Almost One Year Ago Today

[dbacks fan]

There has been this huge rush qualify this president in the media and academia, and somehow find a way to package his performance in a positive light. 

Reminds me of trying to polish a turd.

I made an analogy the other day discussing what I thought about how Obama has done, and I said, "He and most everybody else in DC need to quit acting like Veruca Salt and more like Sheriff Bart, and come up with a plan to get things on track."

[Conan71]

The "not a leader" is malarkey, because he ran one of the most successful campaigns in modern history.  By every account he wasn't simply a bystander:  he controlled the whole thing.  He planned strategically, hired and fired, raised record amounts of capital and then allocated those resources -- the whole enchilada.  Being in charge of a modern campaign is very much like running a business, and he did it really well.  That's indisputable. As a product launch it was one of the best in modern history.

Anecdotally, I've read accounts which give David Axlerod far more credit in the efficient operation of the campaign.  Let's run with the assumption Obama really was very hands-on as you say. Running a campaign and finding favor with voters is one thing, being faced with the difficult decisions as well as strong political opposition that POTUS is required to deal with is entirely another.  Being popular isn't leadership.  Being effective is.

In Nov. 2012, his job performance will be evaluated by the people he works for.  If they agree he's been a great leader, he will get the opportunity to lead for another four years.  If not, he will be sent home to work on his memoirs and start planning his presidential library.

[Red Arrow]

Reminds me of trying to polish a turd.

Myth Busters tried that.  I believe they met with minimal success.

[Red Arrow]

In Nov. 2012, his job performance will be evaluated by the people he works for.  If they agree he's been a great leader or the Republicans put up someone unelectable, he will get the opportunity to lead for another four years.  If not, he will be sent home to work on his memoirs and start planning his presidential library.

[Gaspar]

NICE!  According to MSNBC's Richard Wolffe all of this hubub about the timing and substance of President Obama's Accelerated Job Creation Initiative is due to racism.

"let's face it, the color of his skin. This is an extraordinary reaction to a normal sequence of events."

[Conan71]

NICE!  According to MSNBC's Richard Wolffe all of this hubub about the timing and substance of President Obama's Accelerated Job Creation Initiative is due to racism.

"let's face it, the color of his skin. This is an extraordinary reaction to a normal sequence of events."

I've never been able to brush off charges of incompetence due to the color of my skin.  Have you Gaspar?

[Gaspar]

I've never been able to brush off charges of incompetence due to the color of my skin.  Have you Gaspar?

I've never tried.

[Conan71]

I've never tried.

Oh, wait, that's not how it works.  You have to have others credit your bumbling and incompetence to racism.  That's it.  Of course I wouldn't know since I've never been incompetent.  Incontinent, yes. 

[Gaspar]

Today President Obama flies off to Camp David after his vacation to spend a weekend in seclusion writing his much anticipated Jobs Speech.  Though he packed his clubs, the weather may not permit much relaxation on Camp David's Robert Trent Jones designed golf facility.  Last May, the single green was updated and new bent-grass installed.  It will be a shame if the expected thunderstorms on Saturday keep him from enjoying the four unique approaches designed after such famous courses as Augusta and Burning Tree.

The presidential chopper is anticipated to touch down on the driving range by noon today.  Currently the winds at the retreat are reported at about 8mph, so if he hurries he may get some range time.

I think this will be good for him.  Give him an opportunity to solidify some of his job creation ideas into a singular cohesive package that he can communicate to the American public.

[Townsend]

I think this will be good for him.  Give him an opportunity to solidify some of his job creation ideas into a singular cohesive package that he can communicate to the American public.

You'd think it'd help but with the party of "do anything possible including harm to the USA to get one of us elected" in front of him, we have little hope of anything.

[Gaspar]

You'd think it'd help but with the party of "do anything possible including harm to the USA to get one of us elected" in front of him, we have little hope of anything.

I still have hope.  I think if he writes up a real dandy speech, and promises to sign the measures necessary to invigorate the economy, he can pull out of this 3 year funk.

[Townsend]

I still have hope.  I think if he writes up a real dandy speech, and promises to sign the measures necessary to invigorate the economy, he can pull out of this 3 year funk.

The special Eds leading the  "do anything possible including harm to the USA to get one of us elected" party won't let anything positive happen until after 2012.  Good luck getting your pony.

[we vs us]

I still have hope.  I think if he writes up a real dandy speech, and promises to sign the measures necessary to invigorate the economy, he can pull out of this 3 year funk.

I never took you for a hopey changey sorta guy.  Perhaps I was wrong.

The economy will remain in the crapper through 2012 without significant government action to address it.  There is virtually no chance that the GOP, at this late date, will allow any sort of stability measures to pass.  Instead, Cantor will continue to insist that we have to offset disaster relief with spending cuts.  As a for instance.  This is patently ridiculous but keeps the austerity drumbeat pounding steadily.

We're way past hopey changey and have planted ourselves in the land of totally screwed.

[Conan71]

I never took you for a hopey changey sorta guy.  Perhaps I was wrong.

The economy will remain in the crapper through 2012 without significant government action to address it.  There is virtually no chance that the GOP, at this late date, will allow any sort of stability measures to pass.  Instead, Cantor will continue to insist that we have to offset disaster relief with spending cuts.  As a for instance.  This is patently ridiculous but keeps the austerity drumbeat pounding steadily.

We're way past hopey changey and have planted ourselves in the land of totally screwed.

Based on his avatar, I think he's more of a Hopi/Navajo kind of guy.

[Red Arrow]

We're way past hopey changey and have planted ourselves in the land of totally screwed.

I saw a placard in a racing plane:

Hope is not a strategy