to be a beacon for freedom. Shame Mr President. Two scoops of french vanilla please.
boob – I don’t have the inclination to come up with a list but the left never failed to lambast Bush anytime he engaged in leisure. Hell, W couldn’t even work out or bike without ridicule from the same people now obsessed with Michelle’s triceps.
But I really don’t care one way or the other that Obama took a photo-op trip with the girls. I hope they had a good time. The kids to get out in real world (as much as is possible – I suspect that Obama could easily have made a low key, media-free trip if he wanted to).
What caused me nausea was the media coverage: right down to the toppings the girls got (Google News lists 351 stories). If anyone needs to get a life – it’s sycophants in the media.
Yeah, it’s sad, believe me Missy
When you’re born to be a sissy
Without the vim and verve
But I could show my prowess
Be a lion, not a mowess
If I only had the nerve
I’m afraid there’s no denyin’
I’m just a dandylion
A fate I don’t deserve
I’d be brave as a blizzard
I remember when Bush 43 took vacation at his ranch, Cindy Sheehan and the anti war nutts camped out with their signs and chants. Let’s do the same with Obamateleprompter wherever he and Michelle land for their vacation. A large group of Iranian nationals demonstrating for freedom would be appropriate.
bob (at #2):
Well, bob aka boob, littleletter person, or whatever, that would be my advice to you. Get yourself a life so you won’t have the spare time to pollute Gay Patriot with you bullshit.
Check out a cartoon from Tuesday….
http://www.ibdeditorials.com/cartoons.aspx
guess Obama is coming in for some shots, not from the Obamaphiles but from regular people.
“get a life”?
Wow, bob’s been reduced to this. Oh how the self important have fallen.
Great post. I believe you nailed it. It doesn’t give me much comfort at night knowing our Commander-in-Chief is so tone deaf to events on the ground. You’d think a grown man would understand that as a weakness and at least surround himself with advisers who aren’t similarly afflicted with the belief that all things are within his sphere of control. Not good.
It’s much worse than that: Obama himself didn’t know how to react.
You are surely right about the ice cream shoppe being a photo op for father’s day. It was part of a larger, planned father’s day propaganda push that included a mass email campaign (i got the email), a Youtube video, Tony Hawk skateboarding through the White House and tweeting from the Diplomatic Reception Room about eating Frosted Flakes, and undoubtedly other stunts and appearances.
And despite the gross inappropriateness of skateboarding in the White House, I do give Obama credit for his attempts to address the devastation fatherlessness has wreaked on the black community. (If only he would realize that it is liberal policy that substitutes government for fathers that caused that devastation)
But what is so egregious about his ice cream trip is that he went ahead with it despite Iranians being slaughtered in the streets by their government. The fact that HE didn’t get it. He didn’t understand why it was a big deal, he didn’t get why his fathers day offensive should have been immediately cancelled, and why he should have immediately come out strongy against the regime.
Indeed, it’s like his reaction to the invasion of Georgia all over again. He starts out with a weak, feckless response, blames and criticizes Republicans and then in the end, ends up doing precisely what Republicans did right off the bat.
Obama looks weak. Every other leader in the Western World, including France, came out with stronger, more appropriate responses than he. He has made America look incompetent and weak yet again. And as such, Obama will end up having to make a stronger gesture which is precisely what Republicans said he should have done to begin with.
Its Georgia all over again.
Weeks ago I read where a White House insider claimed that Obama has no interest in foreign policy whatsoever.
It shows.
So, Saturday Barry takes the kids out as part of his Father’s Day charade, but on Sunday–the actual day–he and the VP dump their wives and kids and hit the golf course–again. Talk about public perception. This idiot is so arrogantly out-of-touch that it makes one’s head spin!
What a ridiculous joke this post is. I think it shall serve as a paradigmatic example of cluelessness and pseudointellectualism.
One doesnt need to reference Burke to figure this one out. A couple of the professional political opponents of the president – people who feel obliged to mount some over-heated criticism to anything and everything the president does, no matter what – they decided to criticize him for taking his daughters out for ice cream.
In the process, they made themselves, as they so often do, laughingstocks for the rest of the blogosphere (the only group of people who even noticed their drivel).
And then you come along and try to criticize Obama for not anticipating how “some people” might react to his expedition????
As if he does, or should care one whit what a few rabid Republican bloggers are going to say?
Here my friends is a clue, a freebie.
The American people – a large majority, admire, respect, support, and basically like our President. There are legitimate areas for criticism, as with anyone, but none of you wingers seem to have the ability to identify any of them. All we get from you is relentless, petty, downright idiotic knee-jerk opposition, and over-the-top rhetoric on everything. And you wonder why the right, and the GOP has approval numbers nationwide that approximate Nancy Pelosi’s approval numbers in west Texas.
#17 – Tano, I guess you missed the following polling numbers:
http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/obama_administration/daily_presidential_tracking_poll
You might want to re-think your assertion that “the large majority of Americans” approve of Dear Teleprompter. Otherwise you’ll look as stupid as gillie.
And you are right about Nazi Pelosi’s approval numbers in West Texas – they also mirror the rest of the nation’s view of Madam Speaker.
Don’t get me started about what we think of Barbara Boxer, either.
Regards,
Peter H.
Exactly Tano and his ilk are so out of touch they have missed the end to Obamateleprompters honeymoon. With the most fawning press in history, our young President has finally hit the skids. His poll numbers have tanked, more now extremely DISAPPROVE than approve of his performance. And why woulnd’t they. What exactly has he accomplished since elected? Gas prices up 50 %, the Iranians and N Koreans going nutts because they correctly percieve Obama as weak. Record unemployment Obama today admits will hit mid 10% shortly on it’s way to 13%. No shovel ready jobs that he lied about. What a mess. And this clown act wants to do govt run health care. Lordy Lordy, look at all the freaks.
Wait til the liberals see Obamas press conf tonight. And they see how testy Obama is at the tougher questions from the state media. Soon the Obama administration will ask for legislation to reel in the media so they don’t get outta hand. Maybe they can take pointers from Iran after all.
Ice cream always solves my problems — but I’m not president.