March 20, 2010

President Obama's lackluster speech to the Democratic caucus.

I watched this live, and I was struck by the dullness of the crowd as they listened to words that were supposed to stir them up. This part, especially:
Sometimes I think about how I got involved in politics. I didn’t think of myself as a potential politician when I get out of college.... I was skeptical about politics and politicians, just like a lot of Americans are skeptical about politics and politicians are right now....

And I decided finally to get involved because I realized if I wasn’t willing to step up and be true to the things I believe in, then the system wouldn’t change. Every single one of you had that same kind of moment at the beginning of your careers. Maybe it was just listening to stories in your neighborhood about what was happening to people who’d been laid off of work. Maybe it was your own family experience, somebody got sick and didn’t have health care and you said something should change.

Something inspired you to get involved, and something inspired you to be a Democrat....
That really should have brought a big cheer. Obama seemed to expect something there. But he had to go on....
... instead of running as a Republican. 
Still no response.
Because somewhere deep in your heart you said to yourself, I believe in an America in which we don’t just look out for ourselves, that we don’t just tell people you’re on your own, that we are proud of our individualism, we are proud of our liberty, but we also have a sense of neighborliness and a sense of community -- (applause)....
Finally some applause. It's as if they'd forgotten what being a Democrat was supposed to mean, and he had to define it for them.

And then there was the "don't do it for me" part:
But if you agree that the system is not working for ordinary families, if you’ve heard the same stories that I’ve heard everywhere, all across the country, then help us fix this system. Don't do it for me. Don’t do it for Nancy Pelosi or Harry Reid. Do it for all those people out there who are struggling....
Do it for them. Do it for people who are really scared right now....
Don’t do it for me. Don’t do it for the Democratic Party. Do it for the American people. They’re the ones who are looking for action right now. (Applause.
This is what's known as protesting too much. You know damned well he needs them to do it for him and for the Party.

135 comments:

Chip Ahoy said...

redacted:

I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I ....

Thanks for doing the hard work of listening.

Prosecutorial Indiscretion said...

The weekend so far brings to mind one of Milo Bloom's biting tirades against Senator Lucius Bedfellow: "You're going down in flames, you tax-fattened hyena." Here's hoping that stays the case.

Anonymous said...

Barack Obama should be pitied. He suffers from Narcissistic Personality Disorder - a recognized mental illness in the DSM-IV issued by the American Psychiatric Association.

Chip is right. There's more "I"s in that first sentence than in all of Idaho.

Deborah M. said...

I agree, the man has a disorder. He cannot make a speech without making it about himself. Pitiful indeed. More pitiful come November.

Robert J. said...

> Do it for them. Do it for people who are really scared right now....


I'm one of those people who is really scared right now. I am unemployed and on the brink of homelessness. I don't expect to live much longer if I can't find a job in the next few weeks. And I can't find a job because of the filthy, vile, lying democrats who have destroyed the economy and the nation.

Peter V. Bella said...

Translated:

"I am asking you to commit political suicide on my behalf. Mine and Nancy Pelosi's legacies are on the chopping block. So let's go out there and get one for the Gipper, un, er, ah, eh, I mean let's do it for the ordinary folks."

Anonymous said...

"I agree, the man has a disorder. He cannot make a speech without making it about himself."

It's sad, really.

Look, I'm the first guy to criticize Barack Obama the politician, but Barack Obama the patient needs to be admitted to a hospital so that he can get the help he needs.

Of course, he's in denial about his sickness (that's how you know he's really, really sick ... it's the denial).

Nevertheless, it is our duty as citizens to ensure that our fellow citizens are getting the health care they require.

Barack Obama is a very, very sick man. He needs psychotherapy ... maybe even shock treatments ... to overcome his psychiatric personality disorder.

I'd be happy to pay extra in taxes to make sure he has the health care he requires.

Pastafarian said...

Any statement that includes this string of words:

"...we are proud of our liberty, but..."

...can only be uttered by someone who sees liberty as a relatively unimportant part of the human condition; perhaps as merely a hindrance to his greater aims. By a dictator, a thug, a despot. Not by an American president.

d-day said...

This morning, somewhere deep in my heart I said to myself, I believe in an America in which we don’t just look out for ourselves, that we don’t just tell people you’re on your own, that we are proud of our individualism, we are proud of our liberty, and we also have a sense of neighborliness and a sense of community.

And I said to myself that I believe in an American where everyone can look out for each other in the way they see fit, and to act in accordance with the dictates of their own conscience, without being forced to abandon their families, communities, and principles by bureaucrats and know-it-alls.

So I went to an Obamacare protest.

David said...

Is it racist to call Obama "lackluster?"

This worries me.

Anonymous said...

"Is it racist to call Obama "lackluster?"

No, but if you call him "blackluster" then yes, that's racist.

rhhardin said...

Do it for Paul.

rhhardin said...

But lackluster compared to what.

Every Obama speech has been crap forever.

Nobody is buying now, though.

Peter Hoh said...

Jayhawks down.

J said...

All I heard was me me me I I I, no surprise.

d-day said...

Also, fuck off, Barack Obama, for pretending you give a shit about my Granny.

Everyone's lower-middle class grannies are going to be goatfucked by the lack of the doc fix, but you already knew that.

AlphaLiberal said...

What a vacuous post. No substance, knowledge, analysis. Just assertion.

Doesn't come off as especially bright.

AlphaLiberal said...

Obama has caused conservatives to becom completely unhinged.

These people who shout "nigger" and do not denounce those who do cannot stand the thought of an African American as President.

Have you denounced the use of "nigger" and "faggot" and spitting on Congressmen, Ann Althouse?

yes said...

That's funny. I follow a couple of journalists tweets who were saying it was a great piece of oratory. (One was Howard Kurtz, I forget who the other was....)

d-day said...

Lol. 1 person shouts the n-word and all conservatives are unhinged. I love the smell of ad hominem in the afternoon.

Titus said...

Do it for RuPaul.

Alex said...

What a vacuous post. No substance, knowledge, analysis. Just assertion.

That's what you say about every Althouse post. Jeremy calls everyone a stupid fucking idiot and garage trots out his kid.

Methinks said...

The crowd was dull because people who know they are going to their own slaughter usually do have that stunned, dull demeanor as they turn their glazed eyes toward their executioner.

That part in his speech about how they're Democrats because being a Republican means that you would never help your fellow man in need is particularly endearing. Voluntary help by reaching into your own pocket to help a fellow man in need doesn't count - only theft of your neighbour's property in pursuit of your vision of justice is moral.

That's what the Soviets did. They perverted morality so that everyone lived in opposite land.

Titus said...

RuPaul's Drag Race is hilarious by the way.

Peter V. Bella said...

What is wrong with spitting on Congressman Alpha? As I said earlier, it is what the left has been doing for forty five years. Or are only the left allowed to do disgusting things?

raf said...

What a vacuous post. No substance, knowledge, analysis. Just assertion.

Doesn't come off as especially bright.


A recursive post by AL.

Penny said...

It's hard to appreciate a speech made to spur on people to vote for something you totally disagree with, but that said, if I believed BIG government was the answer to all our problems, then the speech would affect me. Particularly the Lincoln quote, "I am not bound to win, but I am bound to be true.".

Those are damn fine words there, Mr. Lincoln. Words to live or die by.

AlphaLiberal said...

dday:

1 person shouts the n-word and all conservatives are unhinged. .

Others there cheered. I have yet to see a conservative denounce it, or the use of the word "faggot" or spitting on a Congressman.

Instead, we have Althouse's fanbase here defending it, excusing it, and cheering it.

Methinks said...

These people who shout "nigger" and do not denounce those who do cannot stand the thought of an African American as President.

Have you denounced the use of "nigger" and "faggot" and spitting on Congressmen, Ann Althouse?


I think a better use of my time would be to denounce you for heartily supporting our thug in chief.

AlphaLiberal said...

Alex:

That's what you say about every Althouse post. .

Wrong.

chickelit said...

Because somewhere deep in your heart you said to yourself, I believe in an America in which we don’t just look out for ourselves, that we don’t just tell people you’re on your own, that we are proud of our individualism, we are proud of our liberty, but we also have a sense of neighborliness and a sense of community

Can it be any clearer that Obama is the anti-Kennedy Democrat? He may as well have said:

Ask not what you can do for your country- ask what your country can do for you.

He's not encouraging people to step up to the plate- he's asking people to pass around the plate.

I'm losing my patience for people who couldn't see this coming.

rhhardin said...

The solid test of Obama's speeches is how many people faint.

Sleeping does not count.

kjbe said...

Not watching any speech here, upsets galore on CBS...

Titus said...

Oh and congrats Badgers for Beating Wofford...barely.

Where is Wofford? Have any of you heard of it?

wombat said...

"Do it for the little people. Let's toss some dwarfs!"

Peter V. Bella said...

Here is a little allegory on the Pelosi/Obama administration. BTW Chumbalone is a mob street term meaning moron or idiot.

kjbe said...

Wofford's in Spartanburg SC. They went down easier in football, last fall.

Titus said...

Thad Cochran, republican senator from Mississippi, is a big porker.

Fun Fact-did you know that he hung with Capote when he was young?

I didn't want to see my husband tonight. Is that bad?

Peter V. Bella said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

"Others there cheered. I have yet to see a conservative denounce it, or the use of the word "faggot" or spitting on a Congressman."

Here is actual video of a guy shouting "nigger."

I denounce the Democrats planted amongst the protestors shouting the word nigger so that fucking assholes like you can post this shit all over the internet.

Go fuck yourself dude.

All you have are the typical bullshit assertions of an Astroturf commenter hired to post this tired and predictable drivel.

Titus said...

I am excited about St. Marys regarding March Madness.

Unknown said...

Alpha, what's up with the racist rant? Do you feel stronger by using racial epithets in other people's closed mouths? Do you project much? Vile person.

Palladian said...

"What a vacuous post."

It sure sucked you in.

Anonymous said...

"... or spitting on a Congressman."

And let me just say I for one do not denounce spitting on a Congressman.

If it was OK for Democrats to spit on servicemen returning from tours of duty in Iraq, then it's OK to spit on Democrat members of Congress.

That is an expression of free speech and if you don't like that, I'd suggest you get the fuck out of Washington, D.C. before we drive you the fuck out.

You're lucky that all we're hurling at you fucks so far is spittle and not bricks you fucking prick.

mariner said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...

AL,

With a monicker like yours, you've got to have enough powder in your pan to blow your nose.

You're dumb lass.

Palladian said...

"Every Obama speech has been crap forever."

Why does everyone think Obama is such a wonderful orator? I've never heard him make a good speech.

Palladian said...

"No substance, knowledge, analysis. Just assertion.

Doesn't come off as especially bright."

The autobiography of Alpha L. Iberal

wombat said...

"Congress, forgive them, for they know not what we do.

Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.

Heaven can wait for the Republicans and Teabaggers.

mariner said...

It's as if they'd forgotten what being a Democrat was supposed to mean, and he had to define it for them.

They've forgotten what being American is supposed to mean, and are not willing to be reminded.

Mark said...

... instead of running as a Republican.

So much for all the "post-partisan" pre-election posturing.

Seriously, considering the sheer number of things Obama has reversed himself upon (to be polite), what reason does anyone of any political stripe have to believe a word that comes out of his mouth? Even if you theorize that he's not consciously lying (remember his ripping of HillaryCare over the whole individual mandate thing?) why would you have faith that he'll stand by any statement of principle?

wv: "distrap" as in dis is what we elected. Thanks, Obama voters!

Anonymous said...

You know you've stepped on the right nerve, Ann, when AlphaLiberal starts whinging.

Now slam your foot down harder.

d-day said...

Sure, Alpha - that's what this whole comment thread has been so far, people defending the use of the n-word.

If you can't even accurately describe a comment thread, why should anyone believe anything you say?

Anonymous said...

"I've never heard him make a good speech."

He mumbles a lot when the teleprompter isn't feeding him the words and he sees everything through the lens of himself, which is typical of people who share his Narcissistic Personality Disorder (so go easy on him ... he's mentally ill).

And quite frankly, that "lens of himself" is coated with a fine dusting of cocaine, according to the Washington Post, so he's not totally to blame.

It's the drug, you see. It permanently changed the man.

Anonymous said...

I haven't seen AlphaLiberal condemning Democrat Robert Byrd's use of the word "nigger."

Has anyone else?

I think he and Robert Byrd are of a piece ... the same mind you might say.

You know ... closet racists and secret members of the Ku Klux Klan.

MaggotAtBroad&Wall said...

When Obama says "I believe in an America in which we don’t just look out for ourselves, that we don’t just tell people you’re on your own..." he makes it sound like there are no social safety nets in place to help the less fortunate.

Someone should remind him we already provide for others in the form of social security, medicare, medicaid, unemployment insurance, food stamps, and probably at least a dozen other social programs.

And we've provided all these socialists welfare programs in spite of the fact that not one of our ancestors emmigrated to this country hoping the productive members of society would take care of them. Quite the opposite. Every one of our ancestors, except for those of us who descended from slaves, came here for freedom. Economic freedom. Religious freedom. Political freedom.

We've already given away too much of our freedom so others can be secure. We're done.

JAL said...

Don’t do it for me. Don’t do it for the Democratic Party. Do it for the American people. They’re the ones who are looking for action right now.

Yeah. 30,000 Americans looking for action arrived in Washington on 24 - 36 hours notice. (The WNC bus did it in less than 12 hours lead time.)

Democrats should look no further than out their office windows, check their local office reports, and see how many more thousands of American people were looking for action.

The action the American people are looking for?

Democrats voting "No."

(Self preservation has evolutionary value, I am told.)

Unknown said...

Ann's description of the speech reminds me of the show, produced by Warren Beauty, for Gary Hart at the '76(?) convention when Hart had his one shot. After all the hoopla, when Hart went into his speech, you could just see the air go out of his supporters as it suddenly hit them that what he had been saying to them for a year was a lot of tired, old platitudes and he was as phony as the politicians against whom he'd campaigned.

AlphaLiberal said...

Obama has caused conservatives to becom completely unhinged.

Nowhere near as much as Conservatives cause people like you to become unhinged.

...

Have you denounced the use of "nigger" and "faggot" and spitting on Congressmen, Ann Althouse?

Hate to tell you, but a lot of black people would be insulted by what you imply there.

JAL said...

@ Palladian I've never heard him make a good speech.

Ditto that.

And as I have remarked before, his cadence and inflection is often just plain weird.

Interesting illustration of group think. His reputation for great oratory, that is.

MJ said...

I have yet to see or hear Alpha Liberal or any other lefty commentator condemn the vile use of "teabagger" to describe their fellow Americans. Mark Knoller of CBS actually used it in a tweet he sent out today as a matter of fact. No uproar over that though - because it so demonstrates their cleverness and superior intellect I guess. Hypocrites.

JAL said...

...I believe in an America in which we don’t just look out for ourselves, that we don’t just tell people you’re on your own, that we are proud of our individualism, we are proud of our liberty, but we also have a sense of neighborliness and a sense of community -- (applause)....

What planet (<--- strike that) What country did he grow up in?

Oh right.

Well. I grew up in and live in a country where people help each other. We are neighbors. We are communities. We were communities long before Barack Obama even knew how to spell the word.

These people donate more money voluntarily to people "red and yellow, black and white" all over the world. Because it is a good thing to do. Not because some bookkeeper clicks a key because the Feds tell her to.

These people live in communities. They clear people's driveways. They clean apartments after disabled people move. They raise money for hospital bills and funerals. They volunteer with 4-H and Boy Scouts. They deliver flowers in hospitals and Meals on Wheels. They take in kids who need a stable home and three square (there is more than one Blind Side story out there)....

I think I shall be offended, profoundly offended, by this President of the United States.

Kensington said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Kensington said...

Ugh, Howard Kurtz was very impressed by the speech on Twitter. "Even if you hate this health care bill, that was quite an oration" he swooned.

God, what cheap dates the MSM are.

staticd said...

loving all the hate goin' on this blog. i wonder if we did a linear transformation of obama to the republican regime, what would y'all have to say then? interesting.

Matt said...

I see there are some racist and homophobic Tea Party members. Gee what a surprise.

Fred4Pres said...

Firedoglake's count. Yeah I know, libtard (sorry my liberal friends, but I am not in the mood to be nice), but these are libtard numbers we are counting. It is really close. Closer than this shows.

Fred4Pres said...

Matt, I do not condone anyone using racial slurs, calling people nazis, or promoting violence. If people are doing that (and I am sure a few are) they are the minority and are not condoned doing that.

Not that it matters, you want the faux outrage to stoke a sense of moral superiority. Government taking from people to give to others is not virtue, and even for the recipients there is a painful price for that.

Fred4Pres said...

Matt, why don't you just call them dirty ball suckers. That is what you think.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

More pics from today's rally in DC.

You know when liberals are desperate; AlphaLiberal runs the old tired straw man up the flagpole.

Unknown said...

Matt: The people chanting the N word as reported on MSNBC were left wingers hoping to get covered on, you guessed, MSNBC. Lefties. Vile racist lefties pulling their ugly transparent tricks.

Automatic_Wing said...

Someone in a crowd yelled the "N Word" today, so now we have to do whatever Obama says.

Atone for your sins, you white devils!

Peter V. Bella said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Fen said...

Be careful in responding to Matt. He has quite a trail on the net as a racist and registered sex offender.

Reading between the lines of his arrest record, it appears Matt likes the little boys.

Peter V. Bella said...

Instead, the ladies will have lined up with the purple-shirted SEIU thugs who last August called black conservative activist Kenneth Gladney the "n" word and beat him to the ground outside a rigged "town hall" meeting in St. Louis for passing out yellow "Don't Tread on Me" flags.

OK, Alpha, denounce this! Obama's purple shirts on the move. Singing the Horst Wessel song and starting the beatings. Hey, Alph, I never heard SEIU apologize for this. Andy fucking Stern never denounced his Nazi thugs.

What next Alpha, Crystal Nights throughout America? Are you in the Purple Shirt Army Alpha?

Have they promised to make you a camp director? Denounce this! Denounce the SEIU you sniveling punk. Or STFU forever.

Anonymous said...

The entire point of AlphaLiberal's strawman is to cower people and make them feel too ashamed to speak up.

I don't guess that strategy is working much any longer is it Alpha?

People seem to be very aware of what you're side is doing with your agent provocateurs yelling "nigger" in a crowded theater.

You can't silence us with your racial accusations. We're on to your tricks. So, why don't you find a dumber blog to hang out on.

Methadras said...

More of his incompetence is on display. His willful ignorance, cognitive dissonance, and malignant narcissism is and will lead this country into a dark hole it cannot recover from. Once legislation like this is enacted as an entitlement, it will never be repealed. Can any of you stupid leftards tell me which entitlement has ever been repealed? This is on your backs and this political blood is on your hands. Your ideology is ruinous to this country. I hope you all drop dead for what you've done.

Michael said...

"These people who shout "nigger" and do not denounce those who do cannot stand the thought of an African American as President."

I'll denounce Alphaliberal for shouting it in here.

Shame on you. I'm not sure if you're about to be a sore loser or a sore winner, but either way, you embody everything ugly and hateful about your side.

rc said...

Feeling like a rube yet?

Peter V. Bella said...

The guy who shouted that word was probably a SEIU Purple shirt in mufti.

KCFleming said...

" Can any of you stupid leftards tell me which entitlement has ever been repealed? ...Your ideology is ruinous to this country. "

From the left's POV, that's feature, not bug. You're trying to shame them by pointing out what they see as a success.

Me? If I am uanble to leave the country, I'll go the civil disobedience route, and make life for the new single payer system as difficult as possible.

gk1 said...

I am so hoping they pass this thing. Just watching Pelosi trying to fight back the tears come November will be worth it. Mmmm yummy, yummy, liberal tears. Sweet as honey. Reading Hatch this morning should scare the crap out of the democrats. You might pass this thing Sunday but its the first of several pieces of obamacare which will be DOA. What a bunch of maroons.

Unknown said...

Maybe one reason for the lack of applause was the gross hypocrisy of a man calling for others to take a tough vote, when in fact he was "Mr. Present" for most of his "career".

How can even the Dems and the left stand this man????

Peter V. Bella said...

The President of the United States ordered Obama to give a speech to the Democratic House members. He did as she ordered.

President Pelosi will have this bill. She must have a legacy. Her statue must stand in DC.


If they can find enough botox to seal it with.

Anonymous said...

"Everyone's lower-middle class grannies are going to be goatfucked by the lack of the doc fix, but you already knew that."

It's middle class Grannies and Doc versus the next Generation payin the bill.

Given that Grannies vote and Docs hire lobbyists, I think the ones getting the undue goat attention will be those holding the bag on our exploding debt as it supernovas to become a latter-day 3rd world debtor nation.

Anonymous said...

Elections have consequences. The American people and its professors lost their common sense and voted for devastating consequences.

Unknown said...

"This is not about me, it's about My Amazing Life Story."

I heard the silence in there. I think his party hates him as much as I do at the moment. They're thinking, why the hell do we have to blow our futures on your half-assed, half-formed bill?

Anonymous said...

"When Obama says "I believe in an America in which we don’t just look out for ourselves, that we don’t just tell people you’re on your own..." he makes it sound like there are no social safety nets in place to help the less fortunate."

He is a CLUELESS DOLT who understands not a whit the viewpoint of most Americans on the other side of the political fence.

The 'safety net' for the 'truly needy' has been in place for generations and is supported by both parties, and under Bush $10 trillion was spent on such programs.

It's bad enough to make such a simplistic and false slander against small-govt conservatives and Republicans on the campaign.
but to tell the Democratic caucus this indicates that he actually believes this nonsense. What a tool.

Mick said...

"Elections have consequences. The American people and its professors lost their common sense and voted for devastating consequences."


Yup, and Althouse suspended her disbelief in all the negative baggage that came with the USURPER. Not the least of which is the fact that he is not a Natural Born Citizen (father was never a UWS Citizen). A coalition of the young and dumb, blacks, and the Intelligista (educated idiots) allowed a Usurper to occupy the WH. What did you expect Ann? It's a little late now isn't it? You should be ashamed.

1775OGG said...

We might know Sunday night what the vote is. That is, if Pelosi doesn't hold the vote open in order to persuade "No" votes to switch over to "Surrender" votes!

On the other hand, the vote might become a "state secret!"

Also, has she really dropped the "Demon Pass" procedure? We might be surprised to find out it's still in play!

Howard said...

NewHam said...

Barack Obama should be pitied. He suffers from Narcissistic Personality Disorder - a recognized mental illness in the DSM-IV issued by the American Psychiatric Association.


That Barack Obama has Narcissistic Personality Disorder is beyond doubt. But that does not mean he suffers from it. More accurately speaking, he makes you suffer from it.

Jacq said...

There are no reds states and blue states, there are only those who believe in neighborliness and those who don't.

P.S. If your neighborliness comprises taking property from some of your neighbors and giving it to some of your other neighbors, I wish not to be your neighbor.

Oh, and I believe that our sense of community is greatly enhanced by your leaving my stuff the hell alone.

AG said...

Dollars to donuts that Andrew Sullivan thinks it was the defining speech of our generation.

Peter Hoh said...

Mick wrote: Yup, and Althouse suspended her disbelief in all the negative baggage that came with the USURPER. Not the least of which is the fact that he is not a Natural Born Citizen (father was never a UWS Citizen). A coalition of the young and dumb, blacks, and the Intelligista (educated idiots) allowed a Usurper to occupy the WH. What did you expect Ann? It's a little late now isn't it? You should be ashamed.

UWS? I'll admit that I haven't kept up with all the birther acronyms, but this is a new one for me.

Mary Martha said...

Question - is there any independent confirmation (video perhaps) of the assertions that protesters spit on a congressman or called them vile names?

Sorry, but at this point I am unwilling to believe any cries of 'racism'. Particularly from those who have made their entire career out of being victims of racism.

It's like Peter crying 'wolf' at some point we just have to stop listening.

Nora said...

Obama - "Don’t do it for me. Don’t do it for the Democratic Party. Do it for the American people. They’re the ones who are looking for action right now."

Yep, party first, people second, of course.

Anonymous said...

"Seeing as I've never heard the term "blackluster" used in any other context, I don't see why it wouldn't be a complement, meaning that he's very strong."

I meant to say "negroluster."

I used to say "black," but since Harry Reid calls Obama "negro," I guess that's the term we should use since it's the term Harry Reid uses when he thinks nobody will catch him with his hood on.

Unless, of course, AlphaLiberal shows up to denouce Senate Ku Klux Klanner Harry Reid. Then, I might change my mind.

But only if AlphaLiberal denounces the racist Harry Reid.

Bender said...

Obama -- You really want to do something for me?

Then LEAVE ME THE HELL ALONE! That's what you can do for me.

Keep government out of the doctor's exam room. That's what you can do for me.

Keep government's grubby hands off my body. That's what you can do for me.

Peter V. Bella said...

Newham,
I was watching some of Tavis Smiley's Black Agenda forum this morning. He kept referring to "Negroes". So I guess it is OK. It is in again. Isn't retro wonderful?

These dolts never think before they speak.

Peter V. Bella said...

Newham,
Alpha will not show up again. He is getting brass buttons sewn on his purple SEIU shirt. He is waiting for the call.

He will be ready to march and destroy. That is what Nazi thugs do. First they throw the verbal bombs, then they make false accusations- Jews, Racists, etc., then they take to the streets causing havoc, personal injury, and destruction.

It is a pattern we have seen before.

Der Hahn said...

This for our Lincoln-loving concern troll...

In his remarks to the House Democratic Caucus (the White House website called it “The House Democratic Congress” – talk about a sense of ownership), the president said:

I have the great pleasure of having a really nice library at the White House. And I was tooling through some of the writings of some previous Presidents and I came upon this quote by Abraham Lincoln: “I am not bound to win, but I’m bound to be true. I’m not bound to succeed, but I’m bound to live up to what light I have.”

The book he was consulting may have been They Never Said It, by Paul F. Boller and John George. If so, he missed what they said about the Lincoln passage: “This sounds like Honest Abe, but honesty compels admirers of Lincoln to admit that there is no documentary evidence for the statement.”

John J Pitney, jr NRO

Methinks said...

JAL,

What you describe is what I found out about the people of the United States when I immigrated here from the Socialist Utopia of the USSR.

Well, Barack hates all of you.

In the old country, we murdered old women to get their apartments. We sold out our neighbours to the KGB for an extra ration of moldy bread. We locked women with children suffocating from asthma in hospital rooms so that we don't have to hear the mother's panicked cries. We taped the mouths of newborns in nurseries so they don't disturb the peace. Because what are humans? Not individual precious lives but an undifferentiated mass of cells born solely for the purpose of the use of the State. We drank ourselves into a daily stupor so that we did not have to face our wretched lives, which we were grateful only lasted just over half a century.

THIS is what Barack wants to build here. He is historic and transformative and this is the Great Society that he means to shape.

To this sociopath "individual" and "liberty" is just meaningless babble.

Kansas City said...

I listened to it after reading Ann's criticism. I think judging politician's speeches is one of the most subjective assessments, even when one tries to be non-biased about it.

I thought he did okay, good at times. But there was too much of it that seemed off key to me. And the delivery was only fair - he has said these things so often he is bored with them himself. I don't think the content was very good. And, an audience of conceited Congresspersons being lectured to a politician using standard political oratory cannot really be very interested in what he has to say - a dull audience that I think would be difficult to move.

Worse yet, the Lincoln quote theme of his speech might have been a fake Lincoln quote:

http://corner.nationalreview.com/post/?q=MGZhM2QzMzJiY2E4ZmY2M2NmMzQ3ODUzNTFkZDM0MGI=

buddy larsen said...

One of these days, he's gonna make a speech where he just repeats "the American people" for fifteen minutes. His fans will marvel at the fresh new approach, and say "he really knows the American people".

Peter V. Bella said...

Get your hands off my health insurance you dirty filthy statists!

Michael said...

I love the idea that Obama, the ambitious young law student, had to make a conscious choice between being a Democrat or a Republican.

In Chicago.

That's like deciding between whether to be pretty or ugly.

Anga2010 said...

@NewHam
Ah, I miss Tony Snow.

Anga2010 said...

@NewHam
In any case, with the exception of the WN thing, I agree with much of what RB said re race relations:

"I think we talk about race too much. I think those problems are largely behind us. I think we can all profit by our mistakes. I think we've reached a new plateau, and I think it's going to keep going upward, that understanding and race relations, but I think, I just think that we talk about it so much that we helped create somewhat of an illusion."

Nagarajan Sivakumar said...

I love the idea that Obama, the ambitious young law student, had to make a conscious choice between being a Democrat or a Republican.

In Chicago.


Heh. I believe Obama was displaying his audacity. Daley & Co would be laughing their a** off if they listened to that speech in private.

Hope. Change. You better believe.

dave in boca said...

BHO is some sort of Manchurian Candidate with his wiring all messed up between those Dumbo-sized ears. Someone should tell him that he's at 46% approval and if he keeps on doing the same schtick with the I,I,I, and me, me, me, he's gonna be Jimmy Carter all over again. Except instead of merely messing up on Iran like Jimmy did, he's enabled Iran to become a nuke-wielding Muslim terrorist nation---despite Eric Holder and Hillarious Rodham C.

Penny said...

President Obama said:

"Because somewhere deep in your heart you said to yourself, I believe in an America in which we don’t just look out for ourselves, that we don’t just tell people you’re on your own, that we are proud of our individualism, we are proud of our liberty, but we also have a sense of neighborliness and a sense of community."

What if a future President, Sarah Palin was quoted as saying:

"We are proud of our individualism, we are proud of our liberty, but we also have a sense of neighborliness and a sense of community. Somewhere deep in your heart you said to yourself, I believe in an America in which we don’t just look out for ourselves, that we don’t just tell people you’re on your own."

Folks, there is little disagreement about "WHAT" we want.

OK, so we have some work to do on the "HOW" we get there.

From the looks of some of the comments here tonight, we got a bunch of people more than willing to get a little "dirty" in order to get this job done, but hell! I would expect no less from a self-respecting American. ;)

Penny said...

Look, for those of us upset about a potential loss tomorrow, and for those of us who disagree with the "HOW"?

Let me remind you all of this fact.

What has been DONE, can be UNDONE.

In the end, the will of the people of this country prevails.

Gary said...

Fact free lackluster post claims uninspiring Obama speech and lackluster response by Democrats.

Let's see how someone else with talent could cover Obama's speech.

The president talks
The president gave a rousing, rambling speech before the House Democratic Caucus this afternoon. It wasn't so much a closing argument as it was a summation: of the bill, of the politics, of the moment, of the history, and even of the Democratic Party. When I wrote to the White House's press folks to ask why they hadn't send out the prepared remarks, they said there were none. The president was just talking, which explains the loose structure and the raw, emotional feel of the text. Here's the transcript, one of the final important documents in a long and important debate - Ezra Klein.

d-day said...

Given that Grannies vote and Docs hire lobbyists, I think the ones getting the undue goat attention will be those holding the bag on our exploding debt as it supernovas to become a latter-day 3rd world debtor nation.

Either way, the goats are going to enjoy the zero-sum inter-generational medicine wars before moving on to some necrophilial economic action.

JeanneB said...

***...[Democrats] don’t just tell people you’re on your own.***

That's the Dem canard that drives me up the wall.

We pay for welfare, Medicaid, Medicare/Social Security, college tuition, bloated schools, free cell phones!, emergency room health care, farm subsidies, biofuels, rent subisides, disaster relief, public defenders, food stamps, and endless other "assistance" programs.

Then they told us we had to pay our neighbors' mortgages. And pay more for energy to save Mother Earth. And---the straw---they're handing over hundreds of billions of our dwindling $$$ to their over-paid, under-worked "public servants" who are at war with US...all to protect THEM from losing their jobs after THEY did everything they could to ensure WE lost ours! All we got in return was a bunch of worthless IOU's (to be paid by future Congresses) and a mountain of debt.

And now, if we don't like paying for everyone else's health care on top of all that, then we've done NOTHING. That's the Dem way. Never think of or even thank taxpayers for what WE ALREADY DO. The only thing that matters is the next great giveaway they can come up with. Then, when we tell them we're bled dry, they call us vulgar, insulting names and their media pals dutifully call us a bunch of racist, bigoted thugs who are too stupid to appreciate that our "betters" just want to help us.

After health care, it will be another cause: immigration probably. If we don't make them voting citizens, then once again we'll be told we never want to do anything to help people. In that debate they'll insult us again, saying we never want to do anything to help our fellow "Americans".

Next time a Dem implies you don't want to help, ask him "When was the last time you thanked us for what we ALREADY do?!

Anonymous said...

"To say that any people are not fit for freedom, is to make poverty their choice, and to say they had rather be loaded with taxes than not." - Thomas Paine

Titus said...

Meade's on your insurance plan?

How not independent and self sufficient Meade is.

I am disappointed.

What about individual responsibility.

Anonymous said...

@Gary ... the ignorant slut:

They're so stupid they don't even try to hide their Astroturf commenters anymore.

Gary, the commenter above who raves about Ezra Klein's scat, is in fact Gary L. Denton, a Democrat Party political analyst and hired consultant.

"I have been a research analyst, a marketing research analyst and a marketing consultant for large firms and small political campaigns."

You just can't make this shit up.

What a bunch of maroons.

KCFleming said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
KCFleming said...

Titus/Alex:

Go to hell, you preening loafwipe.

Lefty socialists made a kudzu of state and federal rules that limited health insurance and raised costs and made insurance impossible to find -or afford- for many.

So you little turds created this mess, and then you think it's cute and funny when we try to find our way through your thicket to point out 'You use roads and insurance and send letters? That's socialist hee hee hee'.

Well, in short, stop being an ass. It's a lame and adolescent argument, which is why you make it.

damikesc said...

I love seeing the condemnation of people based on the words of politicians with no video evidence...in spite of a plethora of cameras being there.

Yeah, they just chanted "nigger" and no camera or mic managed to catch it.

Democratic race hustling at its finest.

Mick said...

peter hoh said,

"UWS? I'll admit that I haven't kept up with all the birther acronyms, but this is a new one for me."

Obviously a typo. But it illustrates the inability of the Left to think and reason. This whole abomination of Obamacare is the result of the fact that this POTUS has little attachment and allegiance to this country and it's principles. This is EXACTLY the type of man (a citizen of the world)that the founders would have barred from being POTUS. They wanted an indigenous citizen of the US, born from within. The idea of nations being led by citizens produced from within is an ancient concept. The Jews wandered the desert for 40 years so that any trace of foreign influence would be expunged before they entered their new land. Natural Born Citizens are born in a country of 2of that country's citizens.

damikesc said...

I find it funny that the "post-partisan" Obama has attacked Republicans more this year than the BRUTALLY partisan Bush attacked Democras in 8.

damikesc said...

I'm confused Gary...you said you wanted to see how somebody with talent would cover Obamas latest snoozefest...and then cite Ezra Klein.

Couldn't find anybody with talent?

Calypso Facto said...

Great post Jeanne B. Totally reflects my anger at this never-ending sense of entitlement. For me, this is finally the back-breaking straw.

You've inspired me to paraphrase your post and make one more round of emails to my congressmen and the local paper. If this abomination (Obamination?) passes, I'd be tempted to "go Gault" and pull my chips from the table, but in reality I'll probably hold out until the states have made their challenges, the courts have had their say, and the fall elections hopefully restore some balance (and enact a repeal).

Michael said...

Well, it's an historic day. The way the passage of the Smoot-Hawley Tariff was.

Anonymous said...

Meade's on your insurance plan?....What about individual responsibility.


How is that not responsible? Married people are often on each other's plans. Meade has not thrown himself on the mercy of Obama for his medical care, he is participating in a benefit offered by his wife's employer that is part of her total compensation. They are being responsible. Irresponsible would be for Meade not to have health insurance at all and then just go to the ER when he felt sick.

Unknown said...

Titus: Meade can be covered by Althouse's policy because they are Married!! You could get on your husbands policy if.....oh wait. HA. Take some personal responsibility and stop being a flamer and marry a woman. Problem solved.

Anonymous said...

Actually, UW allows domestic partners to be covered as well. My husband's company covers domestic partners, as do many other entities. So Titus does not have to marry a woman. He just has to sign an affidavit.

http://www.uwsa.edu/hr/benefits/dpbenefits.html

richard mcenroe said...

"Finally some applause. It's as if they'd forgotten what being a Democrat was supposed to mean, and he had to define it for them."

"Dudes, if we clap maybe he'll stop..."

richard mcenroe said...

"I agree, the man has a disorder. He cannot make a speech without making it about himself."

You've heard him talk. What else does he know anything about?

Deborah M. said...

Married people are often on each other's plans.

...and the wage earner pays .... not the taxpayers

buddy larsen said...

As hellaciously destructive as the costs will be, they're not the root problem. As far as love, peace, brotherhood happiness and harmony are concerned, a transaction between a sucker and a grifter can easily work out fine for both. The problem comes when the transaction requires one or the the other side to compel the other.

No matter what new strings of words one side of the transaction comes up with to make the transaction seem right, as long as the other side is not free to say "no thanks", then it's not really a transaction --its an attack.

buddy larsen said...

...it's an attack, which could be justified --think quarantine disease, draft soldiers to resist attack, taxation itself --by only by emergency.

The reason the alternative proposals in this case are so deeply hidden under a media blackout is that by their very sensible sobriety and intuitive workability they utterly belie this entire revved-up fake "emergency".

The 'tell' is, if the alternative proposals were actually dumb or unworkable, there'd be no reason for the blackout. On the contrary, they'd be daily, hourly, held up for above-the-fold ridicule.

Peter V. Bella said...

Hey, alpha, go fuck yourself with your lies and bullshit. All you do is rewash some one else's talking points to hide the truth about your movement. It must pay well to rewrite drivel, lies, nonsense. As I said yesterday, asshole denounce this you Purple shirted Nazi bastard.

Instead, the ladies will have lined up with the purple-shirted SEIU thugs who last August called black conservative activist Kenneth Gladney the "n" word and beat him to the ground outside a rigged "town hall" meeting in St. Louis for passing out yellow "Don't Tread on Me" flags.

This comes from something called a source with corroboration. Not some weasel aide lying to keep his job. You Purple Shirts in SEIU do a good job. Do you march to their Horst Wessel tune Alpah? Do you have brass buttons with skulls or swaztikas on your purple shirt you sub human lying piece of shit?

No one apologized for this. Not one of your Nazi thug leaders came forward and too responsibility. Andy "fucking Hitler" Stern said nothing. j He owns your President. Six million dollars in Nazi treasure buys a lot of President.

When are you planning the Long Knives and Crystal Night? Who goes to the camps first? Granny? The cripple and the lame? The mentally handicapped? WIll you be in charge of one? Is that your reward for being the might Alpha, lord of the fighting liberals?

So, go fuck yourself with your bullshit. You, your master Andy Stern, and your Nazis, freaks, thugs and Robert Byrd's Ku Klux Klan can all go to hell together.

Your fucking movement is nothing more than a bowel movement, Alpha.



My deepest apologies to Althouse and other commenters for the atrocious profanity. But some times a enough is enough with liars. They must be called out and exposed to the light of day. Some times you just have to call an asshole an asshole.

buddy larsen said...

Bella, no need to apologize --in fact, it was refreshing. These stooges do not even begin to understand their own political heritage, and gentler words have proven to have little power to penetrate the fantasy. They'll get it only when their idols slip the noose over their heads.