Obama seeks to prove ‘we have the guts to govern.’
The election in Massachusetts changed both the political landscape and math in the Senate. President Obama is rejiggering his political organization and that of the Democratic National Committee, including hiring ‘08 campaign manager David Plouffe as a consultant. Congress is back into session, and a new political season begins with President Obama’s State of the Union speech Wednesday night.
The rhetoric coming out of the White House is pretty tough; we’ll see how that translates into action.
WASHINGTON—Coming off one of the most difficult weeks of his presidency, Barack Obama has beefed up his political staff and is expected to deliver an uncompromising State of the Union address. Aides said Sunday that the White House wasn’t making any abrupt policy shifts, even as the message was retooled to focus more sharply on job creation….
“People are working harder,” White House senior adviser David Axelrod said Sunday on ABC’s “This Week,” referring to the economy. “If they have a job, they’re working harder for less. They’re falling behind. That’s been true for a decade. They look at a wave of irresponsibility from Wall Street to Washington that led to that. And those were the frustrations that got the president elected in the first place, and they were reflected again on Tuesday” in the Massachusetts election.
The message Mr. Plouffe is bringing was a collaborative effort by him, White House officials and the leadership of the Democratic National Committee. That message is one of no retreat in the face of polling that shows opposition to the president’s push to overhaul health care and discontent with his economic efforts.
“Instead of fearing what may happen, let’s prove that we have more than just the brains to govern—that we have the guts to govern. Let’s fight like hell,” Mr. Plouffe wrote, striking the same chord Mr. Obama did at a town-hall meeting in Ohio Friday and likely will Wednesday in his first State of the Union address.
The White House is clearly trying to position itself as aligned with, rather than opposed to, the growing discontent with Washington and its performance. It’s a smart approach if they can pull it off.
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263 comments Add your comment
Williebkind
January 25th, 2010
12:46 pm
After reading Jay’s Cynthia’s blog, I can not wait for the Glenn Beck hour this afternoon at 5pm. I need it bad.
Dr. Fee-uhl
January 25th, 2010
12:47 pm
Well I say we need to get them Republicans back in the What House. Thangs was so much better then. Maybe at Dick Cheney can run for President and thangs will get better again. Whut do you thank?
Outhouse GoKart
January 25th, 2010
12:47 pm
Yeppers…Hussein is a failure. Barry is going down in flames and needs The Spinners to do a concert for him…sorry Spinners j/k and didnt mean to insult ya.
Barry cant govern because he doesnt know how. His arrogance wont allow it, his ignorance cant understand it and the First Lantern Jaw doesnt care one way or the other.
Yes…many here are weeping, acting all accusatory, want to know what the Reps plan is etc. Well it matters not, at this time, so relax and enjoy the “Barry/Biden sideshow of laugh and gaffes!!”
Whacks Eloquent
January 25th, 2010
12:48 pm
Mick,
**Drive the country toward socialism**
For 95% of the country, that wouldn’t be such a bad thing.
Yeah, but that 5% are the ones that employ a majority of us, and have a huge stage in driving the nation’s economy. Nice going…
You want socialism? Move to Europe. America is land of the free, or is supposed to be…it was founded for freedom from tyranny. What difference does it make if the tyranny is from a monarch or from a political class?
The Mick
January 25th, 2010
12:48 pm
hotlanta,
Obama is done. Not strictly due to Brown’s victory in Massachusetts. Not due to his healthcare initiative going down in flames. Not due to his failure to create jobs. Not due to his inability to speak in public without being completely spoon-fed his content via teleprompter. I could go on and on. The truth is, the wheels have come off the Obama Express. He will go down as the worst president in history. It has nothing to do with his skin color at all, either, so keep that card to yourself. It has to do with his ineptitude and total lack of experience. This is a life-lesson for any other “community organizers” contemplating trying to leap-frog their way to the White House without gaining some experience in how government functions beforehand. Don’t.
Outhouse GoKart
January 25th, 2010
12:51 pm
“The man has been working since day one”
Good Point! One question though…for someone who has been working from day one why has he accomplished little more than to piss off his constituency and assist in losing the MA vote.
If working hard and acheiving nothing is the goal then Barry deserves and A++!!
Mick
January 25th, 2010
12:52 pm
El Jefe,
Last time I checked Cuba was communist not socialist – big difference. I do not understand why americans freak out about socialism. I’m not claiming it to be utopia but neither is capitalism, especially for the 95 percenters. European socialism has some nice features, especially healthcare.
Mick
January 25th, 2010
12:56 pm
WE
You want socialism? Move to Europe. America is land of the free, or is supposed to be…it was founded for freedom from tyranny. What difference does it make if the tyranny is from a monarch or from a political class?
Sorry, but I’ve been to europe and didn’t detect too much tyranny going on. I like america just fine particularly out west. I’m for blending capitalism and socialism mostly concerning healthcare and employment.
thomas
January 25th, 2010
12:58 pm
“European socialism has some nice features, especially healthcare.”
I wonder why then do most Europeans who can afford it have most major medical needs met here in the horrible capitalist health syatem we have?
Do you think their doctors may be less skilled and less motivated, since the doctors success or failure is not a determining factor in pay?
I also wonder why so many of the Euros have private insurance as well?
Guess they are just smarter than us and know it is better to pay for something twice.
Mick
January 25th, 2010
1:00 pm
**The Mick**
Geez, you think you could come up with a more original name?
Outhouse GoKart
January 25th, 2010
1:00 pm
Barry and his cabinet have a new theme song…
“…If you ever get annoyed
Look at me I’m self-employed
I love to work at nothing all day
And I’ll be…
Taking care of business every day
Taking care of business every way
I’ve been taking care of business, it’s all mine
Taking care of business and working overtime
Work out!
If it were easy as fishin’
You could be a musician
If you could make sounds loud or mellow
Get a second-hand guitar
Chances are you’ll go far
If you get in with the right bunch of fellows
People see you having fun
Just a-lying in the sun
Tell them that you like it this way
It’s the work that we avoid
And we’re all self-employed
We love to work at nothing all day”
The MickSter
January 25th, 2010
1:01 pm
Better?
tscali
January 25th, 2010
1:02 pm
**Some of these folks are against healthcare reform are liars. As soon as the bill is passed they will be the first one in line. Believe it.**
just because you’re willing to accept second-rate doesn’t mean everyone is. if that’s what you want fund it yourself. you’ll get what you pay for which is nothing for nothing.
LA
January 25th, 2010
1:03 pm
Jay,
I had no idea you had a “copy and paste” rule.
There is SO much ammo out there it’s hard to just pick and choose 2 articles.
Hmmmmmm
Whacks Eloquent
January 25th, 2010
1:04 pm
“…I’ve been to europe and didn’t detect too much tyranny going on…”
Luckily for them, most European nations have a multitude of parties and none stay in power for extremely long, and rarely do they capture a majority of voters. Here in America, since roughly the War Between The States, we have essentially been a two-party system. I would not want to be under either party in a socialist setup. They just have too much power. Parliamentary systems lend themselves better to multiple parties and more centralized federal government. We are not parliamentary, and good luck trying to get that changed.
LA
January 25th, 2010
1:05 pm
“Remember when Ronald Regan was president, Bob Hope and Johnny Cash were alive. Today, with obama, we have no hope or cash.”
THAT is a great line!
Mick
January 25th, 2010
1:06 pm
**The MickSter**
nice mutation – what else?
Robert Tindall
January 25th, 2010
1:06 pm
Kamchak…
What about “change”…you remember that naive slogan you were chanting…
President Obama is the most “crooked” politician of all.
If George Bush had orchestrated the “back room” deals and “pay offs” that this President has done, you would be screaming “bloody murder”… and rightfully so.
Williebkind
January 25th, 2010
1:07 pm
Mick
January 25th, 2010
12:52 pm
Where are you getting this 95%? Why exactly is capitalism not good for them?
Hey you are not a follower of Stalin, Mao, or Shaw are you? Do you know who these people are and what they represent? If not, just ask any progressive liberal. They admire their doctrines.
LA
January 25th, 2010
1:07 pm
“Geez, you think you could come up with a more original name?”
Do you think Mick is an original name?
LA
January 25th, 2010
1:08 pm
“Sorry, but I’ve been to europe and didn’t detect too much tyranny going on.”
Please send your “thanks” to the men and women in the US armed services, past and present, for your observation.
LA
January 25th, 2010
1:09 pm
“If not, just ask any progressive liberal. They admire their doctrines.”
In fact, two former Obama cabinet members admitted that for all of us to see.
Mick
January 25th, 2010
1:10 pm
Whacks Eloquent
The point is this; we used to have an economic system that WAS the envy of the world. Today, that case cannot be made. I do not fear the word socialism because we have some facets of it here in the states and it works quite well.
LA
January 25th, 2010
1:12 pm
“Today, that case cannot be made.”
Oh yes it can, Mick.
LA
January 25th, 2010
1:13 pm
“The point is this; we used to have an economic system that WAS the envy of the world.”
Name one country on earth, besides America, where illegal immigrants sneak in by the millions to go to work.
Kamchak
January 25th, 2010
1:15 pm
Kamchak…
What about “change”…you remember that naive slogan you were chanting…
You have evidence of me chanting campaign slogans? If so, please post it.
What I was referring to was your puerile notion of a president that didn’t campaign after election. In fact in former press secretary Scott McClellan’s book he revealed that was one thing he didn’t care for in the former administration.
Mick
January 25th, 2010
1:15 pm
LA
**Oh yes it can, Mick.**
Give it your best shot.
Mick & Cheese
January 25th, 2010
1:15 pm
Dinnertime!
LA
January 25th, 2010
1:16 pm
“Give it your best shot.”
I just did.
Mick
January 25th, 2010
1:18 pm
**Name one country on earth, besides America, where illegal immigrants sneak in by the millions to go to work**
That’s nothing to brag about, I consider that to be a major problem both for our security and american workers.
Byron Mathison Kerr
January 25th, 2010
1:19 pm
We definitely live in a culture of instant gratification. President Obama started his term only one year ago under some of the most abysmal circumstances. The idea that he could take a situation that had the potential of being The Great Depression 2.0 and turn it around in a matter of less than a dozen months is a serious detachment from reality and historical precedent.
Sen. John McCain must have been relieved at least on some level not to inherit all the mess, especially from someone in his own political party. Then again, he did sabotage his campaign, unknowingly one assumes, by bringing on board the incredibly poorly vetted, gun-toting, baby daddy culture, “drill, baby, drill” Sarah Palin. Her future looks a lot more like Entertainment Tonight than Washington, D.C.
President Obama is the first Democratic president to have to contend with the 24/7 “lack of” news cycle of the partisan, outwardly biased, antagonist news network, Fox News — a source of constant negative PR. And it amazes me how Fox News can get away with such a ratcheted-up rhetoric. But I suppose their addicts develope an increasing tolerance to the constant “IV drip” of disinformation and vitriol, making it necessary for higher concentrations to achieve the same level of furor and agitation.
I do not think any of our contemporary politicians know how to deal with such powerful forces that heavily influence public opinion regardless of the empirically supported facts. I would strongly suggest attaining people in-the-know to work the problem.
Now that the Supreme Court has removed the limits of corporations’ financial influence (including international corporations) on political campaigns, well, it is going to get a lot crazier before it can possibly start to gain back some semblance of sanity.
Williebkind
January 25th, 2010
1:26 pm
“I would strongly suggest attaining people in-the-know to work the problem.”
Hey progressive liberal, just who do you have in mind? Pelosi? Reid?
Frankton? Clinton? A Kennedy? Who reaches that pedestal in your educated doctinated mind! I mean, Bernard Shaw is dead.
LA
January 25th, 2010
1:27 pm
“That’s nothing to brag about, I consider that to be a major problem both for our security and american workers.”
No, but considering the REASON that these people come here: better pay, better way of life………
Just one point to debunk your state that our economy is crap.
Outhouse GoKart
January 25th, 2010
1:28 pm
Byron fires up the whiners mill…
Paragraph 1 = No.
Paragraph 2 = No.
Paragraph 3 = No.
Paragraph 4 = Yes.
Congratulations your score is a 25…F-.
Obama
January 25th, 2010
1:29 pm
No We Can’t!!!!
LA
January 25th, 2010
1:29 pm
“news cycle of the partisan, outwardly biased, antagonist news network, Fox News — a source of constant negative PR. And it amazes me how Fox News can get away with such a ratcheted-up rhetoric. But I suppose their addicts develope an increasing tolerance to the constant “IV drip” of disinformation and vitriol, making it necessary for higher concentrations to achieve the same level of furor and agitation.”
LOLOL
So, you mean to say there was NONE of that “bad pr” from 2000-2008?
FOX is NOT the reason why Obama is a bad president. He’s doing that one on his own.
Bottom line: It’s great that liberals will soon become the minority party again.
Mickin around the Christmas tree
January 25th, 2010
1:30 pm
Enter your comments here
LA
January 25th, 2010
1:32 pm
“President Obama is the first Democratic president to have to contend with the 24/7 “lack of” news cycle”
Bush was the first.
“I do not think any of our contemporary politicians know how to deal with such powerful forces that heavily influence public opinion regardless of the empirically supported facts.”
You mean the American people?
“The idea that he could take a situation that had the potential of being The Great Depression 2.0 and turn it around in a matter of less than a dozen months is a serious detachment from reality and historical precedent.”
THAT is a flat out lie. Liberals should go back and re-read Great Depression history.
Opinionated Irishman (Formerly The Mick)
January 25th, 2010
1:32 pm
Mick,
I didn’t know you had the market cornered on a very generic name. I was poking fun at my own Irish ancestry by adopting it as mine. It was clearly distinct from your own moniker. I was not the one who appended the -ster. That was someone else as I would not have been content to just work off the original name.
Anyway, Obama is, as I said, a cooked goose.
LA
January 25th, 2010
1:33 pm
Byron Mathison Kerr
Do you even realize that democrats are in big trouble because of bad Obama policies?
Do you also realize that Obama’s agenda has gone flat?
Mick
January 25th, 2010
1:34 pm
**No, but considering the REASON that these people come here: better pay, better way of life………
Just one point to debunk your state that our economy is crap**
Crap – your word not mine. These days they are probably better off if they stay in their home country because there aren’t many jobs open with 10% unemployment.
Williebkind
January 25th, 2010
1:34 pm
Why is Fox News getting such high ratings. Why is it kicking every news oulet’s butt. Because American is right centrist. You are not there yet. But there is hope for you. Just watch Glenn Beck at 5pm each day and maybe, just maybe, Glenn will stop those incantations you hear in your head put there by the progressive liberal educators. The truth will seep in and a new thought will penetrate deeper into your mind and, “poof”, you will know why Fox News has the attention of most Americans who watches cable news. America will again be the land of the free in your eyes.
LA
January 25th, 2010
1:34 pm
“Crap – your word not mine. These days they are probably better off if they stay in their home country because there aren’t many jobs open with 10% unemployment.”
Yeah, they should stay in Mexico with their corrupt government, out of control drug mafias…………
I don’t blame anyone for wanting to come here for a better life. Again, I’m not advocating illegal immigration. Just wanted to point out to you that people from all over the world come here for a better economic life.
Obama and the democrats are the reason people are looking elsewhere.
Disgusted
January 25th, 2010
1:36 pm
Name one country on earth, besides America, where illegal immigrants sneak in by the millions to go to work.
Name one country on earth, besides America, where the ruling class is permitted to hire illegal immigrants, in defiance of the law, and get away with it, while millions of legal citizens go unemployed.
LA
January 25th, 2010
1:37 pm
“Name one country on earth, besides America, where the ruling class is permitted to hire illegal immigrants, in defiance of the law, and get away with it, while millions of legal citizens go unemployed.”
Great point.
LA
January 25th, 2010
1:37 pm
“Why is Fox News getting such high ratings.”
Answer: Because Americans are sick of the DNC controlled media.
Williebkind
January 25th, 2010
1:37 pm
LA
January 25th, 2010
1:32 pm
“THAT is a flat out lie. Liberals should go back and re-read Great Depression history”
They have their own book for that LA. It does not matter how many times they read it. It is still a lie.
Mick
January 25th, 2010
1:37 pm
Opinionated Irishman (Formerly The Mick)
I really don’t care, just wanted to avoid confusion. I wonder which sophomoric blogger would mess with your tag?
LA
January 25th, 2010
1:39 pm
“They have their own book for that LA. It does not matter how many times they read it. It is still a lie.”
True, and it’s because of a certain democrat president as to why we now have term limits.
Mick
January 25th, 2010
1:41 pm
**Just watch Glenn Beck **
Yeah, that’s the answer.
Outhouse GoKart
January 25th, 2010
1:44 pm
If it werent for FOX News unemployment would probably be at 4%, Barrys poll numbers would reflect 87% approval rating, Bidens real hair wouldve grown back, Pelosi would have received great fanfare from her Playboy spread and HCare would be completely free with not waiting.
What a difference a News station can make…WOW! Too bad Cronkite isnt still alive.
Dr Mickenstien
January 25th, 2010
1:45 pm
“Thats Mickensteen”.
First Sergeant
January 25th, 2010
1:51 pm
Thomas,
Interesting you mentioned Bush; are you NOW prepared to discuss the Bush failures, as you GOP’ers never seem to want to acknowledge? Are you ready??
Urban Republican
January 25th, 2010
1:58 pm
President Obama and his administration just don’t get it. Healthcare is personal. Americans do not want a government health system in which one’s care is not personal. It’s stifling to think that a decision between patient and doctor will be circumvented by government bureaucrats.
In addition, it does not make sense to run up the deficit by a trillion plus dollars to pay for healthcare for 40 milllion people. It is cheaper to give each person a million dollars and call it a day.
The spin from Demoncrats on losing the Massachusetts senator seat is obvious. Spin only works when folks are unaware of the details of a situation.
Byron Mathison Kerr
January 25th, 2010
2:27 pm
Of the comments related to my earlier post, too many were based on clipped quotes that were taken out of context. As a rule, I do not reiterate if I believe the original post was clearly qualified.
Outhouse GoKart, January 25th, 2010, 1:44 pm wrote:
…
What a difference a News station can make…WOW! Too bad Cronkite [isn't] still alive.
I saw an interesting interview with Walter Cronkite many years ago. He was very critical of the 24/7 news networks because they continue broadcasting regardless of the type of content available. So newsworthy material gets intertwined and confused with non-newsworthy material. He expressed complete disfavor with the use of bias offered outside of a clearly identified opinion editorial context.
Cronkite was also very critical of the 30-minute nightly news programs because, after commercial breaks, there is not enough time to offer any quality analysis from various opinions.
But Cronkite was very complimentary of what is now the PBS NewsHour on public broadcasting. He compared it closely to the type of objective professional journalism that he had always aspired to produce. I believe it would be worth your while to check out sometime.
As for me, I watch the PBS Newshour regularly. I suppose for those used to the more overly sensationalized news outlets, it may seem almost too calm and civilized. But as Jim Lehrer, their chief anchor, said recently, “I am not in the entertainment business.”
Williebkind
January 25th, 2010
3:44 pm
Byron Mathison Kerr
January 25th, 2010
2:27 pm
I do catch it at times but mostly I listen to PBR on the radio while driving. I get so disappointed with the taint toward the liberals and the disdainment toward conservatives. I agree if you want to listen to calm broadcasting that is tainted PBR is an excellent joice. It has been that way as long as I can remember. However I will listen to Beck as often as I can.
Williebkind
January 25th, 2010
3:46 pm
First Sergeant
January 25th, 2010
1:51 pm
Name all the failures prior to a democratic congress. I am waiting!
Williebkind
January 25th, 2010
3:52 pm
FIRST SERGEANT:
As a matter of fact Obama is closing in on Bush for failures is he not or have you been paying ATTENTION.
Williebkind
January 25th, 2010
3:55 pm
hotlanta
January 25th, 2010
12:41 pm
Sounds like real member of the democratic plantation!
Byron Mathison Kerr
January 25th, 2010
4:10 pm
To Williebkind, January 25th, 2010, 3:44 pm:
I believe you are referring to NPR (National Public Radio). I do not have much experience with it, but I understand it offers some shows that do reflect the host’s opinions.
The PBS NewsHour, and also PBS’s Washington Week, are both about as objective as I can imagine. Since you are familiar with Fox News, why don’t you check out MSNBC for some additional perspective, and then check out these PBS programs?
William in Lithonia
January 25th, 2010
4:37 pm
2 Steps to restore the American Economy: Learn from what has worked in America!
#1: Bring back the reasonable tariffs that protected American jobs since the founding of our country. Before the IRS, most of the Federal Government’s income was from tariffs. This would also help our budget deficit as cutting tariffs helped cause our deficit.
#2. Restore the Reagan Tax Cuts. Ronald Reagan actually stopped trickle down because before he cut the top tax rate from 74% to 29%, the wealthy would reinvest their profits in their business rather than pay taxes. They would build new buildings or pay their employees better to improve their business. The wealth trickled down when the wealthy were taxed. We the workers earn that money and have a right to the benefits of our labor.
The Republican Reagan Revolution re-distributed the wealth from the workers of America to the top 1% – what Republicans call ‘their base’, their Al-Queda, Multinational Corporations with no allegance to this country. The game, our economy, is tilted in their favor. We must re-inact the rules that protected the middle class.
Hard Right Hook
January 25th, 2010
5:52 pm
Jenifer
January 25th, 2010
9:51 am
“we have some lovely door-prizes for you as you leave.”
Who says I’m leaving?
You should leave. Please leave. And hurry.
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January 29th, 2010
2:44 am
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