When Hope and Change became Spite and Revenge

[Stephanie]

links in article at site

SNIP:

posted at 12:31 pm on November 6, 2012 by Ed Morrissey

Four years ago, this nation elected a candidate with no executive, military, or diplomatic experience — and only a half-term in the US Senate — as President of the United States. Barack Obama ran as the candidate of “Hope and Change,” promising a new path to take us past bitter partisanship and a fresh approach to our issues. Four years later, Obama has been reduced to asking for “revenge” votes, which I argue in my column today at The Week is no mere gaffe. In fact, it’s an almost perfect encapsulation of Obama’s brand of populism, and practically his entire platform since September of last year:

Stung by the outcome of the deal and the largely accurate perception that he’d fumbled the negotiations, Obama responded by demanding tax hikes on the wealthy as part of any new deal. Nevermind that his threshold of $250,000 annual income would include small-business owners. Nevermind that the revenue of such a tax — around $80 billion per year — would hardly put a dent in Obama’s trillion-dollar deficits. Obama’s rhetoric soon focused on the 1 percent, and income inequality became Obama’s principal focus while most Americans worried about jobs.

Romney’s nomination gave Obama the perfect opportunity to vent his populist spleen. Here was almost the personification of income inequality and privilege — the epitome of all Obama had demonized during the previous several months. Accordingly, the Obama campaign quickly went negative against Romney, running more than $100 million in ads that focused mostly on Romney’s wealth, his business decisions at Bain Capital, and his reluctance to disclose the 20 years of tax returns that Team Obama wanted. Deputy communications director Stephanie Cutter even alleged that Romney might be hiding a felony, a charge that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid repeated numerous times — with zero proof. Romney’s remarks about the 47 percent gave this strategy one last big boost in the final weeks of the campaign.

Even on a personal level, the hostility seemed palpable. During the first debate, Obama looked and sounded put off by having to even address Romney’s criticisms on stage, and offered the same attack lines as his summer campaign. In the next two debates, Obama glared and glowered at Romney, and spoke to him with scorn dripping from every word. Only after the last debate did Obama finally get around to releasing anything resembling an argument for a second term as president, offering voters a 20-page pamphlet that consisted almost entirely of recycled pledges from the 2008 campaign. Perhaps Obama was caught by surprise that the majority of voters didn’t view Romney with the same level of disdain, and that Obama needed to make an argument for their vote.

For Obama, this entire campaign has felt like revenge against Romney, and against the kind of people Obama thinks Romney represents. Obama could have spent the last several months talking about his own record and his plans to change direction from our current economic stagnation that has kept the level of employment in the population at or near 30-year lows. Instead, Obama approached this election as a personal mission of revenge, and left the door open for Romney to present the only vision of change for the future in this campaign. Romney defined his campaign as an expression of love rather than revenge. So what Obama said on Friday was no gaffe. It’s just the obvious takeaway from a relentlessly empty and negative campaign.

I’m not the only one who’s noticed this, either. Marc Thiessen pointed it out at the Washington Post yesterday:

all of it here
When Hope and Change became Spite and Revenge « Hot Air

 

[Wiseacre]

Bush43 managed to work with democrats to get stuff done. So did Reagan and Bush41. And so did Clinton, with a Gingrich led Congress. But Obama has not done so; he had a done deal for the debt ceiling, had he pulled the trigger on that we might be better off today and so would he. We at least wouldn't have this sequestration crap to deal with, and it might've quieted a lot of fears out there over his intractibility.

 

[tinydancer]

Vote for revenge was the closing act for me.

You could see it in the making. What a pity.

 

[hazlnut]

Vote for revenge was the closing act for me.

You could see it in the making. What a pity.

Too bad he never said that.

In context, the meaning is odious -- don't get mad, get out and vote.

 

[tinydancer]

Bush43 managed to work with democrats to get stuff done. So did Reagan and Bush41. And so did Clinton, with a Gingrich led Congress. But Obama has not done so; he had a done deal for the debt ceiling, had he pulled the trigger on that we might be better off today and so would he. We at least wouldn't have this sequestration crap to deal with, and it might've quieted a lot of fears out there over his intractibility.

I wish more on the conservative side would understand Clinton. Yes I know we had Monica. Put that aside and look at this man's legacy on his ability to reach across the aisle and get the nation's work done.

Clinton did his job. I applaud the man for this.

 

[OODA_Loop]

Vote for revenge was the closing act for me.

You could see it in the making. What a pity.

Too bad he never said that.

In context, the meaning is odious -- don't get mad, get out and vote.

Obama never says what he says.

Need the Liberal filter to REALLY know what he said.

 

[del]

Bush43 managed to work with democrats to get stuff done. So did Reagan and Bush41. And so did Clinton, with a Gingrich led Congress. But Obama has not done so; he had a done deal for the debt ceiling, had he pulled the trigger on that we might be better off today and so would he. We at least wouldn't have this sequestration crap to deal with, and it might've quieted a lot of fears out there over his intractibility.

I wish more on the conservative side would understand Clinton. Yes I know we had Monica. Put that aside and look at this man's legacy on his ability to reach across the aisle and get the nation's work done.

Clinton did his job. I applaud the man for this.

i'm sure he's touched that you approve of him twelve years later.

you should send him a note.

 

[BlindBoo]

How fitting is it when the Sketch Campaign takes a single word.......and makes a catch phrase.

 

[tinydancer]

Vote for revenge was the closing act for me.

You could see it in the making. What a pity.

Too bad he never said that.

In context, the meaning is odious -- don't get mad, get out and vote.

Hey I don't expect a president to be hitting the streets singing street fighting man. That is Chavez shit.

Now I know his boys were down there helping Hugo, but I don't expect it up here.

 

[Stephanie]

How fitting is it when the Sketch Campaign takes a single word.......and makes a catch phrase.

Would you mean like HOPE and Change or Fooooooorward?

 

[tinydancer]

Bush43 managed to work with democrats to get stuff done. So did Reagan and Bush41. And so did Clinton, with a Gingrich led Congress. But Obama has not done so; he had a done deal for the debt ceiling, had he pulled the trigger on that we might be better off today and so would he. We at least wouldn't have this sequestration crap to deal with, and it might've quieted a lot of fears out there over his intractibility.

I wish more on the conservative side would understand Clinton. Yes I know we had Monica. Put that aside and look at this man's legacy on his ability to reach across the aisle and get the nation's work done.

Clinton did his job. I applaud the man for this.

i'm sure he's touched that you approve of him twelve years later.

you should send him a note.

I sent him money. For his library. I thought him a fabulous politician. Just a really lousy husband.

We aren't all tards on the right you know.

 

[Pheonixops]

Vote for revenge was the closing act for me.

You could see it in the making. What a pity.

Too bad he never said that.

In context, the meaning is odious -- don't get mad, get out and vote.

Many people in the GOP are blatant liars. They take something out of context and run with it and shovel the crap into the ears of the dolts who believe them without looking for "the rest of the story".

 

[tjvh]

I believe it became spite and revenge when a great many of us decided we didn't want to pay for other people's Health Care.

 

[tjvh]

Vote for revenge was the closing act for me.

You could see it in the making. What a pity.

Too bad he never said that.

In context, the meaning is odious -- don't get mad, get out and vote.

Many people in the GOP are blatant liars. They take something out of context and run with it and shovel the crap into the ears of the dolts who believe them without looking for "the rest of the story".

Perhaps an example is due...

 

[Pheonixops]

Vote for revenge was the closing act for me.

You could see it in the making. What a pity.

Too bad he never said that.

In context, the meaning is odious -- don't get mad, get out and vote.

Obama never says what he says.

Need the Liberal filter to REALLY know what he said.

Nah, the FACTS, transcript, and context would really help you guys understand exactly what he said.

 

[mamooth]

I love the sound of bitter conservative projection in the evening. Sounds like ... victory.

 

[tim77051]

Bush43 managed to work with democrats to get stuff done. So did Reagan and Bush41. And so did Clinton, with a Gingrich led Congress. But Obama has not done so; he had a done deal for the debt ceiling, had he pulled the trigger on that we might be better off today and so would he. We at least wouldn't have this sequestration crap to deal with, and it might've quieted a lot of fears out there over his intractibility.

I wish more on the conservative side would understand Clinton. Yes I know we had Monica. Put that aside and look at this man's legacy on his ability to reach across the aisle and get the nation's work done.

Clinton did his job. I applaud the man for this.

Clinton was a solid President I can't argue with that. Sure he made some mistakes but everyone does. He was nowhere near as partisan or arrogant as the current President. Honestly it disappoints me that he is out there championing the Obama cause. I would expect better from him.

 

[Pheonixops]

Vote for revenge was the closing act for me.

You could see it in the making. What a pity.

Too bad he never said that.

In context, the meaning is odious -- don't get mad, get out and vote.

Hey I don't expect a president to be hitting the streets singing street fighting man. That is Chavez shit.

Now I know his boys were down there helping Hugo, but I don't expect it up here.

LOL, check out Tiny with the RATM reference!


Nice.

 

[Stephanie]

Vote for revenge was the closing act for me.

You could see it in the making. What a pity.

Too bad he never said that.

In context, the meaning is odious -- don't get mad, get out and vote.

Many people in the GOP are blatant liars. They take something out of context and run with it and shovel the crap into the ears of the dolts who believe them without looking for "the rest of the story".

Yeah yeah, all the people who are Republican are too stupid to figure out things for THEMSELVES..We all should know Obama speaks so brilliantly the dummies can NEVER understand what he meant...

 

[Pheonixops]

Too bad he never said that.

In context, the meaning is odious -- don't get mad, get out and vote.

Many people in the GOP are blatant liars. They take something out of context and run with it and shovel the crap into the ears of the dolts who believe them without looking for "the rest of the story".

Perhaps an example is due...

The allegations about him in this thread is a good example. The "Jeep overseas" allegation is another, and the list can go on and on.