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Obama, lost in thought ["simple-minded partisans" frustrated]
Washington Post ^ | April 26, 2011 | Dana Milbank

Posted on 04/27/2011 2:02:05 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife

When I covered George W. Bush’s White House, my job was made easier by the simplicity of the subject. The president had a few defining mantras — Cut taxes! Rally the base! Terrorists hate freedom! With us or against us! — and most of his decisions could be understood, even predicted, by applying one of the overarching philosophies.

With President Obama, there is no such luxury. The political right is befuddled as it tries to explain him: First, Obama was a tyrant and a socialist; now he’s a weakling who refuses to lead. The political left is almost as confused, demanding to know why Obama gave away so much on health care and in budget negotiations. Nearly everybody puzzles over Obama’s ad hoc responses to Egypt, Libya and now Syria, grasping for a still-elusive Obama Doctrine.

Seeking a template to understand the enigmatic president, I consulted three leading academics in the fields of psychology and behavior. With their help, I put Obama on the couch and came away with a reasonably coherent diagnosis: There’s too much going on in the poor guy’s head.

[snip]

...........In an ideal world, complex and rational thought would be virtues. But in politics, these attributes can make Obama seem ambiguous, without toughness or principles. “It isn’t because he lacks a moral compass — it’s because he understands there are a lot of moral forces at play,” U-Va.’s Haidt says. “This is why people get frustrated with him. The more of a partisan you are, the more simple-minded you are.”

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...


TOPICS: Editorial; Government; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: ideology; intellect; obama; presidency
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To: Cincinatus' Wife

LOL...I saw who the author was of this article and knew right where it would lead.


41 posted on 04/27/2011 4:00:18 AM PDT by SueRae (I can see November 2012 from my HOUSE!!!!!!!!)
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To: Cincinatus' Wife
When Obama expounds on A-N-Y subject any thinking person can know why it's so difficult to get to his heart of the matter.

We feel the same frustration when we try to define 'a' or 'the.'

Still, the boundless difficulty is the awe we feel at watching an Obama audience that doesn't rest every chin firmly on chest with mouth agape just knowing at least one smart thing has to come out of Obama's mouth...someday...it just has to.

42 posted on 04/27/2011 4:02:07 AM PDT by stevem
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To: Quiller

“MAYBE, people would begin to see 0 as a leader, rather than the poseur he has proven himself to be. “

It would also be more credible if he’d work more than six hour days, quit partying so much (while Rome burns) and QUIT TAKING SO MANY BLOODY VACATIONS!

It’s not in his makeup though.


43 posted on 04/27/2011 4:02:35 AM PDT by PreciousLiberty
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To: Cincinatus' Wife
I been mulling over Obama these last couple of days, and it has occurred to me that Obama is acting the way a man could be expected to act if every single morning, he woke up wondering if this would be the day it all caves in.

There was a story on a Japanese TV channel several months ago about a guy who lied to his wife about winning the lottery. Wife immediately told all her friends and neighbors, who told all THEIR friends and neighbors -- and suddenly this guy was swamped with huge lines of credit, promotion gifts, all kinds of goodies.

From there it just snowballed. He lived like a king on that lie for several months without being asked to pay a single bill, but he knew it was a lie, and he knew he would eventually get caught. Which, in due course, he was.

Afterwards, he was heard to remark that the sensation he felt when the police arrived was actually "relief". He was relieved that the lie had been exposed and he could stop pretending.

Look at things that way, it's no wonder that Obama is such a glutton for luxurious vacations, exotic expensive cuisine, parties, limousines, etc... all the perks and trimmings of the Presidency, but less excited about the actual work.

He knows he's on borrowed time and that sooner or later he's going to be exposed as the fraud he is.

44 posted on 04/27/2011 4:08:32 AM PDT by Ronin ("A society of sheep must in time beget a government of wolves" -- Bertrand de Jouve)
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To: Gondring

Honest! The “professors” spoke those words!


45 posted on 04/27/2011 4:19:21 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
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To: Zeppo

I am not worthy to answer.


46 posted on 04/27/2011 4:20:44 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
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To: BobP

Oh, that’s great!


47 posted on 04/27/2011 4:21:57 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
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To: Erik Latranyi
...Remember Clinton and how the media kept trying to identify his "core", waiting for every State of the Union speech where he would finally define his "center". He never did because Clinton was a politician more than a liberal and would say/do whatever to be popular.

And the media finally decided to drop that lie and instead went with, "He's such a great and convincing liar."

48 posted on 04/27/2011 4:26:27 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
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To: Cincinatus' Wife

Obama’s message is pretty simple, Raise taxes on the rich, rally the base, spend spend spend. Delegate all responsible to underlings. Take no responsiblity for anything. Play golf while he let his underlings do all the work. Obama is very predictable


49 posted on 04/27/2011 4:26:27 AM PDT by 4rcane
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To: PreciousLiberty

He define bad decision he agree with as complex, and good decision he disagree with as simple minded


50 posted on 04/27/2011 4:27:54 AM PDT by 4rcane
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To: Cincinatus' Wife
Even if you clip plastic angel wings on the devil... he is still the devil... and obama is still a stupid evil demon.

LLS

51 posted on 04/27/2011 4:44:33 AM PDT by LibLieSlayer (WOLVERINES!!!)
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To: Cincinatus' Wife

Predictable MSM drivel.


52 posted on 04/27/2011 4:47:31 AM PDT by yup2394871293
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To: Cincinatus' Wife

Obama is a racist black man, in a job that is way over his head.

He has no problem being tough on the issues he understands, but he doesn’t understand anything that doesn’t pertain to his racism.

He is Marion Barry only he isn’t running a small Southern Town that gets funds from the Fedaral Government. He is running the Federal Government and giving the funds to everybody.


53 posted on 04/27/2011 4:47:54 AM PDT by Venturer
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To: Cincinatus' Wife

Predictable MSM drivel.


54 posted on 04/27/2011 4:48:37 AM PDT by yup2394871293
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To: Cincinatus' Wife

“My husband just read this and remarked, “They think conservatives are a bunch of toothless rubes, playing a banjo all day long with a hound dog at our feet.””

They think that anyone who doesn’t believe the same things they do is an idiot, because they think, for some inexplicable reason, that they are particularly clever.


55 posted on 04/27/2011 4:49:37 AM PDT by pieceofthepuzzle
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To: Zeppo
Dana Milbank argues Obama's capacity for complex thought can be an attribute or a liability. Which do you typically perceive it as?

I believe we can call this collection of logical fallacies a mixture of false dilemma (presents an either/or choice where additional options are not mentioned) and complex question (the question presumes the "truth" of "Obama's capacity for complex thought").

56 posted on 04/27/2011 4:57:11 AM PDT by kevkrom ("Winning The Future" = WTF = What The F*** / "Kinetic Military Action" = KMA = Kiss My A**)
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To: susannah59

I don’t think he is very smart either but if you start with the premise that he is obviously set on destroying the USA then he begins to look a lot smarter than he does if you believe he actually wants to be a great president.

Name all the ways he could improve on his performance based on the assumption that his REAL GOAL is to destroy this country in the shortest time possible.

Give one good reason to believe his REAL GOAL is NOT to destroy this country in the shortest time possible.


57 posted on 04/27/2011 5:01:42 AM PDT by RipSawyer (Trying to reason with a liberal is like teaching algebra to a tomcat.)
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To: 4rcane

“...Raise taxes on the rich, rally the base, spend spend spend...”

This is the Liberal prototype on steroids.

Everything that is and has always been wrong with Liberalism and Liberal leaders in America is magnified and enlarged to the maximum and most dangerously asinine extreme in “O”.

When Conservatives consider a challenger to “O”, I hope their choice is a strong and steady individual with a clear understanding of what is needed to reverse the damage he and his creatures have done. Four years of Conservative leadership after the “O” debacle will NOT be sufficient to restore this country.


58 posted on 04/27/2011 5:13:07 AM PDT by SMARTY (Conforming to non-conformity is conforming just the same!)
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To: Cincinatus' Wife

2 years is so far away.


59 posted on 04/27/2011 5:15:00 AM PDT by GoCards (RUN SARAH RUN)
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To: Cincinatus' Wife

Leftists are brilliant, conservatives are stoopid......
Leftists are brilliant, conservatives are stoopid...
Leftists are brilliant, conservatives are stoopid.....


60 posted on 04/27/2011 5:16:14 AM PDT by ripley
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