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| Home Front: Politix |
| There is an Art to Good Politics; WWII Memorial Shows Obama as Artless. |
| 2013-10-06 |
| Back in 2006, I wrote about the artlessness of Hillary Clinton, who could have turned a story around to her advantage, and seemed masterful and above the fray at the same time. Hillary was artless. Today we’re watching another display of political artlessness going down at the World War II Memorial, where 90-year old veterans of that war are being wheeled to that monument (and apparently the Lincoln memorial) by personal attendees — some of whom, no doubt, are trained in CPR — and the Obama government, who handled yesterday stupidly, is heading into a face off with them, by erecting spite fences around a completely open-air memorial*. In denying the group of aged veterans permission to enter the memorial, Obama, like Hillary in 2006, missed an opportunity to turn the whole story around, and brilliantly: Instead of denying the veterans — who are very old, unlikely to be making a second trip and who have damn well earned the right to see their memorial — Obama should have personally greeted them there, respectfully toured the memorial with them, listened to a few stories and then made some remarks about how everything the veterans have fought for is now “under attack and being threatened” by politicking, and extremism and we must always fight for all Americans, rhetoric, rhetoric blah, blah”, and the president should have posed for pictures with the vets and promised that “any vet could always come to their memorials, whether the government is shut down or not, because we owe them that much.” The press would have eaten it up, and Obama — particularly if he had been able to discipline himself (questionable) to speaking respectfully of the opposition, and not calling them his “enemies”, or “terrorists” — would have absolutely defused this story, and made himself look masterful in the process. Instead of creating a bad-optics story out of stubbornness and spite, he’d have completely owned the story, to his advantage. Yes, I know, such a statement would properly have to go to congress, so “funding” for the parks could be re-instated, but Obama has no problem issuing Executive Fiats to laws outside of what is strictly required — he’s done it many times with the Affordable Care Act — so I am sure he would be given a pass for letting the veteran’s through. So, yes, Obama is artless. I believe Bill Clinton, or Ronald Reagan, facing a similar situation, would have taken control of it in the most positive way possible, and they’ve have won the day. But they were better at this presidenting thing, than Obama. If they hated the people who didn’t vote for them, they never let it show. It was never so obvious. But we’re in a different world, now. *Correct me if I’m wrong, but I think the World War II memorial is privately funded and staffed by volunteers. I’ll confirm that and get back on it. |
| Posted by:Korora |
| #12 Stalin, Hitler, and Pol Pot would be proud... Maybe they will soon share something else in common with The Won.... |
| Posted by: Glenmore 2013-10-06 17:55 |
| #11 He is on course with his plans. This whole event is working perfectly. He would be artless if one were to suppose he had America's best interests at heart. He wants to bring America down to Chicagoland/banana republic politics. With that in mind he is performing admirably. Stalin, Hitler, and Pol Pot would be proud... |
| Posted by: 49 Pan 2013-10-06 16:46 |
| #10 the gullible are now getting sticker shock on Obamacare. Nothing hits like a financial hit, bitches! Hope and Less Change! |
| Posted by: Frank G 2013-10-06 15:18 |
| #9 Champ showed that he is artless long ago. Unfortunately, he is very good at duping the gullible. |
| Posted by: JohnQC 2013-10-06 15:15 |
| #8 "When the Free Lunches are discontinued, we will be in a world of trouble." Can't happen soon enough for me. |
| Posted by: Barbara 2013-10-06 13:30 |
| #7 Those old veterans are leaving the scene in large numbers daily & soon they won't matter to the Free Lunch Party, the largest & most influential in American politics at the moment & for the foreseeable future. When the Free Lunches are discontinued, we will be in a world of trouble. |
| Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418 2013-10-06 12:50 |
| #6 Second Steve White. Hanging out at Iwo Jima, greeting the corpse men? I'm not military, but made it a point to learn about the Armed Services. If I see someone in uniform, I can tell which service, rank, usually the unit, and some ribbons. These guys took on fanatics with the bayonet, or the long lance, or the neibleworfer. This guy showed his ass to the military long ago, and is doing it again when just weeks ago he was offering to send this generation's greatest into a land war in Syria. Pro or con, how can a person lead the new warriors while dismissing the auld breed? No, this guy is a pusher. |
| Posted by: swksvolFF 2013-10-06 12:30 |
| #5 Steve S is right: Champ would have been boo'd and scorned. The One can't handle that. The Anchoress is right on the principle and wrong on the details. |
| Posted by: Steve White 2013-10-06 09:46 |
| #4 Thuggery in Chicago is an art in of itself, at least to the practitioners. Sort of like Vogon poetry. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2013-10-06 08:19 |
| #3 Bill Clinton would have been there laying on palms, collecting wallets and wives. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2013-10-06 04:52 |
| #2 Obama should have personally greeted them there, The danger with that is at best being heckled by a bunch of old guys and worse, being mobbed by them. These are guys that actually did something. Hard to imagine them idolizing an empty-suit community organizer. |
| Posted by: SteveS 2013-10-06 03:09 |
| #1 As long as the "public sector" is on his side (or vice versa), what does he needs with art? |
| Posted by: g(r)omgoru 2013-10-06 01:36 |