Krauthammer On The Magic
In Der Spiegel:
SPIEGEL: And Obama is, in your eyes, ...Krauthammer: He's becoming ordinary. In the course of his presidency, Obama has gone from an almost magical charismatic figure to an ordinary politician. Ordinary. Average. His approval ratings are roughly equal to what the last five presidents' were at the same time in their first term. Other people have already said he's done and finished because his health care plans ran into trouble; but I say they're wrong. He's going to come back, he will pass something on health care, there's no question. He will have a blip, be somewhat rehabilitated politically, but he won't be able to pass anything on climate change. He will not be the great transformer he imagines himself to be. A president like others -- with successes and failures.
SPIEGEL: Every incoming president to the White House has to confront reality and disappoint voters.
Krauthammer: True. But what made Obama unique was that he was the ultimate charismatic politician -- the most unknown stranger ever to achieve the presidency in the United States. No one knew who he was, he came out of nowhere, he had this incredible persona that floated him above the fray, destroyed Hillary, took over the Democratic Party and became president. This is truly unprecedented: A young unknown with no history, no paper trail, no well-known associates, self-created.
There was tremendous goodwill, even I was thrilled on Election Day, even though I had voted against him and argued against him.
SPIEGEL: What moved you that day?
Krauthammer: It's redemptive for a country that began in the sin of slavery to see the day, I didn't think I would live to see the day, when a black president would be elected.
I thought that was pretty amazing -- but very much not enough. And really, I think the "hope for change" was pretty facile -- stopping there, and stopping at "He's not Bush." Very much not enough...as we're now seeing. And for those who aren't in the know about me, I was not exactly a Bush fan.
Here's the sort of thing Obama is making progress on -- the passage of the thought crimes bill:
Listen to the language he uses at the beginning. And he talks pretty talk about protecting gays, but does nothing substantive to change the situation for a majority of the gays and lesbians in America, who still cannot marry the person they love.
Thanks, Robert W
The guy is, much like Carter, unaware that he's won the election and should stop campaigning. Consider his words in Jacksonville last week. Prop 8 and Obama were never going to do well in the same election; too many black voters are against gay marriage.
Crid [CridComment @ gmail] at October 29, 2009 6:40 AM
I went to Robert W's blog... The first ten items were about United States politics. After that I stopped looking. (To be fair, one of them mentioned a Vancouver radio station.) Seekers, seriously... Isn't that a little bit creepazoid?
Crid [CridComment @ gmail] at October 29, 2009 6:44 AM
And he talks pretty talk about protecting gays
His dithering on the DADT and Maine's equivalent to Prop 8 is infuriating a lot of his biggest supporters.
In the course of his presidency, Obama has gone from an almost magical charismatic figure to an ordinary politician.
This was bound to happen, to a certain extent. But I've been disappointed by his lack of courage on any of the big issues that he campaigned on - climate change, health care, Gitmo, torture, transparency in government. He doesn't seem to driving the agenda at all. So far I'm unimpressed.
Whatever at October 29, 2009 7:24 AM
Time for a third party. If voters would stop getting sucked into repub/dem stupidity and stop trying to vote for the win then enough smaller candidates and alternative parties may just get the shaking up done.
OT link: More parenting insanity from britain
http://corner.nationalreview.com/post/?q=ZDYwZGIyYmQ2YWQxMDRkOGJiYzI1M2I1NWViNmNlZTk=
rsj at October 29, 2009 7:38 AM
Whatever - All that stuff you thought he was gonna do? How does it feel to get punked?
Oh, and I'd like to see the numbers that a "majority" of gays and lesbians want to get married. I suspect that the actual percentage of them that want marriage for themselves is vanishingly small.
Should we really be redefining one of the foundational relationships in western civilization to satisfy a couple hundred thousand loudmouthed crybabies?
brian at October 29, 2009 8:25 AM
No more leg tingles, eh Chris?
the other Beth at October 29, 2009 8:34 AM
Whatever - All that stuff you thought he was gonna do? How does it feel to get punked?
I'm not entirely pleased, but I'm not especially surprised either. It's still likely some sort of health care bill passes, as might cap and trade. Those are the big policy issues. The other stuff ain't gonna happen though which I would have liked, but didn't really expect.
Whatever at October 29, 2009 9:37 AM
His lack of ANY kind of executive experience is hurting him.
What's most alarming about Obama's inability to get legislation passed is that his party controls both houses of Congress. Getting some kind of healthcare legislation passed should have been a slam-dunk (even a compromise bill).
But he made too public a demand that Congress pass a bill by August. Perception-wise, when Congress passed nothing by September, it wasn't Congress' failure, it was his.
Had Obama been going against a hostile (Republican) Congress, the political damage from this setback would have been mitigated.
But he crash landed in his bid to get his signature issue passed by a friendly Congress within his mandated timeframe. Now, even if he does eventually get something passed, his effectiveness in driving the legislative agenda has been damaged (possibly beyond repair).
Add to this his dithering on immigration, the military situration in Afghanistan, closing Guantanamo, and a second stimulus bill, and you've got a president rapidly developing a public-image of indecisiveness and weakness.
Conan the Grammarian at October 29, 2009 10:24 AM
My biggest problem with Obama is that he is pussy-whipped, and kow-tows to whatever feminist whimsy is put before him.
To show solidarity with that talking head, Maria Shriver's, prattle about our now being a "woman's nation," Obama took the opportunity to say that some men need to be "knocked across the head" in order to become better, more servile, husbands.
I won't hold my breath waiting for him to come out and say that some women just need a good slap to make them better wives.
This is a mature, thinking individual? Or a pussy?
Jay R at October 29, 2009 10:45 AM
Crid, you never pass up a chance to personally attack me, do you?!
You don't know a thing about me, a think about my family heritage, or that very little is happening in Canadian politics these days, do you?!
Your Thought Police mentality would fit in well with Obama's inner circle. Perhaps you should apply. He never seems to tire of having a bunch of jerks around him.
Robert W. (Vancouver) at October 29, 2009 11:31 AM
Actually, what is most remarkable about Obama's inability to get legislation passed is that the Republicans are powerless to impede him in any way.
He's wide open, sprinting toward the goal line, tackled by his own teammates.
MarkD at October 29, 2009 11:36 AM
Whatever:
And you still do not understand the damage that either of these will do to this country? Nothing good is going to come from either of these bills. One of them has as its primary goal taking control of individuals, the other of stamping out small business. Well, actually BOTH of them will stamp out small businesses.
So it's good if your Sunoco or Dupont or GM.
MarkD:
And yet this failure is still somehow the fault of the Republican party.
brian at October 29, 2009 11:44 AM
> you never pass up a chance
> to personally attack me
Where's the attack-y part? (OK, maybe "creepazoid" is a little bit personal.) But dude, your whole blog is about the United States. It feels like you're staring at my wife's tits. "Thought police" doesn't cover it as well as "Mind your own beeswax" does. You're obsessed.
Why don't you just move here?
Crid [CridComment @ gmail] at October 29, 2009 12:54 PM
Interesting predictions by Krauthammer. I'm not sure why I should consider him a reliable prognosticator, but at least it's interesting to hear what the blustering old stuffed shirt has to say.
Patrick at October 29, 2009 1:12 PM
News from CANADA!
A rising Canadian folk singer, 19-year-old Taylor Mitchell, was killed by coyotes this week in a national park in Nova Scotia, a park spokesman said Thursday.
Man, that's a powerfully CANADIAN news story! Folk! Coyotes! National parks!
Just sayin'...
Crid [CridComment @ gmail] at October 29, 2009 1:15 PM
If "O" was naively pushing his agenda, and suffering the smackdowns of reality... you could say: "he'll learn"... but I get the impression that he is pushing the agenda in an almost craven sort of way... Not boldly and with force, but in a manipulative way. Just an impression I guess. Between he and congress, they aren't making things happen, when as pointed out, they should be in control.
You can't whine about GOP non-participation when you don't need them... unless you aren't sure you are doing the right thing, and need them for cover.
SwissArmyD at October 29, 2009 2:12 PM
Actually, what is most remarkable about Obama's inability to get legislation passed is that the Republicans are powerless to impede him in any way.
It's not Republicans, it's grandstanding Joe Lieberman threatens to filibuster any bill that creates more competition for the insurance companies who fund his campaigns.
SwissArmyD: I agree about the cravenness. Totally.
Whatever at October 29, 2009 3:47 PM
"creates more competition for the insurance companies who fund his campaigns."
Did you happen to see how much Barry received from AIG?
Feebie at October 29, 2009 4:12 PM
"Krauthammer On The Magic"
"Magic", I remind you all, happens only when the magician fools the sudience.
It's not real.
Radwaste at October 29, 2009 10:12 PM
Whatever writes: "This was bound to happen, to a certain extent. But I've been disappointed by his lack of courage on any of the big issues [...] He doesn't seem to driving the agenda at all."
Putting aside my own opinions on those issues for a moment: Obama seems to have missed what it means to be "presidential". He wants to appear above the fray, but he missed that an effective President is like the description of a duck -- calm and serene on the surface, but paddling like hell underneath. I get the impression from news reports that he doesn't spend much time lobbying Congressmen from his own party, much less the opposition, and when he does, his conversations tend to come across as imperial -- "vote this way and that's that". And then he just assumes that things will go the way he wants them to go.
To be fair, it doesn't help him that his party nominated a couple of incompetent hacks as their Congressional leaders. If Steny Hoyer was Speaker of the House, a health care bill of some sort would have passed that chamber by now.
Cousin Dave at October 30, 2009 7:13 AM
To be fair, it doesn't help him that his party nominated a couple of incompetent hacks as their Congressional leaders. If Steny Hoyer was Speaker of the House, a health care bill of some sort would have passed that chamber by now.
This is exactly right. Reid and Pelosi are unlikeable, unpersuasive, and ineffectual. They are a huge part of the legislative mess going on right now.
Rest of your post rings true, too.
Whatever at October 30, 2009 4:58 PM
To be fair, it doesn't help him that his party nominated a couple of incompetent hacks as their Congressional leaders. If Steny Hoyer was Speaker of the House, a health care bill of some sort would have passed that chamber by now.
This is exactly right. Reid and Pelosi are unlikeable, unpersuasive, and ineffectual. They are a huge part of the legislative mess going on right now.
Rest of your post rings true, too.
Whatever at October 30, 2009 5:00 PM
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