RSS Feed for This PostCurrent Article

Speak of the Right Wing Devil…

By dcmediagirl on February 19, 2008 at 2:02 PM in Barack Obama, Clinton, Cult, Cults, Current Affairs, Democrats, Media, Messiah, Obama, Presidential Candidates, Republicans

…and that devil appears. You could set your watch to it. You can’t say we didn’t warn you.

David Brooks on December 18:

I’ve been poring over press clippings from Obama’s past, looking for inconsistencies and flip-flops. There are virtually none…. Obama does not ratchet up hostilities; he restrains them. He does not lash out at perceived enemies, but is aloof from them. In the course of this struggle to discover who he is, Obama clearly learned from the strain of pessimistic optimism that stretches back from Martin Luther King Jr. to Abraham Lincoln.

David Brooks on January 4:

Barack Obama has won the Iowa caucuses. You’d have to have a heart of stone not to feel moved by this…. This is a huge moment. It’s one of those times when a movement that seemed ethereal and idealistic became a reality and took on political substance…. Obama has achieved something remarkable…. Obama is changing the tone of American liberalism, and maybe American politics, too.

David Brooks on January 29:

And then Monday, something equally astonishing happened. A throng of Kennedys came to the Bender Arena at American University in Washington to endorse Obama. Caroline Kennedy evoked her father. Senator Edward Kennedy’s slightly hunched form carried with it the recent history of the Democratic Party…. The Kennedys and Obama hit the same contrasts again and again in their speeches: the high road versus the low road; inspiration versus calculation; future versus the past; and most of all, service versus selfishness.

And whoops! Now that Obama has been catapulted to superstardom, he doesn’t look so good to David Brooks anymore. There’s enough hypcrisy here to choke a horse. Expect more of this from right wingers who have been singing Obama’s praises lately:

Barack Obama vowed to abide by the public finance campaign-spending rules in the general election if his opponent did. But now he’s waffling on his promise. Why does he need to check with his campaign staff members when deciding whether to keep his word? Obama says he is practicing a new kind of politics, but why has his PAC sloshed $698,000 to the campaigns of the superdelegates, according to the Center for Responsive Politics? Is giving Robert Byrd’s campaign $10,000 the kind of change we can believe in? If he values independent thinking, why is his the most predictable liberal vote in the Senate? A People for the American Way computer program would cast the same votes for cheaper. And should we be worried about Obama’s mountainous self-confidence?

  • grannyhelen

    When you lie down with scorpions prepare to get stung.

    Always wondered why the support of Brooks, and Bill Kristol, and some really questionable folks like that was Shouted From The Rooftops As Being Something Fan-tabulous.

    And why bloggers, of all people, unilaterally disarmed their skepticism.

    • yttik

      “And why bloggers, of all people, unilaterally disarmed their skepticism.”

      This has been the most disapointing thing for me to deal with. I already had my campaign of hope, I hoped that the last seven years had caused people to develop a healthy dose of skepticism. I hoped we would never elevate a leader to messiah status again. I hoped we would begin to look at politicians for what they are, human beings with huge marketing machines behind them.

      But you know what they say, hope in one hand and spit in the other.

      • grannyhelen

        “Don’t stop thinkin’ about tomorrow…”

        I mean, for all of the moaning about the Clinton years didn’t Bill step into office riding a wave of hope and optimism? And I don’t even remember him talking triangulation until the GOPers did their contract on America – I think that was his way of maintaining power.

        I don’t like triangulation, and I didn’t agree with the results of it (“welfare reform” was one of the worst outcomes of that, imo). But I understood why he was doing it.

        What I don’t understand is people getting their hearts a’flutter for centrism before we even begin to fight, or legislate, or do anything. That is also another way to consolidate political power…

        …but why people are fainting over it is beyond me.

  • mimi

    It’s time to face facts: liberal bloggers have an agenda. They hate that Clinton took the Democratic Party into a centrist position. They are no better than wingnut Conservative Republicans. Wait a minute, they’re worse. Conservatives act like adults when it comes time to vote for president. They may not love McCain, but they’ll do the standup thing when the time comes. Neither wings of the party want to face the reality that the most of America is more to the center. And that real change is an evolving thing.

    I wonder how the Obama campaign is going to spin Michelle’s own words, since words are important, as something the Clinton campaign conjured up. I’m actually surprised that the media is covering it. Watch the video and judge for yourself.

    • Simon

      On David Brooks, and the right wing troll of Obama:

      …and that devil appears. You could set your watch to it

      Yep, you can set your morning watch to it, like you morning load in the toilet, but less useful, that David Brooks.

      Can Bill Kristol be far behind?

  • Bill Vroom

    Hey, this is off topic, but I just came upon a wonderful Obama website at http://obamawill.com Very nice.

    My wife – who has favored Clinton – took a look and said it was the first Obama thing that made her like him. Go figure.

    • TeakwoodKite

      He can have my job. Thanks for the chuckle.

  • norrismorris

    Wonderful post. I was reading Brooks in Tmes today, and these were my very thoughts, but you show so well how he has morphed from adulation to doubt.

    And as a Jew, Brooks hasn’t even touched the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, Obama’a friend,mentor, and pastor who is a devoted follower of Louis Farrakhan. The same man that called Judasim “a gutter religion”, and Jews, “bloodsuckers”.

    “The Audacity Of Hope” was taken by Obama from one of his beloved Reverend’s sermons. And during time when Obama distanced himself during his campaign from Wright, the Rev. told the New York Times, “he feared his Jewish support will dry up quicker than a snowball in hell”. The Reverend Wright, last year bestowed an award on Farrakhan calling him.”one who epitomized greatness.”

    Brooks hasn’t gotten around to mentioning Zibgniew Brezinsky as Obama’s national security advisor, the leftover hawk and anti Iraeli advisor to Carter who helped sink his first failed term during the hostage crisis. Zbig along with Susan Rice are OLD Washington hacks; & some Clinton OLD Washington adcisors,…all while Obama spouts hope and change and going to Washigton to enact NEW hope/change. Oh, really? With OLD WASHINGTONIANS?? Party hacks.

    With the same OLD people, and incompetent hawks at that, whose Pro Palestine stance is aided and abetted by none other than George Soros, multibillionaire Hedge Fund maven and Obama backer. Soros is well known for his anti Israel positions and Pro Palestinian stance.

  • DCDemocrat

    When I was a boy and a member of the Boy Scouts, we used to sing (badly) various raucous whimsical nonsense songs. One had the refrain, “Second verse, same as the first, a little bit louder, and a little bit worse.” I think sometimes of that lyric when I consider Senator Obama’s hypocrisy.

    • norrismorris

      I am tired of the roar, the rhetoic, the same words, the noisy crowds who behave as celebrity obsessed audiences at an Oprah giveaway. If I hear he was the first black editor of Harvard Law Review once again, I’ll puke.

      The age of most Obamatons I see are young who don’t remember Kennedy and how he escalated Viet Nam, and how his clumsiness with Kruschev precipitated our handful of Cubans flailing against 200,00 Cubans who were armed and expecting. We were brought to the brink of nuclear disaster because of his terible judgement. Obama uses him as a role model?

      They actually know not much about civics, 20 century politics and history, and have no political experience or savvy. They’re on a bandwagon pure and simple. All hype,message, and no substance. Smoke and mirrors.

    • Cee

      DC,

      Same with all of that experience.

      Ready to Lead

      Not exactly confidence building.

      Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign failed to file a full slate of convention delegate candidates for Pennsylvania’s April 22 primary.

      This despite the possibility the primary proves critical and despite Clinton owning the full-throated support of Gov. Rendell, state Democratic Party leadership, Mayor Nutter and, presumably, the organizational skill all that entails.

      And despite a Rendell-ordered extension of the filing deadline that could be viewed as more than just coincidental.

      Missing almost 10% of

      http://atrios.blogspot.com/2008_02_17_archive.html#129224423607171512

  • TeakwoodKite

    dcmediagirl; Thanks for the topic; this started last week when Bill Press uttered the words… “St.Obama’s Halo”…go figure a dem would raise the issue.
    I am waiting for Barak Obama supporters “Emo-meters” to peg permenantly like a network traffic graph on the ceiling.

    FYI It appears that your Post has repeated sections…I hope it is not my browser.

    Thanks for your perpective and clarity of your prose.

  • Kathleen

    When Obama or Clinton commit to using diplomacy with Iran and when one of them states that they are willing to deal with the Israeli Palestinian conflict far more fairly they get my vote. Until then I will vote for Edwards in the Ohio primary…talking lots of other folks into doing the same.

    I can’t find Hillary’s speaking schedule in Ohio. Any one else know?

  • Kathleen

    Rules of Engagement on Frontline tonight.
    http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/

    Rules of Engagement

    The inside story of what happened in Haditha, Iraq, where 24 Iraqis were killed by U.S. forces. Many in the media branded it “Iraq’s My Lai.”

  • realitygirl2

    This information is very underhanded and without merit. Whenever a success is made in America by an African American, it has to be in the “closet” because of hyperphobics who cannot accept themselves. The way of life for any American is based upon the race of the person. Rev. Jeremiah Wright has not told any of his parishioners to join a hate group or to have a hate meeting after church service. One of my high school teacher(white) told my class many years ago about his pastor who told attendees at a church service to meet in the back of the church after service for a KKK meeting. Why don’t you people write about real events in the lives of all Americans instead of a select few to validate a barrage a hatred that has been taught from past and present Presidents to schoolsl, work, and businesses.

    • Mike Howell

      realitygirl2 –

      You’re right! Go Urban League! White people suck – all of them are no damn good. Boo hiss.

    • http://www.despair.com/doubt.html Smilin’ Jim

      “One of my high school teacher(white) told my class many years ago about his pastor who told attendees at a church service to meet in the back of the church after service for a KKK meeting”

      Spot on.

      My uncle was a Kluxer in this period. There was this Catholic Irish easterner with a gawdawful accent running for President. There was going to be hell to pay if upright white, Protestant men didn’t sally forth to defend the Republic.

      The candidate was Al Smith, the year was 1928. We have moved on.

      P.S. Elvis is dead.

  • http://www.despair.com/doubt.html Smilin’ Jim

    The time to trash Obama is AFTER he has the Democrat nomination. Maybe Brooks didn’t get the memo.

    In another venue, the guest Republicans on HBO’s Real Time With Bill Maher have been grinding the same axe, with some help from ‘ol Bill himself.

    Maher has had a FOX pollster, Frank Luntz on twice. Here is what the FOX does in the chickenhouse. Maher’s audience is nearly solid liberal, southern California democrats — it’s Obama wonderland. Luntz asks the audience to applaud if they support Obama and the place goes wild. He asks the audience to applaud if they support Clinton and there is a decidedly muted response. He then pans to the camera and tells America that they have seen the VOICE OF THE PEOPLE. We used to call it salting the mine.

    For the last two weeks, the guest reactionaries on this show, like Andrew Sullivan, Jonah Goldberg and Matt Dowd, have been heaping unctuous praise upon Obama, painting a Renaissance fresco of this youthful demigod surrounded by winged cherubs and with beams of sunshine emanating from his ass.

    Hey rubes, you’re being played.

    • Star

      Great summary Smilin’ Jim. The only thing creepier than Fox pollster Frank Luntz having to repeatedly tell Bill Maher to keep his hands off of him for the second show in a row –

      was the complete lack of humor. It was so pathetic watching the guests shill for Barack Hussein Obama that the only reason I kept watching was to see if they would actually pass the plate for him.

      What a snore.

  • http://rawdawgb.blogspot.com rawdawgbuffalo

    Truth is Lincoln real debates regarding abolition were with Fredrick Douglass and not Stephen A.Will the real Lincoln – Douglass Debate please sta…