The Beltway's Favorite Tax Metaphor (Massive Media Joke Calling Obama the "Adult" in Debt Talks)

The Wall Street Journal ^ | 07/19/11 | William McGurn

[MissesBush]

In a Washington deadlocked over taxes and spending, there is nothing more cherished than its favorite metaphor—and nothing more revealing about the way our Beltway establishment thinks.

Look at the ongoing negotiations over raising the debt ceiling. Almost from the beginning, President Obama has been described as being, or hoping to position himself as, "the adult in the room." This has become the received metaphor, operating as a sort of Gresham's law of political dialogue: Once introduced, it drives out most any other possible language.

Here are just a handful of examples from the past few weeks:

"Leading off: The adult in the room? That's how President Obama is trying to portray himself, the calm daddy trying to discipline the group of unruly children on the other side of Pennsylvania Avenue." (Chuck Todd, "Hardball"). "[I]f you are playing the responsible adult in the room and the other guy is willing to blow up the room if he doesn't get exactly what he wants, that puts you in a bad negotiating position" (Paul Krugman, "This Week with Christiane Amanpour"). "At his press conference on June 29, [President Obama] threatened to cancel lawmakers' recess until an agreement was reached. As before, Obama cast himself as the adult in the room" (Politico).

There's more. "Heading into Monday's meeting, Obama tried yet again to elevate himself above the Congressional fray, projecting an image of the 'adult in the room' and saying it's time to 'eat our peas' and come to a compromise to avoid a default" (Roll Call). "The American people who are up for grabs on Election Day are mostly independents. Obama's allies hope they see the president as the adult in the room in the debt ceiling confrontation" (Associated Press).

[MissesBush]

Calling the petulant street punk Obama who last year said raising taxes in a recession is a bad idea but this year thinks it's just aces the "adult in the room" would be like giving Casey Anthony the mother of the year award. Obama is anything but an adult. He's a spoiled child throwing a hissy fit if he doesn't get his way, no matter how destructive to the nation or even his own re-election chances because of what hiking taxes would do to an already sick economy, but he's too obtuse in the latter instance to get that.

[FrankR]

[ClearCase_guy]

Obama is the adult in the room?

"There are thirty-two ways to write a story, and I've used every one, but there is only one plot -- things are not as they seem." -- Jim Thompson

[combat_boots]

The 2012 0bama budget proposal that was rejected unanimously: http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/omb/budget/fy2012/assets/budget.pdf

0bama’s $3,800,000,000,000 budget request:

“The complexity of (his) budget make the numbers difficult to verify.”

“Overall, the debt would grow under his plan from just over $14 trillion now to nearly $21 trillion in five years.”

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/feb/14/obama-unveils-37-trillion-budget-blueprint/

[MissesBush]

Yes, every Dem in the Senate, even radical Senators like Barbara Boxer and socialist Bernie Sanders voted against Obama’s laughably bad budget with its unprecedented deficits that exceed even his previous records, but Obama’s the “adult.” Spare me our Alice in Wonderland news media.

[MNDude]

is anyone else ever annoyed by the little news breaks that come in during the Rush Limbaugh hour? I can’t remember which news outlet it is, but it is SO biased sometimes. I remember one of the latest ones I’ve heard was like

“Republicans, afraid of their base are walking away from “the biggest deal”. President Obama will continue to work hard to get the largest cut in the debt as possible”

I often wonder if those news breaks are local, or if Rush hears those in between his show. I doubt he does, because they sure open themselves for ridicule and he never mentions them.

[MissesBush]

Most are local, but I know what you mean. I’ve occasionally e-mailed the news producer for our local affiliate that carries Rush about his pathetic bias. He’s gotten better in recent months.

[boomop1]

Someone needs to post the cry baby picture, can’t find it.

[EQAndyBuzz]

When I was a kid and my friends and I would fight, there was always an adult who broke it up and said this is how it’s going to be. Now shake hands.

I haven’t seen Obama break anything up. I haven’t seen Obama tell us how it’s going to be. And I haven’t see obama tell us to shake hands.

Not very adult like. More like this kid on the sidelines ebbing his friend on and when the fight is over, takes credit for breaking it up.

[MissesBush]

When I was a kid and my friends and I would fight, there was always an adult who broke it up and said this is how it’s going to be. Now shake hands.

I haven’t seen Obama break anything up.

In fact, Obama thrives on division. Far from breaking anything up, he encourages outrage, controversy, strife, division, suspicion, anger and partisan ire. It is the Alnysky in Obama that makes him thrive on and crave tumult and divisivness. He sees it as a means of advancing his agenda. He is the most divisive president we've had--intentionally so.

[Oatka]

Someone needs to post the cry baby picture, can’t find it.

In the mean time, try this one from pookie18's 'toons:

That cartoonist Ramirez is a national treasure.