Althouse: "Sir! You have to give me his accomplishments... You're on national television. Name his legislative accomplishments."

February 20, 2008

"Sir! You have to give me his accomplishments... You're on national television. Name his legislative accomplishments."

Awkward!

53 comments:

Bissage said...: Good thing he wasn’t asked to name his congressional representative.; 2/20/08, 7:45 AM
Anonymous said...: Although Matthews' whiny mannerisms continue to annoy me on a deep level, it was delightful to see him level that stooge. Obama has done nothing. I'm certain Matthews brings that up only to promote Hillary, but who cares? It's being talked about. How anyone can go onto a news show unprepared to answer that simple question is beyond me.

Obama and Hillary just might do the impossible by handing the White House back to the Republicans. Their steel cage death match over the nomination has the potential to splinter their party into enough pieces that even the pathetic McCain can conceivably win.; 2/20/08, 7:46 AM
hawkeyedjb said...: "What are your accomplishments in govermnment" is a good question for all the candidates. (A more specific one for Sen. Clinton would be "what are your accomplishments in health care reform?") The answers, or non-answers, would go a long way to explaining why we tend to elect governors as president.; 2/20/08, 7:50 AM
Peter V. Bella said...: OK, Quick folks, give me Hillary Clinton's accomplishments? Name her legislative accomplishments?

This is the problem with this campaign. Everone claims Obama is the empty suit. No one will dare, especially Matthews after his last run in with Hillaryland, request verification and documentation of Hillary's accomplsihments or legislative feats. Her campaign is the biggest fairy tale I have ever seen. Just ask Bill.; 2/20/08, 7:54 AM
AllenS said...: Hillary's accomplishments? Well, according to the her latest presentations, she's both a good shot and a duck hunter. She also used to work the night shift. Perhaps you can make good money in cattle futures on the night shift. You know, when everybody else is asleep.; 2/20/08, 8:01 AM
I'm Full of Soup said...: I guess this brings to mind the absence of legislative achievements by John Kerry. What did some Clinton insider call Kerry?

..the consummate Senate back-bencher?

Hawkeyedjb said ask all the candidates this question. I wholeheartedly support that; 2/20/08, 8:11 AM
Ben (The Tiger in Exile) said...: Matthews loves Obama & hates Hillary. We know that -- hell, he had to make a five minute apology on national television.

So it's good to see him step up and do his job.; 2/20/08, 8:25 AM
MadisonMan said...: Suddenly everyone wants to know about accomplishments! It's just like 2000 when everyone wanted to know all about Bush's accomplishments. And look how well the country has fared in the past 8 years!; 2/20/08, 8:41 AM
Bob said...: Most legislation isn't that memorable, and is usually sponsored by a half-dozen senators and representatives before it reaches the President for signing; thus, being able to name a legislative accomplishment is perhaps unfair. Even well-known legislation such as McCain-Feingold is probably baffling to most Americans.

Having said that, I commend Matthews for actually acting like a journalist for once. You can be sure that Obama's people will be circulating a List of Legislative Accomplishments that the Senator has sponsored in the past.; 2/20/08, 8:44 AM
Hoosier Daddy said...: Perhaps you can make good money in cattle futures on the night shift. You know, when everybody else is asleep.

That's a lot of crap. She's from Arkansas and we all know that around those parts at night the only thing you did with cattle was tippin.; 2/20/08, 8:45 AM
Amexpat said...: Could be they are trying to make up for their "pimping Chelsea" remark. Perhaps trying to show they are even handed. Didn't they also show Bin Laden's face when talking about Obama? Coincidence?; 2/20/08, 8:46 AM
Roger J. said...: Anyone who believes that Senators Obama and Clinton have done anything as senators don't understand the senate. No first term senator will ever get much done; and Ms. Clinton is too early in her second term to have accomplished much. At any rate, their legislative (non)accomplishments are a matter of public record. They are both empty suits, although one is much more personable empty suit than the other.

Regretably, this country will be selecting a senator to be president this fall. God help us all.; 2/20/08, 9:01 AM
Simon said...: Middle Class Guy said...
"OK, Quick folks, give me Hillary Clinton's accomplishments?"

She set back the cause of universal healthcare by at least twenty years. No other candidate for President since Eisenhower can boast so significant and vital an achievement as that.; 2/20/08, 9:09 AM
The Drill SGT said...: I don't know Roger...

Seems like she is a leader in pork.

must be all that practice with futures.

I dislike Matthews a lot. However, I think you'll see a lot more of that sort of gotcha question for Obama supporters. And the same thing from the McCain side in ads and the debates.

You may not like all of McCain's legislation, but he works across the aisle and gets stuff passed.

Obama has no legislation passed, few bills proposed, and many votes that will be embarassing to a candiate for President.; 2/20/08, 9:11 AM
former law student said...: Here's a video illustrating the core of Hillary's experience:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DP4bHMTEahE; 2/20/08, 9:13 AM
Sloanasaurus said...: Success in Congress in the last 20 years has come from bi-partisanship. Obama is not a centrist politician so it is not a surprise that he has no accomplishments.

The media is misreading the "change" that independents are citing in their support for Obama. The "change" people are looking for is compromise by our political parties to solve the big problems such as social security, health care, immigration etc... They don't see Hillary as providing this change because she is so polarizing.

Obama talks like he could be a centrist, but he has no record of compromise. On all the big compromise issues in the Senate in the last three years, Obama was part of none of them. In the general election he will be a left wing politican running against a centrist.... who do you think independents will vote for?

The public is being sold a bill of goods by Obama. Democrats are going to regret their decision.; 2/20/08, 9:19 AM
Dust Bunny Queen said...: "Regretably, this country will be selecting a senator to be president this fall. God help us all."

The Senate as an institution is currently held in the lowest esteem in its history. People trust the 3 card monte dealer on the street corner more than our Senators. People would rather have Michael Jackson babysit than a Senator. We don't trust them, think they are a bunch of boobs who are wasting our tax money, wasting our time and are in impediment to getting anything done in Congress. They are a bunch of grandstanding, ignorant jackasses.

YET....these are the best we can find to run for President of the United States????

God help us all. As a friend of mine says "We are cammed over". Isn't it just ironic that many religions and cultures predict the end of the world in 2012?; 2/20/08, 9:20 AM
former law student said...: One blogger listed everything that Hillary and Barack got passed, not including things that they were cosponsors of:

http://obsidianwings.blogs.com/obsidian_wings/2008/02/solutions-adden.html; 2/20/08, 9:23 AM
froggyprager said...: The media doesn't like to talk about boring things like legislative accomplishments. They like the horse race and the flip flops. This Washington Post article does describe Obama's accomplishments:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/03/AR2008010303303.html
That dude should have done his homework.; 2/20/08, 9:24 AM
former law student said...: In the general election [Obama} will be a left wing politican running against a centrist..

Hint: A senator with a 0% rating from NARAL is not a centrist, unless you think Pat Buchanan is a moderate.; 2/20/08, 9:26 AM
Swifty Quick said...: Being the fresh new new face and an agent of change AND being an insider with a list of accomplishments at the same time? How does that happen?; 2/20/08, 9:27 AM
Tim said...: Windbag said:

"Obama and Hillary just might do the impossible by handing the White House back to the Republicans."

Impossible? Not that I supported McCain in my party primaries, but it seems increasingly apparent the Dems and the Left are gonna be sucking hard on pickle juice with a lemon chaser Wednesday morning, November 5, and U.S. Senator John McCain, formerly of the United States Navy, will have a date with John Roberts and destiny at noon, January 20, 2009 on the west steps of the Capitol.

Dopey Dems.; 2/20/08, 9:36 AM
Tim said...: "Hint: A senator with a 100% rating from NARAL is not a centrist, unless you think Kate Michelman is a moderate."

/Fixed.; 2/20/08, 9:38 AM
rhhardin said...: It's a meme'd gotcha, though.

Like the name of the President of Pakistan in 2000.

The deal is he supports Obama and Obama does something for him ; or maybe he sees a chance to finally get rid of Hillary.

He'd be much better off saying that.

Who was the guy who did in Matthews in turn? On his stupid book. Some YouTube video.; 2/20/08, 9:39 AM
The Drill SGT said...: Froggy,

the article cited says:

1. he sponsored 1 bill that got passed that requires police to video interigations

2. he helped with 2 other bills in the state

3. and he helped co-author ethics reform in the Senate.

relatively thin; 2/20/08, 9:41 AM
Original Mike said...: People would rather have Michael Jackson babysit than a Senator.

Now that's going a bit far, DBQ!; 2/20/08, 9:57 AM
Peter V. Bella said...: MadisonMan said...
Suddenly everyone wants to know about accomplishments!

MadisonMan said...
Suddenly everyone wants to know about accomplishments!

Hillary is the one who keeps making the claim that she has the experience to rule from day one. Thirty five years worth. She keeps bring up her record of changing peoples lives, helping people, implementing public policy, running the country, and saving the world- excuse the sarcasm. Everyone eats it up. Other than her autobiography, where is the record? Where are the facts? Where is the verification? Hillary keeps touting her accomplishments; the rest of us just want to know if the fairy tale is true.; 2/20/08, 10:08 AM
Susan said...: I thought it was also kind of funny how Rep. Tubbs's first instinct as a polititian was to break in with a demand to be heard rather than just sitting back and letting Sen. Watson self destruct.; 2/20/08, 10:20 AM
Simon said...: former law student said...
"A senator with a 0% rating from NARAL is not a centrist...."

Two problems with that. First, NARAL are themselves arch-extremists, and their rating of a politician should be interpreted in light of that. Second, it's a serious mistake to position someone based on any one issue; the paradigmatic Senate moderates of the modern age are Ben Nelson and Olympia Snowe, and that wouldn't change a great deal if one of them happened to have a 0% rating by an interest group concerned with one very specific issue. McCain isn't a centrist, he's a moderate conservative with a streak of iconoclasm. But myopically focussing on abortion - an issue whose central question is external and antecedent to politics - to site someone on a political axis is unsustainable.; 2/20/08, 10:24 AM
Superdad said...: I am a conservative and I think the press should have hounded Bush a lot more on his thin record - although Bush's thin record trumps the hell out of Obama's no record. At least Bush ran a large boarder state for a number of years. Obama was a state senator for about a week and then a US senator for about a day and now he is running for president.

He would not even have ever been a US Senator but for the fact that Ryan turned out to be a freak in the bedroom and had to quit the campaign when his previously sealed divorce papers became public.

These are not gotcha questions – the man is running for president and the best indication of what someone will do is what they have done. These are fair questions. You may decide that his lack of experience is not dispositive of his ability to be president but the question is fair and should be asked (of everyone seeking the highest office in the land).; 2/20/08, 10:29 AM
Chip Ahoy said...: Oi veh.; 2/20/08, 10:30 AM
The Drill SGT said...: Susan said...
I thought it was also kind of funny how Rep. Tubbs's first instinct as a polititian was to break in with a demand to be heard rather than just sitting back and letting Sen. Watson self destruct.

LOL

then she wised up and offered him more time :); 2/20/08, 10:40 AM
former law student said...: McCain's an unsustainable myope then: His robocall made the argument that his unbroken 24 years of opposition to abortion made him the real conservative, not flip-flopping Mitt Romney.

But myopically focussing on abortion - an issue whose central question is external and antecedent to politics - to site someone on a political axis is unsustainable.; 2/20/08, 10:58 AM
former law student said...: Superdad -- Ryan was not content to simply have sex with Seven of Nine; he kept pestering her to have sex with him in public sex clubs.

There were other possible candidates for the Illinois Reps to put up; they cynically thought that a black former Presidential candidate like Keyes would draw voters away from Obama.; 2/20/08, 11:01 AM
Sloanasaurus said...: McCain isn't a centrist, he's a moderate conservative with a streak of iconoclasm?

In otherwords a centrist.

It's obvious that McCain is a centrist - why else would hard core conservatives despise him so much.

It is obvious that Obama is not a centrist, otherwise Moveon.org would despise him (i.e. Joe Lieberman).; 2/20/08, 11:06 AM
Simon said...: FLS, if McCain used his record on abortion and only his record on abortion to establish his credentials as a conservative, then sure, that just isn't good evidence that he's a conservative. I'm not sure he's done that, but I set that aside for now.

Sloan, if that's the definition of a centrist, I think it's a pretty wimpy and overinclusive definition -- it makes me a centrist, and that isn't a mantle I'm inclined to take up -- but I'll leave exposition on this to Amba who I think far more identifies herself as a centrist than I would.; 2/20/08, 11:13 AM
J. Cricket said...: Name George W. Bush's accomplishments as Governor of Texas.

There is no time limit. Take all teh time you need. Do all the reserach you want.

My bet is that you still cannot come up with a single thing.; 2/20/08, 11:49 AM
JohnAnnArbor said...: Ryan was not content to simply have sex with Seven of Nine; he kept pestering her to have sex with him in public sex clubs.

Yet, she fully supported him for Senate. Odd, really. Wonder if all the salacious stuff was on the up-and-up, or whether she was advised to throw it in by an aggressive divorce lawyer, since she thought the records would be sealed forever.

I'm in favor of opening all sealed court records of Chicago reporters. Fair's fair, right?; 2/20/08, 11:53 AM
JohnAnnArbor said...: dave,

Brownfield cleanup. Under Democrats, they were allowed to remain polluted while lawyers fought it out. GW broke the logjam and got the money to the cleanup efforts, rather than the lawyers.

That's a completely random one.; 2/20/08, 11:55 AM
JohnAnnArbor said...: And Dave, try to keep the sewage valves on your tour bus closed, OK?; 2/20/08, 12:10 PM
Swifty Quick said...: Name George W. Bush's accomplishments as Governor of Texas

A governor's accomplishments consist of managing, administering, and otherwise overseeing. Bush did it and did it well. He was reelected. The citizenry was happy with him. Deal with it.

Thanks for playing.; 2/20/08, 12:29 PM
Anonymous said...: It's silly to say Obama has no accomplishments. His greatest achievement is that he's not Hillary and close behind is the fact that he's not married to Bill. As an honorable mention we might also bring up the fact that in contrast to the Clintions, with Obama there is at least a possibility that things might change.; 2/20/08, 1:51 PM
Anonymous said...: It's silly to say Obama has no accomplishments. His greatest achievement is that he's not Hillary and close behind is the fact that he's not married to Bill. As an honorable mention we might also bring up the fact that in contrast to the Clintions, with Obama there is at least a possibility that things might change.; 2/20/08, 1:52 PM
Hoosier Daddy said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 2/20/08, 2:00 PM
Peter V. Bella said...: Zeb Quinn said...
Name George W. Bush's accomplishments as Governor of Texas

A governor's accomplishments consist of managing, administering, and otherwise overseeing. Bush did it and did it well. He was reelected. The citizenry was happy with him. Deal with it.

Thanks for playing.

ADD: He did it with a Democratic legislature. He and they put partisan politics aside to govern and govern well. He was able to play nice with others.; 2/20/08, 2:55 PM
blake said...: It should be pointed out that when the people actually voted W into office, he had four years of experience.

Heh.

And let's be fair to former Senator Ryan: If Jeri Ryan were having sex with you, wouldn't you make that as public as possible?; 2/20/08, 4:10 PM
J. Cricket said...: Zeb sez: A governor's accomplishments consist of managing, administering, and otherwise overseeing. Bush did it and did it well. He was reelected. The citizenry was happy with him. Deal with it.

Sorry Zeb, you have not named a single accomplishment. Name one, sir. Just one. And getting elected is not an accomplishment.; 2/20/08, 5:22 PM
dick said...: Dave,

If you look above, several things were mentioned that Bush did - and he did it with a Democratic legislature as well. Now back to Obama and Hillary - name one that either has accomplished other than signing onto what someone else has offered.; 2/20/08, 6:19 PM
DaLawGiver said...: Dave Mathews said,

Name George W. Bush's accomplishments as Governor of Texas.

There is no time limit. Take all teh time you need. Do all the reserach you want.

My bet is that you still cannot come up with a single thing.

Wiki usually gives you a good starting point for questions like that. Cut and pasted below for the digitally challenged:

As governor, Bush successfully sponsored legislation for tort reform, increased education funding, set higher standards for schools, and reformed the criminal justice system. Under his leadership, Texas executed a record 152 prisoners.[40] Bush used a budget surplus to push through a $2 billion tax-cut plan, the largest in Texas history, which cemented Bush's credentials as a pro-business fiscal conservative.[39]

Bush also pioneered faith-based welfare programs by extending government funding and support for religious organizations that provide social services such as education, alcohol and drug abuse prevention, and reduction of domestic violence. He proclaimed June 10 to be Jesus Day in Texas, a day where he "urge[d] all Texans to answer the call to serve those in need.

Praise Jesus and cut the taxes, AMEN!; 2/20/08, 6:22 PM
J. Cricket said...: I didn't know that wikipedia published press releases.

But please enlighten us: was his "criminal justice reform" the fact that he set a record in the number of executions?; 2/20/08, 7:32 PM
Palladian said...: "G Guest" and "Dave Matthews" are just the creepy stalker that used to be named "AJD". He changes his screen name probably a lot more than he changes his underwear.; 2/20/08, 7:57 PM
Peter V. Bella said...: G. Guest said...
I didn't know that wikipedia published press releases.

But please enlighten us: was his "criminal justice reform" the fact that he set a record in the number of executions?

It is reform. Those executed criminals are not going to commit anymore crimes. It is the ultimate rehabilitation. And that's a fact Jack.; 2/20/08, 8:15 PM
J. Cricket said...: Palladian, I realize that posting in ways that agree with Althouse is what is expected around here.

But "stalker"?

Get a grip.

It is a useful way to avoid dealing with comments, though. What were those criminal justice reforms again? Quick, change the subject!!; 2/21/08, 12:45 PM