If there is a defining moment to the Obama Administration, it occurred in the president’s “private meeting with congressional Democrats and Republicans on [his first] Friday [in office, when] Obama ended a philosophical debate over tax policy with the simple declaration that his opinion prevailed because ‘I won.’”
He may well have set the tone for this fall’s campaign when almost exactly a year later when Obama said “the big difference here [the current election year] and in ’94 was you’ve got me.” His “his personal popularity,” as Glenn Thrush put it, “would bail everybody out.”
Simply put, Obama thought he could sell his policies based on the power of his personality. And his assumption wasn’t entirely groundless. Based on one well-delivered speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention, he saw himself rise from an obscure Chicago pol to the toast of the Democratic Party.
He could move millions to his cause merely by offering hope and promising change, inspiring them through his scripted eloquence and his winning smile.
Personality alone could not sell his policies. Support for his health care overhaul declined the more he pressed for its passage. Barack Obama just doesn’t realize the power of ideas. Commenting on Douglas E. Schoen’s, recent survey “of likely independent voters”, Heather Higgins contrasted the incumbent with two of his recent predecessors, “Presidents Reagan and Clinton resonated with the American center because they were masters at connecting their policies with the underlying values that determine intensity and outcomes.”
Like Obama, both men have earned praise for their power to win over a crowd, but each understood (Clinton particularly after the 1994 elections) that personality alone would not secure a popular mandate.
“Ideas,” Richard Weaver wrote, “have consequences.” Perhaps, if Obama understood that, he wouldn’t be in the trouble he finds himself today.
The American people elected Obama in a moment of regrettable stupidity. Obama doesn’t get the joke. I.e., that he is the joke.
There is material being leaked from the new Woodward book about the Obama administration. That stuff isn’t looking very flattering either.
President Obama set the tone with “I won” crap then ignore Republicans for almost 2 years; since then, he has set the Republican Party, President Bush, Rep. John Boehner, & a few more obscure Republican congressmen as straw men. Now why should the Republicans work with Obama at this point? They shouldn’t. Obama will not listen anyway. He will only hear what he wants to hear.
I forgot to mention, Obama has the personality of a used diaper: He’s repugnant, repellant, & arrogant, thinking he’s God’s gift to the world. Thanks to his narcissism & delusions of grandeur, he will push more people away.
That’s good 🙂
remind me again how it would have been better to vote for John McCain/Sarah Palin?
Explain that to me.
Can any of you name even ONE Republican Senator that is championing LGBT Equality?
What work are you “gay patriots” doing to make things better for LGBT people in America when the overwhelming majority of the GOP remains not only anti-gay, but ACTIVELY PROMOTE anti-gay discrimination?
Seriously. I mean, I know you’re all a bunch of angry white people with racist parents and you want your bigoted parents to love you again, but simply voting with the GOP clearly isn’t working. So, what’s the deal?
What does a Gay Conservative do to help LGBT people in America? Which GOP Senators PROMOTE LGBT Equality?
I know you’re all a bunch of angry white people with racist parents and you want your bigoted parents to love you again.
And you know all of this how, exactly, considering you have never met any of us? What sources can you cite for this assertion of fact?
Or do you just conveniently stereotype anyone who doesn’t see the world as you do so you don’t have to deal with them as actual people with valid intellectual disagreements?
Someone wana tell me why this vicious little troll is still being allowed to post his crap here????
Didn’t we get enough of this last night????
as for your own obvious racism, V the K, your blog: nice use of racist “ebonics” in your dialogue captions between the First Lady and her daughter. We get it. You’re a racist. As are your parents.
Scumbag.
But prove me wrong! List the GOP Senators who support and promote LGBT Equality.
How about Dick Cheney, you miserable little shit.
Gee, challenged to back up his assertion, the dippy progressive calls me a racist. Like that wasn’t predictable.
Also, he can’t even construct a complete sentence in order to attack me. LOL.
I’m posting his comment at my blog. As my blog heading clearly indicates, leftist name-calling just makes me smile. 🙂
Little Kiwi, stop with the boring cliches. For a Hollywood writer, you’re about predictable as Tom Cruise on Oprah’s couch. Ad Hominem attacks is what happens when some people cannot defend the substance of the subject matter.
“Based on one well-delivered speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention, he saw himself rise from an obscure Chicago pol to the toast of the Democratic Party.”
If a white man delivered the same speech in the same manner, he would still be an obscure Chicago pol.
“Can any of you name even ONE Republican Senator that is championing LGBT Equality?”
Senator Collins. Member of the Armed Forces Committee and boldly supports the repeal of DADT. She just happens to think it should done properly and not just because Lady GaGa says so.
We can tell that Kiwi is one of the “gay victims” who, like a child of 10, thinks the whole world should revolve around them.
Why isn’t Kiwi more concerned with the plight of the unemployed minorities? Isn’t that more important for the common good than repealing DADT? Minority unemployment effects a huge number of people. We can see Kiwi’s racist attitude that more national energy needs to be focused on the few (by comparison) gays in the military than the 10.8 million African Americans who are out of the job force.
This is an example of the arrogance of our aristocracy toward the rabble (you and I). First of all the “I won” statement shows that he in unconcerned about the rabble in pursuing his policies. His desires are what matters.
Secondly, he has such low respect for the rabble, that he believes they are unable to think for themselves and will base their voting on superficial things, such as chants with the lyrics “Obama, Obama, Obama”.
Remember that commercial during the campaign?
TnnsNE1 — Thanks very much for your #14. You’re right on. I was going to look up other Republican Senators as well.
I think it’s important to understand that neither gay marriage nor the repeal of DADT are really based on improving the lives of GLBTs or making them “equal” in happiness or prosperity or freedom. Repealing DADT actually eliminates one way that GLBTs could get out of the military if they decide they don’t like it — the majority of the 13,000 G&L discharges have occurred because servicemembers wanted to get out.
Legalizing gay marriage will be a largely cosmetic issue, and will probably inspire a bigger backlash than is worth the small incremental improvements in gay lives.
Anyway I am not a big fan of either party, Democrats or Republicans, so I don’t feel it is necessary to defend them to questions like those posed by Little Kiwi. But I am glad you brought up some good points.
YAY! FOR US!
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2010/09/22/appeals-court-affirms-unconstitutionality-strict-florida-ban-gay-adoptions/?test=latestnews
Wow – that’s about as meaningless as a statement gets. Obama doesn’t recognize the power of ideas? I don’t know what that means, even after reading your post that ostensibly explains it. What if I said that the GayPatriots don’t recognize the power of ideas? How would you defend yourself from such a meaningless platitude?
Well first I’d point out that such an absurd statement comes from an admitted socialist who doesn’t understand facts. That would undermine the argument there.
That Levi doesn’t understand Dan’s post, explains a lot.
Hey ‘Little Kiwi”, are you so shallow that all other issues can hang as long as your ‘gay issues’ are addressed? Are those the ONLY issues that matter to you, and you are willing to prostitute all of your other beliefs to that one thing?
Seems sort of like the ‘Feminists’ saying that they would gladly give Bill Clinton a BJ as long as he kept abortion legal. . .
Little Kiwi is a profession gay victim. That’s all he has. He going to whine and rail against anyone who doesn’t wear his sexuality out in front of himself in everyone’s face. He is defined by what he does to get off. Because of this, he simply cannot see anything else. He is totally sensory deprived when it comes to anything except homosexuality. What would he have if he got all the legal protections he wants? Just sex. He is simple, shallow and single (narrow) minded. And single issue gay people like him are the exact reason why no one takes gay rights seriously.
Obama gets heckled by gay activists about AIDS funding? And he replies that the people who will take over will cut AIDS funding
…I betcha MONEY this protest was orchestrated by Democrats.
I can name one liberal Senator who isn’t. Harry Reid, who opposes gay marriage, just threw your sorry ass under the bus in the hopes that useful idiots like you would do his dirty campaign work for him. Naturally, and without any thought that you’re being used, gleefully oblige.
So let’s say you get DADT repealed. If you’re not in the military, why would you care? That’s gonna do what to improve your life? How is that gonna help you if you’re living in a van down by the river? How is that gonna create jobs, stimulate the economy, cut taxes, cut spending, allow you to have more money for your retirement and pass it on to your partner?
I’ll be waiting.
I am stuck on the concept of LGBT Equality in Little Kiwi’s little universe.
Does Little Kiwi mean that there is an inner inequality that pits the “L” against the “G” and the “B” and the “T” and so forth?
Outside of the united LGBT minority, wouldn’t a “B” be clamoring for a marriage to two partners to satisfy both urges?
Comeback, Little Kiwi and explain your clown car of ideas.
**He could move millions to his cause merely by offering hope and promising change, inspiring them through his scripted eloquence and his winning smile.**
Plus, blatant racism won it for him. I know many people who voted for him, solely based on him being black. Yet, it’s those of us who didn’t vote for him, because of his (colorless) ideology, who are called “racists”. The irony is not only glaring, but almost laughable. Almost.