M.D. Rawlings
Classical Liberal
by Peter Wehner
08.26.2011 - 12:41 PM
Commentary
Tell me again why Barack Obama has been such a bad president? Jonathan Alter writes in his column.
Alter tells us hes not talking here about Obama as a tactician and communicator, and hes not interested in hearing ad hominem attacks or about peoples generalized disappointment. (Neither am I.) He wants to know on a substantive basis why Obama should be judged to have failed so far.
In Alters words, Your mission, Jim [or anyone else for that matter], should you decide to accept it, is to be specific and rational, not vague and visceral.
Consider the mission accepted.
In one sense, the answer to the Alter challenge is obvious: Obama has failed by his own standards. Its the Obama administration, not the RNC, that said if his stimulus package was passed unemployment would not exceed 8 percent. Its Obama who joked there werent as many shovel-ready jobs as he thought.
Its Obama who promised to cut the deficit in half. Its Obama who said if we passed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the health care cost curve would go down rather than up. Its Obama who promised us recovery and prosperity, hope and change. What weve gotten instead is the opposite.
. . . And it is on the common ground of facts that we can declarein a calm, specific, reasonable, rational and empirical mannerObama to be an utter failure.
LINK
You Think Obamas Been a Bad President? Prove It: Jonathan Alter
08.26.2011 - 12:41 PM
Commentary
Tell me again why Barack Obama has been such a bad president? Jonathan Alter writes in his column.
Alter tells us hes not talking here about Obama as a tactician and communicator, and hes not interested in hearing ad hominem attacks or about peoples generalized disappointment. (Neither am I.) He wants to know on a substantive basis why Obama should be judged to have failed so far.
In Alters words, Your mission, Jim [or anyone else for that matter], should you decide to accept it, is to be specific and rational, not vague and visceral.
Consider the mission accepted.
In one sense, the answer to the Alter challenge is obvious: Obama has failed by his own standards. Its the Obama administration, not the RNC, that said if his stimulus package was passed unemployment would not exceed 8 percent. Its Obama who joked there werent as many shovel-ready jobs as he thought.
Its Obama who promised to cut the deficit in half. Its Obama who said if we passed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the health care cost curve would go down rather than up. Its Obama who promised us recovery and prosperity, hope and change. What weve gotten instead is the opposite.
. . . And it is on the common ground of facts that we can declarein a calm, specific, reasonable, rational and empirical mannerObama to be an utter failure.
LINK
You Think Obamas Been a Bad President? Prove It: Jonathan Alter
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