BALTIMORE — Generally we don’t try to do daily news blog here. But what just happened on the teevee was nothing short of extraordinary, and if you missed it don’t worry, you’ll be seeing it on the news tonight, big time— except for Fox, of course, which will just use it as another opportunity to call him an “arrogant punk.” Why do they hate America.
President Obama had a live televised Q & A with Republicans, and it was nothing short of truth meeting bullshit talking points and truth willing— no, bursting out— the contrast couldn’t have been more striking.
Obama was having none of their whiney bullshit, and it’s more than past time. But it wasn’t in-kind bluster and bullshit back atcha, but a withering command of issues, facts and figures that pulled the floor right out from under them. And after listening to several grown Republican men whine about Nancy Pelosi, it’s abundantly clear who the real “pussies” are on Capital Hill. Poor things.
There’s little doubt that the Republicans thought this would be Obama’s Waterloo; that they would shine their conservative ideological flashlight on the dirty underbelly of the Obama-Marxist-Muslim conspiracy to destroy America. But one bright recipient of the Obama schooling blurted to Luke Russert that “it was a mistake to allow cameras into Obama’s Q & A with GOP members.” Can you imagine why he thinks so?
But the big question remains: will this kind of frank face-off allow the one or two sincere Americans who call themselves Republicans, to break lockstep and publicly admit Obama is our president, and not a Bolshevik— and that they’ll start working in good faith to solve our manifold problems and stop all the destructive politics of hate? Someone with cahones? Ryan? Ryan? Anyone?
maybe some real progressives will run against some of the blue dog dinos and open up the same can of whoop-ass on them.
I think we can look forward to that, nonnie. Progressives like Alan Grayson, who pushed a four-term incumbent Republican out on his ass, will have to realize they’re going to have to make change happen from the inside, not just the streets.
can you even imagine chimpy putting himself in a room filled with dems and answering questions without any notes or a receiver in his ear? the rethugs looked like a bunch of chumps. now i’m hoping that boohoo boehner gets a lot of the blame for allowing the cameras. maybe michael phathead steele will point out the stupidity of that decision, if only to take the heat off himself. i would love to see the rethugs at each other’s throats. so much fun when that happens.
Hey nonnie, yes I can imagine chimpy in a room answering questions; but it’s not dems doing the questioning, it’s a grand jury; or maybe even a couple prison queens asking him where he wants it first.
I wish O had gestured to the camera and, ala Tony Montana, said “Say hello to my little fren.”
The political dialogue has been rebooted, and Obama is wearing the Boots. And when it comes to rethuglican throats, he can keep a boot on their windpipe or bury it in their collective asses; whether they’re democrap or rethuglican. But in the end, so to speak, he better start using them to cover the ground towards real progress, and keep kicking congress until they actually DO SOMETHING RIGHT and get something done.
amen! i hope the prez has noticed that the people who put him in office overwhelming approve of the ass-kicking he delivered and that it will spur him to deliver more of the same. that goes for the other dems, too. stop rolling over for the rethugs and the blue dogs. take a chance, speak the truth, because they’re going to lose their seats if they don’t. maybe some real progressives will run against some of the blue dog dinos and open up the same can of whoop-ass on them.
Do I feel bad I wasn’t at the gym, too? Hell no.
You young guys need to work out more. But I digress; wanted to add that Idiot poster child Mike Pence didn’t learn a frickin thing from that clock cleaning: “incremental targeted reforms” ! PPL have “rejected massive government take-over of health care”! The president acknowledged they have “alternatives”! “Pelosi Dems have shut them out for 12 months!” What completely adulterated snake shit.
mark
I too was at the gym during the broadcast of this rather unprecedented bit of political theater. My understanding is that it was the Rethugs who insisted it be televised, probably to underscore the failed promise of Obama to have CSPAN cover the health care sausage making. But if that was the original premise, it backfired big time.
Look at the stage craft: The camera, and one very bright spotlight, was on Obama the whole time. In contrast, all we heard from the Rethugs were their diminished, disembodied voices calling out from the darkness, like rambunctious kids who had fallen down a well.
As Terry pointed out, Obama masterfully swatted down their complaints one by one, making them look like the jerks they are.
One of the thornier political problems their continuing and dispersed attacks have presented to the Obama administration [to] date is the time and effort needed to refute them. Now we have a very condensed video of Obama doing just that, providing if nothing else, great commercial stock footage for upcoming election campaigns.
I’d like to think it was all part of a master stroke orchestrated by David Plouffe, his first day back on the job. But it was more likely the result of the Rethug’s own incompetence and self-destructive death wish. No wonder Fox cut away to Rove…
I was at the gym (cause I’m privileged), where FOX and MSNBC and CNN were on, and FOX suddenly interrupted to go to Carl Rove for special commentary … go figure.
Hey Mark,
Um. Hearing the er, one of the Republican architect(s) of America’s lost decade interpret Republicans rather than hearing the Republicans themselves interpret their responsibility for the lost decade is the only way FUX can keep the curtain from being completely pulled back.
“Sunshine,” as O said, “is the best disinfectant.”
And that little pow WOW was the equivalent of the sun shining down at straight up noon.
Think O will get an invite from the Supremes?
Me neither.
Nancy Pelosi rocks. She has tried repeatedly to keep on track with healthcare with the environment and with women’s sovereignty. One of 2 people on the hill who doesn’t speak of women as if they are all third person absent.
Wish the other Dems could grow some balls like Nancy’s.
And I too hope this encourages some Republicans out there with personal integrity to break away from the insane pack. That would be a breath of fresh air. And probably political suicide.
This is important stuff and I am glad you are covering it.
Hey Chic,
Funny thing about balls— having them doesn’t equate to using them. We need people who will use them to actually move thee ball, and enact the people’s will on the serious matters our nation faces.
I’m so through with the childish asshats that a third to half of Americans have put into positions requiring leadership skills. If we have to replace every last traditionalist meatstick in the Congress to move forward with the 21st century and avoid a f’n literal planetary meltdown, we’ll do it one at a time until they’re all gone. We have to get beyond this childishness.
But political suicide if they do the right thing? Nuh uh. Independents call the shots in most elections, and any one with a set of balls willing to use them to serve our nation’s desire for progress, in most cases will get the votes they need to continue finding solutions to our problems.
But we can’t do that without a truly educated electorate. That means Fox News gets exposed and discredited as the corporate nutball propaganda tools they are. If these fuckwads want to continue creating national hysteria by continually injecting lies, fear, and hatred into the national dialogue, they must be confronted and dealt with in a way that effectively exposes their dishonesty and deceit.