tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7313509.post8032897140405993368..comments2023-11-05T03:29:20.511-05:00Comments on Mr Furious: Post-Game Analysis [UPDATED]Mr Furioushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03781439243585972721noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7313509.post-68112068949105470632009-02-27T06:30:00.000-05:002009-02-27T06:30:00.000-05:00I hear you. And if the political arena is the poi...I hear you. And if the political arena is the point, I can't argue. Obama's a kick-ass <I>politician</I>, no doubt.<BR/><BR/>But, in the end, he's winning a battle about words, about positioning, about which party stands tallest.<BR/><BR/>Things I don't care about.<BR/><BR/>I care about implemented policy. And so far, I don't see that much has changed. He says "America doesn't torture," but he hasn't rolled back the policy of extraordinary rendition.<BR/><BR/>He says we'll end the war in Iraq, but the defense portion of his budget is HIGHER than it was under Bush.<BR/><BR/>And he says we'll hold the banks accountable, but his guy Geithner fights like a junkyard dog to remove provisions to cap executive bonuses from legislation.<BR/><BR/>It's all rhetoric.Mikehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15398931203483061703noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7313509.post-35748529030138611202009-02-26T10:37:00.000-05:002009-02-26T10:37:00.000-05:00Mike, Also, watch the desperate scrambling on the ...Mike, <BR/><BR/>Also, watch the desperate scrambling on the talk radio front. They expected a big doom and gloom, nanny-state speech and the glorious debut of the GOP's Great Brown Hope.<BR/><BR/>Instead, Obama was steady and reassuring—even encouraging—and Jindal is a national laughingstock. But Limbaugh bet the house on that guy and spent the day yesterday screaming "Trust me! This guy's a genius!" Even the dittoheads must be catching a whiff.Mr Furioushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03781439243585972721noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7313509.post-3524900801801840862009-02-26T10:23:00.000-05:002009-02-26T10:23:00.000-05:00Mike, You're reading this post wrong. It's got not...Mike, You're reading this post wrong. It's got nothing to do with the content of his speech as fiscal reality or policy detail, but is a snapshot of the state of politics.<BR/><BR/>A Democrat is finally seizing control of the debate and setting the frames. Once again, I was having my doubts about how Obama was playing the game and again he is a move ahead of me—and a couple <I>games</I> ahead of the GOP.<BR/><BR/>He stood up and, unlike any other Dem I can think of <I>in my lifetime</I>, successfully sold the country on a decidedly progressive agenda. He shoved it right in the Republican's faces and had them completely off their game—they stood up and applauded "We DO NOT torture!" and "health care reform will nor wait" fer crissakes.<BR/><BR/>Nobody here, or at any of the sites I read, actually believes he can pull ALL of this stuff off, but he has the right reeling and is grabbing back territory by the mile.<BR/><BR/>Last night wasn't about details, it was reminding everyone exactly what happened in November. He told a country wobbling on the edge, looking for some kind of assurance from someone that <B>"These fucknuts over here and their trickle-down horseshit, tax cuts and deregulation got us in this mess, and now a fucking grownup is here to clean things up."</B><BR/><BR/>The Republicans countered with their supposed best and brightest and the best he could come up with is volcano-pork and a "Oh, did I mention we have some tax cuts and a plan to get the government of your back?"<BR/><BR/>Obama = The Roadrunner<BR/>GOP = Wile E. Coyote<BR/><BR/>Mike, you're trying to argue, "Wait! Doesn't the Roadrunner need to eat and sleep?"<BR/><BR/>Of Course, but this is about watching the right crush itself with its own anvils and Obama sidestepping them at the canyon rim.Mr Furioushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03781439243585972721noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7313509.post-19043554596129394792009-02-26T08:40:00.000-05:002009-02-26T08:40:00.000-05:00Did I miss something last night, because I feel li...Did I miss something last night, because I feel like you're all talking about a different speech than I saw.<BR/><BR/>It was solid, to be sure, but you don't really believe he can do everything he promised, so you? And even if he could, you don't believe he can simultaneously decrease the deficit, do you?<BR/><BR/>I mean, it's nice to see him talk to his constituency and not pander to the GOPers, but in the end words don't mean shit.<BR/><BR/>Actions do.<BR/><BR/>And he can't -- literally cannot -- do all that he promised last night. It defies mathematics, it defies reality. The campaign's over, it's time to explain details, lay out the real plan.<BR/><BR/>I only heard rhetoric.Mikehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15398931203483061703noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7313509.post-74792973013229294672009-02-25T18:56:00.000-05:002009-02-25T18:56:00.000-05:00Great oratory or not, it was a pleasure listening ...Great oratory or not, it was a pleasure listening to a President speak to Congress and those of us in TV land like adults, using well-constructed thoughts. Moreover, his vocal inflections and expressions showed that he actually believes in what he is saying, and not just reading words off of a teleprompter.<BR/><BR/>I still contend that Jindahl spoke to us in the same tone of voice I use for my 3-year-old.Noahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14345059376742159966noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7313509.post-5825226127450237742009-02-25T17:28:00.000-05:002009-02-25T17:28:00.000-05:00the GOP has no idea what they are dealing with in ...<I>the GOP has no idea what they are dealing with in Obama and shows no signs of wanting to learn</I><BR/><BR/>In their defense, neither did Hillary or Bill or much of the Democratic establishment.Toasthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03418826323088878609noreply@blogger.com