The “panic” stories are starting. No panic here, just telling it like it is. Obama’s brand is kaput. His second year begins in the hole. Health care is on life support, after spending a flipping year on it. Democrats are endangered everywhere, and they’re evidently surprised by it all. I am not and neither are many of you.
h/t Steve Benen
Today, Pres. Obama decided to make a show of understanding what happened on Tuesday, when Massachusetts sent Scott Brown to Washington. He stood up and talked about “too big to fail” with Biden and former Fed. Chairman Paul Volker next to him. It didn’t take long before it all just seemed like a big blur.
The people who voted for Scott Brown, and the people who will vote in November, want to hear how Pres. Obama is going to deal with their problems, and they won’t listen to lectures. After a year has gone by with “Washington” helping everyone but the average guy, at least that’s how many people feel, hearing the President talk formerly about if “these folks want a fight, it’s a fight I’m ready to have,” isn’t going to make a dent. People simply don’t believe him at this point.
The real issue is empathy. Feeling the pain of working class Americans in a way that they see it and feel it. You know, Bill Clinton stuff.
Talking about banks and wonky money stuff doesn’t cut it unless people can feel the results, which they can’t because what he’s talking about, however good, is complex and will take time.
Besides, everyone is still reeling.
And here’s a newsflash: The average voter doesn’t do complex. The evidence is in on that one.
The empathy issue has always been a problem for Obama. As 2010 begins, it’s now a problem for us all.
Taylor, he has no empathy. It’s a fatal character flaw. Everyone should just realize this. Remember when he was talking about the people in PA who cling to their guns? I believe that’s hwo he really feels about you and I. We are sociological experiments to be looked at but never touch those dirty middle class Americans. The larger problem is what to do? Just let the GOP have total control of the government again? It looks like that’s what’s going to happen over the next few years and we’ll be worse off than if Obama had never won the election.
Well, I knew this was coming but I told you so really doesn’t make me feel any better.
Here’s the winning plan: get people back to work and end the wars. If Obama does those two things in 2010 the Democrats will sweep the Republicans out of office in November. Peace
Surprised by it all?? Can one say clueless?? What will it take? I think I agree with Imhotep for once.
Heya Lynnette. Interesting. How ’bout that, Imhotep.
Indeed, what to do, Ga6thDem? Right now Congress seems to be completely and totally paralyzed after Tuesday.
Hurricane Scott has stopped Dems in their tracks.
“Besides, everyone is still reeling.”
THAT’S the problem. EVERYone is NOT still reeling. If you’re a Bank CEO or an Insurance CEO or an Auto manufacturer CEO you are NOT reeling,if you are an oil executive you are NOT reeling.
EVERYbody else…screw you they got theirs.
“Imhotep says:
21 January 2010 at 7:48 pm”
Well, I’ll give you 1 1/2 out of 2 anyway.
I agree that we don’t do complex. We do “fix me now”. I think even Bill Clinton would piss us off right now. Because he would not be able to fix the problems we have quickly either – as talented as he is.
I think we are not going to be satisfied as a country until we get a true blue authoritarian who will “make everything alright” by playing the typical fascist games such as “keep the goodies away from the swarthy and undeserving”, “lock the borders”, and the ever-delightful “let’s go git what we deserve (because we’re number one!) from those [insert country here] bastards! War, woohoo!”.
I think that kind of leadership is all we are mentally and morally capable of dealing with as a people at this point. Obama does kind of suck – you are right about that, but even if the glorious Bill Clinton walked back into the oval office today and got to work, he would find the nation that he once inspired unrecognizable. And we would hate his guts and pronounce him a disappointment in less than 90 days.
Ihomtemp: Agree with getting people back to work. I changed “end” wars to WIN wars.
I think national security issues (and perhaps Taylor could comment on this) are becoming a problem for him. I think simmering below the MA vote was a vote discomfort with Obama’s perceived weakness on national security issues. He’s offered too many apologies for American president and there’s been too many Islamic attacks.
Obama says were at war with bin Laden. OK, then act like it. Don’t givet Islamic terrorists the rights of American citizens; tell the world we will prevail in Afghanistan no matter the length of time or the cost; get serious about border security and Mexican narco terrorism instead of paying identity politics; speak with conviction about and without apologies about western democratic ideals and human rights (the burqa is not a symbol of women’s liberation, no matter what Obama says); let the world know we are serious defending our nation. That’s his job and he would gain a lot of support from saying it convincingly.
secularhumanizinevoluter says:
21 January 2010 at 8:09 pm
Point taken.
Obviously, if you click the link, the traditional intelligentsia is, as are Dems, who control this mess.
On the national security issue, the Rep. wouldn’t be hitting it hard, including Scott Brown, if the Cheney crowd wasn’t connecting EMOTIONALLY to voters. I don’t agree with it, but I understand the mentality. The give ‘em hell crowd who believe the crap about Dems, weakness and national security, especially when they see someone to whom they cannot relate, aka the empathy thing again.
I think even Bill Clinton would piss us off right now.
I think this encapsulates just how tough Obama has it right now, because as bright, talented and charismatic as he is, Obama doesn’t have that emotional thing on issues, like he does on mere campaigning. So, if you’re saying Bill can’t reach you, well, nobody can. That’s really bad news.
taylor,
IS he really that bright and talented? To me if he was all that he wouldnt be in the mess he is in and he doesnt see what he’s doing wrong. I think he might be learned but not smart. People who are smart usually “get it” whereas Obama doesnt.
Obama lacks empathy and charisma. He has a kind of star power, as in young, interesting, a new thing–a black president. I don’t know what the party can do to improve things. I agree that even Bill could not turn things around, they are so skewed. And I really do blame Obama, he let the Republicans run all over him.
And now we have the Scalia court chiming in with its latest ruling. Is there any hope???
I think people are wrong that Bill Clinton could not calm things down. One of his greatest talents is to make the complex simple.When he talked about Haiti we all got how complex it was but we knew that he really cared and that he will do everything in his power to help that sad nation.With Obama well maybe he will take it under advisement and study it for a while and get back to us later.
Barak Obama has been disappointing and pissing me off for so long that I used to be the lonely voice in the wilderness, among my friends kicking him when he was UP, now I really hate kicking him when he’s DOWN.
I think Taylor’s post is excellent as usual. No one is buying his spiel anymore. And as Ga6thDem says, he lacks empathy. But I think above and beyond all that he lacks VISION. As I’ve said before it’s a vision thing. I don’t think he has an overarching vision of where he wants to take the country, or the type of country this should be. He does not seen to have any over-riding ambition to reshape the country to reflect his values whatever they are. WE are still reeling from Bush’s lofty ambitions.
I’m positive long before he became President GWB was plotting in his mind’s eye to take out Saddam, and become a war President, to pack the Supreme court with young right wing judges who’d serve for 40 plus years to make this a conservative country. Plus pack the appeals courts and all Government dept’s with loyal Bushies etc. He wanted to destroy the social safety net. According to Game Change, Hillary was thinking of her transition even before the primaries. That’s vision.
Obama on the other hand got to the Presidency and had no idea what to do. He did not even have a plan to close Guantanamo although he’d been talking about it for two years. Now he is just reacting. Health Care is just an issue to him, a notch, so he can say HE passed health care. Whether it improved the lives of everyday people or not are unimportant to him IMO. Just as he says he passed the stimulus. Another notch. 13 for 0 as Rahm said. But what have they done for anyone?
Ga6thDem says:
21 January 2010 at 10:02 pm
“IS he really that bright and talented? To me if he was all that he wouldnt be in the mess he is in and he doesnt see what he’s doing wrong. I think he might be learned but not smart. People who are smart usually “get it” whereas Obama doesnt.”
Very good question.
He may be book smart but not street smart.
At the risk of sounding indelicate, balls & brains rarely come in the same package.
That may be true Ramsgate but overies and brains and spine did come together in a once in a generation chance and this idiot party gave her a pass. she could have been our FDR and I am so PISSED.
I realize my mutterings won’t be received with great enthusiasm, but I take a much wider view.
[ahem]
What we are witnessing is nothing less than the collapse of civilization as it has developed since the Industrial Revolution. It won’t happen overnight, but it’s well underway. No, there is no hope of preserving the current system. But do you really want to?
My wife goes blank in the face when I try to explain this to her. It’s the last thing she wants to hear. It’s probably the last thing *I* want to hear. But getting distracted by worrying about the feckless Democrats is counterproductive. Everything isn’t going to disappear or break up overnight, but everything based on profit-above-all — like extractive industries, wars, and an unsustainable way of life based on grabbing more than anybody else — will wither and die.
THINGS WILL GET BETTER, once we give up on resuscitating our zombie economy and start restructuring our lives to provide more of our own food, shelter, and yes, even health care. Twenty years from now, people will look back and wonder how we ever could have been so stupid as to try to live the way we do.
But the next 10 years are going to be rough. Everything the doomsayers have been talking about will probably manifest in some way, like food shortages, currency crises, etc., and hoarding or buying gold won’t help. You can’t eat gold, and if you hoard, you’ll be robbed. The times we’re entering now are something like when everyone realizes the ship is sinking and we have to head for that unexplored continent on the horizon.
Go ahead, call me weird and crazy, I don’t care. My biggest problem now is convincing my wife we need to start raising chickens and planting fruit trees. Now THAT is real, productive wealth…
I knew at the time that congress was conspiring against her and now it is confirmed. Those self-serving,self satisfied,weak spined,little weasels were scared to death that someone who knew what she was about was going change the way things were done.It is true what they say, that Hillary wants power.That is because she knows what she wants to do with it.
Well they got what they wanted and it’s working out really well.
I am so PISSED!
Well said, Lake Lady
But there she stands, to the side, looking good.
Taos John~
I have spent a great deal of time thinking about what you describe. I think you might be right. It is what motivated me to be a market master for a small farmer’s market. I liked being networked with people who can actually do things. Farmer’s market vendors are wonderfully able people with many survival skills and they are networked with others.
My daughter goes blank in the face when I talk about it too. I can’t do it to much because she is young and wants to be optimistic. Thank God she is frugal by nature and not motivated by things.
My problem with Barack Obama is that no matter how intelligent, charismatic, and talented his is, he simply doesn’t take the lessons of history. He is not a good student of history. He is a narcissist. He loves his image on TV. He loves the sound of his voice.
This is exactly why I wanted Hillary as president. She’s been there, done that. She had the scars from her attempts at healthcare reform and she understood what had to be done. Now we are having to relearn the lessons. We are singing the same song on a different day.
This guy absolutely accepts no responsibility. I first cued into this when he did that interview on ABC with George Stephenopoulos after Scott Brown’s stunning victory. Obama said in the interview: “People are angry and they are frustrated. Not just because of what’s happened in the last year or two years, but what’s happened over the last eight years.” He is still blaming George W. President Bush is gone. I think the first thing he needs to do in order to move forward is to stop blaming George W. and accept responsibility as the current president and commander in chief. Then and only then can we get down to business of doing the work of the people.
http://tinyurl.com/y8w3fbo
nzanh: I see him as somewhat disconnected from what we are feeling and unable to rally us to pony-up and take our lumps – we KNOW we need to pay for our excesses and our indifference. We need someone to inspire confidence that together we can get through the coming pain. Obama is pretty weak on that front. If he is not passionate about his own agenda, why should we be?
I reject the whole idea that he is more of a narcissist than any other politician. To be a successful politician some narcissism is necessary. Actually ALOT of it is necessary. You have to believe that you, and only YOU have the way forward for the nation and the world. Every politician that has ever stood before a podium believed that – and they LIKED the sound of themselves saying it. He seems pretty damned average on that front in my view. I guess people have this idea that he is supposed to be like every Morgan Freeman president-in-the-movies or a noble-yet-humble James Earl Jones. That he is just some guy with a fairly standard personality seems to irk the shit out of people for some reason. Whatever. Continue on with your armchair analysis of his uppity personality. Nothing I say is going to stop you.
And another thing honey, the problems you cause don’t just magically reset the moment you leave office. The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq did not go away, the financial crisis did not reset to zero, nor did the ballooning cost of healthcare. That is the single stupidest comment ever printed on the internets.
No wonder we are so fucked with an electorate this dimwitted.
Lake Lady says:
21 January 2010 at 11:22 pm
I agree with you.
nzanh says:
22 January 2010 at 12:41 am This is exactly why I wanted Hillary as president. She’s been there, done that. She had the scars from her attempts at healthcare reform and she understood what had to be done.
That was my thinking, too. Sometimes, I really wish she was the President. Having said that, I really and truly like President Obama. I just wish he would go further left and fight for Main Street, like he campaigned on. And forget the bipartisanship – he tried that and it’s not going to work.