If that is the case, then why does he keep kicking our asses?
Reminds me a bit of this:
Yes, Republicans, you are the Black Knight.
It is inaccurate to attack Obama's "leadership" in this situation. He is being a good leader, in my opinion.
Obama has been a good leader. Perhaps even a great leader.
Conservatives have conflated good leadership with a "Good Presidency" and that is their weakness in attacking him.
A Good Presidency is a Presidency that leaves the country (it's people) better off than they were before, not only economically, but better positioned in the world as well.
Obama's Presidency has been a disaster when measured by those parameters.
And, it may be accurate to say that he is a STUPID President, because he keeps doing the same thing expecting different results.
But, to question his ability to lead, when he has accomplished everything he set out to accomplish? That is wrong. Absolutely wrong.
He has, indeed, been Reaganesque in his approach to the Presidency, in his leadership.
He has, deftly, navigated every trap laid out for him by his opponents, and he has defeated Conservatives at every step (except the attempt to do away with the "Bush Tax Cuts" earlier this year) throughout his Presidency. He has also made difficult decisions like attacking within Pakistan repeatedly, even after China warned (just a month or so back) that any attack by the US on Pakistani soil would be considered an Act of War.
This man, Obama, is not a weak leader.
But, he is a bad President. An ineffective President. His ideas do not work. But, he sure is great at putting his ideas into action.
And, we are the worse off for it.
If you really want to get what I mean, contrast Obama with Bush. Bush was a pretty good leader, but not a great leader. And, that is evidenced by the fact that during his second term, he gave up and let James Baker take over. At a certain point, Bush got tired of all the criticism, and gave up.
Obama has faced some terrible criticism. His poll numbers have been pretty terrible, and consistently so.
Bad poll numbers did Bush in.
But, Obama doesn't let bad poll numbers thwart him in the least. He just keeps pushing and continues defeating the spineless Republican Party.
UPDATE -
I thought about it, and I have come to the conclusion that I think it is even inaccurate to say Obama is a stupid President. Democrats used to call Reagan stupid, even as he kicked their asses over and over and over.
It really would be best for us to give up this illusion and face the truth.
Anyway, I really do think he is doing all of this on purpose. In other words, I do not believe he is doing the same thing over and over expecting different results. He really believes he has to break a few eggs, before he can make an omelette.
And, unfortunately for us, the eggs he is breaking are the businesses and leadership which make our economy the most powerful in the world. And, the Omelette he is stirring up is his new Socialist America.
The veritable destruction of the American economy is part of what he believes he has to do to bring things in line with what he wants to accomplish. He likely believes the only reason there is no investment and growth is because his opponents (the wealthy) have not been sufficiently chastened as yet. Once they are, I think he believes the economy will hum along just fine.
Of course, even this is shortsighted on his part. Because, if he was honest with himself, he would know that enough will never be enough. There will always be rich people, just as the poor will be with us always. And, he will always be angry with those rich people, if they are not his friends.
But, he believes in what he is doing, he is doing exactly what he believes will accomplish success (as defined by him) and he is extremely successful at it.
The thing that is amazing to me is that the very people who keep getting defeated by him are so consistently belittling him.
Here's another video for you to contemplate:
13 comments:
1) Some people are personally likeable his approval is still 46 to disapproval 48 ..BUT >65% think the nation on the wrong track
2) He is not kicking our asses. The first election to occur after his leadership began was a HISTORIC LEVEL reversal
Worse for his leadership is that DEMOCRATS now object PUBLICLY to his policies, from Schumer on NYC trials for terrorists as recently as THIS WEEK, to Red State DEMS calling for more compromise from him and congressional leaders on the this latest stupidities.
Finally, compared to Reagan who leadership INSPIRED COOPERATION, Obama inspires the most vitriolic opposition imaginable SPECIFICALLY because his technique is to create a Manichean world in which those who oppose the good (him and his ideas) MUST therefore be evil.
He was successful in items such as Obamacare because Pelosi and Reid were as far from the center as he was (which can be traced to post 2004 Soros money if you look at Reid's behavior and words).
The results, will with items such as Obamacare result in repeal, and or replacement
I personally do not believe good leadership can be separated from good presidency.
Or the reverse.
Was Stalin a good leader?
Not by ANY conceivable measure.
But he was very successful at holding onto personal power.
Obama's has been guaranteed for 4 years, but unless the republicans are DAMNED fools, will inspire a reversal of all time American historic proportions.
That is a failure to lead the people by convincing them you are on the right path, and a failure in OBJECTIVE results at home and overseas.
He IS sticking to his guns on philosophy, and in this moment of time that is a FAILURE of leadership because he needs the opposition to BE A SUCCESSFUL LEADER.
Fresh data:
HERE
Epa,
You can give this all the historic context you want, but really the bulk of your historicity is projecting the future; that we will repeal all of Obama's accomplishment.
But, as for now, it is as I describe. He has beaten the Conservatives. And, he is continuing to beat us. If we win this one, then great. I will be very happy. But, our track record is not good.
It may be small potatoes to you, but look at the fucking light bulb thing the other day. That is Liberal social engineering. Tell me one person who really wants fucking CFL's in their home. For god's sake, those things are poison and they will destroy all the photographs and paintings in your home. I guarantee it.
But, the Liberals won.
We have the CFL's forever at this point.
What about the whole Global Warming thing? Are we winning that? Are we drilling more? Are we getting to all our shale? No. No. No. No. No.
We are not.
The election was a fart in the wind, if you look at policy.
You know what Obama has to brag about now (and try telling me the American people won't buy it) that he now has a lower tax percentage per GDP than Bush. Great. He will drive that right up our asses.
The problem is, the Republicans have NO leadership. None.
We have no one anyone wants to listen to.
Instead of me giving any more examples, I will just shut up. Watch how all this plays out. Mark my words, if the Republicans run anyone other than Rick Perry, they WILL LOSE.
I predicted WAY BACK IN 2004 that the only person the Repubs could run that would win in 2008 would be Condoleeza Rice.
Why did I predict such a thing?
Because I KNEW IT WAS TIME FOR A BLACK PRESIDENT.
The way I phrased it was, "This is the story America wants to tell itself."
I'm telling you now, the Republicans have no chance unless they have a guy who can outmaneuver Obama in the media. And, that means Perry or Christie and I don't think Christie is ready for prime time, though I wish he was.
Conservatives think ideas matter. Bullshit.
SELLING IDEAS MATTERS.
It's all about Sales, Marketing and Advertising.
We are not drilling or beating warming YADDA YADDA because of single unary election propelled by disgust for Geroge Buhs and Lehman Bros fiasco moment which McCain UTTERLY BLEW.
That's all.
Obama had a majority in both houses until 2010, and COULD do those things.
Until we have repub president RINO's and others will vote with the majority, as will red state dems after the next cycle (and as they did from 80-88)
The exec dept COUNTS. Think Rick Perry would be drilling, would let the EPA go ahead with eh incandescent ban, yadda yadda.
Obama even DID ignore the cooperative efforts of dems and repubs to BAN all terrorists coming to any fo teh 50 states, a LAW passed last december..
He has done nothing more than his executive power allows, which includes a war making folly, and all the EPA commits by action and inaction.
He will always poll higher personally than Bush (or Truman) because of the manichean attacks against opposition over racism
History IS the future because human nature never changes.
The Bolsheviks acted to ACCELERATE the Czarists repression. You don't need to think hard why.
If Obama, however thinks obliterating the economy is going to achieve his ends, I think he is in for a DEVASTATING SURPRISE.
If people start in the street, it will make Chicago 68 look like the hippie day off it was.
Only if Obama is on THIS path can you call him some kind of big planner....
"The Party seeks power entirely for its own sake. We are not interested in the good of others; we are interested solely in power. Not wealth or luxury or long life or happiness: only power, pure power."
INCONCEIVABLE IN IT'S INSPIRATION TO VIOLENT OPPOSITION
He is a gifted amateur, with more aptitude than Clinton for conducting campaigns.
Which is, of course, perception sales and marketing
He has NO TALENT AND NO DESIRE for the real dirty, gritty tasks of day to day leadership.
The former only works when you are not in power.
The latter becomes the record.
And as Marco from Topoja would say ...
It seems to me that this chart indicates failed leadership and failed governance.
Pasto said, and I sadly agree:
Conservatives think ideas matter. Bullshit.
SELLING IDEAS MATTERS.
It's all about Sales, Marketing and Advertising.
But I'm not sure that either ideas or pr will do much to soothe the economic agonies that may soon befall America.
In any case, conservatives cannot effectively "sell" with the mainstream media as the primary sources for American voters.
Sometimes, we here in the blogosphere and in other alternative media forget just how powerful the mainstream media are.
"You know what Obama has to brag about now (and try telling me the American people won't buy it) that he now has a lower tax percentage per GDP than Bush. Great. He will drive that right up our asses."
That's true. I hate to say it, but Obama is basically right on the debt ceiling issue. He's positioning the GOP as rigid ideologues, the party of tax cuts for plutocrats when the country is drowning in debt. See how popular that turns out to be when social security cheques etc. stop being mailed out.
The American people have been living WAY beyond their means for a long time now. Obama is primarily responsible for the fiscal hole America is in, but that in no way absolves Bush Jr, the second most fiscally irresponsible president in history.
If the US is serious about restoring their government finances, then they will move to a VAT, putting the primary tax burden on consumers, not producers. Canada in the early 1990s was a fiscal basketcase, similar to Argentina (or the US today). The 7% GST, though universally hated, saved the country's finances. Today it has been reduced to 5%, but it still raises shitloads of money. Canada's deficit is puny compared with that of the US, and we will be running a surplus in 3 years or less, while you will still be running trillion dollar plus deficits.
But the Republicans promised their supporters that they wouldn't raise taxes no matter what. So they're fucked. Obama looks like a statesman compared to these pikers.
Part of a democracy, and the reason I always have believed that when it comes to a crisis, a war, an attack, a disaster , IT MUST ALWAYS BE A NEAR RUN THING, is that that voters cannot conceptualize who is right until the iceberg is CLEAR TO SEE.
That makes choosing the right decision at a distance the RESPONSIBILITY of those who feel they know the right idea.
That means the RIGHT people to sell it.
There is no getting away from that.
Right now the continuous kind of choices Obama is providing from accusations of racism, love the rich, hating the children, right down to the state RECOVERING YOUR CHILDREN FROM YOU if THEY deem them obese, and now trying to make it seem the republicans are preventing him from FEEDING AND HOUSING THE OLD AND INFIRM, and an galactically stunning example of childish and arrogant petulance which took my breath away... is putting a big telescope to the eye of the people looking for danger at sea.
It will be an UGLY CAMPAIGN, we will have topsy turvy until that election, and it is the most important thing we do that we PICK the candidate who can sell the right ideas to the public.
And it STILL will be a battle.
We better put our money where out fingers are and get out and knock on doors right thru nov 2012.
I could make the case that any President who deliberately tanks the economy by withholding August checks is making a stupid move.
I could also make the case that a Leftist ain't bright.
But you know what? I'm tired of arguing semantics.
The fact is that WE THE PEOPLE are powerless to stop whatever juggernaut is hurtling toward us.
So, I'm going to get off the web for tonight and read Bringing Adam Home, about the murder of Adam Walsh. A gruesome subject, but less gruesome for me right now than what is happening to America.
I see why you think it's a semantic argument. But, to me it is not about the semantics. It's about facing reality. The dude is a better politician, leader, and everything (for this modern age) than any Conservative we have coming up right now.
That is the fault of the Republican Party.
Pastorius,
a better politician, leader, and everything (for this modern age)
Certainly in the sense of exploiting the cult of personality. A lot of what's going on hinges on that aspect, IMO. And Americans fall for it, too. Modern technology contributes to Americans' gullibility. With the exception of Reagan, no Republican has done well with the appeal in the visual media.
Yes, but I do not agree wholeheartedly.
GW Bush did better than both Gore and Kerry, and I think it is obvious why. He looked more authoritative, less effeminate. He looked more like a guy you'd want to hang out with.
Obama appeared to be more sane, stable and trustworthy than McCain. Additionally, as I said, Obama was the story the American people wanted to tell themselves. And that story is still vibrant. That's why I say the Republicans are in very bad shape. They only have one candidate with the potential to win at this point.
Perry. That's it.
Michelle Bachman, who I like, looks like a shrew. Sarah Palin is too indecisive and ditzy. Mitt Romney is the disease to which Obama is the antidote in the popular mind. And, the rest are a joke. They simply have no chance.
It's not leadership or anything else but the leftist media against a background of public ignorance and apathy.
Very simple IMO.
The media spins,deceives, and attacks for the stupid schmuck non-stop 24/7/365.
All he has to do is appear and talk....they take care of the rest.
He's a printed label on a package.
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