Everyone understands in their own rough way that ObamaCare is a big mess. And that its not the website, its the law itself.
Which we've been saying on FR for months now. If your model is a Mongolian cluster-folk dance, your program is going to look like a Mongolian cluster-folk dance. Fix the model.
But back to the president, and his problem with being known as intelligentColumbia, Harvard Law, lecturer on constitutional issues at the University of Chicago Law School.
These aren't signs of intelligence, they're institutions, and a nose-picking illiterate is no less a nose-picking illiterate just because he is granted a pass by the admissions committee. 0bama has shown precisely no signs of any sort of credible intellectual life beyond that of a pretentious junior high school student.
Say something and it magically exists as something said, and if its been said and publicized it must be real. He never had to push a lever, see the machine not respond, puzzle it out and fix it.
Fact.
From what I have seen the administration is full of young people whove seen the movie but not read the book. They act bright, they know the reference, theyre credentialed. But theyve only seen the movie about, say, the Cuban missile crisis, and then they get into a foreign-policy question and theyre seeing movies in their heads. They havent read the histories, the texts, which carry more information, more texture, data and subtlety, and different points of view.
Fact.
And off we go into another dissertation about Reagan - she was his speech writer, don't you know? In this case, though, I'll give Peggy the credit of personal observation. No, 0bama is no Reagan. He can keep a distorted interpretation of Reagan in his imagination and that's all he can do, and here I agree with Noonan's thesis: that's precisely what he and his administration have done with respect to all of the major facets of government they've managed to screw up: foreign policy, the budget process, electronic intelligence, and with such major issues as race relations, gun control, and an out-of-control promotion of gay politics on all fronts. They're the heroes of the movies in their heads on all of these issues and anything bad that happens with regard to them is the super-villains' fault, variously the Republicans, the Tea Party or any one of our international friends who have felt the back of this administration's collective hand.
If they thought he wasnt very bright, they might give him some leeway on that question. But they think hes really smart...So they think he knew...And deliberately misled.
On the contrary, he's proven himself to be the possessor of a political tin ear and quite stupid enough to lie blatantly about a program that was a disaster and for which there is no excuse for him not knowing how big a disaster. "Would I be stupid enough to lie about that?" he asked, and the answer is an observable and resounding "YES!" Of course he lied, it's in dozens of video clips. He just didn't think it would matter.
What is befuddling him is not the intrusion of reality - we should be so lucky - but the failure of his usual crew of skid-greasers and spinmeisters to turn it into a triumph. Not that they aren't still trying. But at some point even a low-information voter has to concede that they're putting Christmas ornaments on a clutch of stinkweed.
” No, 0bama is no Reagan. He can keep a distorted interpretation of Reagan in his imagination and that’s all he can do, and here I agree with Noonan’s thesis: that’s precisely what he and his administration have done with respect to all of the major facets of government they’ve managed to screw up: foreign policy, the budget process, electronic intelligence, and with such major issues as race relations, gun control, and an out-of-control promotion of gay politics on all fronts. They’re the heroes of the movies in their heads on all of these issues and anything bad that happens with regard to them is the super-villains’ fault, variously the Republicans, the Tea Party or any one of our international friends who have felt the back of this administration’s collective hand.”
Excellent summation of the situation.
Human Events has an article that mentions that Obama still hasn’t tried to sign up - as promised - and the White House won’t say why.
For four years I have been told, by those whove worked in the administration and those whove visited it as volunteers or contractors, that the Obama White House isnt organized. Its just full of chatter. Meetings dont begin on time, theres no agenda, the list of those invited seems to expand and contract at somebodys whim. There is a tendency to speak of how a problem will look and how its appearance should be handled, as opposed to what the problem is and should be done about it. People speak airily, without point. They scroll down, see a call that has to be returned, pop out and then in again.
This was also true for Clinton, Carter and Kennedy. Johnson's people were more focused, but Kennedy's meetings all ended up like college bull sessions, including that all-important meeting in 1961 that led to the Bay of Pigs fiasco.
Republicans seem to be more focused and better organized than Democrats in general.
Wow. that’s really well put, Bill. I like reading your take.