Trzupr Here: I thought that hammer needed a little better positioning Floyd.
In the above clip, at a NYC Democrat fundraiser, President Obama says that Republicans “Do as they’re told.” This is an example of his usual form of “argumentation” — reductio ad abusrdum and ad hominem with a helping of ignorance. We know from countless examples such as his 2001 complaint that the Supreme Court had never dealt with redistribution of wealth and his 2008 campaign chat with “Joe the Plumber” (“spread the wealth”) that Barack Obama does not believe in economic competition — the free market. It’s not just a disbelief. No benign agnostic he. He thinks competition is a bad thing. He’s the Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens of free market capitalism.
Borrowing from the Greek concept of the unity of virtues (a flaw in one is a character wide flaw — all the virtues must be pursued and cultivated to achieve knowledge) this detestation of free market capitalism bleeds over into his debate style — such as it is. President Obama also does not believe in the so-called “marketplace of ideas”. Competition is disagreement — it’s conflict and when you’re Right conflict is a bad thing — a dangerous thing even. Is it any wonder that a man who wants a single-payer health system also wants a “single-sayer” communication system?
One of the cornerstones of the Western political, legal and educational ideal is (or was rather) the Socratic method… two people (or sides) hashing out ideas in a competition to see which one was True — objectively correct. In the Bible it says in Proverbs that as “iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another”. (Proverbs 27:17) The Word of God — Truth — is often analogized to a two-edged sword — a sharp cutting instrument to both defend and fight. Truth. Jerusalem and Athens agreed on the manner if not always the substance.
Obama isn’t interested in the Truth — or even in convincing us that he knows the Truth. He may not even believe in Truth as far as I can tell. What he does believe in is being Right. Being Right is not the same as knowing the Truth. Might makes Right. Wisdom and knowledge illuminate Truth. If you’re interested in being right — bring a hammer — a blunt instrument to bludgeon and beat down. If you’re interested in Truth — bring a sword to duel in an arena where the better man more often than not wins. One is easy. Any idiot can do it really. The other takes training, skill, honor and time.
It infuriates me that Democrats act like all their support comes from factory workers and other cultural archetypes of the “common man.” The Democrats are the party of Wall Street, and here’s the kicker: Wall Street isn’t capitalist. Its filled with plutocrats who give their support to Democrats with the hope that their money will buy enough loyalty and corporate welfare so they can continue looting our economy with their sub-prime mortgage backed securities (and coming soon: Carbon-Credit backed securities!!!)
And Obama does what he’s told too. The oil drilling of the coast of Brazil was ordered by George Soros cause he owns stock in PetroBras or whatever it was called. I hope the leftists in the Obama administration are happy, they are making a bunch of rich men even richer.
I don’t know if we’ve ever had such a thin-skinned president. He seems to take anything other than absolute submission as a personal insult. Can you imagine if he had to put up with even half of the criticism W suffered?
I have always wrestled with attempting to be respectful, if not of the man then at least of the office but I have found it and the entire political process not worthy of even a smidge of respect in it’s current incarnation. Our system is not broken by any stretch but we need to replace a lot of parts.
This all leads to my larger point that Obama is a massive douche bag. I have never seen a more smug, revolting individual in my entire life. Now I obviously do not know him as a person and as such can not comment on that but from a political stand point he is everything that is wrong with our so called leaders. If 4 years of him and Pelosi and company do not inspire us to clean house of both parties and start putting true representatives in office than frankly we deserve all that we will lose. It’s why I’m running for office here, sitting on the sidelines complaining wasn’t fixing anything. I’d encourage others to run for office at their local levels as well.
It seems whenever the 1960’s era libs get their way and worm their way into the oval office, it’s always a disaster. This is going to be Carter II. The fanciful flights of these emotional cripples don’t work in reality.
I can only hope enough people will “get it” this time.
I love watching Mr. Harvard Law Review Editor get smacked around like this. Thanks Floyd!
JS Obama is the classic example of the narcissistic Personality Disorder. Maybe with a side of psychosis.
https://www.google.com/health/ref/Narcissistic+personality+disorder
This link actually is from Mayo Clinic. I’d say that nabs our President to a T.
Very well said Floyd – extremely well said.
I like how Mr. Hah-vad tries to adopt a down-home speakin’ style here, to try to cancel out the smugness of his smugnocity.
Doesn’t work.
At all.
I’ll admit semi-selfishness in that they used to keep my debate skills sharpened, but this is exactly what I miss in my liberal friends (or ex-friends as it is): bringing issues and/or any semblance of reasoned argument to discussions. Speaking of which, wherefore art thou, BarryO Kenobi? You were one of our last hopes in the thinking liberal department.
As for the President, love how he gladly takes the Wall Street money it cost to attend this event (heard $20-30K/person) before scurrying off to London and chiding them for making too much money. How Natalie Gaines of him … tool.
All that “Wall Street Greed” stuff is just an act. BO and Senators like Dodd spew all the Wall Street v. Main Street rhetoric because they know the people who financially prop up their party are in on the secret. In the back rooms they all know who everyone is allied with. And BO gets all the masses riled up in his favor cause they’re drunk on the idea that he’s gonna personally deliver some of the Wall Street money to their doorstep.
The last time Dodd and Obamawan were on Main Street was was was………um………hmmmmmm
Pretty sure at that Scranton diner Joe Biden claims to go to all the time.
And those schoolkids in New Jersey that were singing praises to
Dear Leaderthe president, I suppose those were all Republican children since they were doing what they were told.This is a great post, Floyd. Someone who goes to other, important sites ought to encourage some of the big players in the blogosphere to link to this.
Like in Texas Hold-Em (a game I dearly love) I will “limp” into this one. No strong argument to character assassination, which is going on here. The powers that be are the powers that be simply because they are “right” at the time. Hence, you conservatives are now “Wrong.” You had 8 years to be “right” and everyone, including your own party called you on your strong-arm tactics to ensire everyone bought into your program lock step. You don’t get one of the leader of the Republicans nicknamed “The Hammer” for no reason. Tom Delay, your guy, epitomized the very methodologies you no decry. Shame on you. You should have been bitching about Tom Delay if you really don’t like this idea, because he represented the Republicans unabashed dismissal of thought outside of the party leaders’ lines.
Democrats will be no different. We will do the same now that we are “right.” Our HAW-VARD guy actually has a brain and knows how to use it. He is an intellectual and a leader. You may abhor is decisions and stances, but Floyd (being a lawyer) you ought to respect someone who might be able to use that sword much better than you. All of us armchair quarterbacks have no idea what it takes to really lead this country.
For the record, politicians can never really be about “truth” they have to be about what is “right.” That is the very nature of politics. If you worried about “truth” you would not have tolerated the Bush administration, but you did because you were on the “right” side at that point.
@ Eric – you still may have one liberal friend that will stand by you. Bring the funny! – Crap of Bull
So much to reply to, so little finger strength…
The point of Floyd’s post, of course, was that the President’s assertion that the GOP in general, and by implication conservatives in particular, march in lockstep is a crap of bull. This is a patently untrue and intellectually lazy point of view. There is far more freedom of opinion and contrary views aired in National Review, for example, than one will ever find at MSNBC. Obama does not realize this, for I’m sure that he thinks that he would be stricken by some terrible, incurable disease if he ever read a scholarly article by somebody like Thomas Sowell or Florence King.
There are “pro-choice” Republicans, there are Republicans who support amnesty for illegal immigrants and there are Republicans who are quite liberal in regard to social issues. If there are Democrats who break ranks in numbers that can not be counted on the fingers of a veteran pressman’s hand, I am not aware of it. The President’s dismissal of the opposition, with a metaphorical wave of the hand, is both insulting and – as I said – lazy.
Further, it is foolish to assert that, essentially, might (in this case the assumption of power) makes right. Right is right. Truth is truth. Many conservatives, me among them, supported President Clinton’s intervention in Kosovo. Many conservatives, me among them, spoke out when George W. Bush was spending money like a drunken sailor. Assuming that having power makes you “right” may be the “nature of politics” might be a correct characterization of politics, but it has nothing to do with statesmanship, and I – for one – am still naive enough to believe that statesmanship should, and might again, matter.
Finally, the news that President Obama “has a brain” has been greatly exaggerated. I am friends with a few, and acquaintances with many more, Illinois legislators who served with Mr. Obama in the Illinois General Assembly. They all, from both sides of the aisle, tell the same story: Obama is very, very good at self promotion and is quite ambitious, but as far as original, or critical, thinking? Not so much.
It’s interesting to hear from someone who knows folks who have spent a lot of time with him because, as I’ve wrtten before, I have yet to see the guy do anything that impresses me, intelligence-wise. No question he is above average intelligence, quite a bit above, but I haven’t seen anything approaching genius. I haven’t even seen him do anything impressive. Bush made some witty statements and was quick with small audiences, no genius, but wit takes cleverness. Clinton had a remarkable memory and was very quick-witted. Reagan was also very quick witted and had a very good memory. I am still open to President Obama having
Once again libs reference…themselves…when talking about Bush. 8 years of slapping him down, making faces to his back, then congratulating themselves on speaking trooth to power.
Barry, you had 8 years of making big accusations, and the media x raying everything Bush was doing. And you’re left with…assertions. Nothing but. Pres. Urkel knows this, the DNC know this, and only lob lame grenades out to keep the tin foil hats happy.
Urkel is also discovering the grand canyon like divide between liberal rhetoric and the reality of running a government. They’re stuck with a fantasy story that helped get them into power. It’s a bit easier when the media is in on it. That’s why they hate Cheney so much – he punches back and with facts.
What Barry doesn’t get yet is that Bush isn’t President. Idiot is. And Idiot is a royal screw up. And he can’t hide that fact. he can only attack. He is basicall worthless. But hey why actually do anything or have something to recommend …results are what just results. Getting things done is so lame. Right Barry. I may start calling you Glenn Adams for now on.
BarryO, I appreciate the CoB compliment, but this isn’t your usual retort. Where are any facts to back up what you mention? Here’s possibly something to get you started, and I’m specifically inviting you to step into your not-so-way-back machine: after 8 years of clamoring for bipartisanship (“bitched and griped and whined and cried, acted no older than five”), with what I recall being a larger minority gap in the Senate (at least initially) — and getting it with the McCain-Feingold travesty, Gangs of However Many and President Bush acting exactly like a spend-heavy, over-federalize Democrat — how can the current Congress justify the literal closing of doors on Republicans? Sorry, I’ve already conferred with the judges (even the one of East German descent) and they will not accept the “Nanny-nanny, boo-boo” argument above.
okay, I said I was “limping” in on this one, mainly because Eric called me out. I feel a bit silly throwing Bush out there as relevant. But I am reminding you (the collective here) that you are only doing what the left did a few years ago. You are now the ones complaining like the left did. So what’s the difference. I predict 7 more years of this kind of dialog, and then I will complain and you will gloat. Because then you could say, “See, we were right. Nanny-nanny, boo-boo.” I think the back and forth is silly really if there is never an effort to work with the other side.
Can there be a middle ground? Maybe not in D.C., but here? Stephanie, from all of your responses, I know there’s no middle ground for you, but anybody else? Sorry trzupr but if you think “truth” runs the decisions in D.C. then you really are naive. It’s your job to speak the “truth” but that is how we can hold our elected officials accountable on both sides. Simply saying our side always speaks the truth while never admitting fault means you’re not really speaking the “truth.” The last person to live that perfectly without wavering was Jesus.
BarryO… Bush took 8 years of the most horrific character assassination since the 1800s in American politics (save for the maybe the harding whisper campsign in the 1920 election). He laid out 22 different justifications for going into Iraq… agree or disagree — THAT’s an argument — a sword. The left was free to respond with why it was unwise (and some did) but mostly what we got was Bush mcChimpy Bushitler crybaby ad hominem. I haven’t seen a lefty in charge (politically speaking) outside of Joe Lieberman make a real argument since the death of Pat Moynihan (R.I.P.)
Floyd, you are right: Bush did get character assassinated for making a decision widely opposed. Now it’s your turn. You can argue that Obama has made the same number or arguments, if not more, for government health insurance. It still doesn’t make you believe he is “right.” But by your standard, you can argue equally, as you have for Bush, that Obama is using a sword by making an ample amount of justifications for his actions. If Bush wasn’t hammering everyone, then 5 years before ever vetoing a bill means everybody’s in step lock, stock & barrel (look Obama’s “excellent” ha ha robot imitation – does this mean he can get an Oscar to go with that Nobel Prize?). My original comment referred more to the Republican leadership, not just Bush.
Be honest, if you were on trial for murder, would you want Bush or Obama defending you? I think both can be persuasive, but Obama is clearly more prone to have actually read the material himself and formulated a cohesive thought than Bush, who had a reputation for not reading everything and asking others to tell him what was important in the documents. Bush does not show a natural aptitude for the intellectual pursuits (not a requirement for being President by the way) like Obama, but in a sword fight of words and ideas, I would pick Obama every time.
Before you rush to classify my statement as representing liberals and Obama as pseudo-intellectuals, remember that most people in America do not graduate from a 4-year college (around 15%). Therefore, there are many more voters that vote Democratic who are come from the urban, minority, less-formally-educated group. Moreover, that will leave roughly the same percentage of “educated” people running the Republican side as well. So I won’t lump conservatives into rural, uneducated, red-necks. I would argue David Marcoe is none of these.
What does being President have to do with being a good trial attorney? Johnathon Edwards was an extremely successful trial attorney and I doubt any of us imagine he would be a good Commander in Chief.
By the way, BarryO, I know others here have said it, but I don’t believe I ever have:
I greatly appreciate you taking time to come here and explain your opinions and debate ours. I know there are many, many intelligent, well intentioned liberals in this country and there are often good reasons for being on the non-Conservative side of the issues. There are important things we need to debate and decide as a nation and folks like you will help us get to the correct solutions.
Uh…is that like Maxwell’s silver hammer?
bang bang Stacie!
made sure he was…oh never mind……..
I’m not convinced about the silver hammer. I see more of a plastic hammer. The kind made in China. At least as far as the health plan, foriegn affairs, the economy, indecision in military decisions. I doubt he reads everything as you claim, BarryO. He’s been advertising how great the health care plan is, when there was not a health care plan put together beside the horrendous patchwork of documents stuck together into a box that no one in congress was reading through. I haven’t seen a great intellect, either, Rufus. If it was there, it would have come out by now. He’s a great communicator of ideals, but those ideals are founded upon false assumptions. A great argument built on a false premise still brings forth a false conclusion. An example is a belief in diplomacy as an effective tool. It is with reasonable people who are willing to negotiate. Not with dangerous people like this guy:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091023/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_iran_nuclear
And basically the enemies we have left are like that guy.
A man with a plastic hammer will have little success in dealing with those who must be dealt with on a serious level.
yeah but the Beatles didn’t make a song called Maxwell’s Plastic Hammer. It’s all — or mostly — about the post title.
I’m following your thought here g-man, like those plastic squeaky annoying things the sell at amusement parks? They are ineffective but annoying as all get out?
It would have made a great Beatles song.
They were before the obama generation.
silver v. plastic…. he won’t use the hammer over seas — he disengages there. Foreign issues are a distraction from his agenda and drain funds from his over-arching goal of a statist America. His damage will be domestic — we will be lesser — dented both by his negligence and intentional disengagement abroad and by his using the levers of State to bash his domestic enemies. No man who has THAT Dept. of Justice and the IRS, FCC, etc. at his disposal carries a plastic anything.
Our saving grace? We’re Americans goddamit and we don’t line up behind anybody. Those people who have citizenship (talk about plastic — we need to bulk up those requirements) who will line up are not Americans in my book.
One thing that concerns me is there seems to be a remarkable coincidence of a long string of Presidents being faced by just the type of crisis they are least interested in while being diverted from the precise type of crisis they wanted to engage in. Bush II wanted to be the CEO President, business and taxes were huge on his list, as well as diverting government funds to charitable organizations and “fixing” social security. He barely got around to any of that stuff as his terms were dominated by foreign policy. Clinton campaigned on socialized medicine and ended up fighting in Kosovo instead. Bush I was big on foreign policy but was broadsided by domestic, policy issues…
I agree his efforts abroad are meek and ineffective, but he’s your typical narcissist. He has male slut foreign policy. Like a guy who wants to sleep with all the good-lookin’ girls he can, but never commits… he wants to be with and receive adulation from as many countries as he can, but he doesn’t want to commit to any of them because they would be a distraction from his true love — himself.
And the fact that we don’t love him here anymore will get worse for us before it gets better. 3 1/2 years is a lifetime.
Good points. The Vampire President…sucking the lifeblood of America.