Althouse: Obama: "I think the irony … is that I actually would like to see a relatively light touch when it comes to the government."

June 17, 2009

Obama: "I think the irony … is that I actually would like to see a relatively light touch when it comes to the government."

He's trying to mollify conservatives.

I think the irony... is that I now I'm wondering what would the heavy hand of Obama feel like?

81 comments:

John said...: Don't worry America. Obama is going to use a really light touch, give us a kiss afterwards and respect us in the morning. I feel so much better now.; 6/17/09, 11:12 AM
Automatic_Wing said...: And as usual it is all Bush's fault. Obama can't be blamed for anything he does, it's all because he inherited a mess.

Why can't Obama defend his policies on their own merits rather than deflecting blame by dumping on his predecessor?; 6/17/09, 11:17 AM
Sofa King said...: He further added:

"It is with great reluctance that I have agreed to this calling. I love democracy... I love the Republic. The fact that this crisis is demanding I be given absolute power to rule over you is evident. But I am mild by nature and have no desire to destroy the democratic process. The power you give me I will lay down when this crisis has abated, I promise you. And all I ask in return is when my current term of office is over, you allow me to retire and live out my life in peace."; 6/17/09, 11:18 AM
Shanna said...: Obama is clueless about what the other side really thinks about things and their motivations for their positions. That's why he thinks this is a "light" touch. It's not.; 6/17/09, 11:20 AM
Balfegor said...: To deflate that impression, Mr. Obama's chief White House economic adviser, Lawrence Summers, was in New York a few days ago to give a speech saying essentially: No, we aren't socialists.

Yes, we just forced the transfer of ownership of the means of production to the workers. If they don't want people to call them socialists, you might think they would avoid high profile instances of behaving like socialists.

That said, I don't think they're actually socialists -- I think they just have no plan, no clue what to do (nor have I, to be fair), and are scrambling for whatever might possibly work. That said, it's risible for Obama to try and pretend that his inclination is for a "light touch" -- the pretense is belied by his every action. Hypocrisy, though, is the tribute that vice pays to virtue, and if the idea of the "light touch" survives Obama, even if only as a hollow declamation from our dear, vainglorious leader, well, that will be better than nothing.; 6/17/09, 11:22 AM
knox said...: Good luck with that, Obama. Intentions without real results don't mean as much to the rest of us as they do your enthusiasts. That's why the GOP lost last time around. They told us "we want to reduce government!", while they did exactly the opposite.; 6/17/09, 11:23 AM
Anonymous said...: You folks never heard of Kumbaya?; 6/17/09, 11:24 AM
Fred4Pres said...: Quite the light touch with firing that Inspector General. Can't have some Dudley Do Right messing up Friends of Obama, can we?; 6/17/09, 11:26 AM
Anonymous said...: As long as people keep drinking words, Obama will keep pouring.

Look at what he does - his actions. Those don't lie.; 6/17/09, 11:29 AM
Freeman Hunt said...: now I'm wondering what would the heavy hand of Obama feel like?

Wouldn't it feel like a boot stomping on a face? Didn't somebody already write about that?; 6/17/09, 11:30 AM
BJK said...: When are people going to accept that whatever President Obama says about an issue is irrelevant, structured phrases intended to say nothing while giving the appearance of saying something.

Look at the policies to understand the man. You know, the policies we don't have time to review and debate, because we need to take action right now.; 6/17/09, 11:32 AM
Anonymous said...: "I relatively light touch" I don't think those words mean what you think they mean Mr.President. You mean a light touch compared to Stalin or Hugo Chavez?; 6/17/09, 11:39 AM
The Drill SGT said...: Maguro said...
Why can't Obama defend his policies on their own merits rather than deflecting blame by dumping on his predecessor?

Beyond that, it's unseemly and rude for Obama to blame all the world's problems (literaly) on Bush, when Bush continues to go out of his way to take the traditional post-presidency aproach to not speak ill of his successor or his policies.; 6/17/09, 11:40 AM
Darcy said...: Heh. Freeman. :); 6/17/09, 11:40 AM
garage mahal said...: He's doing too much. He's not doing enough. He's a heavy handed thug. He's a light handed pussy. He wants to talk to Iran. He won't talk to Iran. He's the same as Bush with the military. He's total different than Bush with the military. etc etc etc.

It just depends!; 6/17/09, 11:42 AM
MayBee said...: "Sadly, and to my horror, I am domineering"; 6/17/09, 11:46 AM
traditionalguy said...: Obama's role is that of the professional undertaker for dead capitalism and he is showing his concern to the family while he sells them a 5 trillion dollar casket and opens up the grave for it. He needs to use his famous serious and light touch at such a time. But if the body shows any sign of coming back to life, that is when Obama's heavy hands appear around its throat squeezing out any resurgence of inconvenient capitalism..; 6/17/09, 11:46 AM
knox said...: "Sadly, and to my horror, I am domineering"

Brilliant.; 6/17/09, 11:54 AM
I'm Full of Soup said...: Let's just give everyone a check and Congress can go home and poor President Obama can get some sleep.; 6/17/09, 11:55 AM
reader_iam said...: I'm wondering what would the heavy hand of Obama feel like?

Ask the fly.; 6/17/09, 11:59 AM
Balfegor said...: He's doing too much. He's not doing enough.

He's let his people run wild, yes, but he's neglected to do a lot of things, e.g. have his appointees vetted, and staff Treasury. You can do a lot, and neglect to do the things that you actually ought to do.

He's a heavy handed thug. He's a light handed pussy.

It's hard to phrase this effectively, but I think he's a terribly weak personality, prone to getting smacked around by stronger, more domineering personalities (e.g. Nancy Pelosi, Dick Cheney.) His tendency to jump in with his proposed policy before actually thinking through the details (e.g. on Guantanamo) or simply outsource all the meaningful details to Congress (e.g. the stimulus, now healthcare reform) has not helped him in this regard.

At the same time, though, his administration is full of tough people (e.g. Rahm Emanuel). And Obama's own instinct when challenged is to lash out. The aggregate effect is one of viciousness mixed with pusillanimity.; 6/17/09, 12:00 PM
reader_iam said...: (Oh, come on. SOMEONE had to write that.); 6/17/09, 12:02 PM
Steve M. Galbraith said...: "My God, what have I done?"; 6/17/09, 12:04 PM
J Scott said...: Can you "rent" your hair?; 6/17/09, 12:05 PM
bearbee said...: No, we aren't socialists

Good one, O. You've convinced me.

Not a fan of Ronald Reagan but this 1961 audio of him describing creeping socialism I thought interesting.

1961 “Ronald Reagan Speaks Out Against Socialized Medicine; 6/17/09, 12:08 PM
John said...: "It's hard to phrase this effectively, but I think he's a terribly weak personality, prone to getting smacked around by stronger, more domineering personalities (e.g. Nancy Pelosi, Dick Cheney.)"

Don't forget Michelle.; 6/17/09, 12:11 PM
Anonymous said...: Reader: If you didn't, I would have. I think it was quite apt, all things considered. The video brings it home, too. Genuinely surprised no one else mentioned it before you did, in fact..; 6/17/09, 12:19 PM
Anonymous said...: Does Obama understand the difference between "irony" and "blatent hypocrisy"? How about between "irony" and "outright lying"?; 6/17/09, 12:36 PM
Unknown said...: Judging from his light touch, his heavy hand would probably be akin to a black hole forming at the center of earth and totally sucking the whole Milky Way Galaxy out of existence.; 6/17/09, 12:55 PM
Kirk Parker said...: Well, being that Obama is (most recently) from Chicago and all, I can see where "a relatively light touch when it comes to the government" might be a new and different experience for him.; 6/17/09, 1:00 PM
Anthony said...: Remember, you have to believe the opposite of whatever His administration says.

So, yes, they are socialists, and no, he never intended to have a light touch.

The One (PBUH) makes so much more sense when you just assume he's lying.

That's not really a partisan statement either. His supporters use the same logic. "He's really a supporter of gay marriage even though he just said he believes marriage is between a man and a woman; he's just saying that to assuage all those ignoramuses on the Other Side."; 6/17/09, 1:04 PM
The Drill SGT said...: Maguro said...
Why can't Obama defend his policies on their own merits rather than deflecting blame by dumping on his predecessor?

Beyond that, it's unseemly and rude for Obama to blame all the world's problems (literaly) on Bush, when Bush continues to go out of his way to take the traditional post-presidency aproach to not speak ill of his successor or his policies.; 6/17/09, 1:18 PM
Bruce Hayden said...: I think that Balfegor is pretty close. I think the answer to his suggestion of Obama's personal weakness is that I think his fatal flaw is wanting to be liked. He comes across to me like the kid who is always sucking up to everyone, telling them what they want to hear. And then, as Balfegor points out, all those strong egos around him push him to do what they want him to, regardless of what he has said.

But if Balfegor and I are anywhere close to being right, then I would suspect that the Presidency is immensely stressful for him right now. He is repeatedly being ground between that rock and the hard place. And the job is stressful enough without that.; 6/17/09, 1:21 PM
Anonymous said...: As NJ Governor John Corzine says, "Talk is cheap." He should know.; 6/17/09, 1:27 PM
Granny said...: Kumbaya for sure; I'd put the compromised Ways and Means on hold and wait on SEC writing new code per derivation and currency. Kick it over to Financial Services. Frank may be dumb but he's not, as far as I know, dirty. Leave taxes be and I wouldn't budget based on projections, either way they're made. Do what you've got to do and maybe cut the capital gains rate a tad. We need cash flow in some blighted domestic locales. Soon. Otherwise it's the next Congress, as it should be.; 6/17/09, 1:28 PM
Big Mike said...: I think Balfegor and Bruce Hayden are both somewhat right, but I think there's a touch of the Dick Nixon in Obama -- the ability to lie to everybody with a perfectly straight face because he's continuously lying to himself.; 6/17/09, 1:30 PM
Original Mike said...: Pure, unadulterated bullshit.; 6/17/09, 1:41 PM
JAL said...: When are people going to accept that whatever President Obama says about an issue is irrelevant

Precisely why I never listen to him unless forced to (i.e. clips played on some talk show, the "debates" etc. ...)

Even then I'd rather process visually what he is saying by reading it. I. cannot. stand. his. inflection. with. his. clipping. of. words. especially. at. the. end of. his. sentences.

Not to mention what he says and what he does are not the same. Tiring to translate it all the time.; 6/17/09, 1:45 PM
Original Mike said...: Actually, what really worries me is that he believes it.; 6/17/09, 1:54 PM
Anonymous said...: You people are so impatient. Don't listen closely to what I say. Just sit back and hear my soothing tones.

If you do that, I won't have to go all "Fly Swatter" on your asses.; 6/17/09, 2:18 PM
Big Mike said...: @Original, you weren't talking to me, were you?; 6/17/09, 2:27 PM
Jeremy said...: Ann - "I think the irony... is that I now I'm wondering what would the heavy hand of Obama feel like?"

Whatever the hell that's supposed to mean.

Maybe you can check with Palladian or Pogo or Jim...they have plenty of experience using their hands.; 6/17/09, 2:47 PM
Jeremy said...: Bitch and whine, bitch and whine, bitch and whine, bitch and whine, bitch and whine, Bitch and whine, bitch and whine, bitch and whine, bitch and whine, bitch and whine.

Bitch and whine, bitch and whine, bitch and whine, bitch and whine, bitch and whine, Bitch and whine, bitch and whine, bitch and whine, bitch and whine, bitch and whine.

Bitch and whine, bitch and whine, bitch and whine, bitch and whine, bitch and whine, Bitch and whine, bitch and whine, bitch and whine, bitch and whine, bitch and whine...

...WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!

Little babies one and all.; 6/17/09, 2:49 PM
traditionalguy said...: Jeremy...The world awaits your intelligent discussion of the Touch of Obama. Maybe you need to take some time off.; 6/17/09, 2:54 PM
Original Mike said...: No, Big Mike. I was talking about The One. Sorry for the confusion.; 6/17/09, 2:57 PM
Jeremy said...: traditionalguy - Obama takes the time to think before talking, something we haven't seen for the past 8 years with King George.

Just look at the insane comments here relating to what Obama should have said or done after the Iranian election.

Many of the people in the Mideast already think we're nothing more than imperialistic intruders, yet most here think he should immediately condemn or step into the fray.

That's not what real thinking leaders do.

If most here would take the time to "think" before posting it would be one hell of a lot more interesting. As it is, it's nothing more than a launching pad for the wingnuts to cry about literally ANYTHING Obama says or does.

It's almost like an internet extension of Fox News....but you just don't get to see who the idiots are who are posting.; 6/17/09, 3:02 PM
Jeremy said...: "The One"

I like that.; 6/17/09, 3:06 PM
Jeremy said...: Big Mike said..."I think Balfegor and Bruce Hayden are both somewhat right, but I think there's a touch of the Dick Nixon in Obama -- the ability to lie to everybody with a perfectly straight face because he's continuously lying to himself."

After eight years of non-stop lies and distortions from Bush and Dick (and I do mean "Dick")...it really takes an idiot to make such a statement.; 6/17/09, 3:07 PM
Jeremy said...: Maguro said..."And as usual it is all Bush's fault."

When did he say that?

I listened to the speech and he blamed the current ecomonic woes on "decades" of poor decisions and oversight via wall street and Washington.

Was Bush President for "decades?"; 6/17/09, 3:27 PM
Bob said...: Ann Althouse: I think the irony... is that I now I'm wondering what would the heavy hand of Obama feel like?

Watch the video of Obama and the fly for a clue.; 6/17/09, 3:53 PM
Jeremy said...: Bob - I watched the video and Obama is one quick Dude...mentally and physically.; 6/17/09, 3:55 PM
Sofa King said...: Reminder:

Please Do Not Feed the Trolls; 6/17/09, 4:07 PM
BJM said...: Sofa King @11:18 *snorfle*

Unfortunately Obama's "light touch" doesn't extend to our wallets.; 6/17/09, 4:10 PM
reader_iam said...: As NJ Governor John Corzine says, "Talk is cheap." He should know.

Heh.

Go, Chris Christie, Go!!!; 6/17/09, 4:12 PM
Jeremy said...: Sofa - Are you on a sofa with Pogo or Palladian?

Watch their hands.; 6/17/09, 4:16 PM
Anonymous said...: Sunshine!; 6/17/09, 4:46 PM
reader_iam said...: And moonbeams?; 6/17/09, 4:56 PM
traditionalguy said...: Jeremy...I believe that Obama has a plan, and that plan obviously includes a nuclear armed Iran under Ahmadinegad's control (bad ass Iran). Obama needs bad ass Iran for something. Otherwise he would be assisting Ahmadinegad's rivals that won the election(good Iran). That would create for Thinker Obama the Crisis he needs to force an overall Peace Settlement into the area that Israel could not easily refuse to accept. It makes you wonder if Obama has already set a date for this to happen, like the character Haman did during a previous try in Persia.; 6/17/09, 5:10 PM
mariner said...: Wouldn't it feel like a boot stomping on a face? Didn't somebody already write about that?

No, no Freeman. We're talking about The Lightworker here.

He's gently caressing your face with the sole of his slipper.; 6/17/09, 5:24 PM
Fred4Pres said...: Obama has the light touch of DEATH!

Obama's powers may be greater even than Meade's.; 6/17/09, 5:56 PM
Jeremy said...: I understand the constant denigration of President Obama via Ann...who likes to represent herself an some kind of independent, even though everybody knows she's really a conservative...but why no blaring headlines about things like this?

A day after he admitted to an extramarital affair, Sen. John Ensign has stepped down as chairman of the Republican Policy Committee, the Associated Press and others are reporting.

This, an asshole who repesented himself as the ultimate morality judge when Clinton was under attack, and even one of his own; Craig.

Not important to Ann the independent?

Or maybe just not as much fun for her wingnut sycophants?

Let's take a guess.; 6/17/09, 8:45 PM
KCFleming said...: "He's trying to mollify conservatives."

Mollify means to pacify or appease, but also to soften, as one might tenderize a sirloin before cooking.; 6/17/09, 8:47 PM
Ann Althouse said...: @Jeremy

1. Ensign was a name that meant nothing to me.

2. He's a mere Senator.

3. He had an affair. So what? I don't care. I assume they all have affairs.

4. I'm not a social conservative.; 6/17/09, 9:44 PM
garage mahal said...: Ensign is a Republican.; 6/17/09, 9:56 PM
garage mahal said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 6/17/09, 10:03 PM
Jeremy said...: garage mahal said..."Ensign is a Republican."

Exactly.; 6/17/09, 10:21 PM
Jeremy said...: Ann - Ensign was a name that meant nothing to me, he's a mere Senator and he had an affair...so what.

So, can we assume that if Boxer, Dodd, Kennedy, Durbin, Webb, Schumer, Feingold, Feinstein or Warner gets caught up in a similar situation there will be no blaring headline on the blog sit?

You know, considering they're all mere senators and they all have affairs.

GFL...and you know it.; 6/17/09, 10:31 PM
Jeremy said...: Sorry - "site."; 6/17/09, 10:31 PM
Ann Althouse said...: There has to be something more than a Senator having an affair. You named a lot of famous ones, so that might make a difference. If there was something funny or sleazy about it, I might talk about it. Frankly, those Republican Congressmen all blend together. I'm just not interested.; 6/17/09, 10:34 PM
Jeremy said...: Ann - Are you actually saying that if any of the Senators I mentioned, took to the podium demanding a sitting President resign over an infidelity or another Senator resign over a similar offense...and then got caught doing the same thing...you'd brush it off as just another Senator having an affair?

Oh, well...no big deal?

Right.; 6/17/09, 10:38 PM
Jeremy said...: Ann - By the way: Ensign was head of the Republican Policy Committee, a member of the Christian ministry Promise Keepers and has championed causes pushed by the GOP's conservative religious base while seeking to raise his political profile for a possible presidential campaign.; 6/17/09, 10:42 PM
Mark said...: Was Bush President for "decades?"

Well, there's a school of thought on the Left that Clinton was DINO, so if you work back, that makes Jimmay the last real Democrat President before Obama.

And unfortunately, my impression is that their ain't no difference between the two, except maybe the cocaine.; 6/17/09, 10:43 PM
Ann Althouse said...: "Are you actually saying that if any of the Senators I mentioned, took to the podium demanding a sitting President resign over an infidelity or another Senator resign over a similar offense...and then got caught doing the same thing...you'd brush it off as just another Senator having an affair?"

If I read the story, I might blog it. In the case of Ensign, I'd never heard of him and I had better things to do than to read the story and notice any interesting aspects of it. Can't compare it to the situation where I do read the story.; 6/17/09, 10:46 PM
Jeremy said...: Mark said..."Well, there's a school of thought on the Left that Clinton was DINO..."

Only in your own mind.

I've never heard any Democrat refer to Clinton as such.

Dream on.; 6/17/09, 11:01 PM
Jeremy said...: Ann - My point is this: You run blaring headlines or snarky inuendos relating to everything anti-Obama, designed to stir the pot among the locals.

But if you're really an independent, and not just another conservative blogger...why so little if anything related to things like Cantor comparing Obama to Putin?

Newt saying those who aren't good Christians are pagans?

Rush constantly saying Americans have to bend over and grab their ankles?

Racist Republicans comparing Michelle to a gorilla.

The Republican aide sending out emails with Obama as a spook.
Or how about this: Republicans throwing out a counter to Obama's health care plan based on a four-page plan that didn't include how much it would cost, how it would be paid for or how many people it would cover.; 6/17/09, 11:22 PM
Mark said...: Yo, Jeremy:

Bill Clinton Democrat In Name Only

Peruse at your leisure.

I'm not sure why Ms. Althouse has engaged you, as you are surely a threadjacking troll, but I always enjoy a hard-and-fast debunking of BS from the shallow end of the Obama Brownshirt pool.; 6/17/09, 11:44 PM
Helen said...: "Jeremy said...
traditionalguy - Obama takes the time to think before talking, something we haven't seen for the past 8 years with King George."

ROFLMAO!!! Obama is such a deep thinker that he needs a teleprompter to tell him what to say! Even when he has TOTUS in front of him, his mind is so disengaged that he reads other people's lines. What a genius! Without it, he free associates or gets stuck in uh-land.

GDubya did not have a golden tongue, but he could answer a question without the teleprompter; he could make a joke that was actually funny (nobody could accuse the Idiot Savant of that (he can read as if he means it—if he tries!). GDubya could hold forth sensibly. The golden-tongued Idiot Savant can't do that. "Mommy, can I sleep with my teleprompter?"

Obama has to be a total liar, or have either no sense of irony or a total lack of consciousness of his ideological underpinnings, his Chicago bully-boy training, and his power-hungriness to make such a statement as "I think the irony...is that I actually would like to see a relatively light touch when it comes to the government."

He's an Alinskyite, that means he isn't unconscious but operates with a dastardly plan. Thus it is most likely that he is both a liar and without a sense of irony—just like he's without a sense of humor.; 6/17/09, 11:50 PM
Chris Arabia said...: Note for peabrains: Clinton was impeached for perjury, not adultery. And he was responsible for the change in law that required him to answer the questions resulting in the perjury.; 6/18/09, 2:45 AM
Patrick said...: In response to Obama's penchant for blaming Bush for his problems, I offer this quote from the naturalist John Burroughs:

A man can fail many times, but he isn't a failure until he begins to blame somebody else.

I can't wait for the end of the failed Obama presidency.; 6/18/09, 4:52 AM
Jaq said...: What a pleasure to have an intellectual in the WH, One who notices the irony in his lies and shares that insight with us plebes.

Obama isn't lying folks, he's providing the national narrative with dramatic irony.; 6/18/09, 5:38 AM
Ann Althouse said...: "Mark said..."Well, there's a school of thought on the Left that Clinton was DINO...""

I can verify that. At the time of the 1992, Wisconsin primary, I remember talking with a bunch of people trying to figure out who -- ie, which Democrat -- to vote for and I was going down the list. I summarily rejected Clinton with the line "Clinton is a Republican." That got an appreciative laugh. Everyone knew what that meant. He didn't even belong on the list of candidates to be considered.; 6/18/09, 6:52 AM