The random political thoughts thread (Part Deux)

[Chernabog]

Originally Posted by flippyshark

Yes! It was a beautiful thing. Where has this dynamic guy been for the last six months?

Really? Were we watching the same thing? Did we look into Obama's eyes and get mesmerized by his twinkly twinkle again? *throws cold water on flippyshark and JWBear*

Congress and the Supreme Court didn't get crap handed to them because our dear darling President is all talk -- he can't do diddly squat about the Supremes lousy decisions and he can't get diddly squat done in Congress either. All he can do well is talk talk talk talk talk talk talk.

Hope change change hope hope change change hope hope change. *yawn*

And don't get me started on how he's repeating his campaign promises of "working with Congress" about repealing DADT when he knows damn well he can issue an Executive Order like Truman did in 1948 to end racial segregation in the military. There's plenty of pushback on that from the Republicans, who are saying that the issue needs to be studied further (oh jeez, they were saying that in 1993 when DADT was implemented! Are ya done studying yet?). But with that pushback, is diddly squat going to be done on that? I'll believe it when I see it. But more talk talk talk talk talk talk talk hope change change hope hope change change hope hope change -- with no deadlines, no plan, just a nebulous "oh jeez, yeah, someday we'll get around to that even thought I'm losing all my goodwill" statement is, to put it mildly, disappointing.

Fvucking DO something already Mr. President, and I'll support you. But today, I really don't believe anything that crosses your lips.

[flippyshark]

Originally Posted by Chernabog

Really? Were we watching the same thing? Did we look into Obama's eyes and get mesmerized by his twinkly twinkle again? *throws cold water on flippyshark and JWBear*

I admit, I have no rational reason to think anything will change, but damned if he can't get me all tingly. *sigh*

[scaeagles]

That's exactly why I read speeches and don't watch them. I'm not interested in the least in how some politician delivers his speech, I want to know what was said. I don't care about the applause lines that the Congress gives the ovations for, I want to see what I would applaud for (not that I pretend I would applaud Obama for anything).

I haven't had the chance to read the speech nor the response yet, just snippets from various news stories last night and this morning. Everything I've read, though, seems to say it was pretty much a campaign speech.

ETA: What the hell does it mean when Chris Matthews says "For an hour I forgot he was black"? I can't think of anything that makes that a good thing to say. If some conservative commentator said that I believe there would be hell to pay.

[Stan4dSteph]

Originally Posted by scaeagles

ETA: What the hell does it mean when Chris Matthews says "For an hour I forgot he was black"? I can't think of anything that makes that a good thing to say. If some conservative commentator said that I believe there would be hell to pay.

Rush says crap like that all the time, actually much worse in my opinion, but he still remains on the air.

[Alex]

Originally Posted by scaeagles

ETA: What the hell does it mean when Chris Matthews says "For an hour I forgot he was black"? I can't think of anything that makes that a good thing to say. If some conservative commentator said that I believe there would be hell to pay.

While one may disagree with his point, or with its significance, what he was trying to say seems perfectly obvious to me when I watch the video with that sentence in the context of what he was saying.

I don't know if you saw the context or just the eight word link on Drudge (I know you prefer to react and then let us provide he context) but what he was saying is that to him (Matthews) it is remarkable how after the history surrounding race in this country that the fact that Obama is black is essentially irrelevant to the conversation is amazing.

"For an hour I forgot he was black" = "The fact that he's black was completing unimportant to the tone, content, and nature of his speech tonight, and after all the tension over race who would have thought that was possible so quickly."

I imagine he's going to be forced to grovel but it strikes me as unwarranted. And if a conservative commentator said the same thing, I also wouldn't have a problem with it. But by same thing I mean same meaning, not same words, those same six words could obviously be used and have a very different meaning. "Since he gave such a long speech without once slipping into jive talk, for an hour I forgot he was black tonight" for example.

[scaeagles]

And there is typically hell to pay.

[scaeagles]

Actually, I hadn't read it on Drudge, I heard a whole clip of it on the radio this morning on the way into work.

Here's the entire section of what he said.....

I was trying to think about who he was tonight. It's interesting: he is post-racial, by all appearances. I forgot he was black tonight for an hour. You know, he's gone a long way to become a leader of this country, and past so much history, in just a year or two. I mean, it's something we don't even think about. I was watching, I said, wait a minute, he's an African American guy in front of a bunch of other white people. And here he is president of the United States and we've completely forgotten that tonight -- completely forgotten it. I think it was in the scope of his discussion. It was so broad-ranging, so in tune with so many problems, of aspects, and aspects of American life that you don't think in terms of the old tribalism, the old ethnicity. It was astounding in that regard. A very subtle fact. It's so hard to talk about. Maybe I shouldn't talk about it, but I am. I thought it was profound that way.

I just wonder why he still thinks of him in terms of race. I didn't think we were supposed to do that, and frankly, I don't. I see him for his politics, not his race. I don't think of him as a black President, I think of him as a liberal President.

[scaeagles]

But WOW! Maybe I should go to Drudge more often , and thanks for inspiring me to this morning. Such fun stuff -

Reid and Napolitano yawning and sleeping during the speech.
Calling his comments on Supreme Court decisions Intimidation.
Scientists involved in the stolen email scandal hid climate data.
UK telegraph givin g Obama an F for world leadership.
Ford, who didn't take stimulus money, turned a huge profit.
Obama Treasury Secretay Geithner getting slammed for his involvement in some way with AIG.
Consipiracy of Hillary not at the SOTU.

Good stuff and so much fun! I've got a lot of articles to read now.

[JWBear]

Originally Posted by scaeagles

I don't think of him as a black President, I think of him as a liberal President.

That's funny. I would never consider him a liberal. On many things, I think he's to the right of me. And I consider myself a moderate.

[Alex]

Originally Posted by JWBear

And I consider myself a moderate.

And so does pretty much everybody else. Thus political gridlock.