Patterico's Pontifications

6/19/2010

Your Weekly Address: “Republicans Blocking Progress”

Filed under: Obama,Politics — DRJ @ 3:48 pm



[Guest post by DRJ]

President Obama issues a weekly address that he calls Your Weekly Address. This week’s address entitled Republicans Blocking Progress rants about the GOP because of its “dreary and political familiar politics.” Obama especially wants Republicans to agree with his plans to spend more money and pass energy legislation. Obama’s bottom-line message:

“Whether we are Democrats or Republicans, we’ve got an obligation that goes beyond caring about the next election. We have an obligation to care about the next generation.”

Of course, most if not all of Americans care about the next generation. This is Obama’s typical strawman method of presenting an argument he can’t lose, while also conveying that Democrats care and Republicans are greedy jerks.

Both as a candidate and as President, Obama has had a special ability to speak in generalities that most of us agree with and that inspire people to believe in him. This is another in a long line of examples. But the time for inspiration is during a campaign and being President requires specific plans, policies, and positions — something I know President Obama has plenty of but he refuses to share with Americans.

In West Texas, both in law and in life, this approach is called “laying behind the log” because you hide what you plan to do until the last minute. It can be an effective and successful strategy if your opponent isn’t paying attention, and I think this strategy is one reason why Obama tries to appear open-minded until the last minute before supporting or implementing a policy or proposal.

But this strategy isn’t as effective with a determined, knowledgeable and forthright opponent who pushes early and often to identify the opposing positions. That’s why I want Republicans to force President Obama to take a specific position, even if it makes them look obstructionist, so we can let the American people decide what’s best for the next generation. Because what we’ve learned over the past 18 months is the American people often don’t agree with Obama’s policies after they see the details.

— DRJ

36 Responses to “Your Weekly Address: “Republicans Blocking Progress””

  1. so they’re not completely useless then.

    That’s heartening.

    happyfeet (19c1da)

  2. And the more details that are revealed, the less the general public supports those plans and policies.

    AD - RtR/OS! (4ae013)

  3. They congress is still controlled by the Democrats how are they stalling i have not seen a fillibuster

    djm (4cd940)

  4. Have you noticed the increased frequency of those on the left wishing that Obama could just be allowed to be a “dictator for a while” and move beyond having to deal with those obstructionists on the right and get done what we all know “needs to get done”?

    Scary. Damn scary.

    in_awe (44fed5)

  5. political politics
    he actually used that phrase??

    This is Obama’s typical strawman method of presenting an argument he can’t lose

    Absolutely. I wonder if he does this 100% of the time. He puts forth a ridiculous strawman, often so bad it insults the intelligence of the audience (like “I am not superman”), then goes on to make a point that may be true, but it has nothing to do with the problem or what the one is actually doing when he’s not talking.

    In West Texas, both in law and in life, this approach is called “laying behind the log”

    I was always warned to be wary of venemous snakes “laying behind a log”, as in don’t step over the log and onto a copper head or rattler that you didn’t see. Apply it as you deem appropriate.

    MD in Philly (5a98ff)

  6. Woody Allen want
    Barack Hussein Obama
    “Bananas” for real

    ColonelHaiku (2ce3dc)

  7. MD:

    political politics

    he actually used that phrase??

    No, he didn’t. He said “dreary and familiar politics.” It was my goof, and I listened to the complete Address 4 full times so I have no excuse. I’m glad you caught it.

    DRJ (d43dcd)

  8. In my humble opinion Republicans, especially in the Senate, are just plain taking themselves too seriously. They actaully have bought into the notion that when legislatation is passed it is somehow “good” for the nation. Really? When was the last time a law was passed that didn’t restrict us further, take away a liberty, or pick our pockets? Michele Bachmann “gets it.” I’m not sure about the rest. If they just asked themselves whether or not ANY legislation pecked away at our liberties or cost us more then it would be rather simple. The vote would be “no” of course unless we were spending wisely on our defense… which is their job and actually cost-effective in the long term. I want representatives and senators to go into the office every day KNOWING that as a general rule government KILLS jobs, HURTS the economy, LIMITS freedoms and liberty, and stifles quick responses of States. I want them to understand that they are not the ANSWER, they are the PROBLEM and it’s their job to get th hell out of the way and stop others from making things worse.

    Dave B (58a07e)

  9. Comment by DRJ –

    Thanks for the honesty (yours) and clarifying it, but when it is Obama accusing others of “playing politics” no matter what he says it is pretty meaningless, so no real harm done.

    MD in Philly (5a98ff)

  10. LOL “MIchelle Bachmann ‘gets it'”

    Chris Hooten (e758b2)

  11. DRJ: Couldn’t agree more. He’s mastered the “straw man” argument and plays to the stupid and naive. He’s nothing after that. Take away the platitudes, bumper sticker slogans, his lack of adversaries in the media and Congress and he’s just an empty suit that snookered people into voting for him in the last election.

    Dave B (58a07e)

  12. At some point people tend to say, “That sounds great, but…”

    The President may have reached his “but” point.

    I’ve never thought of it before, but I think Obama’s whole shtick is he is a “cold reader,” but he’s no Kreskin.

    Ag80 (1b8eea)

  13. Michele Bachmann has a way higher profile than what representing her district requires it seems.

    happyfeet (19c1da)

  14. This is completely off-topic but I attended a Kreskin show once. It was a good show.

    DRJ (d43dcd)

  15. When your profile is that of a nutjob, it does no good, however.

    Chris Hooten (e758b2)

  16. I love it when both sides can agree: Bachmann and Obama are both nutjobs. Thanks Chris!

    Ag80 (1b8eea)

  17. Bachmann is a nutjob? Where do you get off saying something like that? She’s one of the few elected officials that has the “gonads” to take a stand that protects ALL of our rights. She’d be a f…ing hero to you if the government confiscated your house for … whatever reason they deemed appropriate. She’d be your last resort if you started a business and the government decided someone else should take over. Try reading the Constitution and give me specifics on where she is wrong before you call her a “nutjob.” The only “nutjobs” I’ve seen have been the ones that think they can dictate to others born in the same country, with the same laws, the same Constitution, what they can do, who they can do it with, and when they can do it. She believes in the values and the law of the Constitution, the one thing that makes America different from all the other countries in the world and she’s identified, and rightly so, how we’re losing our freedoms. Nutjob? That lady has more guts and smarts than every other politician I see out there. She’s one of the few that would have survived during our Revolution and founding of this country. That “nutjob” is one of the last few people in power that are trying to save us from becoming a Banana Republic, trying to salvage the country that my father bled for in WWII, and the country that my brothers fought and died for. She absolutely “gets it.” I’ve bled for this country too and she’s no “nutjob.”

    Dave B (58a07e)

  18. She’s pointed out how this ‘regime’ works, though ‘the persuasion of power’ over ‘the powerof persuasion’ how it’s taken over the auto companies
    except for Ford and Toyota, it has waged war on the
    latter, how the same modus operandi applies to the
    BP situation, with a facilitator like Gorelick

    ian cormac (38cac7)

  19. Obama is a complete idiot and he is stupid as well

    Krazy Kagu (469444)

  20. Ian: thanks for the follow up. I’m concerned about what’s going on here. Sarah Palin and Michele Bachmann are reduced to “nutjobs”? I’d vote for them in a heart beat over what we have. Is it because people have a problem with women who are leaders? I’m a cop and have been one for four decades and believe me, they’re natural born leaders. Soldiers, for the most part, would agree with me. We (soldiers, veterans, and cops) know courage, leadership, and people that know how to accomplish a mission. I have a real problem with them being dismissed as “nutjobs”. Would they say the same thing about Audie Murphy? He stormed a German tank when self preservation instincts would have dictated that he not do so? Where the hell are the men in this fight? Why are the two most courageous patriots in this fight Michele Bachmann and Sarah Palin? They need some help. As a matter of fact the conservative women in this country are almost single-handedly saving this Republic. The men seem more concerned with political posturing and poll numbers while the “girls” are putting their asses on the line. It’s not just Palin and Bachmann. It’s a lot of women all across this country. I’ve never been more proud of our women than in this hour of need. When all is said and done it will be the women that rose to the challenge in this trying time more than the men. We might get some credit and there’s a few men carrying their weight but there’s nothing like those “Mama bears” fighting for their cubs. Malkin, Coulter, Crowley, Ingraham, Cupp, Palin, Bachmann, Bruce, Loech, Tea Party women, conservative bloggers, and many others…I’d gladly stand behind them while they took the fight to the enemies of freedom and liberty. Guts? The stuff they have to put up with and they don’t blink, they just keep doing the right thing. I’m in awe of them and I’m enough of a man to say so. I’m a pretty brave guy and I couldn’t do what they do, couldn’t survive what they have to confront every day, and wouldn’t have the strength that they have all shown. The one thing I can do is stick up for them when others dismiss them as “nutjobs”, “lunatics”, “fearmongers”, and other negative terms. This is what a free society breeds.

    Dave B (58a07e)

  21. We white men know that anything we do that opposes “the One” will be called racist. Women at least have a chance, because he has to be careful that what “the One” does might be called “mean”.

    I don’t know if he was born in the US or not. His hiding of all his school records sure is what someone would do if he attended school as a foreign student, and then decided to be American later.

    Don Meaker (088e9b)

  22. Seems like Blue Dogs causing him more trouble than the GOP now- why doesn’t he yell at them instead? If all of them are on-board for his steamrolling of this society, he can pass anything he desires.

    Reaganite Republican (6836b1)

  23. Chrissie Matthews and
    other leg-tinglers invent an O
    that does not exist

    ColonelHaiku (2ce3dc)

  24. He meant to say that Republicans are blocking progressIVES, not “progress”.

    Because, as we all know, progress comes from adhering to WHAT WORKS, not to totally revamping, retooling, and/or rebuilding something that was only partially flawed to begin with.

    BeeHo boldly said
    we’ll remake America
    fix thing not broken?

    Icy Texan (a2701d)

  25. Hooten is in one of his manic phases again.

    JD (ffe6ea)

  26. “…He’s mastered the “straw man” argument and plays to the stupid and naive Chris Hooten…”
    Comment by Dave B — 6/19/2010 @ 9:00 pm

    FTFY!

    AD - RtR/OS! (71ba66)

  27. When your profile is that of a nutjob, it does no good, however.

    Comment by Chris Hooten

    Then why do you comment ?

    Mike K (82f374)

  28. They actaully have bought into the notion that when legislatation is passed it is somehow “good” for the nation.

    Politicians and most governments (certainly on the state and federal level) have been fiddling, nitpicking and fussing over issues and policies for decades and decades and decades. In most cases, pertaining to most subjects, what more is necessary??!!

    Of course, there are one-time situations involving problems like the BP oil spill. Other than that, the only pressing issues that do require a busybody approach pertain to “the law of unintended consequences.” Problems caused by — ta-da! — politicians themselves. For example, reforming bloated government-employee pension funds or various do-gooder (or Greek-like, Spain-like, Venezuela-like) programs of the past.

    In general, it would be better if the typical legislator wiled away the hours by snoozing at his or her desk and did as little as possible. Such a demeanor would have served the state of California, in particular, very well over the past few decades.

    Mark (411533)

  29. Good luck with those “heroes.” Too bad they are about as sharp as a bowling ball, and sane as a lunatic. malkin, coulter, bachmann, palin, etc. They are all stunningly partisan, terribly misinformed, deviously misleading, and yet not all that bright at the same time.

    Chris Hooten (8bae36)

  30. Projection, Hooten, projection.

    SPQR (26be8b)

  31. Control of both Houses of Congress and the White House and all they can do is blame Republicans.

    Comical. And certainly not Presidential material.

    That’s now obvious to the world.

    SPQR (26be8b)

  32. A very good point, SPQR.

    DRJ (d43dcd)

  33. hooten frightened
    confused by powerful
    smart rightwing women

    ColonelHaiku (2ce3dc)

  34. If those are the smart women, god help us from the dumb ones.

    Chris Hooten (eff1e4)

  35. We are trying to save us from the dumb women, Hooten, that’s why we are trying to get idiots like Barbara Boxer and Nancy Pelosi out of office.

    SPQR (26be8b)

  36. Oh, and I forgot the dimwit Democratic Congresswoman from Arizona Giffords who showed just how stupid Democratic women could be on national cable TV.

    SPQR (26be8b)


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