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The Spectacle Blog
I’m really surprised this hasn’t created any controversy, at least as far as I’m aware. Riffing off a Jay Cost post on President Obama’s tin political ear, Mickey Kaus explains how Obama could be a bad politician and still get elected to the nation’s highest office:
The answer is distressingly obvious: Obama’s the biggest affirmative action baby in history. When other pols are trying, failing, learning, while climbing up the middle rungs of the ladder, he got a pass; e) He’s the second president in a row to get a pass-George W. Bush, after all, didn’t exactly have to fight his way through a 64-team bracket. He was a legacy exception. And, come to think of it, he wasn’t that good at politics either.
Kaus is mostly right about both Obama and Bush. But I’d credit Obama with three key political insights that also helped him make the big jump: 1.) In his 2004 Democratic National Convention speech, he understood exactly the right tone to strike to make independents who were weary of red versus blue polarization fall in love with him; 2.) He understood that the next Democratic presidential nominee had to have opposed the Iraq war, unlike John Kerry or Hillary Clinton; and 3.) He realized that a large part of the Democratic base was sick of the Clintons and the rest of the country was sick of the Bushes.
Now, figuring out that people were tired of Bush and the Republicans in 2006-08 was like figuring out which way the wind was blowing without a weatherman. But his other political judgments were less obvious. Obama doesn’t seem to have a clue how to deal with the present political circumstances, but the Republicans are doing their best to make sure he doesn’t have to.
View all comments (24) | Leave a comment
More Blog Posts by W. James Antle, III
http://spectator.org/blog/2011/04/19/obama-the-biggest-affirmative
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uncle curmudgeon| 4.19.11 @ 1:12PM
It's a case of Warren Harding all over again: he looks mah-vuh-luss in a suit; his wife's a piece of work; all of his friends are crooks. Even if he keels over, Joe Biden is no Silent Cal. Can the Party of Stupid do better than Herbert Hoover this time?
Occam's Tool| 4.19.11 @ 1:32PM
I believe Warren G presided over an economic expansion, Uncle. Otherwise, correct.
George S| 4.19.11 @ 1:33PM
Add item 4): Obama was an early opponent of John Robert's appointment to SCOTUS, threatening to filibuster when even Democrats were calling Roberts a highly competent jurist. That gave him the credentials essential in getting the Left base.
See, Republicans, that's the way it's done. Energize your base, not defy and denigrate them by taking their vote for granted.
Brooke| 4.19.11 @ 1:34PM
Obama couldn't have been elected without the help of the fawning Leftist media. We still don't know very much about the guy.
Bill Hussein O'Stalin| 4.19.11 @ 1:36PM
Actually the numbers support the fact that he's our first racially elected President. The myth of the independent did not put him over the top.
Obama received about 12 million votes from blacks and 12 million votes from Hispanics. He won by 9 million votes and that indicates he is going to have serious problems in the next election cycle.
He will still have the blacks and the Hispanics. What he will lose and lose big are the so called Reagan Democrats who in actuality are middle of the road Americans who look on in fear of what is occurring inside the beltway.
Never has ineptitude received so little interest from a free press. The pass for Obama is that no one care about his credentials while contrary to the notion made above, Bush had to clear many hurdles, including faked computer print outs courtesy of Dan Rather. Dan Rather should have been banished for his part in that but he's is still received warmly on left wing media, which is most of the media.
So Obama got a pass, but he also got support in the form of massive racial voting blocks. But the real pass is occurring now.
There are no jobs. The leftist media still glows about his achievements.
The deficit, which Obama claimed he would cut in half, has doubled but it's all Bush's fault, according to the lame stream media.
In effect, there was no vetting of Obama. The media glossed over his faults then, and there were many including lack of experience, and there are many more now.
Deficit rapidly increasing.
Highest unemployment in 30 years.
Failure to prosecute terrorists.
Justice Department staffed with terrorists lovers at the highest levels.
Failure to prosecute black thugs for voter intimidation.
Sleazy deals to get Obamacare through.
Sleazy deals with GM and Chrysler where the taxpayers will lose billions.
In the meantime the press continues to wrap their arms around Obama while blaming it all on Bush.
In effect, there was no pass for Bush whatsoever. He was hated by the media and to compare the two on any other terms is beyond ludicrous.
Mark | 4.19.11 @ 2:43PM
Well said ! We're going to be in for a fight the likes of which haven't been seen in decades (if not longer) for the Presidency in 2012. In spite of all this Obama's popularity is amazing. I understand that it's relatively low, but the amazing part is that so many still support him. I do take into account the patent skew most polling has built in. The man still has a LOT of support. The black voting bloc is still at 90%+ in support for him and could care less about his record to date. I suspect the ceaseless demagoguery is having an effect on the independents and of course, those slightly below 'far-left' are behind him as well. Combine that with a weak and timid GOP and the battle is on. Look for dirty tricks more suitable for gang warfare than American politics to come.
wodiej| 4.20.11 @ 8:57AM
Well said. How anyone can rationalize success out of the havoc Obama has wreaked is beyond me but liberals on Fox will justify it until they die.
PattyMor| 4.19.11 @ 1:58PM
Well to say Bush was a complete failure is a bit simplistic. The inarticulate guy managed to get elected twice. He was hated and was relentlessly attacked by the Marxist Media. Then there were the partisan attacks by Harry Reid, "This War is Lost" or Dicky Durban and calling our troops Paul Pot stormtroopers. Where are these two flacks now that the 'Bamster is CIC? Where is the outrage over no authorization for the War in Libya?
The Marxist Media gave Obama a complete pass in the 2008 election and have not let up the fawning. They have managed to erase the wars off the nightly news. Where are the pictures of the body bags now that Obama is president? Or that Obama has ignored TWO court orders, lawlessly gave the assets of GM & Chrysler over to the unions over the rights that belonged to the bond holders, his shakedown of BP over the oil spill, and his signing stmt to disavow the budget bill he just signed which forbid spending on 3 czars, or his totally illegal war in libya? As Charlie Brown would say, Good Grief!! And, the guy can not form a coherent thought without the Tel-e-promter.
To top it off where is the endless loop of Obama saying we have 57 States, confusing an inhaler with a breathalizer, or Cominky Park? That is what they did to George Allen over Macaca!
SoCon| 4.19.11 @ 2:23PM
I think "Corpse Man" (twice in one speech!) was his worst screw-up.
What a fool.
LarryK| 4.20.11 @ 9:52AM
... and the country's worst screw up was electing this boob and moron in the first place.
"Dump the Chump"
FastJohnny| 4.19.11 @ 2:47PM
About the 'biggest aa baby thing', I too am surprised that the liberal rationalists haven't jumped on it. However, it could very well be true. A good example is all the secrecy surrounding his grades in school: why are they not allowed to be released. I, for one, would like to know just how good a student he was at Columbia and Harvard. The MSM touts his education as something that we should consider, but they fail to ask if he was a good student. I am hesitant to say this, but I am fully aware of the 'passes' many of the AA students get. I have seen failing grades and disciplinary problems that would get an 'unminority' thrown out of school in an instant. Not to mention resumes that would get a non-affirmative action candidate laughed out of the Dept Chairs office, but not so in an AA case.
Skye| 4.19.11 @ 3:20PM
There are two aspects to the problem of affirmative action and President Obambi. The second, more important, of which has gotten zero attention.
The first is the conventional affirmative action of acceptance to and credentialization by elite establishment institutions, such as Ivy League colleges, professional schools, etc. This is the "social promotion" species of affirmative action. Whether Obambi obtained free passage under this affirmative action, narrowly-defined, we'll never know. No one's seen his grades, recommendations, etc. However, he did get a free ride under this form of aff. action, broadly-defined, in the sense that the press actively protects him and his Presidency of Harvard Law Review and affiliation with U. Chicago Law School were jokes: every law review member publishes a student "Note" an extensive work of legal scholarship while B.H.O.'s only output was a two page case review as a student, totally insufficient to qualify as a faculty member of any sort.
More consequential, however, is the second dimension of affirmative action expressed in the effects on cognition and psychology of its "victims". Obambi grew up as an admittedly very intelligent and articulate minority individual always in precocious, liberal environments. You can bet your last dollar that at no time was he ever intellectually challenged or confronted by lefty teachers, professors, or peers who might simply have said (the normal experience for most youths learning to get through life), "You know that comment you just made or theory you just advanced, it's total B.S." Instead whatever platitudinous, vacuous utterance that would have come out of his mouth, e.g. about world gov't or disarmament or constitutional law or you name it, would have been met by rapturous praise as the listener tried to show their liberal credentials and color "blindness".
The result of this latter, affirmative action cognitive bubble is a radically stunted cognition whose exposure has been limited and a monstrous narcissism which believes its least utterance is golden brilliance.
The net effect is the freakishly narcissistic, spuriously self-confident, and cognitively stunted specimen otherwise now known as the President of the United States and Commander in Chief (or more appropriately, "Obambi").
Pete| 4.19.11 @ 6:02PM
Solid post. It sure does explain a lot, doesn't it? The lecturing, his facial expressions, the un-presidential pettiness when challenged in any way.
Oldefarte| 4.19.11 @ 5:19PM
He doesn't seem to have a clue? How surprising, considering he's never worked an honest day in his entire life. His life has been one Affirmative Action sequence on top of another. As Trump insinuates, he was probably an average student, yet he attended private [academically required] schools. Can anyone explain how his coming from an impoverished background, that he was able to attend these financially expensive schools? Loans? Yeah, right, AND THE COW JUMPED OVER THE MOON! How did he supposedly pay back those loans while working as a community organizer/welfare worker in Chicago????????
Oldefarte| 4.19.11 @ 5:20PM
His prior work experience would allow him to successfully/profitably run a snowball stand and make a profit of same [and yet he's the president of this nation]???????
Ken (Old Texican)| 4.19.11 @ 5:20PM
I'm sorry, folks
I just get pissed off when Dubyah bashers chime in here.
Dubyah was a fine Governor of Texas, and I thank God AlGore was not President when 9-11 occurred.
Dubyah, kicked the Taliban's ass, then blew away Saddam.
Those here too ignorant to understand how frightening Saddam had become supporting Al Queada and paying terrorists bore me.
PS: Dubyah's policies kept us under 5% unemployment for eight solid years, and he loves America.
Hell no I didn't like his failure to veto some crap. Other than that..... duh, folks, we are never going to have a "perfect President". Even Ronald Reagan had some blind spots.
Get over your ankle biting! Yes, I miss Dubyah!
Mike Rogers| 4.20.11 @ 8:02AM
Yes! We purists were repulsed by Dubya's spending, but none of us thought him anything other than a decent and humble man.
However, your big point is that he saved us from AlGore and John F-ing Kerry - almost makes one think that a third term would have been less damaging than Obambi!
Kyle| 4.20.11 @ 2:40PM
If W had won a third term the Republican party would have been DOA. As it was, we barely survived his 8 year stint as POTUS.
kvn| 4.20.11 @ 8:47AM
The biggest mistake GWB made was when he allowed the MSM to unseat the Republican House in 2006. Spending in 2007 and 2008 was ridiculous. And he signed off on it.
He should have fought to kep the House.
SoCon| 4.19.11 @ 6:07PM
I like you, Ken, and I understand your defense of George Bush, but my fealty is to God and Conservative principles.
GWB is a good man but he was a flawed president and a massive spender. We owe it to our children and grandchildren to reassert our belief in our core values and nominate and elect a fiscal Conservative.
It's upsetting to me that Jeb Bush is even considered as a serious candidate. No political dynasties please.
wodiej| 4.20.11 @ 9:01AM
Amen to that.
Cynical Observer| 4.19.11 @ 9:49PM
Yes, of course, he was an affirmative action baby. He also operated as what he was: a lawyer, who figured out how to play the nomination process. Lots of lawyers win cases they "shouldn't" in just this fashion. It isn't "just" but they "win" anyway.
GoodMojo| 4.20.11 @ 12:29PM
Terribly sad for us all, the insight he showed in campaigning, is nowhere to be found in his governing.
No new ideas, no apparent aptitude, a distinct absence of integrity, a cloak of secrecy, and a cluster-bomb of negative results.
But for "affirmative action-style" handling; the man could not be elected Constable.