As Dowd Says, It Didn’t Take Long To Screw Up, But…
People make mistakes, Presidents make mistakes.
Only two weeks into his presidency, Barack Obama has just admitted to one: Tom Daschle’s nomination.
Granted, some will say that he has made many other ones—yet to be recognized and admitted to.
Some will say, “Look, Obama has only been in office for a few days and he has already had to admit that he screwed up.”
Others will say, “Look, Bush screwed up royally and frequently for eight years and he never admitted doing so,” or, at best, he drudgingly admitted that “mistakes were made.”
The general consensus—and the truth—lie somewhere in between.
Now, as a Democrat and an Obama supporter, I could continue and say, “It takes a big man to admit his mistakes,” or to be entirely correct, ” It takes a big person to admit when he, or she, is wrong,” but I won’t.
I just want to go on record to say that I am disappointed by the pathetic vetting process thus far used by the Obama administration and join Maureen Dowd (in her New York Times column, “Well, That Certainly Didn’t Take Long “) in rebuking him for this.
But, I also join Dowd in criticizing Mr. Obama for his handling of the stimulus package.
Both for not having “taken a red pencil to the $819 billion stimulus bill and [slashing] all the provisions that looked like caricatures of Democratic drunken-sailor spending.,” and for the fact that he “has been spending so much time trying — and failing — to win over Republicans that he may not have noticed the disillusionment in his own ranks.”
And now, as Ms. Dowd concludes, “Aux barricades!”
6 Responses to “As Dowd Says, It Didn’t Take Long To Screw Up, But…”
Oddly, I find myself coming to Obama's defense on his handling of the stimulus package so far.
Apparently his WH quietly, behind the scenes, urged the Blue Dogs to buck up against Pelosi. 11 of them did break ranks, perhaps not a great enough number, but still…
It looks to me like seeds are being sown to limit Pelosi's hamhanded tactics in the future, while avoiding a full blown brawl within the Democratic party. Quietly, stealthily, Obama may be backing her opposition among the moderates of her party to empower them to stand up against her in the future.
I'm not entirely in favor of that approach on this particular bill- because it's such a serious piece of legislation which can either help us turn a corner toward recovery or put us on a course to go over the cliff- but if the calculation also includes knowledge that the Senate will take a more serious approach for an actual stimulus package instead of a Democratic party free for all, then I'm OK with it.
I never drank the Koolaide so Obama's making mistakes wasn't shocking to me. Seeing a president not consumed with narcissistic-denial actually owning up to his mistakes and explaining that he is also accountable did however almost make me fall off my chair in shock.
You know, this Obama guy, he might be all right after all.
C. Stanley — stand by on the Blue Dogs and Jim Cooper story about this bill, and the House vs. Obama.
First: Maureen Dowd is the most famous celeb columnist known for being 100% vapid. She violates the #1 rule of writing (and, for that matter, of speaking), which is namely to first have something of value to say. Maureen Dowd never has anything of value to say, or at least never writes anything of any value. She is known for being the most vapid celeb columnist of all. Why a small subculture actually likes her is a complete mystery, a classic illustration of people being far from perfect.
Obama is doing fine. As are nearly all others who are non-liberal, I'm among those who are standing back, observing what happens, and am finding interest in it all. (I'm not sorry about dispelling any myths people on this site wish to perpetuate.) Obama is finding his way, day by day, and is having to, among other things, contest for power with Congress, including a number of Democrats in the House that have always been too ambitious for their and the nation's own good.
Interested readers should review the following account as given by Blue Dog Democrat Jim Cooper. Anyone knowledgeable will notice right away that Cooper is believeable, because it has been an open secret for _decades_ that members of Congress frequently not only do not write the bills they vote on, but don't even read them before voting, instead relying on instructions from their staff members (part of an unelected, largely unobserved “other government” in Washington, along with the political party officials and lobbyists, who actually do much of the writing of bills) on which way to vote on this or that bill. It also makes perfect sense that Obama, who does not have absolute control over the House (or, for that matter, the Senate), and is in a power struggle with Congress (especially the House Democrats), would be disappointed with this bill, as is every intelligent American who doesn't shelve propriety in favor of unrestrained self-interest.
Everything Cooper says (see page at link below) makes perfect sense. And I suspect the Senate is going to teach the House a lesson.
http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2009/02…
Bush is not, and never has been, a narcissist. He's a frat boy, not a self-absorbed toddler.
“You know, this Obama guy, he might be all right after all.”
He seems okay so far. To the extent it matters, he's more impressive than his predecessor, too.
Bush is a narcissist.
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“What is Narcissism?
A pattern of traits and behaviors which signify infatuation and obsession with one's self to the exclusion of all others and the egotistic and ruthless pursuit of one's gratification, dominance and ambition.”
Source: http://www.healthyplace.com/personality-disorde…
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They also leave a wake of destruction in their path to acheive whatever they want for themselves with a devil-may-care attitude about who gets hurt in the process. Others don't exist for them and theirs is the only agenda that is viable. All others are “silly” and summarily dismissed. They show overt disregard for others to such an extent that it leaves people baffled…so baffled and in shock that often people choose not to confront it for fear of getting the same treatment themselves from this classic bully. People who even sense something very wrong with the narcissist will often side with him out of fear. They often “make examples” out of the kindest and nicest people to strike fear, awe or admiration into onlookers. They will actually seek out nice people to smear since anything else that shines is by definition a threat to a narcissist….threatening to steal the all-important attention.
One quality I saw in Bush, besides the numerous public appearances wherein he historically revised his culpability to what can only be described as collosal governing disasters…and his continual obsession with being “admired in history” (red flag)…was how he treated his wife Laura on the day of Obama's inaugeration. The very last stint as the two couples walked down the marble steps escorting Bush to the helicopter, Obama slowed his pace to match his wife's high-heeled difficulties. While Bush initially had Laura by the arm and seemed impatient with her slow steps down the walk he finally just ditched her…just ditched her. Replay the footage and look at her face, and then his. He isn't even aware of his faux pas. All he is aware of is himself. Imagine the cameras of the entire world riveted on you and you ditch your dear wife on the marble steps in order to catch up to (and pass) the Obama's approach to the bottom.
Some people didn't notice it. But I notice malignant narcissism in its many subtle forms.