Patterico's Pontifications

4/19/2011

Texan Gets Obama’s Goat

Filed under: General — Patterico @ 7:35 pm



Awesome.

What’s that thing he’s mouthing through his sneer as he’s taking off his mike? Right before he whines about not getting to finish his answers?

Kinda peevish for Mr. Even Keel, huh?

92 Responses to “Texan Gets Obama’s Goat”

  1. Stephanopolous gave Trump the third degree interrogation. Imagine if Obama got one of those. Pissy wouldn’t begin to cover it.

    kansas (1fc602)

  2. Speaking of Texas, I like Rick Perry a lot but I fear that the country is not ready for another Texas accent for a while. The fact that the Bushes hate him is one of his strong points. They went all out for Kay Bailey Hutchinson in the primary and she got squashed. My kind of guy.

    Mike K (8f3f19)

  3. LOL! This interviewer was quite polite. It’s pretty damn normal to interject during an answer, and it’s also pretty damn rude for a president to demand he be allowed to go on forever with his answers. If Obama can’t handle this kind of polite interview, I can only imagine if he got one of those hours long Palin-Couric deals.

    Also, it’s such a slap in the face to the many Texans who devoted a lot of their lives to the Shuttle program that New York City is going to get one, but NASA is not. We’ve got a really nice NASA exhibit, with a lot of other space vehicles and Mission Control, and a Space Shuttle really ought to be part of it. Schumer’s nasty comments about how no one visits Houston really ticked me off. This was incredibly petty politics that insults a lot of hard working Houstonians who take a lot of pride in their part in NASA.

    Also, Texans pay federal taxes. A lot of that money went to bailing out Wall Street, but Obama’s mocking Perry for taking federal funds that his voters already paid for? Is Obama demanding Texas secede from all federal funding? If so, that’s great! Just stop taking my taxes.

    Dustin (c16eca)

  4. Mike K, Rick Perry has grown on me over the past couple of years.

    I recall Perry trying to hand Obama a letter explaining some issues, and Obama refusing to accept it. What kind of President is this guy? The pettiness never ends.

    I guess this is one of those aspects of executive experience. He’s better at this than he was a few years ago. Many of his proposals are bold and smart. That’s not to say he is even close to perfect, but we could do a lot worse.

    Dustin (c16eca)

  5. I’m surprised Obama didn’t start rubbing his nose with his middle finger the thin-skinned git that he is.

    daleyrocks (bf33e9)

  6. I can only imagine if he got one of those hours long Palin-Couric deals.

    That would be an hours long knob job

    JD (318f81)

  7. Yeah. Couric replaced with… Patterico. I have no idea if he’s good at cross examination. Probably he is, right?

    Dustin (c16eca)

  8. In my current job, the rule is to lock the door if you see Brad Watson walking up. Nothing good will come of it.

    That is not a criticism. It is a fact.

    It surprises me that O’s folk didn’t know that.

    Ag80 (6134b7)

  9. princess bumble is displeased

    happyfeet (760ba3)

  10. Didn’t Barcky commit to another interview with him?

    JD (318f81)

  11. Apparently WH Communications Director Dan Pfeiffer took the bait Drudge headlined “First time: Reporter turns aggressive with Obama”

    The White House often expects the toughest questions from reporters outside of Washington, not the easiest, Pfeiffer tweeted.

    The problem: The reporter’s questions weren’t particularly difficult, but they were clearly not what Obama was expecting. The result was a viral video that depicted Obama as angry when faced with tough questioning. And it unveiled some of the degree to which the White House would like to control its message.

    Pfeiffer was asked by Time reporter Michael Scherer, “So will WFAA’s Brad Watson get another interview one day?”

    Instead of quickly taking the high road, Pfeiffer suggested that Watson may truly be out in the cold after irritating the president. And he did it by revealing yet another trick of Washington communications: playing one news outlet against its rival.

    “Right around the time we do our next interview with @TIME. I am kidding … or am I. @Newsweek is on the other line,” Pfeiffer responded.

    Dana (4eca6e)

  12. You’re being too charitable, Dustin, it really is an outrage ‘Houston we have a problem’ actually I dare say more than one, Huntsville, the home of Von Braun’s team, would have been the next choice, but
    that’s too bitter clinger,

    narciso (79ddc3)

  13. Clearly the interviewer didn’t understand the rules of the game where President Obama is involved: do not confront him,do not make him look bad, unprepared, incapable of pushing back, catch him off guard, and most certainly, do not correct him.

    He’s a fragile and sensitive guy.

    Dana (4eca6e)

  14. narciso, that’s a great point with Huntsville.

    Schumer acts like this kind of thing only matters insofar as Europeans can come and visit tourist traps. Seriously, he just rattled of a list of foreign countries he insists never want to see Houston.

    But what about flyover America? We might want to see a space shuttle sometime. What about the people who made this work. Most of them aren’t in NYC these days. When Obama claims he has no say over what his committee did, and the results are transparently political, I’m tempted to just write it all off because it’s so petty. But it’s still a deep insult.

    AG80, I didn’t know Watson had that reputation. Good for him. If only the rest of his profession understood their responsibility. This president should face tough questions every day.

    Dustin (c16eca)

  15. Dana, you inadvertently reminded me of the SNL sketch ‘Happy Fun Ball’ which ends with all the
    warnings to the use of the product

    narciso (79ddc3)

  16. He’s a dick he thinks he’s all special just cause he’s president. Grow up, loser. You’re president of one of the most squandery loser nations ever in history with a burgeoning food stamp population and a crappy union thug dominated education system and an economy what will crumble like a saltine cracker two seconds after the fed raises interest rates anywhere near their historical norm. You are Chavez, douchebag. You are Mugabe. You are, in short, a poncey poncey dirty socialist farce, and that reporter was entirely too nice to your disgraceful ass.

    happyfeet (760ba3)

  17. Narciso, I had to Google that one…so fitting:

    Do not taunt Happy Fun Ball.

    Heh.

    Squandery loser nation? I always thought you lived in Studio City, happyfeet…

    Dana (4eca6e)

  18. When Obama claims he has no say over what his committee did, and the results are transparently political

    I’m not sure.

    I mean, it’s not like New York is a swing state. So: from a transparently political perspective, what’s the benefit to Obama to bribing or otherwise rewarding New York?

    I have a hard time suspecting political motives when I don’t see anything to gain.

    aphrael (9802d6)

  19. I just moved to NoHo actually but yes Dana find me another country what has pissed away so much so fast – it’s actually very startling.

    In my lifetime I remember watching President George W. Bush orchestrate a regime change in Iraq in a period of time one could comfortable measure in hours. Today’s sorry excuse for a president has had weeks in Libya and is already hopelessly mired in a frustrating and expensive quagmire what is a humiliation for America, a humiliation what is only propounded by the pathetic torpor her economy is in domestically. Look at General Motors, already trading far below its IPO price. Win the future? Bumble, my friend, you can’t win next week with a friendly press and all of Daddy Soros’s monies.

    You’re a loser and everyone knows it and what’s frightening and sad is you might could very possibly be the exact president America deserves at this time.

    happyfeet (760ba3)

  20. So: from a transparently political perspective, what’s the benefit to Obama to bribing or otherwise rewarding New York?

    It’s a blue state, and Obama’s campaign needs money.

    Yes, this is pretty petty. There are a few little indications of pettiness towards Texas.

    However, the end point is that Obama likes to let a committee to the leadership for him. He can’t explain why Houston wouldn’t be worthy of a Space shuttle, because it obviously is, so he votes present. Is that proof of a quid pro quo? I admit, no.

    Dustin (c16eca)

  21. The only interruption I saw is when Barky said he only lost Texas by a few percentage points and the interviewer said more like 10. Actually it was more than that and will be even more next year.

    Arizona Bob (911aa5)

  22. The left are not liberals nor are they progressives.

    DohBiden (15aa57)

  23. And china is a crony captialist state.

    DohBiden (15aa57)

  24. The only interruption I saw is when Barky said he only lost Texas by a few percentage points and the interviewer said more like 10.

    Yes, it appears that Obama was trying to intimidate the reporter into allowing Obama to tell a bald faced lie. Obama knows exactly how many points he lost Texas by (12). I think Watson showed Obama how a real reported handles intimidation attempts: he just reports it. what sad is that Obama usually gets away with this.

    Obama won’t write Texas off entirely because he needs to raise money in Texas. I hope his pettiness towards Texas has made him toxic enough here to seriously inhibit his fund raising. Companies and business leaders that support Obama are anti-Texas, as far as I’m concerned.

    Dustin (c16eca)

  25. But isn’t he is still a “good man” Patterico?

    bains (8f7349)

  26. _______________________________________________

    Also, it’s such a slap in the face to the many Texans who devoted a lot of their lives to the Shuttle program that New York City is going to get one, but NASA is not.

    Moreover, it’s ridiculous that the Northeast, meaning the NY-DC corridor, will have 2 of the decommissioned space craft in question, while the entire central portion of America will be left high and dry.

    Mark (411533)

  27. But isn’t he is still a “good man” Patterico?

    Comment by bains

    ? Of course he is a douchey alinsky following liberal because he hopes to do good in his misguided socialist mission.

    He really does think this is for your own good. Don’t be a fool: Obama is much worse because he would oppress you for your own good. He has the permission of his own conscience.

    You can sense that in his frustration at the end of the video. He thinks this reporter is thwarting his good intentions. He thinks he needs more allegiance in order to transform America.

    It’s just lazy to say Obama is bad. Sure, he’s bad for America, and he’s bad at his job, and the crap he does is often immoral. But he wants to help you. he really thinks he’s making the world better.

    How do you hope to persuade the millions of Americans who want to make American better through social welfare and high spending if you dismiss them as evil people? Even with Obama fumbling, it’s not yet politically likely we can change America’s course to mere balanced budgets. Don’t sell your enemies short.

    Dustin (c16eca)

  28. Obama is in cahoots with the islamofascists because he knows they will destroy his enemy.

    DohBiden (15aa57)

  29. Don’t be a fool: Obama is much worse because he would oppress you for your own good. He has the permission of his own conscience.

    So perhaps some apologies from this site to Goldstein are warranted? Or is it more beneficial to take out friendly targets for fear of upsetting ‘friends’ (read political opponents, but those with whom is is best to acquiesce for fear of…) on the coastal cocktail circuits?

    Rhetorical, I know from whence Patrick comes. (I lived in DC.)

    bains (8f7349)

  30. Did I hear correctly the Big Zero blaming Rick Perry for using stimulus money to balance the state budget?

    So, he both criticizes someone for accepting the money that he offered, and criticizes him for using it responsibly. Talk about an all-around ‘tard!

    Icy Texan (cb089c)

  31. Anyone who criticzes maobama is a far-right racist

    /Kman

    DohBiden (15aa57)

  32. You must never diss a Man-god, unless you have the very best tax attorneys on retainer.

    Dana Perino, on Hannity, said that a major Texas paper/broadcast outlet, described the President as being “snippy”.

    AD-RtR/OS! (4b2ffd)

  33. I loved “Texas has always been a pretty Republican state, for historic reasons”, sure if history begins in 2002. I laughed until I realized the president said this, then I cried. Texas, which first elected a Republican to congress in 1961, Texas which first elected a Republican governor in 1979, is “pretty Republican for historical reason”, what history has Obama been smoking?

    max (2f2a28)

  34. “So perhaps some apologies from this site to Goldstein are warranted?”

    bains – More like the other way around since you and your friends never understood the post in the first place.

    daleyrocks (bf33e9)

  35. bains – More like the other way around since you and your friends never understood the post in the first place.

    You comments today reinforce that lack of understanding, but you can’t fix stoopid.

    daleyrocks (bf33e9)

  36. So the leftards insist hitler was a righty because he opposed communism um you know who else opposed communism?

    DohBiden (15aa57)

  37. So, he both criticizes someone for accepting the money that he offered, and criticizes him for using it responsibly. Talk about an all-around ‘tard!

    Yes, that is absolutely the most important part of the interview. It must really burn Obama up that Texans got some of their tax money back, but this is a pathetic attempt to call ‘gotcha’. We may not think the federal government should spend all this money, but it was just going to be spent in Chicago if we didn’t get some of it back, anyway. But the real insult is that Texas didn’t squander it, and her leaders resist unfunded mandates that might bolster their short term political ambitions, but would hurt their state.

    —-

    Max, Texas even elected Jimmy Carter once.

    A sad truth is that Texas is only recently becoming a die hard Republican state. Perry won over White by 20 points. Obama’s policies have led the democrat party much farther astray than they ordinarily are. That could be a problem for Texas if our republicans don’t face serious competition. We’ll have to see.

    ———–

    The rest of this post relates to Bains’s shilling for Jeff Goldstein, and most of you probably should ignore it.

    So perhaps some apologies from this site to Goldstein are warranted?

    You quoted my comment favorably to justify the complete opposite of the logical result. No, if you are agreeing with me that Obama is so bad because he’s motivated by his desire to do good, I guess you owe Patterico the apology. I do not know what Jeff said about this issue. Last time I read his comment on it, I agreed with him in large part (And told him, but he called me a bunch of names because he’s crazy). In that thread, Jeff was lying to RSM and several others, saying those claiming he accused Patterico of being an antisemite were liars. When I showed proof Jeff had made such an accusation, then deleted it, and then made it again, and then deleted it, and then made it again, only carefully phrased so he could half pretend it’s satire, Jeff claimed the use of screenshots was ‘cowardly’. All I did was hit him with the facts… his own desperate race hustling words, and his own gloating that he intended to intimidate Patterico into worrying that people thought he was a bigot. The whole thing blew up in his face so fast he had to memory hole the whole thing, but few people win arguments on the internet by deleting what they said.

    My point: Patterico might be wrong in what he said years ago about Obama, but who really cares? Honestly, what the hell kind of nut thinks people can’t say anything nice about Obama, to the extent that this needs to be mentioned in 2011? Why come here pick a fight over it? It isn’t hard to hope for the best in someone. Obama is your president, after all. Those idiots who simply refused to see any good in Bush, those BDS kooks, I’m not like them. I will give Obama a fair shake. I am not so stupid that I think he’s actually trying to be evil. Is this really worth years of criticism, and tens of thousands of attacks (I am not exaggerating)?

    And if you’re really opposed to fight picking, why in the hell are you asking Patterico to apologize? He ignores PW, after all. He’s constantly attacked by Jeff, and just ignores it 99% of the time. And some of Jeff’s attacks are just not acceptable, even by his own standards, which is why he got so mad that I quoted his own words to prove his deception.

    Patterico, I realize replying in this length is directly against what you wanted, and I remember you asking very politely that I not discuss Jeff G on your blog. I definitely to not go out of my way looking for this topic, but when it is in my face, I just have to address it. No hard feelings if you try to keep the topic off PW by deleting my comment.

    Dustin (c16eca)

  38. Obama does not like to be challenged. The legacy media won’t pursue it when they do ask a tough one – his first reaction is to duck it or just lie, but don’t ask a follow-up or Barry gets irritated fast. Anyone who reports anything negative about him gets a phone call to his boss and a threat to be cut off from access.

    The way to debate this guy is to avoid the panels and insist on a single moderator to keep time only. The time is like a chess clock – give them each 45 minutes or an hour per debate, and let each use his time as he wishes. Talk to the camera, ask the other guy questions, whatever – but if you use your 45 minutes and the other guy has 10 minutes left, it’s his show until sign-off.

    I guarantee in that format any moderately skillful debater would be able to rattle Obama in the first few minutes and make him look, well, like he really is. The only trick would be getting him to agree to it, but the arrogant prig thinks he’s so smart, he just might.

    Estragon (ec6a4b)

  39. Looks like our Prez is getting male pattern baldness, just a bit…

    LYT (b9cd88)

  40. Da Prez, expecting nothing but softballs to come his way, forgot to wear a cup for the interview.

    Icy Texan (cb089c)

  41. Our president has lefty-pattern spinelessness.

    Icy Texan (cb089c)

  42. Estragon, you’re exactly right. A skillful, forceful debater should be able to handle Obama very well.

    I’ve watched a few of the Mccain Obama debates recently, and a lot of them have Mccain with this peculiar frustrated grin on his face as Obama attacks him, or makes a promise he already contradicted.

    Mccain should have interrupted him, and pointed out he contradicted himself. Just cut him off. When Obama complains, just say you’re not going to stand there while Obama lies out of both sides of his mouth, no matter what Obama would like.

    The guy is his own fiercest critic, because he tries to be all things to all people. It should be very easy to trip him up early, and let his own thin skin and ego take it from there.

    Dustin (c16eca)

  43. Someone’s gonna get audited…

    Gazzer (339c2e)

  44. __________________________________________

    What’s that thing he’s mouthing through his sneer as he’s taking off his mike?

    I’ve finally just watched that video and feel like I’m in the middle of Rashoman, referring to a situation where, say, 5 different people view a situation in 5 totally different and contradicting ways. In this instance, Obama and the interviewer don’t strike me as being quite so noticeably prickly, confrontational or defensive as implied by the headline-blaring link posted at Drudgereport today.

    Nonetheless, an assortment of reactions and comments from the guy now in the Oval Office since 2009 do reveal him to be a very underwhelming figure in the history of the American presidency. If the US is a nation in decline, or if it’s facing a future of indefinite torpor, then its White House being occupied by someone like an Obama — a flaky, unreliable ultra-liberal — is altogether fitting and appropriate. Banana Republics deserve no less.

    Mark (411533)

  45. @#3- “Also, it’s such a slap in the face to the many Texans who devoted a lot of their lives to the Shuttle program that New York City is going to get one, but NASA is not.”

    NASA is, in fact, ‘getting one’: Atlantis will be displayed at NASA/KSC in Florida.

    Discovery heads to the Smithsonian which in metro Washington, DC, and Endeavour will be displayed in LA, as it was developed and built in Downey, and in Palmdale near Edwards AFB.

    Enterprise is nothing to crow over- it’s a test vehicle which never flew into space. NYC draws more tourists and vistors- which seems to be NASA Administrator Bolden’s rationale for the disposition of all the vehicles. Bear in mind, there would be two more orbiters up for grabs if mediocre decision-making by shuttle management hadn’t resulted in the loss of Challenger and Columbia, killing 14 astronauts. It’s a heavy burden for the folks at JSC/Houston to bear. No doubt a few charred fragments of Columbia may still turn up in the Texas scrubbrush over the years just as occasional fragments from Challenger still wash ashore in Florida after storms. The point is to locate the remaining orbiters in places which have high tourist/visitor draws. Houston didn’t make the cut in that arena. Best move for JSC/Houston is to move forward and leave shuttle to history. Ask anybody at NASA and they’ll tell you they’d much rather have seen the Saturn V there at JSC/Houston used for a moon shot with its stages at the bottom of the sea rather than rotting (and they were literally disintegrating for years, exposed to the elements) as ‘lawn ornaments.’ NYC gets Enterprise. And it’s figuratively and literally a ‘hollow’ victory. Get over it.

    DCSCA (9d1bb3)

  46. Ear Leader is a goat: small, bad tempered and definitely third world in nature.

    the only thing that keeps him from full goat status is that no man in America capable of passing a sanity test would want to hang a set of horns on him.

    redc1c4 (fb8750)

  47. NASA is, in fact, ‘getting one’: Atlantis will be displayed at NASA/KSC in Florida.

    That’s what I mean. What a slap in the face to the 18,000 hard working people in Houston who spent so much effort making these shuttle missions happen. Just dismiss them, like that, because they are in a red state.

    Bear in mind, there would be two more orbiters up for grabs if mediocre decision-making by shuttle management hadn’t resulted in the loss of Challenger and Columbia

    What a disgusting argument.

    No doubt a few charred fragments of Columbia may still turn up in the Texas scrubbrush over the years

    Behold guys, an Obama shill, no matter where that leads him.

    But anyway, yes, Houston dealt with life and death with their shuttle support. But Schumer wanted to play political hardball and put on shuttle practically on top of another in the NE. The democrat party once again shows their true colors.

    This Houston center got 750,000 visitors per year. It has 18,000 employees in the space industry. What’s really lousy is that Obama is removing artifacts from Houston’s exhibits, too. In exchange, they’re getting two seats out of a shuttle.

    New York has no tangible connection to the program, and they are very near another shuttle exhibit. Houston is where every shuttle mission astronaut trained, and from where every shuttle mission was directed. It just makes sense to put a Space Shuttle there. Having one near each coast, and another centralized, serves Americans. Schumer explained this as catering to people from Belgium. What about Americans who aren’t in the east coast?

    I do hope Intrepid‘s exhibit is excellent and successful. It deserves much more respect than democrats have given it, but hopefully it works out. DCSCA is quite sore, but that’s because his party is a miserable failure. All he’d got is nasty trolling.

    Dustin (c16eca)

  48. @47- “That’s what I mean.”

    Except that’s not what you posted: “Also, it’s such a slap in the face to the many Texans who devoted a lot of their lives to the Shuttle program that New York City is going to get one, but NASA is not.”

    NASA isn’t exclusively a Clear Lake, Texas operation and NASA IS going to get one– at NASA/KSC in Florida: Atlantis. And NASA HQ isn’t to far from the Smithsonian either, where Discovery will be displayed. What bugs you is NASA is not going to send one to itself in Houston as opposed to Cape Canaveral- and it was NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden’s decision to make- one of NASA’s own: the current administrator, a shuttle astronaut himself for 14 years (’80-’94, through the Reagan/Bush era) and USMC commanding general.

    “What a slap in the face to the 18,000 hard working people in Houston who spent so much effort making these shuttle missions happen. Just dismiss them, like that, because they are in a red state.”

    Because they’re based in a red state? At the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center? Named for Texas’ own, President Lyndon Johnson??? ROFLMAO Nonsense. Don’t hide behind space workers. You’re tilting at windmills for an obstuse red state/blue state poke at President Obama. Stick to something in your comfort zone: teleprompters, birth certificates and such. ‘Shuttle diplomacy’ is over your head and you’re insulting General Bolden as well given he’s a NASA man. Bolden’s rationale of placing the orbiters in major tourist/population centers which draw a high volume of both national and international visitors makes perfect sense and is good for the space agency. Houston just didn’t make the cut. Deal with it. And JSC/Houston was not the only aerospace facility vying for an orbiter. Dayton’s pretty sore as well. Bolden could have sent one up to Edwards/Palmdale and few would drive up to see it. His rationale makes good sense.

    “What a disgusting argument. fact.” Fixed that for ‘ya. Indeed, killing 14 astronauts and losing two orbiters through mediocre management practices is quite disgusting. Infuriating, too, as both the Challenger and Columbia accidents were shown to be quite preventable. Bad management. Such is the cross JSC/Houston has to bear. And they know it. All the more reason to put shuttle behind them and press on to new frontiers.

    The space program is not a ‘jobs program’ either- for Houston, the Florida coast, or Utah, or Cleveland, or Huntsville… etc. Contractors and NASA personnel have known shuttle was coming to an end since the mid 2000’s after the CAIB released their report. President Bush endorsed the recommendations and it was the decision of his administration to end the program in 2010; announced the VSE and initiated the Constellation program, but failed to secure adequate funding for its survival. It became too costly as recently configured and has been terminated, save development of the Orion spacecraft for BEO mission planning in out years and Congress has instructed NASA to develop a heavy lift LV for such missions.

    You’re just sore that Houston didn’t make the cut in terms of tourism and visitors over New York City, Washington, DC, Los Angeles or Cape Canaveral. Maybe it was a Disney conspiracy– and ‘Operation Mickey Mouse’ succeeded what with Disneyworld/Orlando’s proximity to the Cape and Disneyland/Anaheim being a suburb of LA. Yep, that’s it– the Disney Company is out to get Houston, too.

    Enterprise goes to New York. Get over it.

    DCSCA (9d1bb3)

  49. It is much more than just a jab at Texas, it is his attitude toward aerospace, and the military in general, look at his defunding decision re the F-22
    and where he decided to deploy a squadron, in Utah rather than Alaska, and the F-35, look at how were
    so shorthanded for air support, that the carriers didn’t stay in the Gulf of Sidra, for more than a week.

    narciso (79ddc3)

  50. i think the not knowing party history thing is moderately funny, but forgivable. he probably meant “always” as in every since he started paying attention to politics, which is roughly true.

    but it doesn’t serve him very well to be in that bubble all the time, because the moment someone steps out of line he gets all angry and such.

    Aaron Worthing (e7d72e)

  51. Disco Stu is in a particularly pricky mood today.

    Icy Texan (6f6016)

  52. Yes we’ve had a space disaster about every 15-20 years, 1967, 1986, 2003, doesn’t mean we should shutter the program, just like we shouldn’t close
    the gulf down because of one oil spill

    narciso (79ddc3)

  53. Dustin, this DCSCA character likes to mention historic perspective. So on this site, he has—historically— made up the most bizarre series of claims about himself, ranging from hanging out with Von Braun to sniffing Rush Limbaugh’s BO. He is Nuttier than a PayDay bar, and not worth your time other than as comic relief.

    Simon Jester (fa6855)

  54. Glass half-empty boy doesn’t think that 131 successful flights are enough to justify putting a shuttle on display here in Texas? Jeez!

    Icy Texan (6f6016)

  55. Dustin–I’ve been to Houston and toured NASA–my nephew loved it. There were plenty of foreign tourists there. Schumer is just a petty jerk, much like our commander in chief.

    Rochf (f3fbb0)

  56. Comment by DCSCA — 4/20/2011 @ 3:20 am

    Chuck Schumer’s taunting of Houston on Friday over the decision to send the shuttle prototype to New York probably played a role in why Watson dug in at Obama on the question, since WFAA’s parent company, Belo Broadcasting, also owns Houston’s KHOU-TV.

    Chuckie’s shot at Houston was major news there over the weekend, as well as showing up on the Texas state news wires, so grilling Obama on the subject made sense because even if it wasn’t that pertinent to Dallas-Fort Worth, it would be a big news story for WFAA’s sister outlet. The fact that Obama got cranky about it just made what should have been at most a New York-Texas story into a national one, and the president has nobody but himself and Schumer’s pandering to his NYC constituents to blame for that faux pas.

    John (598ddb)

  57. What’s that thing he’s mouthing through his sneer as he’s taking off his mike?

    I couldn’t make it out. Anyone here a better lip-reader than me?

    Robin Munn (f08331)

  58. Also, I don’t know what standards Patterico chooses to apply before banning commenters, but they’re higher than I would apply on my own site. Comment #45 from DCSCA, where he plays off the Columbia and Challenger disasters to score political points, is so vile that it would earn him an instant ban were I running this site. And far from apologizing for it, he doubles down with his #48.

    Patterico? Do those comments cross the line of what you’re willing to allow on your site?

    Robin Munn (f08331)

  59. Robin – DSCSA aka INternational Man of Parody, is a vile fabulist.

    JD (318f81)

  60. Simon, I recall some of the silly things DCSCA has said about himself. Pretty sad. Robin’s so right that he crossed the decency line, but then… he wanted to. He’s happy about that.

    but it doesn’t serve him very well to be in that bubble all the time, because the moment someone steps out of line he gets all angry and such.

    Yep, Aaron. Obama seems to be a bit sheltered from criticism. That explains a lot. There’s no way Bush was so sheltered. He was unphased by much harsher comments. It’s amusing to consider the fear in the hearts of the people who will prepare Obama for the debates. How hard can they push him?

    Rochf, I love Houston, and visiting the space center is great. And yep, there are plenty of foreign tourists there, but also plenty of Americans from across the country. Schumer’s powerful in his party and wanted to make clear how much disrespect was intended in this move. Anyway, everyone should visit Mission Control at least once. It’s really quite interesting. I guess Schumer isn’t much of a traveler. Who knows, maybe Chuck’s unbelievably nasty politics will keep Houstonians pushing for this to be corrected for a few years. They really should just move the entire Intrepid exhibit (other than the stuck boat) farther from Dulles and the Air and Space museum, and closer to the rest of the country.

    Dustin (c16eca)

  61. We go to Houston every year, as Better Half has a large portion of her extended family that lives there. Some of the best pho and banh mi outside of Saigon.

    JD (318f81)

  62. Obama plays off his loss in Texas by saying he lost by just a few percentage points. Yet he lost the state by twelve points. (11.7 IIRC)

    Interestingly this is twice his margin against McCain nationwide.

    Have Blue (854a6e)

  63. #63. Love pho and banh mi and am especially partial to goi cuon. We have it pretty good here in Cali, too, esp. down OC way. Yum!

    Angeleno (b8f92f)

  64. Yes, angeleno. Better Half’s “cousin” in the OC makes the best pho I have ever had.

    JD (318f81)

  65. Disco Stu is very lucky to have escaped Libyan hit squads earlier in his colorful life.

    daleyrocks (bf33e9)

  66. Odd how we are told that Obama is the most intelligent man to ever occupy the Oval Office, yet he knows absolutely nothing about Texas history, politically.

    There were only two Republican governors in Texas in the 19th Century, one prior to Texas’ readmission into the Union. And in the 20th century, only two; Clemmons and Bush. As late as 2003, when the Killer Ds fled the state, the Democrats held 88 of 150 House seats. So even in the early part of the 21st century, the Democrats still maintained control of Texas politics.

    But this is not the first time Obama has insulted Texas. He knows it is lost to him, so he doesn’t care.

    Also, let me clear up his little dig about Texas taking stimulus money:

    when Hurricane Ike hit the Texas coast, basically wiping out the island of Galveston, and other coastal areas, the government was still reeling from the damage of Hurricane Katrina. FEMA funds had become strapped, so FEMA told Texas to use its “rainy day” fund to begin Ike cleanup, and it would be reimbursed by FEMA at a later date. Now, reclaimation was a FEMA responsibility, but due to the urgency of the situation on the Texas coast, Governor Perry agreed to use the states money to be reimbursed as soon as FEMA funds became available.

    Two years ago, next month, Perry contacted Secretary Janet Napolitano and asked when Texas could expect to be reimbursed for the money it spent on coastal clean-up/restoration that was a FEMA responsibility. It was clear that money was still being dumped into Louisiana, especially New Orleans, yet no money was coming back to Texas although those bills had been submitted to FEMA.

    I happened to have been at a dinner that was held for Rick Perry the night he had his conversation with Janet Napolitano. He was furious. Napolitano had told Perry that no funds, outside of what little had already been paid, would be forthcoming as there were areas of the nation that “were needier” and did not have the state funds to do disaster clean up. IOW, we had the money, so that meant that the administration could decide, once again, political winners and losers.

    Texas, alone, basically picked up the multi-billion dollar tab for Ike. It also became clear, even back then, that Texas could not expect any fairness from an administration that did not elect it. If we got it back, via another program, great.

    As to the idiot remarks of Chuckie Shumer, well, he just might want to rethink those remarks. They were small, and tacky, and totally uncalled for. When Americans think of the space program, New York does not come to mind. And to act like we are just some back-water burg that has no appeal to any tourist, perhaps he should check the tourism numbers for the Alamo alone. But the mindset of the Eastern elite is no surprise to anyone south of the Mason-Dixon line. Chuckie Boy supports Obama’s off shore drilling ban, and why not? It is not New Yorkers he is throwing out of a job. It is those people he considers nothing more than smelly rednecks in the coastal states of Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi.

    That is fine. He can feel that way. And I promise you, I will answer Michel Berry’s call to boycott all things New York.

    retire05 (2d538e)

  67. Retire, you’re exactly right. I could list out a lot of ways Obama has picked political winners and losers, but oil drilling work and disaster relief are enough to make the case.

    FEMA jumped at declaring Hawaii an emergency, because of the Japanese reactor meltdown. But Texas has had 1.5 million acres burn, and we’re still waiting to hear from the feds on our request. This sets a dark precedent that blue states should be worried about. Red states are less vulnerable to this kind of crap. If a republican decides to play games with fed bucks for urban centers, that would actually cause problems.

    There’s really very little incentive for conservatives to maintain the gravy train, despite repeated assertions the wealth flows from blue to red. I guess we should thank Obama for making sure Texas isn’t dependent on it, because when it goes away, democrats are going to miss it a lot more.

    Dustin (c16eca)

  68. Well if one were really in a tit for tat move, doesn’t NY depend on gas almost exclusively refined in Houston, from the tankers in the ship channel

    narciso (79ddc3)

  69. narciso,
    you forget about the refineries in Jersey, plus a lot of refined product is brought into the Mid-Atlantic/New England states from refineries in the Caribbean operated by Amerada Hess, among others.

    AD-RtR/OS! (b8ab92)

  70. Dustin, that is not all. In an attempt to make a long story short, in December, 2010, the EPA, under Obama, decided that it would usurpt the Clean Air Act by taking over permitting that was left up to the states. Where the EPA ruled that it would do so within three years, it ruled that it would do so in Texas in January, 2011, less than a month after the notice.

    The decision was made after the EPA took air quality control samples by one fly over in one area over Dallas. It did no other quality control studies in the rest of the state, and although Texas has a better than national record of meeing clean air standards, it was Texas that the EPA decided to go after. We are now involved in a law suit against the EPA.

    As to our 1.5 million acres, and many homes, lost due to the wild fires, don’t expect FEMA to step up to the plate on that one. We had a serious drought just a few years ago where the same thing happened. Thousands of acres were lost in just my area, along with over 30 homes. As county residents spent months trying to help those who lost their homes due to the wild fires, (getting them places to live, rounding up furniture and other things necessary to fill a household, charity drives to help them replace lost items, and helping them clean up their property) FEMA was a no-show. When some of the residents were contacted by FEMA, they were told they would be reimbursed for a week’s stay at a motel. There were no FEMA trailers, no workers, no money for anything. The next election, our county went from deep blue to bright red for the first time in its history.

    There are an estimated 25,000 Texans out of work due to the off shore drilling ban. Yet, even with that, our unemployment rate is around 8%, considering that we have 2 million illegals that were in the construction trades that have not returned to their native lands.

    retire05 (2d538e)

  71. The next election, our county went from deep blue to bright red for the first time in its history.

    Great! Obama can’t really write Texas off. Sure, he will never get those electoral votes, but he needs all the money he can get. There are plenty of democrat enclaves here he is wiping away, too. That does much more damage to the democrat party than he seems to appreciate. Like I said above, any Texan companies supporting Obama are going to have to worry about their reputation. Obama is practically hostile towards us. You’d think this great politician would practice a little politics sometime.

    Every Texan has heard Obama cheering oil drilling and clamoring to be a big customer… in Brazil.

    Dustin (c16eca)

  72. Dignitas. The Romans knew what it was. Obama has none.

    George Anders (7a4935)

  73. And Colombia, Dustin

    narciso (79ddc3)

  74. @#53- Blame ‘go fever’ for the ’67 fire, narciso. Shuttle accidents were shown to be caused by complacency coupled with poor management. In 2011, it’s old technology now, and for a LEO system, increasingly expensive to maintain in an era of shrinking resources. It never became the cost effective system it was supposed to be and given the current budget climate and the Age of Austerity, it’s simply time to end it. 30 years is a good run for a program like that. And contrary to President Reagan’s assertion after STS-4 that the system was ‘operational’- it never really was more than an experimental vehicle, per the CAIB. And at $800 million/mission these days, far too expensive– and risky- to keep flying, literally in circles. Something fiscal conservatives seem to want to overlook. After the CAIB report, the problem facing NASA is developing a convincing rationale for HSF. To fly people into LEO just because you can do it is not a convincing arguement now that the Cold War is over and especially for austere times. It’s a bitter pill to swallow given the approaching 50th anniversary of Alan Shepard’s first U.S. manned spaceflight is on May 5.

    @#59-Political points? Wise up. Or perhaps you endorse poor management with minimal accountability as a rule, a la Wall Street. Shuttle management culture killed 14 people, lost two multi-billion dollar orbiters, cost the United States billions of dollars through delays and redesigns and stalled the U.S. HSF program for years- and it all could have been averted, as shown in the investigation reports. The fact you don’t like facing these truths doesn’t change them. The bureaucratic NASA of today isn’t your grandaddy’s NASA– the Apollo era managers have long since retired and with them, their ‘can-do’ culture. Given the multi-year lead time needed for developing mid and long term space projects of scale, and the need for some kind of stable budgeting, NASA probably should cease being an independent agency and get tucked under the wing of the DoD, as a civilian division, through the Age of Austerity where it stands a chance of operational stability under the ‘umbrella’ of nat’l security with some added ‘protection’ from the budget axe. As a stand-alone agency, it’s a sitting duck for deeper budget cuts. DoD is where the threads of its history began and the political circumstances surrounding its creation in 1958 as a civilian agency are well known. But in the Age of Austerity, consolidating DoD and civilian space operations/assets makes sense and can be cost effective.

    @#68 -“And I promise you, I will answer Michel Berry’s call to boycott all things New York.” Uh-huh. Fox News broadcasts from 1211 6th Ave., New York, New York.

    DCSCA (9d1bb3)

  75. Take your meds, IMP. You are a ghoul.

    JD (604536)

  76. Ghoul is the perfect word for it. If I were a pure political cynic, I would welcome this. Texans are disproportionately politically active outside their state. Fire them up with nastiness. It’s going to shake the 2012 election.

    But I really do hope the Intrepid exhibit is successful. I wouldn’t oppose a future administration moving one of the two shuttles that are close together to somewhere more accessible to more Americans in flyover states. Ideally, maybe we’ll get more than just the shuttle. New York won’t always have someone in DC to bail them out, and Houston continues to climb in prominence.

    Isn’t that what’s really going on behind all this angry, weird venom? So those dead astronauts trained in Houston, and DCSCA thinks it’s cute to twist the knife a little on that loss. He doesn’t really hate astronauts… he’s just lashing out because of the bigger picture.

    Dustin (c16eca)

  77. Disco Stu, the dancing ghoul.

    Icy Texan (6f6016)

  78. @78- The decision was NASA Administrator Bolden’s to make, not President Obama’s: Cape Canaveral or Houston; Bolden chose the Cape. Deal with it. Plenty of space artifacts, historic ones, in the flyover states scattered across the land– if you know where to look for them. Chicago, Kansas, Ohio, St. Louis…

    DCSCA (9d1bb3)

  79. LOL, Obama passes the buck. It’s not his administration. Why, some committee in his administration screwed this up. Poor Obama. Leading is hard.

    Present.

    Dustin (c16eca)

  80. Why, how on earth can we blame politicians for the things committees do? The whole point of the committee was to prevent that. It isn’t fair!

    Why, Obama always listens to committees. If one tells him to cut spending, at the very least he will convene another committee to get a second opinion.

    Committees! DCSCA still trampled on the sacrifice of great heroes to mock mere decency towards Houstonians who earned respect, but can’t get any from… the mysterious committees!

    Gooooood luck with that leadership in 2012.

    Dustin (c16eca)

  81. IMP is a lying serial fabulist.

    JD (0d2ffc)

  82. @#82- “Olga Dominguez, NASA Assistant Administrator for the Office of Strategic Infrastructure, repeatedly stressed that the primary decision factors were to ensure the “best value to the American public.” She said that she was in charge of the process and Administrator Bolden accepted her recommendations, which were based on a process that complied with congressional requirements in the 2008 and 2010 NASA Authorization Acts. Making the orbiters accessible to the most people, domestic and international, was a key objective.”source, spacepolicy.com

    They followed the law. Deal with it.

    DCSCA (9d1bb3)

  83. They followed the law and even if they didn’t they aren’t repubs so I will defend them. Get over it.

    DohBiden (15aa57)

  84. And btw Feck off DCSCA.

    DohBiden (15aa57)

  85. DCSCA likes to say ‘get over it’ because that makes him feel less impotent. As I’ve said, I hope the Intrepid exhibit is successful. There’s no ‘getting over it’ necessary. Democrats show they hate a lot of America. I don’t need to get over that… I need to get even on election day. I have never been so motivated to donate to Republicans or work in their elections. I know a lot of Texans who will be volunteering for the first time. Honest to God, I’m not making this up.

    Get over it? I have a very constructive plan for dealing with this situation.

    The simple logic of DCSCA’s all powerful committee that he claims democrat politicians aren’t responsible is absurd. Placing two shuttles so close to eachother is not the best way to expose Americans in the vast majority of the country to them.

    Intrepid isn’t even a space flight focused museum, and the location has no connection to space flight. Americans should be encouraged to visit mission control, of course. The idea this is some ‘objective’ conclusion from perfect bureaucrats, rather than democrats, is absolutely pathetic as a defense.

    Please, keep on defending Obama because he voted present when a committee screwed over red states. Compound a mistake with weak leadership.

    Dustin (c16eca)

  86. btw, don’t be too surprised when they ‘followed the law’ in moving the shuttle to Houston later on. It isn’t inconceivable.

    Obama set the precedent for moving exhibits out of Houston’s space center, so he can’t complain when we move stuff too. The tighter these democrats clench their red state hating fists, the easier it will be to make wholesale corrections later.

    All states can see, you get a fair shake with Republicans. Bush treated New York well. ‘Deal with it’. You don’t have deal with pettiness if you elect Republicans.

    This is just another example of Obama’s inability to control his administration’s petty and short sighted nature. It’s a political disaster, one after another. The oil moratorium is going to cost him so much, and not just in Texas. Americans just don’t like sleazy weasels.

    Dustin (c16eca)

  87. @#88- “btw, don’t be too surprised when they ‘followed the law’ in moving the shuttle to Houston later on. It isn’t inconceivable.”

    It isn’t inexpensive, either, and NASA has more pressing budget priorities beyond shopping for antiques. An orbiter artifact has to be maintained and protected from the elements. Those facilities already exist and are in place at KSC/Florida. Deal with it.

    @#85,/#86/#87-
    LOL “Conservatives pride themselves on resisting change, which is as it should be. But intelligent deference to tradition and stability can evolve into intellectual sloth and moral fanaticism, as when conservatives simply decline to look up from dogma because the effort to raise their heads and reconsider is too great.”- William F. Buckley, Jr.

    DCSCA (9d1bb3)

  88. This is terrific, DCSCA. Trust me, I think this ‘deal with it’ motto is exactly what Obama needs.

    We can just just list those committees Obama relied on, such as letting others decide we should invade Libya.

    OBAMA: DEAL WITH IT.

    We can compare his claim something is unconstitutional, or a failure of leadership, against Obama then doing that very thing, breaking his own oath based on his own words, and then:

    OBAMA: DEAL WITH IT.

    at the ballot box.

    Dustin (c16eca)

  89. DCSCA: LOL, Dead astronauts!!! FY Texas! HAHAHAHA Your own fault you don’t get a trophy shuttle cause you crashed it!!!! Texas is stupid! I was in the CIA once! Really!

    Please keep this up. If you didn’t exist, Karl Rove would have to make you up. Sure, it bothers me to see someone say the nasty stuff you write. I won’t pretend I’m magically above that. But I see the big picture.

    Texas got 4 more electoral votes. New York lost 2. HAHAHAHA Yes, your corrupt committee stole trinkets from Texas and gave them to New York, but the basis for this nastiness is desperation.

    Why? Because Texas is better than New York. You might get a space shuttle on your boat, but Texans put that thing in space. We trained the people who flew it. We’re energy capital of the world.

    Dustin (c16eca)

  90. Dustin (#24 — 4/19/2011 @ 9:22 pm) wrote:

    Obama won’t write Texas off entirely because he needs to raise money in Texas. I hope his pettiness towards Texas has made him toxic enough here to seriously inhibit his fund raising. Companies and business leaders that support Obama are anti-Texas, as far as I’m concerned.

    Obama never seriously campaigned in Texas in 2008 either, but he made many fund-raising trips here. His principal supporters are lawyers, and in particular, plaintiffs’ personal injury contingent-fee lawyers. (That group is often referred to just as “trial lawyers,” but I resist that because many of them couldn’t try their way out of a paper bag, and the phrase ought to include lawyers like me who try other civil cases and lawyers like Patterico who try criminal cases too).

    When you factor in the soft money contributions, Texas is a money-tree that can be shaken essentially as often and as hard as Obama needs it to be. Since preliminary estimates are that Obama will spend more than $1B directly and indirectly on his reelection campaign, I ‘spect he’ll be making frequent short stops, unannounced to the public, to see a few Texas fat cats in private; others he’ll fete in D.C. or neutral venues.

    But I can guaran-DAMN-tee you that Obama won’t be doing any Town Hall-type forums with a randomly selected audience anywhere in Texas.

    Beldar (cd529f)


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