The Worm Turns
I'm a pessimist, as everyone knows. To me, the answer to the question about the half-full or half-empty glass is, I'm not thirsty, the glass is dirty, and the water is infected with e.coli.
On the other hand, there's no use in not seeing what's right before your eyes.
First -- I'm in the TV business, after all -- last night's ratings, which were pretty good for a debate that ran against football and baseball. From Deadline Hollywood:
UPDATE, 2:49 PM: The third Presidential debate of 2012 pulled in 2.7 million more viewers last night than watched the third debate between Barack Obama and John McCain in 2008. Pulling in 59.2 million viewers, last night’s debate was down 10% from the 65.6 million viewers who watched the second meeting between Obama and Mitt Romney on October 16 and down 12% from the 67.2 million who watched their first debate on October 3.
Fewer viewers than the previous two debates, but still an awful lot of viewers. And it's hard to imagine that undecided viewers who watched last night's debate came away with the impression that Mitt Romney is unfit for the office. Which is what Barack Obama's thinning hopes for re-election are pinned to.
And now, from the reliably left-wing Gawker.com, comes this screed:
One of the many little thrills of being a part of the Obama campaign four years ago was a deep and abiding sense that, finally, a political leader had come along who could live up to our highest aspirations. Yes, Obama was cool and played basketball and was conversant in ironical youth culture, but when it came down to it, he was overwhelmingly serious. The other guys were hauling unlicensed plumbers onstage and suspending their campaign at the drop of a hat, but Obama kept his eyes on the prize and played the grown-up. Now he's talking about "Romnesia."
The cracks are starting to show. About Obama's lame joke at the top of the debate, "The 80's called. They want their foreign policy back," apparently it didn't go over so well with the faithful:
That's a middling joke. It should by no means be coming from the president of the United States, let alone one who promised to put away childish things. It's a dumb "zinger," transparently crafted to appeal to the Mark Halperins and Politicos of the world. That's not to say that humor has no place in political rhetoric or that Obama betrays his promise every time he deigns to insult his opponent. But to graft a pre-planned VH1 Best Week Ever-level joke onto a nationally televised discussion about life and death and our role on the world stage is scarcely less pathetic than the desperate flailings of the McCain campaign that I smugly scoffed at four years ago.
It's not just that joke. Obama has taken to using "Romnesia" to describe Romney's inability or unwillingness to hew to a policy position for more than two weeks. "He's forgetting what his own positions are, and he's betting that you will, too," Obama said at a rally in Virginia last week. "We've got to name this condition that he's going through. I think it's called 'Romnesia.'" Today, summing up the debate, Obama called Romney's performance "at least Stage 3 Romnesia."
This is very, very dumb. Maybe "Romnesia" is a funny, handy term that usefully carries an important anti-Romney message. But even if it is, it is just too juvenile and jokey to be coming from the president. He shouldn't be making jokes based on his opponent's name. That's what vice presidents are for. Put it in John Kerry's mouth. He'll say anything.
I agree with everything above. Except this: it's not a "middling" joke. It's a dud. If you pitched that in my writers' room, you'd be wondering about your job security.
But these are the signs: Obama is starting to stink like a loser. And there's no way to come back from that.
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Comments:
Aug '12
Re: The Worm Turns
Long's Axiom: the lamer the joke, the more likely it will cause Axelrod and co. to say "aha! We got 'em!" I love the idea of them having POTUS crack wise with a new one everyday. No one gets written off more quickly than someone trying hard and failing to be funny. Just ask Dane Cook
May '12
Re: The Worm Turns
Half- full or half-empty? An engineer would question, "Why is the glass twice a big as it needs to be? Waste of space, materials, tooling, manufacturing time, etc?
From an ex-engineer
Jun '10
Re: The Worm Turns
Rob Long:
The cracks are starting to show.
Fissures, actually. The kind that bend railroad tracks, change the course of rivers, and swallow small towns. He's done.
Nov '10
Re: The Worm Turns
I like Rob, even if he's a squish. During the debate I got this sense:
Obama knows he's got to throw a hail mary. He has to interrupt Romney and make a fallacious lie because he knows that he's on the ropes.
Romney on the other hand seemed like a guy who knows all he needs to do is not screw up. Let Obama say whatever he wants to, he's just digging his own grave.
Maybe I'm just being naive
Apr '11
Re: The Worm Turns
"Americans love a winner and will not tolerate a looser."
George C. Scott (Patton).
Jul '12
Re: The Worm Turns
Welcome to the bandwagon Rob. We've been saving you a seat. I agree, Obama's jokes are about as funny as Costanza's jerk store comeback. Late and lame
Nov '10
Re: The Worm Turns
Your gonna grab 'em by the nose, and kick em in the [expletive]! Your gonna kick the [expletive] out of 'em all the time, and your gonna go through 'em like [exletive[ through a goose!
Valiuth: "Americans love a winner and will not tolerate a looser."
George C. Scott (Patton). · in 0 minutes
Aug '10
Re: The Worm Turns
I'm sure the joke is killing on the WB...
Jul '10
Re: The Worm Turns
You may now smile and say, "You were right all along, Dr. Rahe."
Apr '11
Re: The Worm Turns
"One of the many little thrills of being a part of the Obama campaign four years ago was a deep and abiding sense that, finally, a political leader had come along who could live up to our highest aspirations"
Written like a true 12 year old.
Jan '11
Re: The Worm Turns
That's what happens to a one-trick pony.
Two years ago, we talked about whether Obama was capable of "pivoting," like Clinton could, to adapt his policy, approach (and if necessary his personality) to respond to circumstances, whether he wanted to or not. Clinton did, and it paid off.
Obama can't. He's paying the penalty for his inflexibility.
Aug '10
Re: The Worm Turns
Rob,
What is the provenance on the "the ____store called, they want their ____back" ?
Jun '12
Re: The Worm Turns
Welcome to the corner where optimists gather. We may look foolish, but at least we're happy. And we know a loser when we smell one.
Dec '11
Re: The Worm Turns
Rob Long:
Obama is starting to stink like a loser. And there's no way to come back from that.
Promise?
Mar '12
Re: The Worm Turns
Thanks, Rob, for confirming my sense that Obama's one-liners fell flat and stunk. Or as Bob Schieffer might have put it: "Obama been leaden."
Mar '11
Re: The Worm Turns
I knew it all along - inside that squishy Rino exterior lurks a Romneyesque love of firing people.
Dec '10
Re: The Worm Turns
President Bad Standup. Note that even when he was supposed to be funny, at the Al Smith dinner, he was only mediocre at it -- while Romney killed.
Apr '12
Re: The Worm Turns
Too bad they never really vetted their candidate.
Dec '10
Re: The Worm Turns
~Paules
Rob Long:
The cracks are starting to show.
Fissures, actually. The kind that bend railroad tracks, change the course of rivers, and swallow small towns. He's done. · 35 minutes ago
And Obama said unto them, "Follow me, and ye shall be fissures of men."
Dec '11
Re: The Worm Turns
I'm still trying to live in that moment, but I would be lying if I said I was content with Romney's performance last night; the stock market reflected my concern as well today.