Obama Comeback? Eh, Not So Much.
Jennifer Rubin gets it exactly right in WaPo today, shooting down the lefty media meme that the passage of the START treaty and the repeal of DADT constitute some sort of Obama comeback:
Only inside the Beltway could the passage of an arms control treaty and repeal of DADT consume so many for so long and result in such exaggerated punditry. Would Republicans have traded wins on DADT and START for their wins on the DREAM act, the tax deal and the omnibus spending bill? Not in a million years.
But liberal media mavens have a narrative that resists "bad news" (i.e. scandals, polling, the Tea Party movement) that suggests trouble for the Obama administration. They also confuse legislative achievement with political success. If passing stuff was the secret to a political comeback, then the Democrats after ObamaCare and the stimulus plan would have had the greatest year ever.
True that. The fact is, the Obama comeback talking point has a certain amount of power not because liberals want it so badly, but because conservatives fear it so much. They shouldn't. Obama is really, really bad at being president. He just hasn't got the skill set. A lot of people have already figured that out, more will. There's no predicting the results of an election two years away, but I strongly suspect a unique opportunity is coming for conservatives. I only hope that when the hour comes, the man or woman we need will come along with it.
- Comment (11)
- · Quote
- · UnfollowFollow (5)
Comments :
May '10
Re: Obama Comeback? Eh, Not So Much.
Though I have a hard time being optimistic about congressional Republicans, I also don't see this session as a big Obama repositioning. Because the president is so far left of the populace (see, for instance, this shocking campaign bit on defense), he can hedge a bit while still showing little sign of being a rational leader.
Heck, Obama's "comeback kid" routine comes as his leftist allies in Congress push amnesty for the umpteenth time, and while his appointment at the FCC is declaring himself Czar of The Internets. Hardly a Clintonian couple of weeks.
That being said, we shouldn't discount the power of the media to drive a narrative; when the economy starts looking up, it will be despite the most recent election. If the GOP has the cojones to fight early and often for Obamacare's repeal, a huge percentage of stories will emphasize the lovely things the GOP wants to end while downplaying the fact that we can't afford them.
Jun '10
Re: Obama Comeback? Eh, Not So Much.
DADT foes gave wary congressmembers a handy narrative to defend their decision to repeal DADT. "You realize, that if you don't do it in this careful deliberate way, the courts will make the change overnight, with no transition period at all." I think that's what made the difference.
May '10
Re: Obama Comeback? Eh, Not So Much.
In these last few weeks of the lame-duck congress, it seemed that every AM radio hourly news broadcast led with breathless, overwrought reports on the rough-and-tumble-down-to-the-wire battle over Don't Ask Don't Tell, with a little START treaty thrown in here and there. These are the most pressing issues facing the country at this time? Really? One would think so listening to these news reports. No one I know could have cared less about these things. Yet we are now treated to another spectacle of an Obama triumphal march now that they have passed. One of my local talk show hosts just couldn't say enough last night of how successful a session this had been for BHO.
Is it just me, or has anyone else noticed (and been annoyed by) the adoring, screaming crowds that always seem to be on hand to cheer our Great Leader every time he puts his golden pen on some piece of yet more legislation? It's enough to make Mussolini blush.
Jul '10
Re: Obama Comeback? Eh, Not So Much.
With Reid and Pelosi in charge of the Democratic caucus and Valerie Jarrett as his guiding light, we can rely upon Obama to continue to "govern" as the wimp he is.
Dec '10
Re: Obama Comeback? Eh, Not So Much.
The Obama "Comeback Kid" narrative is driven solely by the need of members of the mainstream media to prove that they were not wrong and not driven by blind idol worship when they blindly worshipped candidate Obama as an idol.
Further, the "wins" on DADT and START are not so politically wonderful for the Democrats: these issues that could have been used as anti-GOP wedges are no longer on the table, and now Obama and the Democrats will have to deal with much more thorny issues regarding gay rights (marriage, for example) and foreign policy (denuclearizing Iran and North Korea, for example).
May '10
Re: Obama Comeback? Eh, Not So Much.
I heard on the radio last night Obama gassing on about how he "struggles" with the issue of "gay marriage", so look for him to cave on his earlier rejection and "come out", so to speak, in full support of it in about, oh, ten minutes or so.
Denuclearizing Iran and North Korea? He'll kick that can down the road for the next two years, and the press will ignore the issue until Iran conducts its first test. He hasn't the courage to confront real enemies.
Oct '10
Re: Obama Comeback? Eh, Not So Much.
off topic...as usual , andrew, you were spot on. this time in reference to caro emerald and her 'back it up' song. still cant get it out of my head. thanks, i guess
Dec '10
Re: Obama Comeback? Eh, Not So Much.
Kervinlee
Denuclearizing Iran and North Korea? He'll kick that can down the road for the next two years, and the press will ignore the issue until Iran conducts its first test. He hasn't the courage to confront real enemies. · Dec 23 at 10:56am
We should all be so lucky that the Iran issue (or the North Korean one) gets kicked down the road for a couple of years. The Iranians, I believe, will do their level best to get it to come to a head sooner than that. Let's hope Stuxnet and other such measures really do set them back a bit.
Dec '10
Re: Obama Comeback? Eh, Not So Much.
Kervinlee
I heard on the radio last night Obama gassing on about how he "struggles" with the issue of "gay marriage", so look for him to cave on his earlier rejection and "come out", so to speak, in full support of it in about, oh, ten minutes or so.. · Dec 23 at 10:56am
I agree that he will do just that. But DADT was much more abstract to most Americans, since most of us aren't active duty or even veterans. Gay marriage is much more immediate, and it will be much harder for him to triangulate between its supporters and its opponents. Don't the polls still show a majority of Americans opposed to gay marriage as national policy?
Dec '10
Re: Obama Comeback? Eh, Not So Much.
The state-run media lives on a diet of magical thinking. If they all say the same thing enough times and loud and long enough, then it must become true.
At the top of the Wikipedia page for ‘Comeback Kid’ it says, “'Comeback Kid' is also a nickname for U.S. ex-President Bill Clinton."
Part of their magical thinking is that they want Barack Hussein Obama to magically transform into Bill Jefferson Clinton.
Sep '10
Re: Obama Comeback? Eh, Not So Much.
Vuvuzela: The state-run media lives on a diet of magical thinking. If they all say the same thing enough times and loud and long enough, then it must become true.
At the top of the Wikipedia page for ‘Comeback Kid’ it says, “'Comeback Kid' is also a nickname for U.S. ex-President Bill Clinton."
Part of their magical thinking is that they want Barack Hussein Obama to magically transform into Bill Jefferson Clinton. · Dec 23 at 11:05pm
Agreed.It is also a quest for ratings and eyeballs. It is a story Obama supporters want to hear, and the MSM has more viewers that are Democrats. Tell them what they want to hear media...