The Fulcrum of the "But"
Whetting the dull knife of his rhetoric on the wet sponge of his preconceptions, the President said:
That’s what we Democrats believe in — a vibrant free market, but one that works for everybody. (Applause.) That’s our vision. That’s our vision for a stronger economy and a growing middle class. And that’s the difference between what we and Republicans in Congress are offering the American people right now.
Uh huh. Because Democrats today are all about the free market in health care, light bulbs, education, cars, mortgages, and so on. Because conservatives, when they get together and break out the cigars and the 100-year-old scotch, ask each other how they can get the economy going while still making sure it doesn’t work for some people. This Obama fellow, he’s going to spoil everything if he makes it possible for everyone to do better. Gentlemen, we’ve invested billions in making sure our products are unaffordable to large swaths of the population, and I do not intend for that money to go to waste. A free economy, no matter how much it vibrates, will never work for everybody, which is just proof it needs Super-Extra Geniuses to tinker with it some more. Hence the BUT. The ever-present fulcrum of the BUT: a middle-of-the-road statement is always teetering on a BUT, ready for the lardy glutes of the state to tip the argument towards the antithesis of the assertion. You hear this all the time: I support the right of people to do X, BUT. It’s a way of saying you don’t really believe what you just said. I’m more partial to speakers who say “AND” instead.
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Re: The Fulcrum of the "But"
By the way, I apologize for the formatting; preview insisted it was different, and refused all efforts to change it. Editors! Please! A raw HTML input option!
Jul '10
Re: The Fulcrum of the "But"
Whenever you hear a Democrat use the phrase "middle class" you know you're about to be screwed.
Sep '10
Re: The Fulcrum of the "But"
At this stage, I see no point in quoting Obama on anything. Everything he says is either (A) the socialist party line, (B) utterly insincere, or (C) totally clueless. And with each passing day, it sounds more & more like (C).
Edited on Sep 9, 2010 at 10:09pmJul '10
Re: The Fulcrum of the "But"
I know this is off-topic. But...Peter is a huge supporter of Haley Barbour and the Republican Governor's Association and they have an outstanding 22-minute video up, featuring Chris Christie:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2bYoNxh-Zk&feature=player_embedded#!
May '10
Re: The Fulcrum of the "But"
In the majority, but not for long.
Jul '10
Re: The Fulcrum of the "But"
Or "The Children"
Jul '10
Re: The Fulcrum of the "But"
Or "whenever you hear a Democrat...."
Aug '10
Re: The Fulcrum of the "But"
"An economy that works for everybody." Such an economy would be one in which the government gets out of the damn way. What he's really talking about is programs, income redistribution, subsidies, etc. In ObamaWorld, an economy must be distorted in order for it to "work".
Aug '10
Re: The Fulcrum of the "But"
With every new speech Obama gives, I get a little more sympathetic for Joe "You Lie!" Wilson.
May '10
Re: The Fulcrum of the "But"
It amazes me that the administration and Congress can create such a toxic environment for economic growth and then express surprise that their policies don't work. It almost defies ability to conceptualize that so many supposedly smart people could collectively be so clueless.
The good side is that I don't think that our President has any credibility left with a vast majority of folks and people are ceasing to listen to his idiocies.
May '10
Re: The Fulcrum of the "But"
When it comes to the economy, President Obama and the Democrats have some very large BUTs.
Jun '10
Re: The Fulcrum of the "But"
Ricochet Metaphor of the Week nomination
Aug '10
Re: The Fulcrum of the "But"
Why don't these big business fat cats get out of their Barker loungers and create products that people want at a price they can afford!
Jul '10
Re: The Fulcrum of the "But"
Lileks
"You hear this all the time: I support the right of people to do X, BUT. It’s a way of saying you don’t really believe what you just said. I’m more partial to speakers who say “AND” instead."
Conjunction Junction, what's your function? To seem reasonable and pragmatic by intimating that arguments on both sides of an issue have merit, BUT, really the other side doesn't have ANY merit, while my considered opinion (having weighed both arguments) has all the merit. Therefore, I appear to be a measured voice of tolerance, so we will do it my way. Thanks for stopping by!
More to the point: it's a pat on the head, with the obligatory comment of "Ha, ha, hah, you simple, silly person....."
Re: The Fulcrum of the "But"
I also like this one: "Hey, I'm all in favor of [X], it's just that [something-that-suggests-X-should-be-prohibited]."
May '10
Re: The Fulcrum of the "But"
Rob, I'm all in favor of freedom of speech. It's just that some speech, mainly yours, is way too intolerant for a polite society to tolerate.
Aug '10
Re: The Fulcrum of the "But"
Neither party cares about the middle class. Republicans act as if they are ashamed of the middle class people who vote for them, as if they envy the diversity of their opponents. Remember John McCain castigating an old woman who stated she was afraid of what would happen if Obama were elected. Wasn't the housing bubble caused in part by W's attempt to attract Hispanic voters with subsidized housing.
Both parties seem intent on following Brecht's advice to "dissolve the people and elect another" through open borders, amnesties, H-1 visas, and outsourcing. Both parties seem driven by abstract theories that refuse to consider any contradictory empirical evidence. To the Democrats, everyone is a victim of middle class racism and prejudice; to the Republicans, the middle class wants unjustified protection from the rigors of the free market.
Edited on Sep 12, 2010 at 11:27am