A FEW BRIEF THOUGHTS ON OBAMA'S SPEECH LAST NIGHT
Let me preface this by saying that I didn't even know he was addressing the nation last night, and therefore I missed the beginning of the speech. So pillory me for my ideas, not for missing something that seems obvious. I also haven't reviewed the transcript.
Nevertheless, now that I've made clear that I'm shooting from the hip, here goes:
1. Obama sure said a lot of the right things. Now let's see if he can do it.
2. On a related note, here's what Mrs. Mike said last night as she half read a book, half listened out of one ear to what was coming out of the television: "This is exactly what he said when he was campaigning. Isn't it time for him to explain how he'll manage to do all these things?"
3. Here's a specific, only it's from me: Obama said he's gonna kick those bad banks to the curb. Make 'em pay, hold 'em accountable! "Accountability starts now!" But from what I've seen of the various "Plans" put forth by Geithner & Summers, that doesn't really seem to be the case, now does it?
Unless I missed something, and Chris Dodd joined the Administration.
4. And on another sorta' related note, I can't explain how irked I was to see Pelosi leap up to lead the standing O on that bank accountability note.
(Yeah, I know, she leapt up all night long. No wonder she has nice legs for a 68 year-old.)
But didn't she stand before Congress back in September, excoriating her colleagues about the urgent necessity to pass the TARP, which is the vehicle by which bankers received bonus money from taxpayers? Fucking lying, rotten-to-the-core, disgusting hypocrite. And since I'm sure Harry Reid and Barney Frank joined her by jumping up and applauding, let me say the same about them: lying, sneaky, pieces of shit.
Anyhow, back to where I was . . .
5. Joe Biden just cracked me up. The fact that he can sit there and make faces, and do mimed "shout-outs" to former collegeagues in the chamber is comedy gold. He's got a few "did he really do that?" moments left in him over the next 4 years."
6. It was nice to watch a SOTU address and not have to listen to Bush inarticulately lie his way through a canned speech. I have to admit it's better to watch Obama articulately spin impossible-to-implement policy through a canned speech.
Small steps people. There's dishonesty and there's dishonesty. Obama's dishonesty is of the standard Clinton-Reagan-JFK-FDR-Lincoln variety. He falls short of that special, lofty territory inhabited only by Nixon & Bush.
7. In sum: I heard a lot of talk about plans that will increase spending, the deficit, and the debt. I believe him. Also lots of plans to reduce spending, deficits, debt.
I'd like to believe him, but I respect logic, math, reality, all that wacky stuff.
So I don't.
Nevertheless, now that I've made clear that I'm shooting from the hip, here goes:
1. Obama sure said a lot of the right things. Now let's see if he can do it.
2. On a related note, here's what Mrs. Mike said last night as she half read a book, half listened out of one ear to what was coming out of the television: "This is exactly what he said when he was campaigning. Isn't it time for him to explain how he'll manage to do all these things?"
3. Here's a specific, only it's from me: Obama said he's gonna kick those bad banks to the curb. Make 'em pay, hold 'em accountable! "Accountability starts now!" But from what I've seen of the various "Plans" put forth by Geithner & Summers, that doesn't really seem to be the case, now does it?
Unless I missed something, and Chris Dodd joined the Administration.
4. And on another sorta' related note, I can't explain how irked I was to see Pelosi leap up to lead the standing O on that bank accountability note.
(Yeah, I know, she leapt up all night long. No wonder she has nice legs for a 68 year-old.)
But didn't she stand before Congress back in September, excoriating her colleagues about the urgent necessity to pass the TARP, which is the vehicle by which bankers received bonus money from taxpayers? Fucking lying, rotten-to-the-core, disgusting hypocrite. And since I'm sure Harry Reid and Barney Frank joined her by jumping up and applauding, let me say the same about them: lying, sneaky, pieces of shit.
Anyhow, back to where I was . . .
5. Joe Biden just cracked me up. The fact that he can sit there and make faces, and do mimed "shout-outs" to former collegeagues in the chamber is comedy gold. He's got a few "did he really do that?" moments left in him over the next 4 years."
6. It was nice to watch a SOTU address and not have to listen to Bush inarticulately lie his way through a canned speech. I have to admit it's better to watch Obama articulately spin impossible-to-implement policy through a canned speech.
Small steps people. There's dishonesty and there's dishonesty. Obama's dishonesty is of the standard Clinton-Reagan-JFK-FDR-Lincoln variety. He falls short of that special, lofty territory inhabited only by Nixon & Bush.
7. In sum: I heard a lot of talk about plans that will increase spending, the deficit, and the debt. I believe him. Also lots of plans to reduce spending, deficits, debt.
I'd like to believe him, but I respect logic, math, reality, all that wacky stuff.
So I don't.
Labels: Geithner Also Pissed Me Off, Just By Being There, Lying Bastard, Meanwhile Volcker Waits In The Wings
posted by Mike at 8:08 AM
2 Comments:
I actually watched the SOTU, for a change, since my in laws are in town and dig that stuff.
If I haven't told you this before, my in laws are former Jesse Helms voters now gone totally the other way. So they're big fans of Obama.
Anyway, I couldn't contain my snark last night. One point I made to them, that they didn't like, is that Presidential rankings seems to be almost perfectly positively correlated with the number of deaths (particularly American deaths) under such President's watch: see, Lincoln, FDR, Truman, etc.
The exception seems to be for President's under whom the US fought in a war that it did not decisively and unambiguously win. See LBJ and Bush 43.
Also, I told them that in my opinion, the heavy hand of government would stifle the economy and make the depression we're experienceing more severe and long-lasting.
...but I'll have to finish this thought later.
Applesaucer
Presidential rankings seems to be almost perfectly positively correlated with the number of deaths (particularly American deaths) under such President's watch: see, Lincoln, FDR, Truman, etc.
The exception seems to be for President's under whom the US fought in a war that it did not decisively and unambiguously win. See LBJ and Bush 43.
To play devil's advocate, you could argue that the best correlate is "Winning a Big War." Hard to do so without some serious deaths.
I agree with your larger point, though, that to be regarded as great, causing a lot of American deaths is a necessary condition.
The only exception is George Washington, the only "great American President" that gets into the top of my rankings.
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