Althouse: "German commentators say it is the end of hope."

January 21, 2010

"German commentators say it is the end of hope."

"The World Bids Farewell to Obama."

44 comments:

Synova said...: I do think its sort of funny when foreigners talk about our politics like they know what's going on.; 1/21/10, 8:00 PM
Nichevo said...: Bwahahaha. German tears taste like liebfraumilch.

TW: emicatic. German tears taste like liebfraumilch, but they have an emicatic effect.; 1/21/10, 8:01 PM
HKatz said...: But there's an Obama musical in Germany right now, and people there are just raving about it:

http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1955068,00.html

Hope - The Obama Musical Story

At the link you get to watch a toe-tapping excerpt.

And one of the best lines from the article: "Hutchins acknowledges that it may be commercially difficult to take the show to the U.S., however, given the current gloom surrounding the Obama presidency."; 1/21/10, 8:07 PM
lucid said...: Hey--Maybe Obama can run for German Chancellor in 2012!!!???; 1/21/10, 8:09 PM
Palladian said...: Well, Hitler was awfully disappointed in Obama yesterday
.; 1/21/10, 8:13 PM
Hoosier Daddy said...: Auf weidersehen mein fuhrer...; 1/21/10, 8:18 PM
rhhardin said...: Obama got in on pent-up hope.; 1/21/10, 8:20 PM
Eric said...: What's in the water over there? They went way overboard with BDS, way overboard with Obama love, and now they're heading the other way again. Maybe Churchill was right after all.; 1/21/10, 8:23 PM
Hoosier Daddy said...: I love it. Brown wins in Massachusetts and all of Bambi's hopes and dreams come crashing down.

I like the left-center speigel comment about how Brown wants to stop health care and reduce the enormous budget deficit as of that's akin to eating babies.

I wonder if these turdballs actually realize how pathetic they sound.; 1/21/10, 8:24 PM
Jason said...: Well, the Krauts always had a soft spot for death panels.; 1/21/10, 8:28 PM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: According to the documentary Demographic Winter, Germanys 'end of hope' doesn't lie in the loss of Obamas senate majority.. but in their (Germany) disinterest in getting pregnant.; 1/21/10, 8:36 PM
Jason (the commenter) said...: Good, hope should die. It sometimes helps people overcome obstacles, but when politicians are involved it usual is something they use to hide from making painful decisions.; 1/21/10, 8:40 PM
Nichevo said...: " According to the documentary Demographic Winter, Germanys 'end of hope' doesn't lie in the loss of Obamas senate majority.. but in their (Germany) disinterest in getting pregnant."

Have you seen any German porn? You can't get pregnant doing that stuff!

TW: immarqu. Doing German porn can't get you pregnant, but immarqu.; 1/21/10, 8:49 PM
tjl said...: You'd think Germans would be wary of falling in love with a Messianic leader. They haven't had much luck with that.

Fortunately O's Messiahship seems to have expired. But if he doubles down on healthcare we'll still get to enjoy watching him retreat into the bunker as Gotterdammerung unfolds.; 1/21/10, 8:50 PM
Unknown said...: The Krauts said...

"...it is the end of hope."

More like the rebirth of Americanism. I love the first excerpt about how Barry saved the banks, rescued Detroit, etc. Sounds like it was written by some of our own little trolls.

Do you think garage and Montagne are Vopo infiltrators?

Nichevo said...

Bwahahaha. German tears taste like liebfraumilch.

I think that schaudenfreude thing comes in there someplace, also.; 1/21/10, 8:54 PM
Anonymous said...: A bit hysterical, what? Presidents are never either as far down or as far up as they seem to be.; 1/21/10, 9:02 PM
Anonymous said...: Hope for what?; 1/21/10, 9:28 PM
Peter V. Bella said...: We have gone from the whole world is watching to the whole world is laughing.

When he appears on TV in Europe the intro leads in- "Bozo's circus is on the air".; 1/21/10, 9:31 PM
chickelit said...: Der Spiegel dares to criticize the US? They should take a good long look in the mirror sometime.; 1/21/10, 9:32 PM
Mark said...: Nichevo wins the thread.

WV: bluve - not going there.; 1/21/10, 10:00 PM
MadisonMan said...: Well, if German Commentators say it, it must be true!

(eyeroll); 1/21/10, 10:18 PM
Kurt said...: For me, the article feels almost like the embodiment of Schadenfreude!

Nichevo, I'm still laughing at your comment about German porn. I can't claim to have seen any, but I've heard stories. And given some of the stuff that reportedly goes on in German porn, that might help explain why Obama was so popular over there.; 1/21/10, 10:47 PM
Methadras said...: It's completely pathetic that Der Spiegel and it's other German counterparts would and could be able to distill the sentiments that the American public feel about President Empty-Suit's policies. While out representatives are running around with their heads cut off screaming about a falling sky.; 1/21/10, 11:27 PM
Methadras said...: I'm surprised no one has used schadenfreude as a descriptor.; 1/21/10, 11:31 PM
Kirk Parker said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 1/22/10, 12:21 AM
Kirk Parker said...: Kurt, you may be laughing, but most of the rest of us are desperately searching around for some mind-cleanser.

I will thank you for not filling in any details, at least.; 1/22/10, 12:21 AM
Quaestor said...: Here's a quote from Financial Times Deutschland:

"For Obama, the election in Massachusetts means that he will have to re-evaluate his political style. He could now focus his concentration on his political base and push through his policy agenda. After all, he still has a majority in Congress -- he could back away from his strategy of bipartisanship ... which would mean giving up much of what he spent his first year in office creating."

I can't f*ing believe it! Maybe this excerpt got totally screwed in translation. Do these Krauts have their heads encased in cement as part of the standard kindergarten curriculum?
(Schtep right oop, mine klinen Adolphen und schtick your knoggins in der rockhardengoop zo dat you may be little blockaupts joost like Pappa)

You can couple Obama and his presidency with any number of adjectives, Lord Zero's worshipers like Matthews and Oblermann have their favorites; I have mine, and my list is completely at odds with theirs, except that none of us use the term bipartisan. I refuse to believe the Germans are that dumb, I mean that quote is just about as stupid as anything a biped can be expected to produce.; 1/22/10, 12:39 AM
Quaestor said...: By biped, I mean anyone other than Hugo Chavez, which in case you haven't noticed isn't one of "us".; 1/22/10, 12:42 AM
Anonymous said...: Huh. I actually found all of the quotes pretty reasonable, and in particular, consistent with the characterization of their sources. It's kind of refreshing.; 1/22/10, 12:45 AM
Quaestor said...: A good working definition of a German is a cross between an Austrian and a human being.; 1/22/10, 12:45 AM
Paul Ciotti said...: Synova: "I do think its sort of funny when foreigners talk about our politics like they know what's going on."

Boy, did you get that right.; 1/22/10, 12:50 AM
Hector Owen said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 1/22/10, 12:52 AM
Nichevo said...: Blogger Quaestor said...

"A good working definition of a German is a cross between an Austrian and a human being."

I worked too hard to win the thread to concede, but I would be honored to share my throne, Quaestor. You are on my wavelength.

Kirk, be very, very glad I do not elaborate. I will tell you that a porn star named Annie Sprinkle gave a seminar at my college, complete with films, a sort of porn survey. You do NOT want the things in your head that they put in our heads. I cannot think of a bearable example to share - each one that comes to mind is worse than the last.

I will only say that apparently they are really tough. One guy literally I don't know how (or if) he survived. DON'T ASK. Okay, two words: broken glass.; 1/22/10, 1:00 AM
Kurt said...: Paul Ciotti echoed Synova's comment: "I do think its sort of funny when foreigners talk about our politics like they know what's going on."

This, in turn, reminded me of some of my favorite scenes in one of my favorite movies, Whit Stilman's Barcelona where there is a horrible, pretentious European intellectual who goes on lecturing about the evils of America, but all the while it is obvious that he doesn't know what he's talking about. In one especially funny scene, the protagonist's girlfriend talks about how he told her about this dangerous American organization called the AFL-CIA.; 1/22/10, 1:19 AM
Deborah M. said...: Tuesday, Massachusetts. Thursday, Germany....

wv:notoanno. 2010, the year of the Fall.; 1/22/10, 5:00 AM
jd said...: "I do think its sort of funny when foreigners talk about our politics like they know what's going on."

Why don't you actually read the commentary quoted in the article? It's insightful and not that different from what's being said in America. How dare Germans express interest in US politics! The smugness and xenophobia exhibited in the above comments would be treated with a healthy dose of vitriol if a German were to post something similar about Americans. As an American living in very, very far-left Berlin, I have seen nothing but moderation in the German view of America and the Obama presidency over the past couple of years.

Basically, "the end of hope" should be seen as one writers aggregation of multiple editorialists' sterile declaration that the Obama presidency hasn't worked out the way many people expected it to.

I do think it's sort of funny when Americans act as though the only people entitled to discuss politics and who know what's going on are the people typing in comments on blogs.; 1/22/10, 5:41 AM
Opus One Media said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 1/22/10, 7:11 AM
Opus One Media said...: Well I have to admit it, I blogged about it on my opusonemedia.blogspot.com this morning.

I'm through with him. He had the proverbial open field to block and tackle and run for a touchdown. Instead, we have Mr. Wimp, the Mr. Whipple of presidents who won't do anything to the Charmin. His wife should kick his ass all over the room.

I'm as guilty as the next liberal thinking that the world was ripe after George the Indiot. It was, but Mr. Obama wasn't the guy.

Sadly, Obama is just another wannabe cowboy...all hat and no horse.; 1/22/10, 7:14 AM
AllenS said...: "The World Bids Farewell to Obama."

Unfortunately, we're stuck with the bastard for 3 more years.; 1/22/10, 7:15 AM
Hoosier Daddy said...: I'm through with him. He had the proverbial open field to block and tackle and run for a touchdown. Instead, we have Mr. Wimp, the Mr. Whipple of presidents who won't do anything to the Charmin. His wife should kick his ass all over the room.

Wow...when Obama loses Comrade hdhouse you know its game over.

Well hdhouse, glad to see you've finally taken the pennies off your eyes but those of us who actually have intelligence were telling you nitwits two years ago this guy was an empty suit and all you said was 'SHUT UP YOU RACISTS!'

But I'll give you some credit. The first step in curing yourself is admitting the problem.; 1/22/10, 7:33 AM
Palladian said...: "You can couple Obama and his presidency with any number of adjectives, Lord Zero's worshipers like Matthews and Oblermann have their favorites; I have mine, and my list is completely at odds with theirs, except that none of us use the term bipartisan. I refuse to believe the Germans are that dumb..."

"Bipartisan" in German politics generally means that the party in power chooses not to execute members of the other parties.; 1/22/10, 7:57 AM
Anonymous said...: "he could back away from his strategy of bipartisanship" ...
Really, where has he been keeping it?; 1/22/10, 8:34 AM
Hoosier Daddy said...: he could back away from his strategy of bipartisanship" ...
Really, where has he been keeping it?

My thougts precisely which confirms Synova's post that they have no flipping idea what they're talking about.; 1/22/10, 10:26 AM
Anonymous said...: Der Spiegel is published by Gruner + Jahr, which is a subsidiary of Bertelsmann AG, a (voice sinks to low, sinister whisper) foreign corporation. A forceful response will be needed to make them shut up about our politics.; 1/22/10, 11:44 AM