tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post416751979874770331..comments2023-09-15T04:27:57.129-04:00Comments on Commentarama: How Obama Could Have Avoided FailureAndrewPricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comBlogger31125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-59553876739015159742010-07-27T19:06:05.566-04:002010-07-27T19:06:05.566-04:00Doc Whoa, I'm glad you liked it. I always wri...Doc Whoa, I'm glad you liked it. I always write about what I think is interesting, rather than just repeating what's on the news. This is one of those articles.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-79595860052967643422010-07-27T18:51:38.316-04:002010-07-27T18:51:38.316-04:00Really cool article. I haven't seen any body e...Really cool article. I haven't seen any body else take this topic. Do you really think he could have pulled off health care?Doc Whoahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16283308866886912377noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-87397475782356192242010-07-26T19:47:42.152-04:002010-07-26T19:47:42.152-04:00Writer X, Thanks!
I agree completely. I think Ob...Writer X, Thanks!<br /><br />I agree completely. I think Obama will easily go down as the worst president we've had and it will be both sides blasting him. He has blown an amazing opportunity, and he blew it because of ego and incompetence, just as you say.<br /><br />And I think it's only going to get worse for him because he's shown no indication that he has the kind of flexibility that is needed to recover from the kinds of mistakes he's made. Plus, with the Democratic moderates losing in the coming election, I suspect that he will be under intense pressure to move left. . . the worst thing he could do.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-38883387192150537102010-07-26T19:42:48.199-04:002010-07-26T19:42:48.199-04:00I think there were two things that many people had...I think there were two things that many people hadn't counted on: Obama's enormous ego and a lack of intellect. I seriously believe his presidency will be remembered as even worse than Carter's. At least Carter seemed to care about his own country before himself.<br /><br />Interesting post, Andrew! :-)Writer Xnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-79692449941281548282010-07-26T19:01:16.332-04:002010-07-26T19:01:16.332-04:00Stan, There's no doubt that he's doing dam...Stan, There's no doubt that he's doing damage and it will take a concerted effort to undo it. But it could have been a lot worse. At least he was so blunt about his attack that the public has completely turned on him and even his own side no longer really supports him.<br /><br />Imagine if he had managed to achieve similar things without turning off the public? Then we would limp along like this for 10-20 years until it became obvious what kind of damage he'd done.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-33399760737661121932010-07-26T18:45:47.305-04:002010-07-26T18:45:47.305-04:00I hope you’re right Andrew. Some of the crap that ...I hope you’re right Andrew. Some of the crap that Barry has foisted on us will take years to unwind. I pray that we can repeal this crap, maybe this time will be the exception to the rule, I am hopeful. Barry, and his team are incompetence personified, and I agree with you that he’ll be a one termer, but he is doing real damage. We’ll see how the worm turns!StanHhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07395708786509590321noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-68980997809988107772010-07-26T18:12:06.952-04:002010-07-26T18:12:06.952-04:00Bev, You have just put your finger on what seems l...Bev, You have just put your finger on what seems like common sense, but is by no means common among the Democrats. They seem to think that if they find the right collection of insults, the Tea Party will just go away. It never occurs to them to listen to the public or to take their concerns seriously. Talk about a plan to alienate the public!<br /><br />I know what you mean about the Republicans. Some of them seem to think "hey, the Tea Party is this large, organized thing just waiting for a leader. I just need to go pretend to be one of them!" But that's not what the Tea Party is about.<br /><br />In all truth, the Tea Party has played their hand brilliantly by remaining amorphous and unattached. That way everyone needs to listen to them and they don't have to pin down a set of demands which politicians can pretend to honor.<br /><br />Moreover, with the Democrats leaving them to the Republicans, the Tea Party people are doing a great job of slowly taking over the Republican Party, and those Republicans who don't change (or don't fit) with the new order of things will be tossed out. We're seeing that nationwide where Tea Party-acceptable people are tossing out establishment candidates everywhere. And I think it's bringing great new blood to the party.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-9823409097534532902010-07-26T17:59:46.188-04:002010-07-26T17:59:46.188-04:00But that is what Dem leadership keeps missing - Wh...But that is what Dem leadership keeps missing - Why would I cast my vote for any candidate (or party) who thinks so little of me that they dismiss me as an idiot and call me nasty names in public and on national television for all the world to see??? Even the Whitehouse joins in the fun. How more politically stupid can these people get??<br /><br />But, from the beginning, the Repubs have at the very least feigned interest and respect, though some are trying to outright hijack the movement (which btw is not appreciated one bit by many TP'ers).BevfromNYChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14953050916932306270noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-47475322339138612222010-07-26T17:56:39.705-04:002010-07-26T17:56:39.705-04:00Don't worry Crispy, it's too late for Obam...Don't worry Crispy, it's too late for Obama to get it right. They've lost their credibility for the next several decades.<br /><br />Plus, liberals never listen to advice any ways. ;-)AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-68076490733702259502010-07-26T17:51:18.988-04:002010-07-26T17:51:18.988-04:00Andrew, I'm reading your article and screaming...Andrew, I'm reading your article and screaming, "SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP" at my computer monitor.<br /><br />Please don't put information like this out there for just anyone to read!! ;)CrispyRicehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07302075204880024936noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-62806919940977947272010-07-26T17:30:16.976-04:002010-07-26T17:30:16.976-04:00Bev, That's correct, that was his intent. In ...Bev, That's correct, that was his intent. In fact, there has been quite the coordinated attack on the Tea Party the past couple weeks, and this was just part of it.<br /><br />But the problem is that polls show that no one outside of the left thinks the Tea Party is racist. To the contrary, every poll shows that people like the Tea Party and sympathize with its goals and members.<br /><br />So this was stupid for Biden to say. . . . just like it was stupid when they tried to tell people: "the Republicans will repeal ObamaCare". Really? Then I'm votin' for them!<br /><br />This just shows how out of touch they really are with the public. If they had any brains at all, the would be trying to absorb parts of the Tea Party rather than alienating it. And calling 1/3 of the public racist isn't going to play well.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-83277871949599642922010-07-26T17:02:15.814-04:002010-07-26T17:02:15.814-04:00Andrew, the subtext to Biden's statement(thoug...Andrew, the subtext to Biden's statement(though I shutter at the thought of a Biden subtext...) is that <i>"the NAACP and John Lewis et al. have proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that the TP'ers are all a bunch of racists and the Republicans align themselves with the TP'ers, ergo, ipso facto prest-o chang-o the Republican are a bunch of racists." </i><br />With a wink, wink, nudge, nudge, Biden thought he was subtly scaring all those lost Independent voters back into the Democratic fold. No one wants to be thought of as a racist, right?BevfromNYChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14953050916932306270noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-91047412281491353752010-07-26T16:30:47.040-04:002010-07-26T16:30:47.040-04:00Bev, Very true. Team Obama really messed up and t...Bev, Very true. Team Obama really messed up and the Republicans played it perfectly. Now the Democrats have the impossible task of needing to explain why they did what they did, whereas the Republicans are already aligned with the country.<br /><br />Along these lines, I saw this weekend that Biden actually said "the Republican Party is the party of the Tea Party." Gee, thanks dummy! How stupid is that to associate your opponent with a cultural phenomenon that is capturing a huge, excited part of the electorate!<br /><br />With enemies like these, who need friends!AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-27072946333117397182010-07-26T16:26:43.110-04:002010-07-26T16:26:43.110-04:00It can worked out well for the Republicans to look...It can worked out well for the Republicans to look like a united party of adults for refusing to put their collective names on some of the more reprehensible bills. That puts them at an advantage going into election season. The Dems can call the Republicans the "Party of No", but they still don't get that the overwhelming majority of WTPeeps were screaming "NO, NO, NO" at ever turn. <br /><br />The Democrat candidates will have to do the really heavy lifting to explain why they didn't hear us. You can already see the backtracking and evasion with them.BevfromNYChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14953050916932306270noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-8437229887814549492010-07-26T16:07:29.223-04:002010-07-26T16:07:29.223-04:00Mega, It would have been a disaster. It takes a L...Mega, It would have been a disaster. It takes a LOT of failure before people are willing to realize that a socialist system is unsustainable. And then it takes another generation to undo the damage. We are still only half-way to fixing the mess Johnson created, and some communities haven't even begun to recover.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-39577718713731065162010-07-26T16:01:26.504-04:002010-07-26T16:01:26.504-04:00Interesting article! I agree with Bev, I think th...Interesting article! I agree with Bev, I think the right would have gone along with everything you say to try to sound bipartisan, and we would be in a huge, huge mess today. Thank God that didn't happen. This mess could have taken a lot longer than to clean up than it's taking to clean up the Great Society mess Johnson created!MegaTrollhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03234420338804013858noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-14911300181996341602010-07-26T15:19:58.124-04:002010-07-26T15:19:58.124-04:00Bev, I have to agree that this is one of those mom...Bev, I have to agree that this is one of those moments where we got lucky. . . or it was divine intervention.<br /><br />I think that if Obama had followed the plan above:<br /><br />(1) people would have felt much more confident in his plan -- since you wouldn't have had the chaos of Congress trying to pass things that weren't even written when the first vote came up;<br /><br />(2) Obama would have acted at a time when people still liked him a lot;<br /><br />(3) the proposals don't look scary at all the public; and<br /><br />(4) as you point out, I think most Republicans would have gone along because none of it looks threatening and they would have wanted to appear bipartisan.<br /><br />It was only the insanity of Pelosi/Reid, and Obama's willingness to let them run wild with their insanity, that turned the public against them and stopped their agenda cold. America got very, very lucky.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-15198458803607766642010-07-26T15:03:23.363-04:002010-07-26T15:03:23.363-04:00I totally agree with you, Andrew. Which is why I t...I totally agree with you, Andrew. Which is why I think Obama & Co. may look great on t.v., but are shockingly bad politicians. I think what really hurt them is when, right out of the gate, they got caught slamming through that $700B stimulus bill without reading it. That shocked everyone. Then they moved immmediately to slam the healthcare bill through in the same manner, but we the people screamed back wait just the darn minute. Remember the "townhalls" last summer? After the stimulus debacle, WTP wanted to know EXACTLY what in these bills that we had just assumed that our reps were reading and understanding. <br /><br />But I will add that I think that the Right side of the aisle would have worked with any incremental legislation just for the same reason you state in your article. On it's face, the smaller bills would make THEM look good and all "bi-partisan-y".<br /><br />Maybe God (and the Tea Partiers) are looking out for us.BevfromNYChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14953050916932306270noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-3741271864665789942010-07-26T14:47:34.729-04:002010-07-26T14:47:34.729-04:00P.S. Jed, There isn't enough money in the Trea...P.S. Jed, There isn't enough money in the Treasury for me to put on my Machiavelli hat for him. If he wants my advice (and I'll give it for free), put in place conservative policies.<br /><br />Actually, I take that back, for a couple billion, I'll help him out. . . of course, I will feed him conservative ideas and he wouldn't know the difference, so it's kind of a win win. :-)AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-53833876394403204872010-07-26T14:43:33.143-04:002010-07-26T14:43:33.143-04:00Jed, Cutting the payroll tax would actually have s...Jed, Cutting the payroll tax would actually have spurred a lot of employment. That's probably his biggest mistake, that he blew all of his budget on pay-offs to friends. . . he got greedy. He should have taken care of the country first, and then the payoffs.<br /><br />I want him gone in one term as well. I think this plan (which I do think would have worked) shows how dangerous he could have been. But even with his failure, he's pretty dangerous. He's spent us to the point of bankruptcy, he's discredited our foreign policy, he's mucked up parts of our economy, he's let Mexico fall into a civil war. . . etc., etc.<br /><br />The sooner he's gone the better. He just better take the Democrats in Congress with him!AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-19024261966257553722010-07-26T14:31:28.581-04:002010-07-26T14:31:28.581-04:00Certainly an interesting hypothesis, Andrew. It ma...Certainly an interesting hypothesis, Andrew. It may have worked, but it would ultimately hinge on unemployment. When he immediately broke all his campaign promises with his cabinet appointments, his credibility quickly came into question. All I know is, I want him out after one term. He can sit around writing his memoirs, blaming Bush, and lamenting he hadn't hired Andrew Price as an advisor.Tennessee Jedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10604275115906776992noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-65374383059605308082010-07-26T13:29:23.493-04:002010-07-26T13:29:23.493-04:00Thanks Ed. Don't worry about me changing side...Thanks Ed. Don't worry about me changing sides, I like our dental plan. ;D<br /><br />Seriously, I could never be on the left because I know that leftist policies don't work and I can't see myself believing something I know won't work.<br /><br />It is kind of scary that Obama could have pulled this off if he'd been smarter, so I'm glad he wasn't more capable. But that's what happens when you don't look for the most competent candidate, but instead look for the most flashy one.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-52676117911881825982010-07-26T13:21:47.952-04:002010-07-26T13:21:47.952-04:00This actually makes me happy. I think you're ...This actually makes me happy. I think you're right and that kind of scares me how easy it probably would have been for Obama to push all this through if he was smart about it. But he wasn't smart. Thank God you're on our side and not theirs!Ednoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-39163918820642111192010-07-26T12:03:48.883-04:002010-07-26T12:03:48.883-04:00Lawhawk, I think McCain and Obama share something ...Lawhawk, I think McCain and Obama share something else in common -- they've both been horrible for their parties.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-40865166493374982192010-07-26T11:34:35.393-04:002010-07-26T11:34:35.393-04:00Andrew: Your thesis is right on the money. The C...Andrew: Your thesis is right on the money. The Chicago political machine says "what can we get away with?" Obama thinks "what can I do to make me look like the Messiah?" Those two modes of thinking can work together occasionally, but when the empty suit decides that his messiahship might be damaged by the practical power-grab of the machine, the whole plan falls apart. The machine cynically plays the "we love the people, let's give them bread and circuses" ploy, while the Messiah actually believes he's on a mission to help the people. Both are dangers to the Republic, but they don't play well together.<br /><br />In an odd twist of irony, Obama has turned out to be for the Democratic Party what John McCain is for the Republicans. A weak, uninformed, not-too-bright "maverick" who thinks he's Abraham Lincoln.LawHawkRFDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17800255923675295515noreply@blogger.com