NYT's MoDo on Obama: Less Spocky, More Rocky

[chimpymustgo]

By MAUREEN DOWD
Published: September 8, 2009

WASHINGTON

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After keeping his great powers of persuasion and elucidation under wraps all summer, the president at long last comes forward to explain his health care plan to an utterly confused and increasingly skeptical and wary public.

He should have done this speech back in June and conjured up a better glossary. You can’t combat a scintillating term like “death panels” with a somnambulant one like “public option.”

President Obama is so wrapped up in his desire to be a different, more conciliatory, beer-summit kind of leader, he ignores some verities.

Sometimes, when you’ve got the mojo, you have to keep your foot on your opponent’s neck. When you’re trying to get a Sisyphean agenda passed, it’s good if people in the way — including rebellious elements in your own party — fear you.

Civil discourse is fine, but when the other side is fighting dirty, you should get angry. Don’t let the bully kick sand in your face. The White House should have impaled death panel malarkey as soon as it came up.

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It was one thing for Obama to delegate freely when he was on the Harvard Law Review, but it’s madness to go play golf and delegate freely to Congress, letting Nancy Pelosi make your case. After signaling that there was nothing he’d fall on his sword for on health care; after dropping Van Jones at the first objection from Glenn Beck — a demagoon who called Obama a “racist” — the president is getting to be seen as an easy mark.

-edit-

But if such Republicans seem loco, and the far left looks easily outmaneuvered, the president seems lame, too, for letting the crazies and uglies get on offense all summer, showcased by a superficial media beast. Laura Bush had to ride to Obama’s rescue and explain that he wasn’t a brain-washing alien, that it was a good thing for a president to inspire kids.

It shouldn’t take a superhuman effort by the Democrats, with an assist from a Republican former first lady, to beat back the most obviously nutty, stupid things that Republicans say.

The president told students on Tuesday that “being successful is hard” and “you won’t necessarily succeed at everything the first time you try.”

He should take his own words to heart. He can live long and prosper by being less Spocky and more Rocky.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/09/opinion/09dowd.html

[Skittles]

1. I agree with the gist of her argument but I still detest her

[Becky72]

2. What has Dowd done to explain the health care bills?

She criticizes Obama's lack of clarity, which is evident; but she has done nothing to shed light on this issue. She just wants to gossip. She does not say what she thinks about co-ops, public option or a "trigger." She presents no ideas.

[chimpymustgo]

3. The gist is: we should not be arguing about this at this point. Obama had public support,

majorities in the House and Senate, and dithered it away. He might have even sold single payer, if he had exploited his political skills and the political reality.

It's amazing that we are at this ridiculous juncture, at this perilous time.

[ProSense]

4. What an idiot this woman is

But if such Republicans seem loco, and the far left looks easily outmaneuvered, the president seems lame, too, for letting the crazies and uglies get on offense all summer, showcased by a superficial media beast. Laura Bush had to ride to Obama’s rescue and explain that he wasn’t a brain-washing alien, that it was a good thing for a president to inspire kids.

A fucking idiot.

[chimpymustgo]

6. She's making perfect sense. And if you can't see it, hello, Pot.

[Jennicut]

7. MoDo is a disgusting creature.

[Name removed]

8. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Jennicut]

5. MoDo? Are you that desperate? Tons of better people to look to

for finding legitimate criticism of the President.

MoDo...ick.

[chimpymustgo]

9. Kill the messenger. Whatever. MoDo's not perfect, but she's right about this.

The debate has devolved into a nonsensical farce - over a matter that people elected Obama to resolve. This should have been settled weeks, perhaps months ago.

[Jennicut]

10. LOL...health care has only been debated on and tried to be reformed since Teddy

Roosevelt's days. Yes, its so easy...
Obama could lead better yes, but it was never going to be perfectly signed into law. No way.

And I will never read anything by MoDo after the way she treated various Dems, especially Al Gore. And I was not even for Hillary in the primaries but her obsessions with Hillary seemed strange and over the edge.

[BlueMTexpat]

14. I agree with your sentiments.

Although I was slightly pro-Hillary in the primaries ... not that I was ever anti-Obama. But Howard Dean wasn't running and he would have been my first choice if he had been. I felt that I, as a woman, could not NOT support a credible woman candidate and Hill was very credible. So my choice was quite passive.
But I was very happy to support Obama in the general. I am NOT a PUMA in any way, shape or form.
I wish him well and, while I wish that he hadn't sent some very poor signals in the first place so far as health care reform is concerned (not appointing Howard Dean, who had done so much to ensure his election, to HHS; appointing Tom Daschle instead, and so on and so forth ...), I believe that more of his so-called "failures" are due to MSM and RW-Republican hype, especially from those who fear that he just might succeed.

MoDo is a true PIA with no credibility, although like a stopped clock, she can be right twice a day. She is also a scorpion with no agenda but her own.

[JamesA1102]

21. No it is a matter of credibilty.

In 2000 she proved she had none. I therefore don't trust anything she has written since.

[BeyondGeography]

11. The NYT should just get it over with and move her to the Style section

[Joe Bacon]

12. Whoreen misses the mark again.

It's the usual fluff from Whoreen, a lot of hot air pumped into nothing that is worth reading.

[Beacool]

13. Ahhhh, MoDo............

Always snarky. No matter what's the main subject, it wouldn't be a Dowd column if she didn't take a swipe at a Clinton, preferably Hillary.

As for her criticism of Obama, she does have a point that he should have given this speech at the beginning of summer. But, even he had done so, it was always going to be rough row to hoe.

:eyes:

[ProSense]

18. "she does have a point that he should have given this speech at the beginning of summer" No, she's

an idiot. You see Obama avoided Clinton's missteps

[Baltoman991]

20. Wrong about

Clinton, right about Obama.

Ok.

[HopeOverFear]

15. He had to let the haters hang themselves first, MoDo

then he'll come out and whip out the one-two punch thereby making himself look like the Jedi Knight he is. Have you still not learned the ways of Obama?

[JamesA1102]

16. Has she apologized for all the lies she told about Al Gore in 2000? nt

[chimpymustgo]

17. Not enough. But she's right this time. I'm hoping to see Rocky tonight!!!

[ProSense]

19. She's

beyond wrong