Posted on 01/17/2010 8:26:04 AM PST by IbJensen
As I read Game Change , a recurring motif is how often Barack Obama would be bored or annoyed by either his Senatorial duties or the rigors of campaigning. He is not infrequently "fatigued" or "tired" or "peevish." If we had known of these qualities we might better have appreciated his readiness for the office.
He has been AWOL quite often on the issues of the day (his penchant for playing golf is a problem) as others toil away to do the heavy lifting (Reid, Pelosi). He was slow to respond to the Christmas Day terror attack, as well. They just weren't fun as say, trips down Broadway or to Copenhagen or some speeches before crowds.
Excerpt (page 108):
The schedule was killing him. The fatigue was all-consuming. The events piled up on top of one another, making his temples ache. He tried not to bitch and moan too much, except when it got out of hand-meaning almost every day.
He also grew exasperated that Hillary would continue her campaign as long as she did-how dare she? "Obama was frustrated. By the end of his winning streak, the thrill of victory had lost a modicum of its luster for him. He complained to his aides about the sameness of the succession of mega-rallies, about a certain staleness creeping in" (page 229). He complained that , "these people never die" (meaning the Clintons).
"His irritation was leavened by a grudging respect for Hillary's tenacity" (page 229). Irritation - how dare they not fall into line. When Hillary started winning contests, "Obama was having no fun at all. He was consumed by visions of doom"(page 248). The book is laced with this dichotomy: he was blissful and happy when the crowds were rapturous towards him (even that was subject to the laws of diminishing returns but was dejected and irritated when the slog continued, just as he found work as a Senator drudgery.
That is just one of many examples of his approach to the hard work of campaigning. No wonder he complains about the mess he has had to clean up
Another excerpt:
His team had , of course, done background research regarding Hillary Clinton. The public had "Clinton fatigue, that is was bubbling out there..the trick would be to incite it, subtly, by implication and inference. To revive the voters' worst memories of the Clinton years..to eviscerate her without damaging Obama's reputation as an exponent of clear politics. To go negative, in other words, without seeming nasty. We will do this, Obama said , but he was adamant that certain ethical boundaries not be breached".
(pages 119-120)
Well it is commendable that certain boundaries were established - unclear and unstated as they may have been. But it certainly did not extend to refusing to use the race card against Hillary Clinton and later McCain. The book reveals several examples of how Obama and his campaign played the race card (distorting Bill Clinton's words, referring to McCain supporters who may not vote for a man to be President who doesn't look like other presidents on dollar bills, working with black media to stoke the issue, using surrogates such as Jesse Jackson, Jr., to prolong the controversy-see page 198).
He also taunted Hillary Clinton with the story that her campaign had planted a question at a public appearance. "Obama was enjoying himself, too, at Hillary's expense. He and his advisers took no small pleasure in the planted question story..at town halls, Obama would slyly mock Clinton" by challenging the audience to ask him any question they want (page 160). Then, of course, there was his mocking comment after she was asked about her likeability "You're likeable enough Hillary." Afterwards, Hillary "marveled, yet again, at the insufferability of Obama's arrogance" (page 180).
He also was offended when John McCain called him out for hypocrisy. Obama had agreed to work with McCain and others on both sides of the aisle for a bipartisan initiative on ethics. Obama had attended a meeting with the bipartisan group but then backed away, neglecting to call McCain to inform him of his decision to instead side with a Democratic version of ethics legislation. McCain was offended at what he considered both a betrayal and rudeness and objected that Obama was just exploiting the issue for political gain. Obama retorted to his staff, "I'm not interested in being bitch-slapped by John McCain" (pages 324-325). This is just one example of Barack Obama's use of profanity revealed in the book - apparently the master of rhetoric and one of the great orators of our time is not reluctant to swear-including the "F-Word."
When the financial crisis hit before election day and both McCain and Obama flew to Washington to meet with President Bush and Congressional leaders to discuss what needed to be done, "Obama was annoyed at having to be there rather than preparing for the debate" (page 387). Obama being annoyed and irritated and peevish are not uncommon occurrences.
So much for a new kind of politics. No politics of joy here.
Running throughout the book is the pass that major media continually gave Barack Obama. All these instances of his conduct and revelations of his feeling bored, fatigued, irritated, annoyed were readily available real time in 2008. Instead the media fell into line and refused to report. Even now we see the same bias in play: why have none of these revelations about Barack Obama been covered by any of the many reviews of this best-selling book?
As people read this book - and it is compulsively readable - they should ask themselves the same question: why does Barack Obama always get a pass from the media -- always?
He is the pet du jour of the propagandists, possibly their greatest accomplishment. Present the tabula rasa. Write the narrative.
He exhibits all the traits of someone who’s doing drugs. Think about it.
Except Chancy Gardner was likeable. Can’t say the same for Prez Zero.
Should we start calling him Nero? Fiddling while the nation burns? Nero the O.
He watched Clinton seem to sail through, but billyboy didn't really give a sh*t about anything as long as he had his drugs and got his nookie. Bush labored at it but he faced real problems, not teapot tempests like Obama has, and he was hounded relentlessly by domestic enemies including Obama himself. Reagan made it look easy, but Reagan was a man.
Obama is a chickensh*t who just can't cut the mustard.
Sometimes the subtle approach is best. This is not one of those times
Genius.
When a small man casts a big shadow, it means the sun is getting ready to set.
I bet Rush knows.
Just a reminder.
0bomba has informed all our opponents that the "existing federal air marshal force of more than 3,200 personnel would be deployed almost exclusively to overseas flights flown by U.S. carriers." starting on Feb 1.
Yes. the traitor announced that domestic flights would finally be free of those pesky air marshals.
It reminds me a little bit of my experience with him when he was president of the Harvard Law Review. You know, I hesitated to say a lot about this during the campaign because I really thought maybe it wasn't fair. That maybe, finally, when he got to be President, this would be a job big enough to engage and hold Barack Obama's sustained interest, because really, is there a bigger job out here?
[...]
[W]hen he was at the HLR you did get a very distinct sense that he was the kind of guy who much more interested in being the president of the Review, than he was in doing anything as president of the Review.
A lot of the time he quote/unquote "worked from home", which was sort of a shorthand - and people would say it sort of wryly - shorthand for not really doing much. He just wasn't around. Most of the day to day work was carried out by the managing editor of the Review, my predecessor, a great guy called Tom Pirelli whose actually going to be one of the assistant attorney generals now.
He's the one who did most of the day to day work. Barack Obama was nowhere to be seen. Occasionally he would drop in he would talk to people, and then he'd leave again as though his very arrival had been a benediction in and of itself, but not very much got done.
So, you know, you see that and you think, gosh, maybe that's the way the guy operates, hut then you figure ok, obviously he always had his eye on bigger and better things.
But now he's President...there really isn't a bigger or better thing.
Cut the muster.
That's because he has had everything handed to him. Obama is the reductio ad absurdum of affirmative action.
You forgot
(6) He’s a black MARXIST - how could they resist?
I remember her talking about this when she filled in for Hugh Hewitt. I wish she had said more. There are a lot of interesting comments at that link but it’s kind of funny—they don’t sound much different than the kind people are still making today even though that was 10 months ago.
You damn right the bozo POS is not a leader of anything.
Other than puck around with golf, eat $100.00 pound Kobe steak, sneak smokes,shoot hoops, do a line or two of nose candy and choke his chicken, I can’t see a thing he can do.
He can read from a teleprompter.
Exactly right.
We knew it long ago but the fawning public at large did not or refused to see it. They needed to see just how bad it can get...and so quickly in order to wake up. There will always be the leftie-looney fringe but they’re in the minority. I’m very optimistic this year, more so than in the last 2 years.
It isn’t goingt o be too much longer with his poll numbers falling that he doesn’t finally show his true self to the American people. WE all know exactly who and what he is but soon they all will see too. I can’t wait until he shows his @$$ like I know he will.
He is steadily losing weight.
His eyes were very puffy as he spoke at the church service today. His left eye was nearly closed.
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