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Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Around the Blogroll and Elsewhere: Greedy Bastards Putting the Uppity In Their Place edition
Posted by Jill | 5:29 AM
If President Obama's tone last night was "feisty" and "defiant" enough to get Republican panties in a twist, then you really have to wonder how a group as delicate and fragile as Republicans can be trusted with the problems facing this nation. As expected, Mitt Romney, who attempted a pre-emptive strike against a speech that was clearly (and accurately) directed at him; Mitch Daniels, a midwest governor and presidential candidate manqué whose focus has been on ending collective bargaining in his state; and Herman Cain, trying to extend his fifteen minutes beyond what Stephen Colbert has given him; relied on the tried and true Republican tactic of projection ("HE's the one who's dividing us, not us").

The speech was feisty for Obama, who at least seemed to have started to have an idea that this bunch would hang him from the nearest tree if they thought they could get away with it. But it was hardly the sort of stuff to make anyone start to cry and say "No fair, I'm gonna tell Mom!" the way the Republican response would indicate.

I realize that a president can't come out and admit that the dice are loaded,the game is rigged, and the doctrine of Work Hard And Play By The Rules is a myth. But every time I hear that phrase, I tune out. Because the tens of millions of dollars that Mitt Romney rakes in every year as an unemployed man may fall within the rules as written by guys like him, but they certainly are not about working hard.

So what's going to come out of his announcements last night? Absolutely nothing. Because the Republicans have made very, very clear for three years that their aim is not just to make him a one-term president, but a dismally failed one at that. Three years into his term, he's done little to fight them and with the Republicans screaming bloody murder because he dared to stand up for himself and for the middle class for once, expect more of the same until someone they like can be elected. If this is "slamming the GOP", and they can't take it, then we really need to worry about the health of these fragile flowers and send them back to the sanitorium where they can get the rest they so clearly need.

Here's some reactions to the speech, to Mittens' highly selective release of one year's tax returns (and nothing from his years at Bain capital), and life in these United States in general these days.

John Cole is seduced by the speech.

Rick Ungar liveblogged it.

I want to form a band called "Bushian levels of verbal chaos".

Here's a proposed law that solves a problem which doesn't exist.

Southern Beale writes on a club that shows that no matter how much money the rich get, they're still so insecure that they need private treehouses where they can pick nits out of each other's hair.

Margaret and Helen are back!

Battochio: Tony Blankley, Civility and the State of Political Discourse.

Brad was impressed.

Karen Garcia was not.

I should have linked to this yesterday: Driftglass in another masterful smackdown of David Brooks.

And finally: Ramona seems to be the only one who celebrated the anniversary of Obama's inauguration. It's hard to remember what that day felt like.

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1 Comments:
Blogger Batocchio said...
Thanks, Jill. Fine company as always.

(I had mixed feelings about the speech, which I might write on later, but I'm totally with you on the fragile flowers.)
1/26/12, 1:55 AM  
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