Normal Service Resumed (Let's Tell Peggy What We Think)

The Wall St. Journal ^ | 2/4/05 | Peggy Noonan

[Fenris6]

"like something I might have read here YESTERDAY!!!"

Thats why I think this one is a sleeper. Most of it I've already seen on Powerline, etc

[Irish Rose]

"While in the previous paragraph, she bemoans the possibilities that come with personal freedom of choice."

She wasn't bemoaning anything. She was speculating on how President Bush's more complicated Social Security would sit with people--whether they would enjoy more decisions, options, etc. or not.

[Fenris6]

"She wasn't bemoaning anything."

You're wasting your breath. If Noonan had written the SOTU these same people would be parsing *that* and divining flaws. Its the same crew from the last 4 bash-Noonan threads.

[Don'tMessWithTexas]

Favoring the Bush plan is the fact that it is aimed primarily at the young. When you are just entering adulthood and beginning a career you tend not to find life too complicated because you haven't already made a thousand big decisions and lived with their repercussions. But I sometimes think of Ayn Rand's sister, who came from Russia to visit the celebrated author in New York. She walked into an American supermarket for the first time and was overwhelmed: too much choice, a thousand kinds of cereal, doesn't it all give you a headache? Rand was impatient; her sister came from the land of No Choice, and wasn't up to the battle. A young person of course would not be overwhelmed by options but revel in them. Still, if, as the president seemed to suggest throughout his speech, gray-haired baby boomers are calling all the shots in America, we'll see if the gray-haired ones really hunger for more decisions to make.

This is her attempt at political commentary. While she made a cute reference to Rand's sister, her point got lost. Is she supporting private accounts or dismissing them? Seems to be "calibrating" her answer.

[Don'tMessWithTexas]

What's with the Little Big Man tag?

[garandgal]

I don't like "fingers-in-the-wind" people.

I don't like the Senate, either.

That being said, I actually agreed with Peggy, for the most part on both pieces. I thought the inaugural address had some "over the top" points. I'm not talking about the "God" thing; which was not at all her main point to begin with. I just thought it was badly written, and came across as rather bizarrely Utopian in nature.

Peggy is a great conservative; but is also very sharp at PR, and how speeches and words "go over." When selling an idea, you never want to make the audience uncomfortable...and the target audience is NOT political pundits.

The speech Tuesday night was a huge improvement. It fit the President and his style; and although I didn't agree with every single point, it definitely outlined his goals & accomplishments...and was quite uplifting.

Most everyone loved the speech. You will notice who is already complaining today (including some Republicans about S.S.)....THAT'S RIGHT! The "finger in the wind" Senate! LOL

[Miss Marple]

I don't think that Little Big Man was a reference to the movie, as much as saying Bush is not great.

[nopardons]

The Inaugural speech was NOT "Messianic at all and she refuses to let go of it.Then,there's her calling the president " little big man" in this article to boot.This isn't just some "new" phase Peggy's in,many of her columns,this entire year and earlier,have smacked of damning with faint praise and outright damning of President Bush's speeches.

I doubt that any two people have ever agreed about everything 100% of the time,but Peggy's been more wrong than right about President Bush for quite a while now and here simpering prose has been unpalatable for far longer than that.

[paulat]

Why is this in Breaking News?

Take it up with the Admin Monitor...not me. If he pulls it, he pulls it. Get over it.

[nopardons]

Tough.......FR isn't some soft porn site and those pictures shouldn't be posted here anyway!

[nopardons]

SEE? I told ya so...much to the distress of the lone drooler.

[Don'tMessWithTexas]

I don't know if my recollection is accurate but Little Big Man was about a shyster who may have been in the middle of some big events, but could have been a big liar too. I get the feeling that this is a consescending remark too.

The entire article seems rather pedestrian and tepid. PN offers no insight whatsoever. I find it hard to believe that she's pulling down a paycheck for writing this stuff.

[paulat]

Uh...don't you get ???

[Irish Rose]

The "reference" to Rand's sister made a point--namely, a lot of choices can overwhelm people, especially when they're used to no choice. They may not like it. Noonan is not, in that paragraph, aiming to "dismiss" or "support" private accounts. She's writing about how people will react to them.

[Don'tMessWithTexas]

I agree. I think she's implying that GW is an inconsequential person. Over the last weeks, I think we're beginning to see what she really thinks of him.

[Don'tMessWithTexas]

In PN's world, everything is so overwhelming for ordinary people. It's in complete conformity with her little garden column last summer.

[Miss Marple]

However, since those who are nearing retirement (over 56) will not be affected, whether they enjoy making choices or not is irrelevant. A better musing would be whether younger voters want responsibility.

[nopardons]

Peggy is an aging ingenue of the worst kind and a hack. She damns the president with faint praise,slams the Inaugural speech,yet again ("MESSIANIC" and UNCLEAR and unfocused is what she thinks,and I use that word advisedly,it was),hit people her age as being too addled to be able to actually handle their own money better than the Social Security bureaucrats can,and talks down to those younger. It's all a left handed compliment here and an oh so girlish stab at trying to look God only know what,with the Rand anecdote there,and yet another foray into twee girlish insult with the little big man poke in the eye.

[Fenris6]

"I think she's implying that GW is an inconsequential person"

Hey PJ - don't bother dumpster diving at DU tonight, we've got our own foil here at FR :)

[Irish Rose]

I haven't the slightest idea. At first I was wondering if the president is short, and so it's something about physical height=little, other-sort-of-stature=big. And then I remembered that he's almost six feet, and my only theory is ruined.