Mr. Obama and his “Teachable Moments”

[American Horse]

As suggested by his large number of press conferences since taking office it appears we are going to see a lot of Obama. And yet, his press conferences are the most controlled ever; only one question deviated from the topic of healthcare; none about Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, N. Korea, as if nothing is happening in those areas of interest. The problematic question was from Lynn Sweet, of the Chicago, Sun Times, which he save for last. She said if he had called her earlier she had planned to ask a healthcare question too.

At these we get a chance to see what he really thinks when he “goes off the cuff” like when asked about the arrest of Professor Gates. He also made an imprudent comment about Doctors opting for surgery when less profitable treatments are available. (Obama: he "may look at the reimbursement system, and say to himself 'you know what? I make a lot more money taking this kid's tonsils out.' ")

Apparently Obama believes he is good in such situations showing him at his most charismatic self. This also appeals to his “true believers.” But they likely occupy less than about 20 percent of the public who right now would fall under the label of “Liberal.” What about the rest of the public, the 38 percent who are “Conservatives” and the 39 percent who style themselves as Moderates? Are they as vulnerable to his silver tongued charms?

Some larger percentage will find his comments on any number of subjects as “pedagogic.” As a one time College Professor, and more recently one whose experience might be called “indoctrination” aimed to a like minded audience as a community organizer, he is going to wear thin and get into trouble with listeners capable of being "critical thinkers."

He could take some advice from Eric Hoffer, who said in his little book on human nature The Passionate State of Mind:

To spell out the obvious, is to sometimes call it in question

He’s sure to create more little flaps as he speaks in events, telling us what he really thinks. I don't think he can help himself, so what the public can’t get with the help of the MSM it will get from Obama himself.

 

[Modbert]

As suggested by his large number of press conferences since taking office it appears we are going to see a lot of Obama. And yet, his press conferences are the most controlled ever; only one question deviated from the topic of healthcare; none about Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, N. Korea, as if nothing is happening in those areas of interest. The problematic question was from Lynn Sweet, of the Chicago, Sun Times, which he save for last. She said if he had called her earlier she had planned to ask a healthcare question too.

At these we get a chance to see what he really thinks when he “goes off the cuff” like when asked about the arrest of Professor Gates. He also made an imprudent comment about Doctors opting for surgery when less profitable treatments are available. (Obama: he "may look at the reimbursement system, and say to himself 'you know what? I make a lot more money taking this kid's tonsils out.' ")

Apparently Obama believes he is good in such situations showing him at his most charismatic self. This also appeals to his “true believers.” But they likely occupy less than about 20 percent of the public who right now would fall under the label of “Liberal.” What about the rest of the public, the 38 percent who are “Conservatives” and the 39 percent who style themselves as Moderates? Are they as vulnerable to his silver tongued charms?

Some larger percentage will find his comments on any number of subjects as “pedagogic.” As a one time College Professor, and more recently one whose experience might be called “indoctrination” aimed to a like minded audience as a community organizer, he is going to wear thin and get into trouble with listeners capable of being "critical thinkers."

He could take some advice from Eric Hoffer, who said in his little book on human nature The Passionate State of Mind:

To spell out the obvious, is to sometimes call it in question

He’s sure to create more little flaps as he speaks in events, telling us what he really thinks. I don't think he can help himself, so what the public can’t get with the help of the MSM it will get from Obama himself.

Only THIRTY EIGHT PERCENT (38%) of DEMOCRATS identify themselves as Liberal. To sit there saying Liberals in general are easily fooled is BULLSHIT.

Obama's not even a Liberal unless you adhere to the very narrow definition by the right. And yes, I know he was the most Liberal senator supposedly in the senate but since the election he has moved PROGRESSIVELY TO THE CENTER because he got what he wanted from true Liberals, their vote. He continues many of the same policies that GWB did, and holds several positions himself that are not Liberal.

 

[American Horse]

Apparently Obama believes he is good in such situations showing him at his most charismatic self. This also appeals to his “true believers.” But they likely occupy less than about 20 percent of the public who right now would fall under the label of “Liberal.” What about the rest of the public, the 38 percent who are “Conservatives” and the 39 percent who style themselves as Moderates? Are they as vulnerable to his silver tongued charms?

Only THIRTY EIGHT PERCENT (38%) of DEMOCRATS identify themselves as Liberal. To sit there with your smug self saying Liberals in general are easily fooled is BULLSHIT.

Obama's not even a Liberal unless you adhere to the very narrow definition by the right. And yes, I know he was the most Liberal senator supposedly in the senate but since the election he has moved PROGRESSIVELY TO THE CENTER because he got what he wanted from true Liberals, their vote. He continues many of the same policies that GWB did, and holds several positions himself that are not Liberal.

I made no comment about Democrats. Neither did I state that is he is a Liberal. Here is the back-up to the C-M-L ratios: CNSNews.com - Conservatives Now Outnumber Liberals Almost Two to One in America, According to Washington Post Poll

To your point, I was simply implying that only some of those in that group might be true believers, while not very likely the Conservatives nor the Moderates. I never hear self avowed liberals on panels on TV being anything less than unflaggingly supportive of Obama.

 

[Modbert]

I made no comment about Democrats. Neither did I state that is he is a Liberal. here is the back-up to the C-M-L ratios: CNSNews.com - Conservatives Now Outnumber Liberals Almost Two to One in America, According to Washington Post Poll

To your point, I was simply implying that only some of those in that group might be true believers, while not very likely the Conservatives nor the Moderates. I never hear self avowed liberals on panels on TV being anything less than aunflaggingly supportive of Obama.

I was merely pointing that his major supporters are Democrats, and the majority of them aren't even Liberals. I've seen that poll, I posted a similar poll that showed the results I was speaking of.

That's the problem right there, you rarely see REAL Liberals are on TV. You see Democrats.

Bill Maher explains it better:

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5kIWbrZTF0&feature=related]YouTube - New Rules with Bill Maher - July 3 2009[/ame]

 

[American Horse]

<SNIP>
....
Bill Maher explains it better:

I'll give you this: Maher does a good job of drawing the lines.
It's interesting that Dennis Kucinich gets more face time on FNC than anyplace else besides the House's 5-minute opening speeches, and he gets as much respect there too.

 

[Modbert]

I'll give you this: Maher does a good job of drawing the lines.
It's interesting that Dennis Kucinich gets more face time on FNC than anyplace else besides the House's 5-minute opening speeches, and he gets as much respect there too.

Dennis Kucinich had probably the best speech at the DNC Convention back in 2008, and yet this is the audience he got for it. He's treated like a buffoon by those who don't want his ideas debated in an intelligent manner.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lv0smG7ptcM]YouTube - Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) Speaks to the DNC[/ame]

I wish we had more politicians who were that lively. I rather see speeches like that than ones that are just read in monotone voices, and tightly scripted.

 

[American Horse]

I wish we had more politicians who were that lively. I rather see speeches like that than ones that are just read in monotone voices, and tightly scripted.

I like Dennis; the reason is he tells you exactly what he really believes. Another favorite Liberal for me is Peter Beinart. People like him would change the common view of Liberals. But you know what? He's too reasonable. He can actually discuss issues on an intellectual level, with no talking points, so that he comes across as his own man.
Peter Beinart - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Modbert]

I like Dennis; the reason is he tells you exactly what he really believes. Another favorite Liberal for me is Peter Beinart. People like him would change the common view of Liberals. But you know what? He's too reasonable. He can actually discuss issues on an intellectual level, with no talking points, so that he comes across as his own man.
Peter Beinart - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I agree, this is the kind of things I agree with:

He argued that liberals should advocate a tough-minded foreign policy like that embraced by Harry S. Truman and John F. Kennedy, including increased federal spending on military personnel and foreign aid.

This is the kind of Liberal I try to be. Though I also find myself commonly also finding ground with Libertarians in some sense. Though it's as I like to say, it's the Democrats giving Liberals a bad name.

Just like how Republicans today give Fiscal Conservatives a bad name. I think Eisenhower would be rolling in his grave if he's seen the last couple Republican Presidents spending.

We need someone like JFK to run again really. However, we need not only someone who has the charisma but the intelligence to engage the American public in actually changing things for the better.

A Liberal Definition by JFK

 

[CrusaderFrank]

As suggested by his large number of press conferences since taking office it appears we are going to see a lot of Obama. And yet, his press conferences are the most controlled ever; only one question deviated from the topic of healthcare; none about Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, N. Korea, as if nothing is happening in those areas of interest. The problematic question was from Lynn Sweet, of the Chicago, Sun Times, which he save for last. She said if he had called her earlier she had planned to ask a healthcare question too.

At these we get a chance to see what he really thinks when he “goes off the cuff” like when asked about the arrest of Professor Gates. He also made an imprudent comment about Doctors opting for surgery when less profitable treatments are available. (Obama: he "may look at the reimbursement system, and say to himself 'you know what? I make a lot more money taking this kid's tonsils out.' ")

Apparently Obama believes he is good in such situations showing him at his most charismatic self. This also appeals to his “true believers.” But they likely occupy less than about 20 percent of the public who right now would fall under the label of “Liberal.” What about the rest of the public, the 38 percent who are “Conservatives” and the 39 percent who style themselves as Moderates? Are they as vulnerable to his silver tongued charms?

Some larger percentage will find his comments on any number of subjects as “pedagogic.” As a one time College Professor, and more recently one whose experience might be called “indoctrination” aimed to a like minded audience as a community organizer, he is going to wear thin and get into trouble with listeners capable of being "critical thinkers."

He could take some advice from Eric Hoffer, who said in his little book on human nature The Passionate State of Mind:

To spell out the obvious, is to sometimes call it in question

He’s sure to create more little flaps as he speaks in events, telling us what he really thinks. I don't think he can help himself, so what the public can’t get with the help of the MSM it will get from Obama himself.

Only THIRTY EIGHT PERCENT (38%) of DEMOCRATS identify themselves as Liberal. To sit there saying Liberals in general are easily fooled is BULLSHIT.

Obama's not even a Liberal unless you adhere to the very narrow definition by the right. And yes, I know he was the most Liberal senator supposedly in the senate but since the election he has moved PROGRESSIVELY TO THE CENTER because he got what he wanted from true Liberals, their vote. He continues many of the same policies that GWB did, and holds several positions himself that are not Liberal.

He moved to the center? The Center of what??????

He handed 2 car companies to the Union, spent more money that any human in recorded history, dosent care that the FED handed out $9 TRILLION to who know who, and now wants to kill people with his new "Healthcare" System.

What the fuck are you talking about?

 

[American Horse]

<SNIP>
We need someone like JFK to run again really. However, we need not only someone who has the charisma but the intelligence to engage the American public in actually changing things for the better.

A Liberal Definition by JFK

Read...And JFK doesn't sound like the liberals of today. But, too, you realize it was the Kennedy Administration (Justice Dept) which kept files on so many public figures including MLK. Kennedy made a whale of a lot of mistakes in foreign policy; he was not the equal of Eisenhower or Nixon in foreign affairs. In the Economy he and Nixon were on a par, and Nixon, if a conservatie at all, was no conservative to compare with Reagan, for example.

 

[American Horse]

he got what he wanted from true Liberals, their vote. He continues many of the same policies that GWB did, and holds several positions himself that are not Liberal.

He moved to the center? The Center of what??????

He handed 2 car companies to the Union, spent more money that any human in recorded history, dosent care that the FED handed out $9 TRILLION to who know who, and now wants to kill people with his new "Healthcare" System.

What the fuck are you talking about?

My opinion is that since Obama's votes show him to have been the most liberal Senator in the Senate, then that must prove something. But to put a fine point on Obama, it seems to me he is a demagogic statist with the appeal of a mantra of fairness; all the while he does great harm to ordinary folks who have saved a little money, or will inconvenience what he has in mind. With Obama you have to take into consideration that the big corporations he would control or leave alone are led by specimens of the same talent pool that is in charge right now in Washington. In part that is why all his initiatives have ignored or have harmed small businesses.

 

[Mad Scientist]

Man I thought it would've taken Obama a year or two to implode. I would have never guessed less than a year.

Incredible!

 

[Modbert]

Read...And JFK doesn't sound like the liberals of today. But, too, you realize it was the Kennedy Administration (Justice Dept) which kept files on so many public figures including MLK. Kennedy made a whale of a lot of mistakes in foreign policy; he was not the equal of Eisenhower or Nixon in foreign affairs. In the Economy he and Nixon were on a par, and Nixon, if a conservatie at all, was no conservative to compare with Reagan, for example.

Actually, you're thinking of J. Edgar Hoover who hated the Kennedy brothers.

The secrets of J. Edgar Hoover - Dateline NBC- msnbc.com

And then there was Hoover's relationship with JFK and the entire Kennedy family.

Hack: &#8220;He had supported RIchard Nixon. And when Kennedy got in, he really thought he was going to be fired.&#8221;

Hockenberry: &#8220;Why didn't JFK fire Hoover?&#8221;

Hack: &#8220;He didn't fire Hoover because he didn't know what Hoover really knew. The same reason no one else fired Hoover. When it really came down to it.&#8221;

Hockenberry: &#8220;The bluff.&#8221;

Hack: &#8220;He was scared to death. It was the giant bluff.&#8221;

When it came to the Kennedy clan, Hoover perhaps felt the most contempt for Attorney General Robert Kennedy.

Hack: &#8220;He considered him an outrage. He thought he was a loose cannon he could not control and he loved being in control.&#8221;

Robert Kennedy made Hoover turn his attention away from fighting communism to organized crime, which Hoover, at that time, believed was much less of a threat.

Hack: &#8220;It didn't matter if there were Mafia out there. They weren't going to bring the government down, they were just making money illegally and there were lots of cops to deal with that.&#8221;

While much has been made about Hoover's secret files on those around him, Hack says he learned Hoover had some secret files for his own personal use &#8212; files that included nude photographs.

Hack: &#8220;He had nudes of many people. There was an obscene file that he kept himself.&#8221;

Hockenberry: &#8220;So you think he was interested in pornography?&#8221;

Hack: &#8220;Oh, he was definitely interested in pornography. He would say from an intellectual standpoint of course to know what was out there so he could fight it.&#8221;

And whose nude pictures does Hack say Hoover had? Well, Marilyn Monroe, perhaps no big surprise, but there was also another.

Hack: &#8220;Eleanor Roosevelt, for one.&#8221;

Hockenberry: &#8220;Naked pictures of Eleanor Roosevelt? My, my. Forgive my interest in this, how does one go about getting and why would one even want naked pictures of Eleanor Roosevelt?&#8221;

Hack: &#8220;W.C. Fields happened to have a set of pictures, what was purported to be Eleanor Roosevelt. I have not seen these myself because they were subsequently destroyed. But Hoover had heard the story and asked W.C. Fields to see the pictures and W.C. Fields sent him with the pictures. And there in lies the power and play of the man.&#8221;

The oddity in Hoover's collection of secrets is perhaps the key to his power. In Washington Hoover himself was an oddity, receiving special treatment wherever he went. He had things no one else could have, knew things no one else could know. For him ordinary rules did not apply. Until the end, Hoover actually believed he was America's ultimate protector, something America believed for awhile.

Eisenhower was the one who started the Bay of Pigs program, so I'm not sure if you can he's above Kennedy in foreign policy. We really have no idea how good he would of been at the economy or foreign policy in his second term due to his being killed. I do think he was steadily improving though as he went through his first term.

It was also J. Edgar Hoover by the way who kept sending MLK Jr. notes encouraging him to kill himself or they were going to reveal his affair. I'm pretty sure MLK Jr. knew he was going to die, hence the speech the night before he died.

 

[American Horse]

Read...And JFK doesn't sound like the liberals of today. But, too, you realize it was the Kennedy Administration (Justice Dept) which kept files on so many public figures including MLK. Kennedy made a whale of a lot of mistakes in foreign policy; he was not the equal of Eisenhower or Nixon in foreign affairs. In the Economy he and Nixon were on a par, and Nixon, if a conservatie at all, was no conservative to compare with Reagan, for example.

Actually, you're thinking of J. Edgar Hoover who hated the Kennedy brothers.

Robert F. Kennedy - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"President Kennedy once remarked about his brother that, "If I want something done and done immediately I rely on the Attorney General. He is very much the doer in this administration, and has an organizational gift I have rarely if ever seen surpassed."
.....
"In 1963, responding to allegations that Martin Luther King, Jr. was a communist whose close confidants were insurrectionists, Kennedy authorized the FBI in a written directive to wiretap civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. under the auspice of concern that King was a communist. The wire tapping continued through 1966 and was revealed in 1968, days before Kennedy's death. No evidence of Communist activity or influence was uncovered. , Kennedy, as Attorney General, issued written approvals to the FBI in order for the Bureau to track and eavesdrop on Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, King's civil rights organization. The source of the original allegations was none other than J. Edgar Hoover, who had a burning hatred for King, whom he viewed as an upstart troublemaker. Although Kennedy only gave written approval for limited wiretapping, the Bureau, as was common under Hoover's leadership, extended the clearance to encompass whichever areas of King's life they deemed worthy of examination&#8212; without Kennedy's knowledge."

Eisenhower was the one who started the Bay of Pigs program, so I'm not sure if you can he's above Kennedy in foreign policy.

But Kennedy carried it out. He could've dropped it at any time. If Eisenhower had gone ahead, and he did not, we would have to assume he wouldn't have done so unless he intended to provide the air support as he'd promised. Kennedy had made the promise and then did not fulfill that promise. The invasion was two months into his administration and he had time to halt it if he wasn't sure of what to do.

We really have no idea how good he would of been at the economy or foreign policy in his second term due to his being killed. I do think he was steadily improving though as he went through his first term.

We have clues. We have the growing American presence in Viet Nam, the murder of a Vietnamese president, and we have the Cuban Missile Crisis (October 1962). Early in his presidency, just a two months after the Bay of Pigs fiasco, Kennedy met in summit with Krushcev:

"The summit was initially seen as a diplomatic triumph. Kennedy had refused to allow Soviet pressure to force his hand, or to influence the American policy of containment. He had adequately stalled Khrushchev, and made it clear that the United States was not willing to compromise on a withdrawal from Berlin, whatever pressure Khrushchev may exert on the "testicles of the West" (as Khrushchev once called them)."
....
"However, it may seem, in retrospect, to have been a failure. The two leaders became increasingly frustrated at the lack of progress of the negotiations. After the summit, Khrushchev realized he had underestimated Kennedy. Kennedy, meanwhile, felt that he had to avoid giving the same impression of weakness which he had demonstrated before the summit, and felt he had demonstrated to Khrushchev during the summit. He later claimed of Khrushchev, "He beat the hell out of me."

"This feeling of inadequacy which pervaded both leaders was one of the key features in their personalities that led to the Cuban Missile Crisis."

And how did that turn out? The Cuban missile crisis was an outgrowth of the Bay of Pigs invasion. Withdrawal of the Soviet missiles was predicated on a US agreement not to invade or support an invasion of Cuba in the future. Furthermore, the US agreed to remove Jupiter missisles from Turkey.
Cuban Missile Crisis - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

But RE: Kennedy and Obama. I rate Kennedy far above Obama in every area of expertise and dedication to principles. Where does that leave us?