Althouse: Politico's most sycophantic headline ever?

November 27, 2011

Politico's most sycophantic headline ever?

"Obama's toughest critic: Obama."

50 comments:

Mary Beth said...: Obama’s self-critiques began early in his term — a notable departure from his predecessor, George W. Bush, who wasn’t known for his introspection.

“I’ve got to own up to my mistake."

Acknowledging a mistake isn't the same as taking action to correct it.; 11/27/11, 12:27 PM
edutcher said...: Considering GodZero, the vainest human being on the planet, has accused everyone else of being lazy because we haven't fully appreciated his wonderfulness yet, it's pretty close, but, if we try real hard, I'll bet Politico has done worse than that.

PS Given the fact that Zero is getting very put out with all us mortals for not making him look good by vindicating his policies, I'm half expecting (Godwin alert) some kind of Gotterdammerung order to destroy the country whenever he finally leaves office because we didn't deserve him in the first place.; 11/27/11, 12:29 PM
Anonymous said...: Grade inflation is killing this country:

http://www.examiner.com/pop-culture-in-cleveland/obama-b-grade-for-himself-on-oprah-christmas-at-the-white-house-special; 11/27/11, 12:30 PM
Tyrone Slothrop said...: Gawd. Obama never said he didn't deserve a second term-- he said it would be worth losing a second term if he could cram through his Euro-socialist agenda. This is bald misrepresentation by Politico.; 11/27/11, 12:33 PM
Bob_R said...: Frank J. Fleming should sue.; 11/27/11, 12:34 PM
pm317 said...: like this line Romney used in his ad 'if we keep talking about our economy, we are going to lose'. Apparently he was repeating something McCain said and now, why would he do such a dumb thing? ;) giving his opponents a nice tidy seemingly SELF-CRITICAL soundbite.; 11/27/11, 12:37 PM
Anonymous said...: The election will be about the economy and Obama will lose. It doesn't really matter who the Republicans nominate, or what they say.

Spain -- Spain! -- just ushered in a conservative government in the midst of its economic calamity.; 11/27/11, 12:45 PM
MayBee said...: The headline is outdone by the sycophantic third paragraph:

they help establish the president as an honest, sympathetic figure heading into the 2012 election, a leader willing to acknowledge that the sky-high expectations for his 2008 hope-and-change campaign have fallen short in reality.

He's only fallen short of "sky high" expectations.; 11/27/11, 12:49 PM
Zach said...: In “Confidence Men,” Ron Suskind’s look at the first two years of the Obama administration, the president offered this assessment: “The area in my presidency where I think my management and understanding of the presidency evolved most, and where I think we made the most mistakes, was less on the policy front and more on the communications front. I think one of the criticisms that is absolutely legitimate about my first two years was that I was very comfortable with a technocratic approach to government … a series of problems to be solved.”

I was waiting for this quote to come up in the article. It's the most sycophantic, indulgent self criticism imaginable. His biggest failure was in failing to promote his huge success? Give me a break.

I have two problems with this self criticism. First, it's self indulgent. It only acknowledges problems which can be fixed quickly and painlessly by doing things he already wants to do -- he just wants to do them better.

Second, it's almost a perfect misreading of his errors on the stimulus and the health care fight. There, he was far too willing to play the PR man and leave the details to others. A real technocrat should be aware going in that "shovel-ready projects" are a bureaucratic fantasy. A real technocrat should have a distinct vision for what he wants out of the healthcare negotiations, and be able to argue convincingly for his vision.; 11/27/11, 12:49 PM
virgil xenophon said...: Politico and the rest of the "MSM" are so far in the tank for Obama that they've formed a molecular bond with the inner lining..; 11/27/11, 12:50 PM
rhhardin said...: Has Obama recently called himself a piece of shit. That's one test.; 11/27/11, 1:05 PM
Tim said...: "“The fact that the president is relentlessly honest, even about his own successes and challenges, is an asset,” agreed Bill Burton, Obama’s former deputy press secretary and now a senior strategist at Priorities USA, the pro-Obama super PAC. “The American people appreciate honesty, and it is largely why the president is so personally popular across the country.”"

Burton and other minions serving power forget the multiplicity of lies told by the Dali Obama and his administration to pass the $791 billion "stimulus," the theft of bond-holder rights in the united auto workers bailout, and, of course, the federal take-over of health care. There are other examples, of course, but smarter voters get the point.

Stupid voters will ignore them and vote to re-elect, regardless.; 11/27/11, 1:11 PM
Gulistan said...: Politico's biggest fan: Politico; 11/27/11, 1:15 PM
yashu said...: Well, Politico, I guess you'll have to report Obama to Attack Watch, then.

"Attack Watch" is just the kind of thing a super self-critical person would do. To guard against his own too vicious self-critiques.; 11/27/11, 1:20 PM
Anonymous said...: "Politico's most sycophantic headline ever?"

Never the ones to rest on their laurels, they will reach new heights in bootlicking in tomorrows edition.; 11/27/11, 1:21 PM
ddh said...: If Obama is his own harshest critic, why is he running for reelection? Politico must be referring to the Obama who gave his administration a B+ because its staff thinks the rest of us, including the Republicans, are giving him an A or A-.; 11/27/11, 1:28 PM
Temujin said...: First of all, upon reading the headline, who would proceed any further? What kind of journalist would even take that on as an assignment? (a Journolist would).

And finally, after three years of watching, and 4 years of listening to the pap that regularly comes out of His mouth, is there anyone who has spent more than three weeks outside of a classroom who would take this seriously? Obama's his own toughest critic? That's only because the press is literally falling over themselves hoping desperately that He will glance their way, perchance make eye contact and smile.

Obama's biggest issue is that there cannot possibly be enough mirrors in one room to catch all key profiles. And the Journolists are the ones holding up the mirrors for Him, while telling him He shines.; 11/27/11, 1:33 PM
George said...: You know, I could accept this article and headline if there were a "truth-in-naming" law for media that required Politico to re-name itself truthfully as Democratico. One doesn't object, for example, when one goes to the DNC website and sees this kind of thing.; 11/27/11, 1:46 PM
Brian Brown said...: Obama’s self-critiques began early in his term — a notable departure from his predecessor, George W. Bush, who wasn’t known for his introspection.

“I’ve got to own up to my mistake."

Pure delusion.

What are all these "mistakes" Obama has admitted and owned up to again?; 11/27/11, 1:47 PM
sakredkow said...: If Obama is his own harshest critic, why is he running for reelection?

He saw the opponents in the field and made a wise choice in the best interests of the United States.; 11/27/11, 1:48 PM
Brian Brown said...: I think one of the criticisms that is absolutely legitimate about my first two years was that I was very comfortable with a technocratic approach to government

Yeah, because the Obama Administration's implementation of the "stimulus" the auto bailouts, cash for clunkers, and passage of Obamacare were so technocratic!; 11/27/11, 1:50 PM
Dante said...: I'm critical of Obama, and due to his massive failures, he should not run again.

Being that Obama is his own worst critic, he should come to the same conclusion, that he is massively screwing up the country, and not run again.; 11/27/11, 2:13 PM
glenn said...: Probably why he voted present all those time. So he wouldn't have to engage in all that unpleasant self criticism.; 11/27/11, 2:18 PM
DADvocate said...: Not only sycophantic, but false. If he was as tough a critic as I, he'd fire himself.; 11/27/11, 2:29 PM
Anne M Ford said...: Yay Politico! Way to play the sympathy card. So he hasn't been a good president, but we should re-elect him because we feel sorry for him?!? My word, when does it stop? Somebody tell Chris Matthews it is not tingling you feel running down your leg, it is urine buddy, you just wet yourself. (And its not manly).
I have the book Bush wrote, and believe me it is full of introspection, of the kind Old Barry wishes he had.; 11/27/11, 2:38 PM
Astro said...: "Obama's toughest critic: Obama."

I assumed this meant when he 3-putts.; 11/27/11, 3:18 PM
Anonymous said...: “The fact that the president is relentlessly honest, even about his own successes and challenges, is an asset,” agreed Bill Burton, Obama’s former deputy press secretary and now a senior strategist at Priorities USA, the pro-Obama super PAC. “The American people appreciate honesty, and it is largely why the president is so personally popular across the country.”

“The fact that Mr. Capone is relentlessly honest, even about his own successes and challenges, is an asset,” agreed Frank Nitti, Capone’s former head of operations and now a senior strategist at the Chicago Outfit, the pro-Capone super PAC. “The American people appreciate honesty, and it is largely why Mr. Capone is so personally popular across the country.”; 11/27/11, 3:28 PM
Anonymous said...: He saw the opponents in the field and made a wise choice in the best interests of the United States.

Tell us, phx ... Does it taste different after Obama has been eating asparagus?; 11/27/11, 3:33 PM
Big Mike said...: Astro beat me to it!; 11/27/11, 4:20 PM
Peano said...: Obama has admitted that he ... might only deserve one term in the White House.

Might? Sounds like he needs some convincing. He'll get it next November.; 11/27/11, 4:30 PM
bgates said...: Obama has admitted that he ... might only deserve one term in the White House.

Change that to "deserve only one thirty year sentence to Lewisburg" and he still wouldn't be his toughest critic. (Also, "only" modifies "one term", not "deserve".); 11/27/11, 5:15 PM
Kirk Parker said...: MayBee,

Apparently "sky high" is the new euphemism for "insane".; 11/27/11, 5:20 PM
I'm Full of Soup said...: At one time, Politico could have chosen to play it down the middle or center-right. Instead it chose to be as left of center as most MSM outlets. That was a questionable business decision. Why provide the same product as almost every else? Why not be more like Fox News where competitors are few?; 11/27/11, 5:48 PM
I'm Full of Soup said...: "Jennifer Epstein is a White House reporter at POLITICO and a proud alumna of Princeton University and The Daily Princetonian.

Before joining POLITICO in 2010, Jennifer covered Congress, the U.S. Department of Education, for-profit colleges and much more for Inside Higher Ed. She also spent a year — from the final months of the 2008 presidential campaign through President Obama’s first summer vacation — following politics around the clock for Time Magazine’s The Page."

Based on her background, Politico will have Epstein report on the college tuition bubble when it is news [to the MSM] in a year or three.; 11/27/11, 5:57 PM
Tim said...: "He saw the opponents in the field and made a wise choice in the best interests of the United States."

Uh, yeah, because "Organizing for America," founded within half a dozen heartbeats of the Dali Obama taking the oath of office, wasn't always an utterly transparent Obama reelection campaign organization.

Here's some advice you'll undoubtedly refuse: it doesn't matter how hard or how often you suck - we aren't any more likely to believe your lies - so spit it out, wipe your chin and get off your knees, if only to regain your self-respect.; 11/27/11, 6:06 PM
David said...: AJ Lynch said...
"Jennifer Epstein is a White House reporter at POLITICO and a proud alumna of Princeton University and The Daily Princetonian"

I bet Jennifer is her own greatest critic. She probably thinks she does not love herself enough.; 11/27/11, 7:29 PM
ddh said...: Politico can say that Obama is his own harshest critic because no one at Politico knows anyone who says harsher things about Obama than Obama. Sort of like the apocryphal story about Pauline Kael not understanding how Nixon could beat McGovern because she didn't know anybody who had voted for Nixon.; 11/27/11, 8:20 PM
The Beebs Blog said...: Slobbering away in Obama love.
John Harris, editor of Politico, established his slobbering credentials years ago when he slobbered away over Bubba in his bio of the great man.
Lest we forget, as we head in to 2012, they are biased, extremely biased.; 11/27/11, 8:42 PM
Fen said...: HR: "So we've covered your strengths and what you would bring to our company. What are your weaknesses?"

Obama: "Well, I'm eager to take on a huge workload. I'm too nice to my co-workers. And I'm punctual to a fault"

HR: [....]; 11/27/11, 10:33 PM
Fen said...: Obama’s self-critiques began early in his term — a notable departure from his predecessor, George W. Bush, who wasn’t known for his introspection.

The audacity. Obama spent his first term blaming Bush for everything.

Where the hell do you think I got the DHOTUS meme from?

Whoever wrote this fluff piece should be named shame and banished. He's a disgrace to JournoLism, which is quite a remarkable feat these days.; 11/27/11, 10:36 PM
Fen said...: Jennifer Epstein, Bio:

http://www.politico.com/reporters/JenniferEpstein.html

She's Winston Smith reincarnated.; 11/27/11, 10:38 PM
I'm Full of Soup said...: In 10 or 15 years, almost no one will buy a newspaper so almost all of these librul sycophants line Jennifer Epstein will be unhappy and unemployed. And I will rejoice because it could not happen to a more unethical and less knowledgeable group of people.; 11/27/11, 10:47 PM
Allan said...: "Obama's toughest critic: Obama."

Well,
it's some evidence of Obama's normality,
which was one thing I always found appealing.; 11/28/11, 1:22 AM
Nate Whilk said...: He spent more time saying he should have spent more time explaining Obamacare than he actually did explaining it.; 11/28/11, 1:26 AM
Mick said...: please... All foreshadowing of political theatre. Obama is an ideologue, and will never consent to being quaestioned as to his ability or motives. He knows that in the next election millions of awake Americans will have standing to challenge the eligibility of the Barack Obama, Presidential candidate. The Nerve of those Citizens!!!

Riots, brought about by the Springtime rebirth of #OWS, and the cutoff of unemployment benefits, are coming to America. This will be cover for the initiation of Martial Law, and detention of We the People w/o cause, and suspension of the Election. HB 1867 is secretly making it's way thru congress-- The National Defense Authorization Act

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/11/27/1040371/-Stop-Senate-Monday-from-Indefinite-Detention-of-US-Citizens-in-World-as-Battlefield-Legislation?detail=hide&via=blog_2

There will be no election in 2012 because the Usurper knows that his Kryptonite, the fact that he was born British, of a British subject father, will be dragged into the light in states that specifically five voters standing to challenge the eligibility of a candidate. The Narcissist cannot let that happen, and his banker handlers cannot let that happen. Congressional treason will be exposed, so they cannot let that happen. They've all spent way too much resource trying to amend the US Constitution by precedent, to allow we the people to expose Obama's Kryptonite.

What will the law prof say then? She didn't know?; 11/28/11, 2:31 AM
Mick said...: Allan said...
""Obama's toughest critic: Obama."

Well,
it's some evidence of Obama's normality,
which was one thing I always found appealing."

Normality? HAHAHAHA.
Obama was born British, of a drunken Communist British subject father, and an America hating mother. He was raised in a rats den of Communist sympathizers. He was influenced by America hating American terrorists, and Marxist America hating pastors. He has also associated himself w/ known Islamists. Normal??!!!! Certainly not a creature of our own. Normal enough for the "law prof" to vote for him though! And how does a "law prof" vote for an ineligible non natural born Citizen? What do they teach there?; 11/28/11, 2:39 AM
wef said...: Why does anyone pay any attention to these power-worshipping lewinskies?

Except perhaps to evaluate the various nominees for the coveted DC Kneepads awards.; 11/28/11, 4:44 AM
Anonymous said...: Politico writers all wear kneepads, iykwimaityd; 11/28/11, 7:23 AM
Jum said...: Next Politico article: "10 Tips To Sweeten Your 'Morning After' Obama Breath"...; 11/28/11, 10:07 AM
Minicapt said...: FrankJ plagerises the president.

Cheers; 11/28/11, 9:36 PM