Althouse: Obama "will still be able to cut off some of the free media oxygen of whatever narrative emerges from the debate..."

September 1, 2011

Obama "will still be able to cut off some of the free media oxygen of whatever narrative emerges from the debate..."

"... by speaking to the nation the next day, which was almost certainly the goal of choosing the night of the face-off in the first place."

Cut off some of the free media oxygen? Ack! Chokehold!!

43 comments:

Paddy O said...: So, the news is reporting this morning that a big part of his proposal is the creation of a national "infrastructure bank" to help provide low interest loans to construction projects.

which sounds a lot like Obama is proposing a construction Fannie.

Kerry is quoted as basically saying that doing this would green light an enormous amount of shovel-ready jobs.

Cut off the oxygen? Obama is like an oxygen bar for Republicans.; 9/1/11, 8:25 AM
virgil xenophon said...: Considering the sociocultural make-up of the "free media" I'm not so sure such a thing isn't a mixed blessing..; 9/1/11, 8:26 AM
Bryan Caskey said...: Glad we have a "transformative" guy in the White House who's going to change the bitter partisan nature of our politics.

It would be one thing if his "plan" was going to be a big deal, but I bet you the ranch that it's going to be the same old platitudes and cliches. It's going to be a big snooze of a speech.; 9/1/11, 8:26 AM
pm317 said...: So it was all a part of grand strategy, after all. I am so relieved. It was worth being seen as petty and unpresidential for this.; 9/1/11, 8:29 AM
exhelodrvr1 said...: This also means that everyone is discussing the schedule for a couple of days rather than the complete lack of economic eptitude by this administration, and what is almost certain to be a speech completely lacking in anything substantial.; 9/1/11, 8:32 AM
traditionalguy said...: Obama is now leading the media from behind too.

What a brilliant strategy in hindsight

America's Politico may actually be Obama's strategist after all.; 9/1/11, 8:33 AM
Scott M said...: Ack! Chokehold!!

Not that you're fixated or anything...

Epic fail for the Obama administration. How many unforced errors can one administration have before re-election becomes impossible? Do you think Axelrod has checked with the Carter people to find out? Will The Obama Presidential Library have a wing dedicated to how to screw yourself in politics?

To wit, there was nothing really all that bad about the scheduling debacle...except that it shows extremely poor judgement by POTUS and his immediate handlers. If he can't even get THAT right...well...; 9/1/11, 8:34 AM
traditionalguy said...: Obama did do one thing he promised to do. The Seas are falling.

Sea level is headed down, and only ice storage some where over land can account for that.; 9/1/11, 8:36 AM
traditionalguy said...: By next week, the oxygen supply will already have left the newsrooms as every reporter and writer will have been assigned to Palin Destruction Duty again.; 9/1/11, 8:39 AM
Tom from Virginia said...: PBO is giving a nationally televised address on NFL opening night (Saints-Packers)? Really? Even Ray Charles could see that is a bad idea.; 9/1/11, 8:41 AM
m stone said...: The schedule now sets the economic debate theme of job creation---NBC permitting---the night before. A golden opportunity for Perry, Romney et al to pre-empt the big one.

If his staff is smart, they'll take notes, but plagiarism will only hurt.; 9/1/11, 8:41 AM
Steve Burri said...: Chokehold? But if the Tea Party Republicans wouldn't have rushed at him and stuck their fists in his face...; 9/1/11, 8:42 AM
trumpetdaddy said...: When you choose inexperienced, incompetent ideologues for positions of great responsibility, they generally tend to fuck things up.

Nothing about this administration is surprising to anyone that had eyes that could see in 2008.; 9/1/11, 8:43 AM
KCFleming said...: I hope Obama and Bernanke decide to literally throw money from a helicopter.

Because then I have a small chance of actually seeing a dime of it. With my luck, however, I'll be at work during the drop.; 9/1/11, 8:47 AM
Tank said...: trumpetdaddy said...
When you choose inexperienced, incompetent ideologues for positions of great responsibility, they generally tend to fuck things up.

Nothing about this administration is surprising to anyone that had eyes that could see in 2008.

Actually, I am surprised we're still in Iraq, Afghanistan and now doing "something" in Libya.

I'm also surprised they did not find some way, any way, to close Gitmo.; 9/1/11, 8:48 AM
cubanbob said...: The only shovel ready thing the Obama Administration has to offer is bullshit.

If Obama really wants to cut off the oxygen from the republicans he should do a Lyndon Johnson on Thursday night. Better still, he and plugs should both resign on Thursday night for the good of the country.
Hell I would offer them triple tax free pensions if they were to do that just for the good of the nation.; 9/1/11, 8:48 AM
DADvocate said...: The first sentence of the article PaddyO links to:

A national infrastructure bank that would entice private investors into road and rail projects could be a major part of the jobs package that President Barack Obama hopes will finally bring relief to the unemployed.

Another big government solution. All the other ones have worked so well. Give up the damn rail projects!! Plus, where's the money coming from? We need more private sector jobs not financed by government funds where we're creating taxpayers, not tax consumers.

For leftists, government is everything and the only thing. If the only tool you have is a hammer...; 9/1/11, 8:50 AM
Scott M said...: Nothing about this administration is surprising to anyone that had eyes that could see in 2008.

It's one thing to make a call and be forced to take responsibility when things beyond your control affect the outcome. It's quite another to make hamfisted, amateurish mistake after mistake, most of which could have been 100% prevented by the administration themselves. What's really surprising the frequency of occurrences of such with this crew.

Color me very surprised that they're this bad at this game. It means either 1) the most experienced pols and insiders the Dems have to offer have been hands-off since day 1 or 2) the most experienced pols and insiders the Dems have to offer are indeed this bad.; 9/1/11, 8:50 AM
rhhardin said...: The assumption is always that voters will fall for it.

Which they won't, aside from women.; 9/1/11, 8:51 AM
Wince said...: I suppose the "free media" wildcard is the 10th anniversary of 9-11 three days later.

Advantage Obama? The less scrutiny the substance of his jobs proposal receives rather than the mere mention that he's made one that the Republicans don't embrace (at a time that calls for "national unity") is the take-away Obama wants politically.; 9/1/11, 8:52 AM
Anonymous said...: Because then I have a small chance of actually seeing a dime of it. With my luck, however, I'll be at work during the drop.

With your luck, Pogo, you'll be hit by a live turkey.

This administration is about that bright.; 9/1/11, 8:54 AM
Automatic_Wing said...: I'm also surprised they did not find some way, any way, to close Gitmo.

Actually, the whole "closing Gitmo" thing went pretty much the same way as this speech thing.

Obama asked Congress for to allocate the money needed to bring the Gitmo prisoners to a U.S. facility, they told him to fuck off and that was that.

It's pretty much the way these people operate. Very funny to see these media twats trying to figure out the genius plan behind this Obama fuck-up or that Obama fuck-up. You'd think they'd catch on after a while...; 9/1/11, 8:55 AM
trumpetdaddy said...: Not at all surprised about Iraq or Gitmo. With the exception of a fringe of principled pacifists, what in history would give one the impression liberal Democrats have an objection to militaristic adventurism when they are in charge of things?

The opposition to Iraq was always political theater, a cudgel to beat Bush. Nothing more.

To those on the Left who actually believed Obama's campaign rhetoric? Sorry, suckers!

But, where you gonna go, right? If you always sell yourself to the Dems, why are you surprised when they treat as the whores you are? They've already got your vote, why would they need to actually give you anything.; 9/1/11, 8:55 AM
KCFleming said...: As God is my witness, Quayle, I thought turkeys could fly.; 9/1/11, 8:58 AM
Henry said...: From Paddy O's link:

A national infrastructure bank that would entice private investors into road and rail projects...

Enough with the rail projects already. Let's just slap a "we're not serious" sticker on this proposal right now. Private investors don't do passenger rail because they're impossible to run profitably. Did the government need to entice FedEx and UPS in the package business? No -- what the government has done is subsidize the USPS to keep it vaguely competitive.

Why not "blimp projects"? How about a national steampunk bank to attract investors into mechanical turk creation? Perhaps a national ferrier bank to fit citizens with horseshoes. There's no limit to these job creating schemes once you abandon concepts like demand and productivity.; 9/1/11, 8:59 AM
Henry said...: @DADvocate -- You read my mind.; 9/1/11, 9:00 AM
Jay Fellows said...: Point 'em out, knock 'em out! Flash mob, baby...; 9/1/11, 9:01 AM
Tim said...: Almost three years into the seemingly endless recession of declining asset values and rising levels of under- and unemployment, and the Dali Obama is finally goaded into coming up with a "plan" to stimulate job creation, to save his own.

Whether it works or not at its stated goal is besides the point - it's the unstated goal of saving his job that really matters. I suspect it might - I fear that close to 95% of the idiots who voted for this inexperienced twit in '08 will do so again in '12 - after all the optics will not have changed, and too many people are too stupid to learn.

November '12: It's not just an election, it's an intelligence test.; 9/1/11, 9:06 AM
KCFleming said...: Hey, there's the key to fixing the high unemployment among young black males!

Subsidized flash mobs!

Use the Canadian-built Obama buses and take 100 or so to every county fair in the Midest, and fuck up some white folk.

For 1.5 times minimum wage.
Win-win.; 9/1/11, 9:07 AM
Mark O said...: Just bring your chest over here and I'll gently push you away. It might take some time.; 9/1/11, 9:07 AM
KCFleming said...: You could pay the whites to be beaten, too.

It's a Broken Windows economy.

Hire unemployed yoots to damage shit, and then pay people to fix it up.
awesome!; 9/1/11, 9:09 AM
Henry said...: Let me point out something else.

The Federal Department of Transportation budget is $80 Billion.

Every state and locality has its own equivalent spending in proportional. New York State's DOT, for example, has a $7 Billion budget. New York City's DOT has a budget of over $600 Million (plus $40M or so from the State and $50M or so from the Feds).

The government is building roads and bridges, at budget levels beyond anything FDR ever dreamed of.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Department_of_Transportation

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_State_Department_of_Transportation

http://council.nyc.gov/html/budget/PDFs/2012/transportation.pdf; 9/1/11, 9:12 AM
Scott M said...: As God is my witness, Quayle, I thought turkeys could fly.

Best sitcom episode ever in the history of TV.; 9/1/11, 9:12 AM
Anonymous said...: Help me with a slogan:

Your national infrastructure bank: because your local bank has lending standards.

or,

Your national infrastructure bank: because nothing says economic growth like a federal lien on a rural bridge or a chicken coop.

or,

Your national infrastructure bank: because we control taxpayer money and our friends are getting impatient.

or maybe

Your national infrastructure bank: because we've already plundered the capital of most banks, and the next ultimate prize is the capital that can only be amassed by tax payer credit and their grandchildren's income.; 9/1/11, 9:15 AM
Anonymous said...: The assumption is always that voters will fall for it.

Which they won't, aside from women.

He's down to 41% approval among women.; 9/1/11, 9:45 AM
Christy said...: I confess my ignorance. How do private investors get a return on an improved road? Are we going all toll? Does Obama think this will encourage money currently being sat on back into circulation?

First thought is that private investment in infrastructure provides a great opportunity for Warren Buffet to pay his fair share of taxes, don't you think? I can't see this as anything other than an additonal tax.

Please someone explain it to me.; 9/1/11, 9:54 AM
Paul said...: Obama.. our first Affermative Action President! And you see the results.; 9/1/11, 9:55 AM
Zach said...: Obama switched into campaign mode too early on the speech issue. Trying to preempt the debate is a losing tactic because

1) It's a jerk move.
2) It's a jerk move that requires Boehner to cooperate.
3) If Boehner doesn't cooperate, you can't complain, because
4) It's a jerk move.

End result: Obama looks like a powerless jerk, because Boehner can politely decline to let him speak during the debate.; 9/1/11, 9:56 AM
Big Mike said...: I agree with Scott M. The original gambit -- trying to preempt the Republican debate -- is the sort of thing one might expect from the mayor of a 2nd or 3rd tier city to squelch his opponents. At the Presidential level, it's tacky. I'd absolutely feel the same way if it was a Republican president and a Democrat debate.

Is there anybody who applauded his cheap maneuver and who wasn't already at least 90% certain to vote for Obama next year? Are there people who are in the group of uncertain voters who are put off by the tackiness? Probably.

So where's the upside?

Now Obama has been forced to reschedule, which makes him look weak on top of everything else.; 9/1/11, 10:03 AM
edutcher said...: Well, anyone who thought Politico was unconnected to our own AP has been had their illusions dashed on the rocks of truth.

The only thing shovel-ready at this point is Herbert's re-election - Perry 44, Zero 41.; 9/1/11, 10:07 AM
ricpic said...: Whatever Obama does or is even forced into doing it's genius I tellya, genius.; 9/1/11, 10:23 AM
Carol_Herman said...: Best way to measure stuff, is to pick Orville Reddnebacher's stock. And, see if popcorn sales are moving up.

I still think the schlemiel is winning. And, don't we have the Olympics before we have elections in 2012 ?; 9/1/11, 8:16 PM
Carol_Herman said...: Sell popcorn and buy cowbell.; 9/1/11, 8:17 PM