Althouse: "I think most people voted for Barack Obama because they decided they wanted him to be in their living room for the next 4 years explaining policy."

December 1, 2008

"I think most people voted for Barack Obama because they decided they wanted him to be in their living room for the next 4 years explaining policy."

President Bush says something apt about the election. He also admits: "I think it was a repudiation of Republicans, and I'm sure some people voted for Barack Obama because of me."

Put me in the category of Obama voters who wanted him -- and not McCain -- in my living room for the next 4 years explaining policy. Actually, that sounds hilariously boring, Obama going on and on in his professorial way, but that's okay. We could use something mellow and soothing. Not too soothing, but fluid, coherent, and confidence inspiring.

87 comments:

ricpic said...: Obama soothes you? He gives me the willies.; 12/1/08, 10:48 AM
Cheryl said...: I'm looking forward to his "soft brown eyes" for the next four years.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSP_i9MI9NU; 12/1/08, 10:49 AM
TosaGuy said...: The proverbial frog boiled alive most certainly found the water initially soothing.

Obama....Policy Marketer in Chief!; 12/1/08, 10:59 AM
Bissage said...: In the future it will not matter which candidate is the better speaker because all Presidential communication will be by pre-recorded video with music by Green Day or Enya.; 12/1/08, 11:02 AM
David said...: Obama is already getting very conventional in his public speech. I turned off the sound when he was announcing the foreign policy people today. Hard to tell whether this is a trend or just a reflection of his status as President-elect.

He also looks kind of pale.; 12/1/08, 11:03 AM
PJ said...: Obama soothes you? He gives me the willies.

Obama's soothing voice is a major political asset. If you listen to what he says with it, it may give you the willies (though lately not so much), but the voice itself could make totalitarianism seem appealing.

He also looks kind of pale.

You'd look pale, too, if you were announcing what he was announcing.; 12/1/08, 11:18 AM
Host with the Most said...: Hey, this Bush supporter thinks that so far, Obama has done pretty well in his Nat Sec team, with the possible exception of Eric "we want to register every gun in America" Holder for AG. But we can still take a wait and see on him.

Obama Score so far: on beating expectations, with 10 being best:

9 out of a possible 10 (keeping Gates was a brilliant stroke); 12/1/08, 11:19 AM
Anonymous said...: I think he's intelligent enough not to be just a smooth talking empty suit, but he's going to have his work cut out for him. In this climate, with the competition he faced, getting elected was easy. HRC with a boatload of negatives almost won the nomination and up to about a year ago only John, and perhaps Cindy McCain, thought he had a pulse. In other news, the New York Football Giants defeated Appalachia State.

As for my living room, I hope to never feel the need to have a president explain policy to me. Its really the staffers and speechwriters doing the talking at that point. I, myself, am more interested in the front end, "sausage making" part of it.; 12/1/08, 11:23 AM
bearbee said...: Cheryl said...
I'm looking forward to his "soft brown eyes" for the next four years.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSP_i9MI9NU

I am seriously considering purchasing as Christmas presents for relatives as a show in bad taste on my part.... and, added bonus, they're cheap.; 12/1/08, 11:23 AM
tim maguire said...: Indeed, whisper sweet lies instead of uttering harsh truths and you will get many votes. Obama sure did. Like Al Gore and Michael Moore before him, Obama has achieved fame and fortune by lying to people who want to be lied to.; 12/1/08, 11:23 AM
Sara (Pal2Pal) said...: Actually, that sounds hilariously boring

Actually, it sounds kind of shallow. And, "soothing?" He reminds me of the teenagers who have passed through my life, where the lies roll off the tongue just because they can. I can't listen to his voice as he is a droner.; 12/1/08, 11:24 AM
I'm Full of Soup said...: If you are keeping score, Bush has been right 9 out of 10 times since the election. Shows you what happens in the MSM when a Dem is on his way to the White House.; 12/1/08, 11:24 AM
Kensington said...: "Confidence inspiring?"

At best, he strikes me as a wildcard with opaque principles. That might work out okay, I suppose, depending on which way the wind blows, but now I'm worrying about that wind.; 12/1/08, 11:25 AM
An Edjamikated Redneck said...: Keeping Gates may be a master stroke- depending on Obama's purpose.

Was it to keep a consistency in the DOD, or was it to have a scapegoat to throw under the bus in a year or so over Iraq policy?

Or did he keep Gates because no Democrat wanted to be in charge of the 'icky army'?; 12/1/08, 11:26 AM
chuck b. said...: I'm warming up to Obama now that I can "see" him without the gauzy idealizations and hipster mediations of his many, many adorers. All those ridiculous feel-good YouTube videos--I'm sorry, but they made me sick.

I appreciate his cool demeanor the most. I could do without the folksy chit chat about the first dog, and his good ol' boy type interactions with the press corps. But then I'm a very serious person. lol.; 12/1/08, 11:28 AM
MadisonMan said...: Hey! Why equate professorial with boring!?; 12/1/08, 11:34 AM
Trooper York said...: He is doing very well so far and I hope he continues to suceed. We all need it.

I think he will be fine with Hillary if she dumps Bill. If Bubba makes it all about him like he always does, than it is going to be very tough.; 12/1/08, 11:37 AM
George M. Spencer said...: I don't laze slack-jawed much any more in front of the television, except for the occasional DVD, and the idea that anyone would vote for someone because of the way he comes across on TV is disturbing.

Clip from the 1957 movie "A Face in the Crowd."

What slogan does image consultant Andy Griffith suggest for the candidate? "Time for a Change."

(Powerline); 12/1/08, 11:45 AM
Dust Bunny Queen said...: I turned off the sound when he was announcing the foreign policy people today.

I just turned it off entirely and put on a soft jazz music station. I can't stand to listen to Obama drone on and uh and um on and um uh on. He uses a lot of verbage and says basically nothing.; 12/1/08, 12:02 PM
Darcy said...: bearbee, that's hilarious! We have a funny gift exchange for Christmas amongst my siblings...hmmm.; 12/1/08, 12:12 PM
Bob said...: Ann, Bush wasn't actually one of the choices for our living room for the next four years. He already grates me with his stupid little "President Elect" podium. And he certainly can take a lot of words to say nothing. This year we seem to like the cool demeanor but I suspect in 12 months the complaint will be "he's too aloof".; 12/1/08, 12:14 PM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: Conference room goverment.

Toastmasters president.

yikes.; 12/1/08, 12:27 PM
JAL said...: DBQ and I are on the same page. I listen to nothing the man says because there really is something weird about his cadence and delivery. I have yet to figure out what the appeal is, and why people keep saying Obama is a great speaker.

Please.

I have heard Baptist pastors in 150 member churches the South who do a better job.

Or is this a continuation of of the "clean and articulate" meme?

As far as Ann goes, I suspect she might be smoking something other than cigarettes.; 12/1/08, 12:35 PM
garage mahal said...: It won't be long before America will be begging for the return of George W Bush. You just wait!; 12/1/08, 12:39 PM
Brian Doyle said...: Ann Althouse, the anti-intellectual professor.; 12/1/08, 12:42 PM
Chip Ahoy said...: There'll be no explaining policy in this living room. Pyramid. I mean, period.

He is just one of many cues to mute, or channel up if I think it will last more than thirty seconds.

I'll read the analysis of what was said later, and the time saved can be spent cat flapping.; 12/1/08, 12:47 PM
I'm Full of Soup said...: It won't be long before the majority of Americans agree with Dust Bunny and say "there is no there there" when Obama speaks.

And soon after that, Obama won't speak often. The media might even call him incurious, unmotivated and wonder if Obama ever reads a serious book. Heh.; 12/1/08, 1:08 PM
Methadras said...: Don't worry. Mr. Barely is already illustrating what a fraud he is going to become. If he isn't doing it already.; 12/1/08, 1:23 PM
Methadras said...: It's as if Ann is expecting Edward R. Murrow in the form of Mr. Barely to suddenly to flash on her TV set to calm and sooth her into a blissful feeling that all will be well. What a sucker.; 12/1/08, 1:26 PM
Methadras said...: Dust Bunny Queen said...

He uses a lot of verbage and says basically nothing.

Hmmm. I wonder what the voters missed the first time?; 12/1/08, 1:27 PM
BJM said...: Actually I'd prefer the president stay out of my living room, bedroom, and gun cabinet.

Politicians only tell us what they want us to know and we only hear what we wish to hear; so what's the point? All this phony whohah in advance of Obama taking office and responsibility for his actions is downright silly.

Once a president-elect assumes office events will determine his/her choices, not plans, wishes or campaign promises.

Obama has already changed his pitch so whatever tune he's singing over the next four years will be managed as not to frighten the horses in the street; just as it has been with his predecessors.

That Obama has a smooth delivery doesn't mean the message will be any more enlightening than stammering George's.; 12/1/08, 1:31 PM
dualdiagnosis said...: I agree with others here that Obama is not that special when speaking at a press conference or at an announcement. Although he is very good at large events with teleprompting.

Conceding the point for now that Obama speaks well when discussing policy, what kind of a reason is that to vote for someone?

Seriously.; 12/1/08, 1:33 PM
I'm Full of Soup said...: I guess this means Althouse likes elevator music?; 12/1/08, 1:40 PM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: Some people talk all the time as a way to cover up their insecurity.

People who need to show how smart they are do so because they are everything but smart.; 12/1/08, 1:53 PM
Matt Eckert said...: Althouse is elevator music.; 12/1/08, 1:54 PM
John Stodder said...: It is remarkable the degree to which President-elect Obama is following the script of my old boss, Tom Bradley, for 20 years the mayor of LA. During his first two campaigns -- a loss followed by a win -- Bradley was accused, falsely, of being associated with radicals. (There were no Bill Ayers in Bradley's life history. He'd spent most of his career at LAPD.) He ended up being a pro-business centrist who was considered "soothing," was capable of being eloquent, but was usually kind of dull on purpose.

Bradley was an inspiration to liberals, even though he mostly avoided liberal policies. (The mere act of opening up the city's commissions to anyone other than white males was enough change to maintain his liberal credentials for at least the first 10-12 years of his mayoral career.) Tom Bradley wasn't perfect, and his final term diminished his legacy somewhat, but he defined his role as an apolitical steward and booster for Los Angeles. If Obama wants a role model for his first executive job, I'd be happy to convene some surviving Bradleyites. But so far, he's acting like he already knows what Mr. B would do.; 12/1/08, 2:13 PM
Dust Bunny Queen said...: It should be an interesting next 4 years watching the starry eyed Obamabots, gradaully waking up to the fact that their hero, their saviour, the messiah isn't really all he was cracked up to be. That it was an illusion and the disillusion begins to set in.

It's like the girl who married the high school quarterback only to discover that she made a dreadful mistake and Mr. Wonderful, is actually Mr. Less than Average who drinks beer and runs around on her, leaving her home alone with a sinkful of dirty dishes and a couple of kids. She makes excuses, tries to put a happy face on the situation, denies that there is anything wrong, but secretly knows that she would have been much better off if she had married the President of the Chess Club after all.; 12/1/08, 2:16 PM
Sissy Willis said...: I agree with commenter ricpic that "He gives me the willies," and I agree with you that his speaking manner of "going on and on in his professorial way" is "boring" but not "hilariously" so. As I wrote in "Obama unmasked" re his performance in one of the debates:

When it comes down to words, our man gets to the point three times faster than his opponent:

Obama: "I am a person who believes [fill in the blank]" = 6 words

McCain: "I believe [fill in the blank]" = 2 words

'Must be that "nuance" thing the Democrat elites are forever patting themselves on the back about. We ourselves have always been of the brevity-is-the-soul-of-wit school of intelligence assessment.; 12/1/08, 2:29 PM
garage mahal said...: The concern for liberals feelings from wingnuts is quite touching.; 12/1/08, 2:32 PM
John Stodder said...: It should be an interesting next 4 years watching the starry eyed Obamabots, gradaully waking up to the fact that their hero, their saviour, the messiah isn't really all he was cracked up to be.

The point of my Tom Bradley comparison is to say I don't think "starry-eyed Obamabots" will necessarily have a change of heart. My guess is that for most of them, the "making history" aspect of his ascendancy was and will remain the source of their starry-eyedness. As long as he doesn't embarrass them, as long as he's perceived as successful, it doesn't matter whether he steers right, center or left.

It's the lefty blogs where you're starting to see the anger at Obama. You're already seeing it. But he was not the left's first choice, for the most part. Of the candidates with a real chance, most of the left wanted Edwards and of the remainder, some were big on Hillary. Obama seized the media's attention, but the media isn't doctrinaire leftist, really. They just hate Republicans and hate having to give Republicans credit for anything until they're way dead.; 12/1/08, 2:34 PM
Darcy said...: I'd like to say that I'm impressed with President Bush's candor. I'm sure it's a painful time for him, but he will bear it well.; 12/1/08, 2:38 PM
themightypuck said...: I think I like Obama but what the hell would I know. I've never met the guy. I can say that I'm already having buyers remorse about the dude. I suppose it is the nature of politics that you need a metric for everything but hearing him talk about 2.5 million green jobs AFTER the election scares the hell out of me. This isn't because I'm opposed to 2.5 million green jobs. Rather it is because such talk has a real top down managed economy vibe that one can understand in the context of election rhetoric but makes no sense in the context of how free markets actually work.; 12/1/08, 2:58 PM
Dust Bunny Queen said...: Rather it is because such talk has a real top down managed economy vibe that one can understand in the context of election rhetoric but makes no sense in the context of how free markets actually work.

Socialist. I told you so.; 12/1/08, 3:03 PM
Baron Zemo said...: Please my dear boy. He does not give me the “willies.”

He gives me the ”Husseinies.”

Willie is so old fashioned.; 12/1/08, 3:04 PM
Anonymous said...: "We could use something mellow and soothing."

I'll turn on music to hear a crooner. I listen to words and it's irritating to tease out what he says.; 12/1/08, 3:08 PM
TJ said...: DBQ, you also told us last month that Obama is a weak president because he needs a cabinet.; 12/1/08, 3:09 PM
rhhardin said...: I think it's better to admit it was a Special Olympics election, and Obama got the hugger.; 12/1/08, 3:09 PM
Alex said...: garage mahal said...

The concern for liberals feelings from wingnuts is quite touching.

Nothing but a hack.; 12/1/08, 3:12 PM
themightypuck said...: t Dust Bunny Queen.

It's not like there was a non-socialist option available. I bet the people really pissed at Obama right now are the proles without Clinton connections who predicted the impending collapse a year or two ago and figured if they put out for Obama they might get lucky and nab a lowbie government gig for their hard work.; 12/1/08, 3:26 PM
mccullough said...: Soon to be President-elect Obama is going to spend the next 4 years blaming W. for everything.

That will be his explanation.; 12/1/08, 3:29 PM
kjbe said...: I don't see the blame-game as a part of Obama's repertoire. it's W who's the master of that move - evident in his "biggest regret."; 12/1/08, 3:36 PM
Dust Bunny Queen said...: DBQ, you also told us last month that Obama is a weak president because he needs a cabinet.

That is no where near what my statement in the thread you referenced meant. I was remarking on the hypocrisy of stating that Palin was unprepared to step into the Presidency(even though she wasn't running for that office) because she had a lack of Executive experience and would be expected to shoulder the load of the Presidency all by her little lonesome........while at the same time you guys are constantly making excuses for Obama in his picking up the tired old Clinton people because he should be able to delegate.

I got it then...and evidently you still don't get it. The double standard for Palin and the excuse making for Obama.

Reading comprehension seems to be in shortage on your side of the fence bubba.; 12/1/08, 3:40 PM
garage mahal said...: I didn't know Obama had to apologize for hiring those tired old Clinton people that ran a popular and successful government unlike the current hacks leaving with footprints on their asses.; 12/1/08, 3:52 PM
Darcy said...: LOL, garage.; 12/1/08, 3:54 PM
Dust Bunny Queen said...: I didn't know Obama had to apologize for hiring those tired old Clinton people that ran a popular and successful government unlike the current hacks leaving with footprints on their asses.

No appologies to me are necessary since I wasn't fool enough to fall for his hope/change mantra. The sky was going become blue, the oceans recede, rainbows would appear and some black lady on YouTube is expecting Obama to put gas in her car and pay her mortgage for her, she probably expects he is also going to come and mow her lawn too.

I laugh at the people who did believe his line of bullcrap and who are now experiencing Clinton deja vu. Nothing new here, move along. Ignore that man behind the curtains...hey...is that Bill??

LOLOLOLOLOL; 12/1/08, 3:57 PM
mccullough said...: Garage,

Isn't Gates one of the "tired hacks"?

And what was Eric Holder successful at? He was a less-than-stellar Deputy AG but I'm sure he'll do a great job now.; 12/1/08, 3:57 PM
TJ said...: DBQ said, "That is no where near what my statement in the thread you referenced meant. I was" constructing a strawman to "prove" that Obama hiring people with experience means he is just as clueless about governing as Sarah Palin.

There. Fewer words for what you were trying to say, DBQ. And still pretty funny.

Who on the left is upset by Obama's picks? And is anyone besides Palin-dead-enders like DBQ taking those people--if they exist--seriously?

To drag this back on-topic, Bush is wrong. Or half-right, at the most. People voted for Obama because they wanted him explaining policy they agree with and believe he can enact. That's why the majority of his supporters are pleased by his cabinet and staff picks.

That Bush can't tell the difference between a desire for a cheerleader-in-chief and an executive who can produce results says a lot about why we are where we are.; 12/1/08, 4:10 PM
kjbe said...: For the most part, I'm cool with the Clinton-era faces, and I'm not even experiencing Clinton deja vu. Go figure. Different roles, different times, different guy in charge.; 12/1/08, 4:32 PM
Joe said...: People voted for Obama because they wanted him explaining policy...

Bullshit.

Only policy wonks vote for someone because they want them explaining policy.; 12/1/08, 4:37 PM
garage mahal said...: mccullough
I never though Gates to be a hack. He seems to have some pretty sane views on dealing with Iran and Iraq. The anti John Bolton if you will.; 12/1/08, 4:40 PM
Dust Bunny Queen said...: I was" constructing a strawman to "prove" that Obama hiring people with experience means he is just as clueless about governing as Sarah Palin

I guess you still don't get it. Hypocrisy. Palin can't govern because she isn't experienced, even though she is the Governor of a State. Obama CAN govern despite his complete lack of executive experience because his ability to hire Clinton retreads. And yes, clueless is the word that comes to mind when I think about Obama.

Actually, I'm fine with the selections. They are at least fairly middle of the road professional government hacks who are likely to temper hopey changey stary eyed idealism with practical, this hare brained idea will never work, I want to keep my job realism.; 12/1/08, 4:41 PM
Ron said...: hmmm...wonder if W voted for Obama! "Man, I'm sick of me! Do I want 4 more years of me? Meh!"; 12/1/08, 4:57 PM
vnjagvet said...: If his policies measure up to his soothing, comfortable persona, I am all for it.; 12/1/08, 5:00 PM
Host with the Most said...: old Clinton people that ran a popular and successful government

Popular, definitely. But so what?

Successful? The # 1 item that everyone likes to bring out when listing the accomplishments of the "successful" Clinton administration is: the Budget Surplus!*

But everytime you hear about the Clinton surplus - or even Clinton-era surplus - you can thank Newt Gingrich and the 1996 Republican Congress. They're the ones who brought you the surplus. Senor Clinton had only a small - a very small - in it.

Any one remember the 1996 commercial "Let's be Clear" :

"(Announcer): For more than three years, you've heard a lot of talk from Bill Clinton about balancing the budget.

(Clinton video clip from June 1992): I would present a five-year plan to balance the budget.

(Announcer): And now?

"(Clinton in various video clips): ... we should balance the budget. ... we could do it in seven years. ... I do not believe it is good policy based on my understanding of this budget, which is pretty good now, to do it in seven years. ... I think we can reach it in nine years. ... balance the budget in 10 years. ... I think we could reach it in eight years. ... I have proposed a balanced budget that balances the budget in nine years. ... the seven-year period is an arbitrary period. ... so we're between seven and nine now. ... we could do it in seven. ... Our budget has moved forward from 10 to nine years. ... just a figure picked out of the air.

"(Announcer): The truth is, Bill Clinton has never presented a balanced budget to Congress. And the budget he did offer would increase the deficit to more than $200 billion a year. Maybe that's why not one Democratic senator voted for Clinton's budget. Mr. Clinton, no more double talk. Let's be clear. Balance the budget. For the kids, for America."

Thank you, Newt Gingrich and the Republican Congress.

* these are of course the same people that insist that President Bush has no part in the United States not being attacked for the last 7+ years. The kind of people that give credit where it isn't due, and withhold it where it is.; 12/1/08, 5:11 PM
veni vidi vici said...: Clintonism without the Clintons is fine with me.

I suspect that intellectually honest liberals will likely come to see the past 8 years in similar terms with the passage of time, once their passion about the man wanes and they can see Bush's basically middle-of-the-road, entitlement-expanding administration for what it was, rather than through the reductive "all Iraq all the time" filter of these past few years' zeitgeist.

My expectation is based on my observation of many formerly similarly impassioned Clinton-haters' recent mellowing.; 12/1/08, 5:15 PM
TitusLyposomalDisorder said...: I actually like Bush more since the election.

He seems more humble and less arrogant.

Arrogance and ignorance is not a good combination.; 12/1/08, 5:18 PM
KCFleming said...: "He seems more humble and less arrogant."

You saw what you wanted to see Titus, and you still do.; 12/1/08, 5:20 PM
wind said...: I simply cannot believe that Althouse views Obama as essentially " fluid,coherent,and confidence inspiring". Therefore, her post does not merit any response.; 12/1/08, 5:28 PM
paul a'barge said...: Geez Althouse, if you want something mellow and soothing, go buy yourself a back massage.; 12/1/08, 5:41 PM
Bushman of the Kohlrabi said...: C'mon Ann. You voted for him because he has cute kids. You can't be serious about wanting to listen to him ahh, umm, ahh, drone on about policy for the next four years.; 12/1/08, 6:21 PM
Cedarford said...: McCullough - And what was Eric Holder successful at? He was a less-than-stellar Deputy AG but I'm sure he'll do a great job now.

Eric Holder was brought in to be the de facto head of Justice after Gorelick left. Clinton considered Reno incompetent and refused to deal with her directly. Day-to-day Justice was done by Holder, interfacing with Rahm Emmanuel.

The pardons don't bother me much, if they were decided above his paygrade and he was just the soldier carrying out Presidential directives - as Robert Bork was pilloried for doing in an even bigger controversy.
What bothers me about Holder, and I hope it is asked rather than waste all the time on saying he should have defied the President on the President's Constitutional and totally legal pardons....is discuss his very liberal positions on gun control and the death penalty in light of Heller and 75% of Americans (and 70% of the European public) believing that some folks like bin Laden just need killin'.

*******************
The choice was between Obama and McCain, remember??? Not Obama and a coherent speaker like a Ridge or a Romney or a Jindal.
McCain was a horrible speaker once you got past his "I was a POW, I have character!!" stuff and his talking points. No vision, heavy dose of "Senatoritis". Usual garbage on how a 30-year insider will "take on Washington, and FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT for all of us while working well with his "good friends" like Teddy, Kerry, Feingold, and Feinstein..

To be a better person explaining things in their living room, Obama didn't have to try hard to show himself better than McCain...who would start even a Thanksgiving announcement with "My Friends! My Friends! ....back when I was in a 4X4 cell, serving my nation..."; 12/1/08, 6:37 PM
Smilin' Jack said...: We could use something mellow and soothing. Not too soothing, but fluid, coherent, and confidence inspiring.

The problem is that someone can be all of those things and still be dead wrong.; 12/1/08, 7:07 PM
William said...: Obama has done nothing that anyone can reasonably disagree with. That is because he is still the President-elect and has, in fact, done nothing. I was relieved that his appointments seem, for the most part, substantial and serious people and that he has announced their appointment in sonorous cadences. But remember he is still inhabiting a parallel, counter factual universe where everything is possible and nothing is actualized.....When he becomes President and does this instead of that, we will have a clearer picture of his grandeur or deficiencies. But so far so good.; 12/1/08, 7:27 PM
BJM said...: Blogger John Stodder said... but the media isn't doctrinaire leftist, really. They just hate Republicans and hate having to give Republicans credit for anything until they're way dead.

Really? 80% are registered Democrats. Could you name one conservative tenet that the MSM approves and/or publicly supports?

DBQ said:... but secretly knows that she would have been much better off if she had married the President of the Chess Club after all.

LOL!I know a woman who turned down a nerdy guy who pursued her all through college, referring to him as "the human fly" and dining out on the humor his geekiness and unacceptability for years, only to watch him IPO for $500mil years later, while her cool jock husband grew fat, bored and barely kept their lifestyle together.; 12/1/08, 7:31 PM
Darcy said...: I have some sad news. Army CPT Rob Yllescas, who President Bush visited and awarded a Purple Heart to on the day the Obamas visited with the Bushes at the White House, has died today of complications from his wounds suffered in an IED attack while serving in Afghanistan.

Thanks to Maggie, who posts here, for directing me to the blog written by this brave man's wife, chronicling the days since his injury. I've been inspired daily by it.

RIP, Army CPT Rob Yllescas. God bless him and his family.; 12/1/08, 8:05 PM
Sprezzatura said...: Darcy,

Link?; 12/1/08, 8:28 PM
Dust Bunny Queen said...: The choice was between Obama and McCain, remember???

This is true. The thought of McCain, for the next four years, intoning...."My friends" is enough to make me crazy.

Another reason to not listen to the 'Tee Vee' and play music instead.; 12/1/08, 8:31 PM
Host with the Most said...: Thank you, Darcy.

Here is the link regarding Army CPT Rob Yllescas

Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. John 15:3; 12/1/08, 8:36 PM
Darcy said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 12/1/08, 8:37 PM
Darcy said...: You're welcome, Host. And thank you for posting the link. :); 12/1/08, 8:38 PM
Darcy said...: Yllesca Family blog here.; 12/1/08, 8:42 PM
road warrior said...: i'm surprised Bush admitted that. That's kinda impressive. And very true. I think TONS of people voted against bush and against the republican party. Why more people than those who actually voted FOR the liberal illuminati and Obama. At least thats what i think.; 12/1/08, 11:41 PM
John Stodder said...: Really? 80% are registered Democrats. Could you name one conservative tenet that the MSM approves and/or publicly supports?

Free trade. I don't see a lot of love for organized labor.

On economics issues generally, I think the MSM has drifted pretty far to the right of where they were in, say 1975. CBS's website had a Walter Cronkite broadcast from around then, and you'd be surprised how much fairer it was to Republicans as political leaders, but how much more biased it was toward the liberal point of view on issues. Whatever was wrong in America, the underlying problem was a lack of a government program to address it.

It's probably due to the increased incomes among reporters and editors. Their affiliation with the Democratic party is more tribal and nostalgic. They might not totally buy the Democratic agenda, but they can't relate to most Republicans at all. So they don't really listen to them because it would be embarassing to find oneself in agreement with...ew...them.

Obama's candidacy struck the mystic chords of memory. A first. A historic breakthrough. Glass ceilings cracked. The thing no baby boomer thought s/he'd live to see. Obama's policies were ignored because they were so totally beside the point. The key thing was, Obama had this matchless opportunity because Bush was so unpopular. It seemed like the underlying idea behind the media's pro-Obama bias was, hey, let's not blow this, let's close the deal!; 12/2/08, 1:48 AM
John Stodder said...: Wow. Just read the Yllescas blog. Shattering. What a brave woman, and what torments she suffered. My heart goes out to her and her family.; 12/2/08, 2:02 AM
bearbee said...: I think most people voted for Barack Obama because they decided they wanted him to be in their living room for the next 4 years explaining policy.

Shelby Steele says whites voted wanting liberation from future taint of racism.

Nothing to do with policy but could have something to do with anticipating those soothing tones of reassuring emancipation.

Obama as Lincoln.....hmmm

video 37 min; 12/2/08, 7:24 AM
Darcy said...: Wasn't that fascinating, bearbee?
Makes a lot of sense.; 12/2/08, 9:24 AM
Anonymous said...: Soothing, yes.
Fluid, yes.
Coherent? Uh, not really. Confidence inspiring? Time will tell.; 12/2/08, 6:17 PM