Shocking! More ridicule for his presidential seal (dumping it hasn’t seemed to help) and his flip-flop on public financing. I thought Daschle’s comment was particularly amusing:
What Barack has done is created a new system of public financing.
Nice spin, babe! I guess it depends on what your definition of “public financing” is. (via)But not all the Democrats are joining Obama in throwing principle to support his position. I agree with Biden on this (that’s a phrase I never thought I would utter):
“In terms of undermining the public financing idea for everyone, it doesn’t help,” Biden said on NBC’s Meet the Press. “It’s going to be harder to make the case” for taxpayer funding.
But ultimately Obama’s being smart to take the hit and move on. It’s more politically expedient to take the cash than stand on principle. It’s not like this is the first time and it certainly won’t be the last.And I’m sure that the press will get over their snit and move on to more worshipful coverage soon.BTW, back to the seal for a minute to note a particularly good point about the it:The seal is emblematic of all that is wrong with the Obama campaign: presumptuousness, self-aggrandizement in lieu of substance, unadulterated hunger for power and social climbing. The seal makes him look as if he has appointed himself president before being elected to the post. This is such a mark of bad judgment it makes one think: God help the American public if voters give him the White House job.I know, I know! Why don’t we just talk about substance? Because you learn a lot about Obama in the gaffes. It’s important for the public to know that he’s presumptuous and self-aggrandizing and demonstrates poor judgment. And maybe we’ll drop it when you guys drop “Mission Accomplished.”
posted June 25, 2008 at 9:34 am
The video is a riot.
“self-aggrandizement in lieu of substance, unadulterated hunger for power and social climbing.”
Doesn’t that make him perfectly qualified to be president?
posted June 25, 2008 at 10:05 am
I don’t know if I’d go that far, MH but I would say that it makes him qualified to be in the Senate
posted June 25, 2008 at 10:05 am
Sorry I missed Stewart’s comments. My first thought though is, Was it funny?” If it was – good. HUMor and HUMility have the same root for a good reason – we need both. No one would run fro prsident if they did not suffer from “presumptuous[ness] and self-aggrandizing’. The trick will be to see how Obama – or any candidate deals with this. If he can kick the dust off his sandals (or Gucci’s), smile with everyone, and move along – that is good. If he gets defensive and tries to make it seem like something else – not so good (status quo politics).
posted June 25, 2008 at 11:54 am
True. If Obama can deal with this. He’s going to have to even.. heck, especially if he wins.
So, don’t think Stewart is a ‘liberal media party hack’?
And if you think Stewart’s comedy reveals that level of truth about Obama, do you believe the same about what he says about.. say, Bush? (Thought I was gonna say McCain, didn’t you?)
posted June 25, 2008 at 12:02 pm
Oh, and I will add ‘Mission Accomplished’, with all THAT meant, was far more significant than the seal. After all, we are talking about a war, where people die more often after that statement than ever died before.
You don’t see any difference in the level of significance? Because when I talk about the ‘Mission Accomplished’, I’m not talking about a verbal faux pas or a political slip to mock.
It is, for me, about the whole policy and goals of the current military action, and this administration’s role in it.
posted June 25, 2008 at 3:37 pm
Karen, you won’t get an argument from me when you bash the Bush administration. To answer your question, here’s my favorite Jon Stewart line of all time which he said the day that caught Sadam:
“We definately caught they guy who wasn’t responsible for 9/11″
posted June 26, 2008 at 12:05 am
“It’s important for the public to know that he’s presumptuous and self-aggrandizing and demonstrates poor judgment.”
i see nothing wrong with being presumptuous (is that your argument for the “mission accomplished” banner?) and you have yet to provide evidence any case of poor judgment on obama’s part (other than his presumption that conservatives could ever focus on the issues).
how many candidates use the phrase “when i’m president…?” yup, all of them, i’d bet.
so, like i intended to say from the get-go:
*YAAAAAWN*
now, here’s a wake-up call. you were asking about obama’s bounce. apparently you asked too early. two polls have obama ahead of mccain by double digits. it’s hard to not come across as boastful to the losers when you’re clearly the better and preferred candidate.
posted June 26, 2008 at 12:12 am
and just so you know, i’d much rather talk about bush’s record of failures and broken promises than his “mission” that he will never accomplish.
posted June 26, 2008 at 12:56 am
on to public financing…
since you don’t seem to know how it works, i don’t highly regard your opinions on the subject. but, assuming that you did a little homework after being ridiculed for your own gaffe, i’ll humor you this once.
seems to me that public financing is a good system. candidates aren’t required to take it and tax payers aren’t required to pay it. but it’s there to help a handicapped candidate. in this case, there’s something to be said about obama’s alternate public financing (it is the public financing his campaign, after all). mccain is welcome to make the same play. didn’t you just try to make the case that he can be competitive? or he can take money from corporations, lobbyists, and from his own huger coffers, as is the republican norm. or he can do what he’s doing. just because he’s losing because he painted himself into a corner, you all sound like sour grapes now.