A rocky first few weeks

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

Feb. 11, 2009 | Money by the barrelful, by the truckload. Mountains of money, heaped like gassy pyramids in the national dump. Scrounging packs of politicos, snapping, snarling and sending green bills flying sky-high as they root through the tangled mass with ragged claws. The stale hot air filled with cries of rage, the gnashing of teeth and dark prophecies of doom.

Yes, this grotesque scene, like a claustrophobic circle in Dante's "Inferno," was what the U.S. government has looked like for the past two weeks as it fights on over Barack Obama's stimulus package -- a mammoth, chaotic grab bag of treasures, toys and gimcracks. Could popular opinion of our feckless Congress sink any lower? You betcha!

Why in the cosmos would the new administration, smoothly sailing out of Obama's classy inauguration, repeat the embarrassing blunders of Bill Clinton's first term? By foolishly promising a complete overhaul of healthcare within 100 days (and by putting his secretive, ill-prepared wife in charge of it), Clinton made himself look naive and incompetent and set healthcare reform back for more than 15 years.

President Obama was ill-served by his advisors (shall we thump that checkered piñata, Rahm Emanuel?), who evidently did not help him to produce a strong, focused, coherent bill that he could have explained and defended to the nation before it was set upon by partisan wolves. To defer to the House of Representatives and let the bill be thrown together by cacophonous mob rule made the president seem passive and behind the curve.Most mainstream American voters are undoubtedly suffering from economist fatigue these days. This one calls for tax cuts; that one condemns them. One says we're wasting hundreds of billions of dollars; the other claims that sum falls pathetically short. A plague on all their houses! Surely common sense would dictate that when Congress is doling out fat dollops of taxpayers' money, due time should be delegated for sober consideration and debate. The administration's coercive rush toward instant action, accompanied by apocalyptic pronouncements of imminent catastrophe, has put its own credibility on the line.

But aside from the stimulus muddle, Obama has been off to a good start. True, I was disappointed with the infestation of the new appointments list by Clinton retreads and slippery tax-dodgers. Nevertheless, I was very impressed by Obama's relaxed, natural authority with military officers on Inauguration Day, in contrast to the early Bill Clinton's palpable unease and exaggerated posturing. I applauded the signal Obama sent to the world by starting the closure of the Guantánamo detention center. Contrary to the rote claims of conservative talk radio, there is as yet no public evidence that every individual being held at Guantánamo is a proven "terrorist"-- whom we would all agree should be severely punished. That is the entire point of a rational process of indictment and trial. If Guantánamo became a symbol of un-American repression, it is the procrastinating, paralyzed Bush administration that should be blamed.

http://www.salon.com/opinion/paglia/2009/02/11/stimulus/

[Sofiyya 1,687]

Seems that lots of people are taken with Barry's style. I prefer substance. Still waiting on that.

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

Seems that lots of people are taken with Barry's style. I prefer substance. Still waiting on that.

Do the mainstream media have a liberal bias? Sure they do, everyone knows that, says CBS veteran and New York Times bestselling author Bernard Goldberg. But the media crossed an important line in the 2008 presidential race, moving from their usual unthinking liberal bias to crass partisanship of the crudest kind, practically acting as spin doctors for the presidential campaign of Barack Obama. In A Slobbering Love Affair, his most provocative book yet, Goldberg demonstrates how the media launched an unparalleled effort to ensure the election of the man they regarded as The One. From the thrill Obama sent up Chris Matthews' leg to the outrageously slanted "news" reports of the New York Times, Goldberg shows in exacting detail how the media, abandoning even the pretense of objectivity, moved from media bias to media activism. With his trademark blunt, honest, insider's perspective, Goldberg reveals:

* How the media ignored, downplayed, or sanitized the rantings of the Reverend Jeremiah Wright, Obama's long-standing "spiritual" adviser, and the radicalism of former terrorist (and Obama associate) Bill Ayers

* How the Obama campaign, while claiming to be "post-partisan," kicked reporters off Obama's plane after their newspapers endorsed McCain

* Why Obama's election makes it more likely conservative talk radio will be stifled by a new "Fairness Doctrine" that has nothing to do with fairness at all

* Why the liberal media preferred Obama to Hillary

* What we can expect from the media's coverage of Obama's presidency

* BONUS: An exclusive interview with Rush Limbaugh on the unholy alliance between Obama and the mainstreammedia

A blistering takedown of the media's slavish support for Obama, A Slobbering Love Affair highlights how the mainstream media has not only surrendered its integrity and objectivity, but could even endanger our democracy.

From your link. B)

[nowhereman 1]

Any kind of bias, liberal or right wing, is wrong. On the same token 99% of the people criticizing Obama and/or the media for being bias are blatant hypocrites. The Bush administration is the most partisan administration I've seen in my lifetime (going back to the Ford/Carter days... I was too young to remember Nixon) & Fox News slants to the right a lot more than other stations (e.g. CNN) slant to the left.

If you want to complain about something (when I say "you" I mean that in generic terms) you need to clean up your own act first.

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

Any kind of bias, liberal or right wing, is wrong. On the same token 99% of the people criticizing Obama and/or the media for being bias are blatant hypocrites. The Bush administration is the most partisan administration I've seen in my lifetime (going back to the Ford/Carter days... I was too young to remember Nixon) & Fox News slants to the right a lot more than other stations (e.g. CNN) slant to the left.

If you want to complain about something (when I say "you" I mean that in generic terms) you need to clean up your own act first.

True. I just like Camille Paglia's style. Besides, she like porn!

Edited February 11, 2009 by Mister_Bill

[alienlovechild 75]

On the same token 99% of the people criticizing Obama and/or the media for being bias are blatant hypocrites. The Bush administration is the most partisan administration I've seen in my lifetime (going back to the Ford/Carter days... I was too young to remember Nixon) & Fox News slants to the right a lot more than other stations (e.g. CNN) slant to the left.

There's nothing inherently good or bad about partisanship but whether a political party can deliver on its promises. It's a good thing to have somebody even the opposition playing the watchdog role and trying silence all criticism is particularily loathsome. The difference between how Bush and Obama are treated by the media is striking and taken to new heights as the first two presidents to reign in the Internet age or hyperscrutiny. Bush took his hits from a media dominated by left wingers (true at least since polled on who they vote for since 1972) and rightly so at times. Obama faces small crowd of naysayers and it will be a long time until most of the media really go after him unless there's something like a juicy sex scandal they can't pass uncovering.

[nowhereman 1]

On the same token 99% of the people criticizing Obama and/or the media for being bias are blatant hypocrites. The Bush administration is the most partisan administration I've seen in my lifetime (going back to the Ford/Carter days... I was too young to remember Nixon) & Fox News slants to the right a lot more than other stations (e.g. CNN) slant to the left.

There's nothing inherently good or bad about partisanship but whether a political party can deliver on its promises. It's a good thing to have somebody even the opposition playing the watchdog role and trying silence all criticism is particularily loathsome. The difference between how Bush and Obama are treated by the media is striking and taken to new heights as the first two presidents to reign in the Internet age or hyperscrutiny. Bush took his hits from a media dominated by left wingers (true at least since polled on who they vote for since 1972) and rightly so at times. Obama faces small crowd of naysayers and it will be a long time until most of the media really go after him unless there's something like a juicy sex scandal they can't pass uncovering.

Well being partisan generally has a negative connotation. You're right in the respect that it's not inherently negative, but in todays political environment it often is. Republicans and Democrats do have inherently different perspectives and there's nothing wrong with that, but what is sorely lacking is the desire to compromise in the best interest of our nation. I place the blame firmly on the far right and far left for this, as they inherently are the most inflexible & unreasonable groups to deal with.

As for the media favoring Obama I'm the first to admit that there is truth to that, but Bush truly was a horrible President and his administration should be held responsible for the lions share of the blame for the mess we are in. Was it all his fault? Of course not... but the fact that Bush & his cronies like Cheney admit little to no responsibility to the current situation is disgusting.

[Ban Hammer 13,619]

Any kind of bias, liberal or right wing, is wrong. On the same token 99% of the people criticizing Obama and/or the media for being bias are blatant hypocrites. The Bush administration is the most partisan administration I've seen in my lifetime (going back to the Ford/Carter days... I was too young to remember Nixon) & Fox News slants to the right a lot more than other stations (e.g. CNN) slant to the left.

If you want to complain about something (when I say "you" I mean that in generic terms) you need to clean up your own act first.

meanwhile, the 99% that were vocal about bush are noticeably silent about obama. it's like he can do no wrong, even if he took a dump on their desk. yet i don't see anyone harping about their silence.

[nowhereman 1]

Any kind of bias, liberal or right wing, is wrong. On the same token 99% of the people criticizing Obama and/or the media for being bias are blatant hypocrites. The Bush administration is the most partisan administration I've seen in my lifetime (going back to the Ford/Carter days... I was too young to remember Nixon) & Fox News slants to the right a lot more than other stations (e.g. CNN) slant to the left.

If you want to complain about something (when I say "you" I mean that in generic terms) you need to clean up your own act first.

meanwhile, the 99% that were vocal about bush are noticeably silent about obama. it's like he can do no wrong, even if he took a dump on their desk. yet i don't see anyone harping about their silence.

Actually most of the Obama supporters are simply saying give the guy a chance. Obama has been President for less than a month so you really can't pass or fail him at this point. On the other hand the Bush supporters have lost credibility by blindly supporting an awful administration for 8 years, so their criticism of Obama supporters come across as pure partisanship BS.

[Ban Hammer 13,619]

Any kind of bias, liberal or right wing, is wrong. On the same token 99% of the people criticizing Obama and/or the media for being bias are blatant hypocrites. The Bush administration is the most partisan administration I've seen in my lifetime (going back to the Ford/Carter days... I was too young to remember Nixon) & Fox News slants to the right a lot more than other stations (e.g. CNN) slant to the left.

If you want to complain about something (when I say "you" I mean that in generic terms) you need to clean up your own act first.

meanwhile, the 99% that were vocal about bush are noticeably silent about obama. it's like he can do no wrong, even if he took a dump on their desk. yet i don't see anyone harping about their silence.

Actually most of the Obama supporters are simply saying give the guy a chance. Obama has been President for less than a month so you really can't pass or fail him at this point. On the other hand the Bush supporters have lost credibility by blindly supporting an awful administration for 8 years, so their criticism of Obama supporters come across as pure partisanship BS.

yet hiring clinton retreads and a few tax dodgers to fill the administration seats are getting a free pass.

[HAL 9000 96]

Yawn. How long has he been in office again?

[nowhereman 1]

Any kind of bias, liberal or right wing, is wrong. On the same token 99% of the people criticizing Obama and/or the media for being bias are blatant hypocrites. The Bush administration is the most partisan administration I've seen in my lifetime (going back to the Ford/Carter days... I was too young to remember Nixon) & Fox News slants to the right a lot more than other stations (e.g. CNN) slant to the left.

If you want to complain about something (when I say "you" I mean that in generic terms) you need to clean up your own act first.

meanwhile, the 99% that were vocal about bush are noticeably silent about obama. it's like he can do no wrong, even if he took a dump on their desk. yet i don't see anyone harping about their silence.

Actually most of the Obama supporters are simply saying give the guy a chance. Obama has been President for less than a month so you really can't pass or fail him at this point. On the other hand the Bush supporters have lost credibility by blindly supporting an awful administration for 8 years, so their criticism of Obama supporters come across as pure partisanship BS.

yet hiring clinton retreads and a few tax dodgers to fill the administration seats are getting a free pass.

Obama has made mistakes & will make more before he's done. Bush started a war based on erroneous (and I would argue deliberately misleading) intel, fell asleep at the wheel during one of the worst natural disasters in our history (Katrina) & is largely responsible for the economic mess we're in. If you can't see the difference between the two I can't help you.

[Ban Hammer 13,619]

Any kind of bias, liberal or right wing, is wrong. On the same token 99% of the people criticizing Obama and/or the media for being bias are blatant hypocrites. The Bush administration is the most partisan administration I've seen in my lifetime (going back to the Ford/Carter days... I was too young to remember Nixon) & Fox News slants to the right a lot more than other stations (e.g. CNN) slant to the left.

If you want to complain about something (when I say "you" I mean that in generic terms) you need to clean up your own act first.

meanwhile, the 99% that were vocal about bush are noticeably silent about obama. it's like he can do no wrong, even if he took a dump on their desk. yet i don't see anyone harping about their silence.

Actually most of the Obama supporters are simply saying give the guy a chance. Obama has been President for less than a month so you really can't pass or fail him at this point. On the other hand the Bush supporters have lost credibility by blindly supporting an awful administration for 8 years, so their criticism of Obama supporters come across as pure partisanship BS.

yet hiring clinton retreads and a few tax dodgers to fill the administration seats are getting a free pass.

Obama has made mistakes & will make more before he's done. Bush started a war based on erroneous (and I would argue deliberately misleading) intel, fell asleep at the wheel during one of the worst natural disasters in our history (Katrina) & is largely responsible for the economic mess we're in. If you can't see the difference between the two I can't help you.

hey we're just getting started! it's gonna be a long 3 years and 11 months for you

[HAL 9000 96]

Its longer for the whiners.

[Marilyn. 340]

didn't I hear something about George Bush spending the majority of his first 6 months in office on vacation??

at least it seems that Obama is trying to do something...