Obama’s character; GOP confidence
What’s Jonathan Chait been smoking? This is rather odd, even for him [emphasis mine]:
What’s most interesting is that Republicans never hammered home a strong character narrative about Obama. The party’s M.O. since Bill Clinton has been to make the Democratic nominee personally unacceptable — a liar, a flip-flopper, a phony, a girly man. There have been some half attempts to flesh out a story about Obama as arrogant, but it’s a weak charge and it hasn’t really gone anywhere.
Why have Republicans abandoned their playbook against Obama? One reason is that they’ve been confounded by race, and unable to craft a negative personal message that didn’t make them feel vulnerable to charges of racism. Another reason is that they feel confident — excessively confident, I’d say — that they can beat Obama on the economy and policy, blaming his Big Government policies for the recession.
I’ve noticed that lately, many of the charges about Obama’s lying, flip-flopping, and weakness have come from the left, and they have in fact gained traction on that side. And it’s no surprise that the right has found it hard to craft a criticism of Obama that doesn’t leave them vulnerable to charges of racism, because all criticism of Obama from the right has been defined as racism by the left.
And maybe it’s just the blogs and periodicals I happen to read—but man, I haven’t seen anything near approaching confidence on the right. More like frustration and even a bit of despair that, despite Obama’s poor showing as a president and his resultant vulnerability, the really appealing GOP candidates are not running. That leaves the Republicans with slim pickings in the presidential race for 2012.
Speaking of slim pickings, we have this.
One. More. Time. “Republicans. They thirst for death.”
1996 was the last election in which either party nominated a qualified Presidential candidate.
Sounds to me like Chait’s projecting his own worst fear here. He thinks Obama is genuinely vulnerable on the economy.
As long as they try to be good guys by not acting, they will be prisoners of the name calling masse sof morons who respond to it.
but eventually, at some point either they quit and go home always accepting number II, or they say, ok.
i will be like richard the III..
if they call me mean, nasty, etc… then lets show them what that really is… if we are to be damned for crimes never committed, then lets go out and do that kind of thing and reap the reward.
basically i would just go all out and slam him
let them charge racism
then say yes… we ARE racists, we granted affirmative action, signed bills for 8a program to discriminate against certain races, etc.
well no more discrimination… we will no longer look through race eyes to make choices, we will no longer make programs by race.
if judging a man by the content of his character and his merit in action, is racist, then the best of us all are racists..
and keep going..
the horrible end that they think would happen wont. because the racism charge only works for a fixed amoutn of people who are already pumped max. that is, regardless of the call or whining, the number will NOT increase by much.
ie. those that care about race are already maxed, and so you cant max them more.
and those that dont, and are smarter, arent diverted by the charge.
its just stupidity…
and the moment that they ignore it and move forwards, the more they can actually take race based laws and negate them.
damned if you do
and
damned if you dont
might as well do… no?
Artfldgr,
Well said. If one lives in fear of being unjustly called “racist,” then one is alwys the weakest link.
Can’t live in dhimmitude of any kind and accomplish anything of value
It is now time for fiscal conservatives in general, and the Republicans, in particular, to follow the exhortation of Frederick the Great as voiced by George S. Patton: “L’audace, l’audace, toujours l’audace.'”(audacity, audacity, always audacity).
The reason Trump suddenly surges to second place is that he is the only one with the cojones to say what everyone else is thinking.
The Republican electorate is so desparate for someone with a bit of courage to stand up to the Left’s slanders, etc. that people are willing to overlook the very numerous Trump negatives. A sad state of affairs, and if it continues hands Obama the election with barely a challenge.
By far my favorite Tolkien is the Silmarillion and my favorite story “Of Turin Turambar.” One of the story’s main characters is Glaurung, a dragon.
The Obama machine is, I think, aptly thought of as a dragon. (Note: Obama by himself is not a dragon. The machine includes Soros, the funder, and the state media, the deceivers.)
Dragons are not easily defeated. People despair of defeating dragons and enter into “contracts” where the dragon is given their children, usually daughters. But one of a dragon’s few vulnerabilities is their own pride and belief in their invincibility.
To defeat a dragon you need a knight of courage or, like Turin, a knight who’s tragic flaws (and rage) cause him to seek atonement by defeating evil. I don’t see either a dark or white knight (although Trump is doing some nice challenging of late!).
However, dragons are sometimes defeated by their pride, when, after victory upon victory, they forget they have a weak spot. And this is where the Obama machine is vulnerable because it’s figurehead, Obama, is extraordinarily arrogant.
One last observation about the Silmarillion: Although the book is dark and tragic, the ultimate message is this:
“…thou, Melkor, shalt see that no theme may be played that hath not its uttermost source in me, nor can any alter the music in my despite. For he that attempteth this shall prove but mine instrument in the devising of things more wonderful, which he himself hath not imagined.”
Alleging Obama is arrogant is a weak charge?
I definitely want to move to Chait’s planet. It sounds very nice.
Arrogant? From a guy who says he’s the one we’ve been waiting for (I know, he literally said “we,” but that was obviously the royal “we”), who talks about making the seas recede, who reassures his party with “You’ve got me?” Where did they get arrogant from that?
http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2011/04/obamas_let_them_eat_cake_momen.html
Dragon arrogance revealed then concealed.
I’m going on record that Trump is not slim pickings.
T –
And the leftists are no doubt thinking of a similar remark attributed to that fun-loving French Revolutionary Danton:
“Il faut de l’audace, encore de l’audace, toujours de l’audace.”
I like Patton’s l’audace better. Perhaps, just perhaps, the American people are coming to see the difference between the two.
Kolnai,
I think the American public is moving in this direction one baby step at at time. Small steps, but most importantly, the correct direction.