Hold the fork! Obama may not be toast yet

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.suntimes.com/news/steinberg/7498310-452/hold-the-fork-obama-may-not-be-toast-yet.html

September 6, 2011 10:35PM

<snip>I keep thinking about a moment during the 2008 presidential debates. John McCain was trying to score a cheap political point by sinking his teeth into Obama’s efforts to get federal support for a new mechanism to project stars at the Adler Planetarium, replacing one that was 40 years old and crumbling.

McCain called it a “$3 million overhead projector” as if it were office supply surplus.

He brought it up three times, and I settled back, eager for Obama to dice him apart for being deceptive and taking a stand against teaching schoolchildren about the heavens.

Obama didn’t. He demurred. He let McCain have his little victory. I couldn’t understand it, not until the debates were over and Obama had beat McCain, who seemed mean, vindictive, almost unhinged. It began to dawn on me that perhaps Obama knew what he was doing, perhaps he declined to arm-wrestle McCain over his Adler canard because he was going for victory on more substantive matters, like a wrestler who doesn’t need to rack up easy points because he’s going to pin the guy.

I’m not saying that Obama is looking weak intentionally — that letting the Republicans knock his books out of his hands and kick them down the hall is part of some master plan to draw Republicans out and lure them into nominating the most fanatical among them to face him. Nobody is that smart.

But we should remember that restraint and deliberation is what got Obama this far. snip

The country is in deep economic trouble, and Republicans are ballyhooing their key solutions — lower taxes on the rich, fewer programs for the poor, and get government off the backs of corporations and out of the helping people business. Whether Obama intends it or not, our enfeebled president is letting America take a good long listen to the people who would like to have complete control. I’m not sure they’ll end up liking what they hear.

[Scurrilous]

1. K & R

:thumbsup:

[vi5]

2. Sorry. Not buying it.....

Letting a few minor digs in a debate pass without getting angry is one thing, and can be passed off as strategy. But consistently and constantly letting this pass without calling bullshit when it's bullshit is just weakness. And no, I'm sorry but when it has to be tacked on to a "both sides do it" speech or paired with yelling at Dems too and pulling the false equivalency, that doesn't count. And no, when you pair it with "My opponents are good people and love their country" and any other lavish praise, then it neuters the effect and continues to send the signals that you are week.

[Bluebear]

4. When you praise Jeb Bush as an "education champion" something is wrong

That is not strategy.

[stlsaxman]

3. K&R- Obama has surprised me before, not holding breath but maybe he'll do it again. nt

[ixion]

5. the old n-dimensional chess argument, rehashed

that won't float.

[COLGATE4]

6. File under "Wishful Thinking". Your pony is going to arrive any day now...

any day...........

[NightWatcher]

7. Who eats toast with a fork?

Damned mixed metaphors...

[Bluebear]

8. !

[opihimoimoi]

9. The GOPer Feild looks like crap..... not one has viable ideas nor vision...

[mother earth]

10. Truth be known, his strength is wacked opponents. It's not

that he shines so much, it's that they stink so bad. When you are a disappointment to your own base, and the devil you know is better than the fools that could fuck up worst, that's just pathetic. I'm so sad to have this attitude. Hope has left folks. God help us all. It's gonna take a miracle now, and that's is just not happening.

[FreakinDJ]

11. Since Deregulaton work so well before - all Republicans are running on it

How many Americans understand what deregulation has done for them lately

[blueknight]

12. he is toast

no doubt about that. one termer folks, like it or not. i dont think this guy could beat my dog in 2012. my dog is probably more well liked