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| Home Front: Politix |
| Obama's Ohio town hall train-wreck |
| 2010-01-22 |
| Jim Geraghty, "Campaign Spot" @ National Review ...today in Ohio, it seemed like the president was way off his game. But I thought he was defensive, prickly, almost indignant that he's found himself in the tough spot that he's in. He began by talking about how much he didn't like being in Washington, and apparently said something about the job being stifling. Sir, you spent two years trying to get this job. One of his rallying cries as, "This is not about me!" Yes, Mr. President, but it's about the decisions you make and the policies you're trying to enact. He made a reference to bankers who "click their heels and watch their stocks skyrocket." Was he going with a Dorothy in Oz metaphor? Do bankers click their heels? "I won't stop fighting to bring back jobs here," worked as an applause line, but I wondered how it worked outside the venue. That insinuates he's been doing it for the first year, as unemployment has steadily increased. He's calling on Congress to "pass a jobs bill." I thought the stimulus was supposed to do that. As Caleb Howe noticed, he said "I won't stop fighting to open up government" while breaking the promise about health care bill negotiations being on C-SPAN. I realize he's using it to justify a new tax on banks, but I think "we want our money back" is a dangerous chant for a man who so steadily expands government spending. UPDATE: A very out-of-rhythm speech was followed by some of the most obscure and unhelpful questions ever uttered at a town hall meeting. I was left with a bit of sympathy for President Obama, as questioner after questioner asked about their own specific concerns, often way out of the president's duties, responsibilities, and realm of expertise: one guy was an inventor who wanted to give him a sales pitch, one woman lamented the impatience of the American people before complaining about a slow response from the state environmental agency over her toddler's lead poisoning, one guy wanted to read the president a poem, a woman who talked about the problem of finding students for her truck driving school, an old lady who was upset that her Social Security didn't have a cost-of-living-increase, and a guy who had the patent for some wind turbine issue that was in a fight with some company about. One poor soul raised his hand and just wanted to shake Obama's hand. |
| Posted by:Mike |
| #12 This guy had a chance to listen to Town Hall meetings last August but they refused to listen and called the people "the mob". This evening on Drudge Report, Washington is now saying "Health Care" reform has "hit a buzz saw". CAN YOU HEAR US NOW!!?? What took you so long, Washington? |
| Posted by: Chereting Snetch4156 2010-01-22 23:32 |
| #11 His talking about himself in the third person creeped me out. Admittedly, with him it doesn't take much to creep me out. you know he does it during sex too. "Do you like when Obama does this?....ah yeah, baby" |
| Posted by: Frank G 2010-01-22 22:46 |
| #10 His upcoming State of The Union should be very interesting. I suspect we'll all be getting a Harvard level, assistant prof lecture. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2010-01-22 21:59 |
| #9 His talking about himself in the third person creeped me out. Admittedly, with him it doesn't take much to creep me out. |
| Posted by: Gomez Threter7450 2010-01-22 21:49 |
| #8 my big bridge project has structural stainless steel railing being fabricated at an Elyria plant. I requested contamination testing today after hearing this tool would be spewing his lying jive. Ultrasonic and dye-penetrant testing doesn't pick up lying jive contamination. You just have to grind or air-gouge out the anomalies or it will bite you a year or two later... /steel-geek-talk |
| Posted by: Frank G 2010-01-22 21:30 |
| #7 Was he going with a Dorothy in Oz metaphor? Do bankers click their heels? Nah, that's how Statists project onto their "enemies"...(?) |
| Posted by: Uncle Phester 2010-01-22 21:23 |
| #6 The questions are simply a reflection of the intelligence level of his remaining supporters. |
| Posted by: DoDo 2010-01-22 19:58 |
| #5 "I won't stop fighting to bring back jobs here," a promise he will likely keep as you cannot stop something you have not begun to do |
| Posted by: abu do you love 2010-01-22 19:02 |
| #4 When a manager is promoted beyond their level of competence you often see them do start doing their last job rather then their current one. They regress to their comfort zone whether it's appropriate or not. Obama knows how to campaign, but has no clue how to govern the country. Therefore, it's off to Ohio for a "campaign stop". |
| Posted by: DMFD 2010-01-22 18:49 |
| #3 See he lost the tie again. Is this the new thing?The Ahmadinejad look? |
| Posted by: tu3031 2010-01-22 18:08 |
| #2 I wondered how that would go. I suspected that The One is not the most popular guy in Lorain and that they would have a hard time getting shills to ask set up questions. Sounds like they ended up with the followers who come to ask the anointed one to heal them. Sad for all. |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2010-01-22 17:30 |
| #1 He made a reference to bankers who "click their heels and watch their stocks skyrocket." Was he going with a Dorothy in Oz metaphor? Do bankers click their heels? Of course. That's how they manipulate profit-to-earnings ratios. |
| Posted by: lex 2010-01-22 17:02 |