Wow... 'The Battle Bam (Obama) Refuses To Wage' - Stanley Crouch

[WillyT]

The battle Bam refuses to wage: He's a slow learner at a time when his cause demands a fighter
Stanley Crouch
Monday, October 18th 2010, 4:00 AM

<snip>

...

As many have pointed out, it's time for the country to grow up. The adolescent part of the American character, which has been visible to the most intelligent foreign observers since its very beginnings, is dominating our nation with excruciating volume, vulgarity and self-pity interwoven with a sense of entitlement.

That tendency to a protracted immaturity is extremely dangerous. Those who saw it coming tried to warn us, but what they had to say was largely neglected. In F. Scott Fitzgerald's 1925 novel "The Great Gatsby," we are told that wealthy people have a sense of entitlement fatal to others. And in a little-known Bette Davis film, the 1942 "In This Our Life," we are given a similar message about narcissism. As in Fitzgerald's book, the film shows how an irresponsibly driven automobile becomes a murder weapon.

We are now in such a bad state that we do not even vaguely understand what distinguishes American capitalism: the ongoing struggle to bring morality and the profit motive together. At this moment, the only remaining sovereign force in our country is wealth, which has replaced the old aristocracy.

The Republican Party has not even faced the facts of the financial crisis. Rather than truly addressing bad or insufficient laws in the world of high finance, the elephants continue to remain in bed with business at all costs, covering themselves with cash when the cold winds of reality crack the windows and put a big chill on everyone and everything. The blues of debilitating influenza await them.

...

<snip>

Link: http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/2010/10/18/2010-10-18_the_battle_bam_refuses_to_wage.html

:shrug:

[MineralMan]

1. Bam? Really?

Hmph...

[yurbud]

40. Bam Margera, from Jackass. Isn't he our president?

[rucky]

47. ...

BAM!

[musette_sf]

48. Crouch writes for the NY Daily News

and that's their longtime style in assigning nicknames to pols, athletes, and other public figures.

The NYDN's demographic has traditionally been right-middle to right-wing. Editorially, they actually are Obama supporters, which speaks well of them.

I suspect the "Bam" nickname, since it is seen no where else that I can think of, is to put a positive spin on the POTUS in the NYDN, and (1) give him a "friendly" nickname; and (2) cut down on the "Obama/Osama" name association amongst their (still largely conservative) readership.

Actually, I think it's a great idea.

[MineralMan]

2. Why are the political opinions of a music critic of interest here?

Seems like everyone with a keyboard who wants to criticize President Obama (not "Bam") is listened to, whether they have reasonable political credentials or not. And someone's sure to find whatever they wrote and post it here on DU.

Uff da!

[Scurrilous]

3. Feet to the fire...

..blah, blah, blah.:P

[MineralMan]

4. Wikipedia article on Stanley Crouch:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanley_Crouch

He's a music critic, specifically jazz.

[WillyT]

10. Um...

Stanley Crouch (born December 14, 1945, Los Angeles) is an American music and cultural critic, syndicated columnist, and novelist, perhaps best known for his jazz criticism, and his novel Don't the Moon Look Lonesome?

Same Wikipedia article... and... Found his piece here: http://www.realclearpolitics.com/

Second one from the top... where you will regularly find commentators from both sides of the spectrum.

Crouch has been writing political pieces for years.

And BTW... I agree with him, especially here:

Obama may admire Abraham Lincoln a great deal, but it did not take long for Lincoln to realize that a Civil War had been declared because the South was not inclined to reject slavery.

Obama needs to accept the task of fighting almost ruthlessly hard and winning. But for all of his eloquence and brilliance, the President is a stubbornly slow learner burdened by an idealistic sense of governing rather than understanding and facing the fact of just how low down and dirty governing sometimes has to be.

Oh, he knows there is fighting going on because he hears the rounds going off. He just does not yet understand that there is a time to talk and a time to do battle.

:shrug:

[MineralMan]

13. I read the Wikipedia article. That's why I posted the link.

But thanks anyhow.

[WillyT]

15. Did You Click On The RCP Link ???

And see his piece listed there on a POLITICAL site?

:shrug:

[MineralMan]

26. Heck, anyone can post on any site. I post here all the time,

but I don't expect my postings to be quoted on other sites. I'm not a political writer. I'm a writer of articles on computer software, or was when I was doing that professionally. Now, I'm a writer of websites for small businesses.

When I write about politics, I don't hold myself up as an expert. But, if you ask me a question about Microsoft Word, then I am an expert. If you ask me a question about effective small business content that produces leads, then I'm an expert.

Crouch is an expert on jazz. That he writes about politics occasionally is beside the point. I read the article you quoted from. He's no expert.

[MilesColtrane]

41. Stanley Crouch is no jazz expert.

He is a failed drummer who found that writing about music was easier and more lucrative than playing it.

There are, however, quite a few Google hits on what many consider him to be.

"Stanley Crouch is a big fat idiot" - 197,000

"...is a racist" - 11,800

"...sucks" - 9,700

"...is a punk" - 8,800

"...is a bully" - 3,660

"...is a shit huffer" - 2,470

[cutlassmama]

44. lolololollllllllll

[MineralMan]

45. Hey, thanks. I'd never heard of him before this thread.

Sounds like he's not an expert on anything. Heck, I can do that.

[Bobbie Jo]

12. LOL

just :rofl:

[RandomKoolzip]

If he'd said something in unequivocal support of Obama, I doubt you'd be arguing re: his credential

Crouch is a well-respected music AND social critic. I remember when , under Bush II, when anyone in the media had anything at all critical to say about the right, they were welcomed here, whether or not they had "reasonable political credentials" or were non-pundits. Something tells me that you wouldn't have been arguing that Crouch has no right to be linked to here if he'd written something you agreed with - in other words, that's a pretty disingenuous argument you've got there.

[MineralMan]

27. Actually, you're wrong about that. I look at the qualifications of

writers who are quoted here all the time. There are a lot of unqualified people writing about politics from all sides of the issue. Thanks for replying to my post.

[RandomKoolzip]

29. Wonderful! So I'll expect you to take issue with an unqualified endoresment of Obama

if it comes from an "unqualified" figure in the media, right? Just so's we're all consistent and honest and everything. "How dare that non-pundit celebrity say something I agree with!"

[MineralMan]

33. If I notice it, sure, and if it appears in some publication or

major blog site. I don't read every thread here, though, you'll understand.

[Mimosa]

38. Any intelligent American citizen is 'qualified' to express his or her opinion

Crouch has been around a long time. He's hardly naive.


But that piece was LAME.

[WillyT]

28. Yeah Random... The PPT Here On DU Is Very Skittish Of ANY Sort Of Criticism Of Obama...

Must be terrible living with such fear.

:shrug:

[MineralMan]

31. What does the Professional Poker Tour have to do with

DU. I didn't even know they were here. I have great admiration for the PPT.

[WillyT]

32. LOL !!!

Good one.

:rofl:

:hi:

[SunsetDreams]

35. lol nice one!

<wink>

[Born_A_Truman]

30. Next we'll be reading Pedicurists for Palin ...

[KossackRealityCheck]

39. He's a conservative who has abandoned ship

He isn't just a music critic. He's probably written more on politics and culture than on the area of his expertise, jazz. He's a regular columnist for the Daily News, one of the big NYC tabloids.

He's difficult to pigeonhole, but I'd call him a "black cultural conservative," who is liberal on some topics.

But he's also a loathsome person in many ways, known for getting in fist fights with other writers and critics.

I think the point is that this is one quirky conservative who sees that the modern Repub party is no longer a conventional conservative party but a sort of crypto fascist water carrier for the very rich. I'd classify him and the semi importance of his position with analogies to Frum, John Dean and Andrew Sullivan.

[TBF]

42. I dunno, as I remember Obama supporters were quick to

jump on the Rolling Stone article when the information was favorable to the president ...

[JuniperLea]

5. "it's time for the country to grow up."

It's as if the writer told us this, then went on to prove the reason by being childish.

[grasswire]

6. Crouch assumes it is "his cause."

What exactly is Obama's cause? Do we know?

[Aramchek]

7. wow, what a surprise that you posted this.

[treestar]

8. Obama is a fighter

It's the whiners who give up after 2 years who are not.

So let's see, my general leads us into a battle and doesn't gain the entire territory to win the war. So I'll just desert to the enemy.

[Parker CA]

9. Classy title. nt.

[MineralMan]

11. I went to the link and read the entire article. It's very interesting

that you omitted the beginning of the article, I think.

Here's one sentence from that beginning that pretty much defines Stanley Crouch's attitude:

"That is why Barack Obama has been such a disappointment to a country that believes that almost impossible things can be done quickly."


Why didn't you post that sentence? It's the sum total of what Stanley Crouch thinks about Barack Obama, as if we wouldn't know from his use of "Bam" instead of the President's name.

[WillyT]

14. Because I'm Only Allowed To Post A Few Paragraphs...

and I post the ones that I think might actually cause someone to click on the link and read the rest of the article...

Isn't that how it is supposed to be done?

:shrug:

[SunsetDreams]

17. LOL

[SunsetDreams]

18. but then that would just ruin it

[MineralMan]

22. Yah, that's what I thought, too. It seemed like the pivotal

point in the rant to me.

[SunsetDreams]

25. yah well, you know we can't have that :)

[Tarheel_Dem]

16. Yeah. You lost me at "Bam"...Unrec for b.s.

[SunsetDreams]

20. Bam Bam Flintstone :)

[Tarheel_Dem]

23. "Bam"? I mean, WTF? This disrespectful shit is allowed here at DU?

This is just a continuation of the war on Democrats, and Skinner should be ashamed to have such shit on this site. This crap could have easily been lifted right off the pages of FR.;(

[SunsetDreams]

24. yabbadabbadooooooo!

[spanone]

19. bam? lost me there.

[Lisa D]

21. I quit reading after the title

That kind of disrespect tells me I can't take the author seriously.

[xchrom]

34. Love Stanley. He always has an interesting take. Nt

[WillyT]

37. Me Too...

Apparently... some people disagree.

:rofl:

:shrug:

:hi:

[Name removed]

36. Deleted message

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

[TBF]

43. I see the unrec brigade has been here -

but I found the article quite interesting. For those of you who couldn't get past the title, it is not pro-Republican either.

[WillyT]

46. It's Weird... He's Trying To Give His Version Of Advice To Obama...

Right or wrong... and yet supporters of Obama here, throw a gasket.

Hyper-sensitive I think...

:shrug:

[MilesColtrane]

49. Not so much hyper sensitive, as informed about Crouch's worldview.