September 28, 2010

"After a couple of blah songs by The National, then a long energy-sapping break for canned music (pace, people, pace), singer-guitarist Ben Harper plays a mostly pensive solo set."

"It’s the exact opposite of rousing," writes Dean Robbins about tonight's Obama rally:
But just when you think the rally (and maybe even the Democrats) are doomed, U.S. Senator Russ Feingold bursts onto the podium.

The media had predicted Feingold wouldn’t show up at the event, suggesting he didn’t want to be tied to the increasingly unpopular Obama. You wouldn’t know it from his passionate speech. “I’ll tell you something, Mr. President,” he booms, “you are my friend!”
I wondered if maybe the pace was all off because Feingold decided to come at that last minute. I wasn't buying it when he criticized right-wingers for saying he wouldn't come. Why didn't he announce earlier that he would? Why was Tim Kaine talking about  how it was perfectly normal for Feingold not to come?
... And here [Obama] comes... He’s more handsome in person than on TV, with a thousand-watt smile and more charisma than any one person should be allowed to have. He gets the crowd in the palm of his hand from his opening story of driving to Madison to visit student friends when he lived in Chicago. 
Robbins doesn't mention that the crowd booed Chicago. (The pain of last night's Packers-Bears game was quite fresh and raw.)
“I had some fun times up here in Madison,” he says. Perfectly timed pause, followed by the punchline: “I can’t give you the details....”
Isn't it amazing that we let him play coy about such matters? Why was that ever charming?

26 comments:

Anonymous said...

I loved Bill Clinton's bit about the green astro turf in the back of his El Camino. But the thing that made it great was how real it was, and how genuinely able Clinton (Georgetown, Rhodes Scholar, Yale) was able to connect with his audience.

Issob Morocco said...

Sounds like someone is trying to find a reason of validation or reinforcement of the 2008 decision to vote for a Windy City Scam artist.

Sorry Sistah, just admit you goofed and move on. You will feel better for doing so.

Let him go.......

Sprezzatura said...

Seven,

I never saw the charm in that story. If we didn't know that WJC had trouble keeping "it" in his pants, I would agree w/ you, but......

Anonymous said...

1jpb -- You must not have grown up working class.

Unknown said...

Personally, I don't care if he has the charisma of JFK and Marylin Monroe's long lost love child. His policies are the problem not his animal magnetism, lovely Ann. He's scaring the bejeezus out of American companies regarding taxes regulations and debt. That's why the economy is stagnating and consumer confidence is wavering. But I'm sure he has a nice smile...

Angst said...

Even as a "dyed in the wool" conservative -

I am encouraged to see young adults actively engaged in selecting our country's leaders.

My job is simply to present a compelling reason why Conservatives are a better choice.

That task is a whole lot easier than explaining why their vote actually matters.

Unknown said...

Since Feingold was going to be a very conspicuous no-show (a second time), one must wonder at what he was offered (bribed) to attend.

Palladian said...

Yes! Keep focusing on the charisma! Presidents are for charisma-delivery! Isn't he charming?!

"Isn't it amazing that we let him play coy about such matters? Why was that ever charming?"

Good question. I love when the President of the United States make jokes about his possibly nefarious, completely unknown and un-investigated past.

Palladian said...

"My job is simply to present a compelling reason why Conservatives are a better choice.

That task is a whole lot easier than explaining why their vote actually matters."

Forget it. Ideas get lost in all the hip bands and charisma! It's about charisma, people!

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
lucid said...

Obama's whole take on being president is that he at a fizzy celebrity party (for which we pay though we are not invited to attend) and that he gets to decide everything that happens because "I happen to be the president" and "elections have consequences" and because anyone who disagrees with him is dishonest and morally bankrupt and probably stupid and uneducated also.

Meanwhile, Obama has never had a real job, and most of his life has been paid for by wealth that other people produced.

He wants a major re-structuring of American society in a way that will let him live in a house with five fireplaces and a 500 bottle wine cellar (I'm talking about his house in Chicago)that was partially paid for by a convicted felon, where he can entertain Bill Ayers.

I can't wait for November 2nd.

Anonymous said...

America's Politico! I've been anxiously awaiting your insight!

Palladian said...

Serious, which one of you lunkheads is posting as "America's Politico"? Hilarious stuff, but be careful: shtick gets old. Remember when the "titus" character was thought charming and funny?

"He’s more handsome in person than on TV, with a thousand-watt smile and more charisma than any one person should be allowed to have. He gets the crowd in the palm of his hand from his opening story of driving to Madison to visit student friends when he lived in Chicago."

Obama may have had the crowd in the palm of his hand, but it sounds like Dean Robbins had his dick in the palm of his hand, thinking about that thousand-watt smile...

Palladian said...

"America's Politico! I've been anxiously awaiting your insight!"

Hey, he deleted it! What gives? It was the funniest one yet!

Henry said...

I like The National. But I sure wouldn't hire them for a political rally. Or a wedding. I wouldn't even hire them for a funeral. Because, if you bring a band to funeral, the band should play like it's a wedding.

Anonymous said...

Doesn't anyone else find it sadly hilarious that the way Obama is apparently trying to save himself is by trying to recreate the artifice that was 2008?

I mean, if I was a Freudian, I could write a book here...

Sprezzatura said...

Seven,

Nope, and even worse; I'm a product of the left coast.

Maybe that's why I didn't get it.

But, maybe not. We all knew about the not completely ridiculous accusations of rape and sexual assault. So, I don't think that you need to be some sort of "elitist" to worry that WJC was assaulting girls way back in the El Camino days.

But, I was a huge Clinton Hater at the time, so I despised everything about the man. I was biased even w/o a so-called elitist background.

P.S.
It's not just working class kids from the south who know how to take care of business in the bed of a truck, if you know what I mean.



Palladian,

Maybe there is a fake Titus, or two. The current version (while still worth reading) seems more transparently phony than the earlier version.

lucid said...

@seven machos

yes, it is sad adn telling that he is simply trying to re-run the playbook from 2 years ago.

it is a demonstration of how shallow and inexperienced obama really is. he has nowhere else to go.

Mark said...

I'm with edutcher; the interesting story is what got Feingold on-board.

Chennaul said...

Why was that ever charming?

That sounds like a guy trying to sound *dangerous* to some barely legal girl at a bar...

So Obama knows his audience here...

And, actually the Democrats should be embarrassed going around to the young kids who are the only one's inexperienced enough to still be buying.

But who knows maybe the kids realize that a lot of their friends are unemployed.

The kids that graduated 2 years ago.

Wait we now keep time in months-so as Obama would say-

20 months ago.

JAL said...

He gets the crowd in the palm of his hand from his opening story of driving to Madison to visit student friends when he lived in Chicago.

Student friends? What student friends? Names please? The MSM has been unable to find old girl friends, college drinking (smoking) buddies from Columbia University (except 2 Pakistanis he visited on an Indonesian passport -- where are they? Who are they?) -- *any* "friends," so why does him driving to Madison to visit "student friends" in Madison not ring true?

How old was he when he lived in Chicago? Post Columbia -- so let's see -- how does one meet "student friends" in Madison when one is working as a community organizer? Members of the same intercollegient lefty political activist group? Or was it when he was interning?

Inquiring minds want to know who the "friends" were.

Methadras said...

One has to ask Feingold what Obama promised him for being his friend?

AllenS said...

Feingold is way behind in the polls. He probably figured: "What the hell, I might as well show up, because what I've been doing, isn't working."

Can't get any worse. Right?

Drew said...

What a fawning love-letter that article was. I may puke.

Hagar said...

Obama was in Albuquerque Monday night and gave a speech at a backyard barbeque in the South Valley attended by about 35 people, and that was about it.

They did announce on the news that he was coming, but on Tuesday, not on Monday when he actually came, and there was little mention that he was here after he was gone.

What the heck was this all about?

Blue@9 said...

Hilarious. I love The National (probably the best band in America right now), but I sure wouldn't put them up to get a crowd going.