POWIP Piece of Work In Progress

Moving

Yeah, I hate it, but it needs to be done. We're not moving far: just down the road a piece. Unable to rent out the mother-in-law apartment, and this place is underinsulated, so it's hard to heat. Daughter needs braces and I'm trying to keep Brendan in college, so it makes sense to move.

That means that posting here is going to be light for a few days, and I want to thank Rocketman for his excellent services in this regard and to invite our other contributors to post whenever they like (hint!). I'll just point out an article at American Thinker that contains this bit from Tom Bevan at RCP:

In the first nine months in office President Obama and/or members of his administration have accused doctors of performing unnecessary medical procedures for profit; demonized bond holders as ‘speculators'; produced a report suggesting military veterans are prone to becoming right wing extremists; attacked insurance companies and threatened them with legislative retribution; ridiculed talk show hosts and political commentators by name from the White House podium; dismissed and demeaned protesters and town hall attendees as either unauthentic or fringe characters; maligned a white police officer for arresting a black man without knowing the facts of the case; launched an orchestrated campaign to marginalize the country's biggest pro-business group; and publicly declared war on a news organization.

I'm not much into armchair psychology, so I'm not going to term this narcissistic rage, but I will say that the present administration is remarkably thin skinned.

As it turns out, Alan Grayson spent a short time in a mental institution, according to this article, so perhaps it was inevitable that he ended up in Congress.

I'd also like to thank EauPureEtClaire for her much appreciated donation.

Dan Collins

Dan Collins is a dude who blogs. He used to blog elsewhere. Now he blogs here.

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But-But-But…Booooooooooosh!

Josh Gerstein poses the interesting question vis-a-vis Mr. Obama's comportment; that is, "What if Bush had done that?"

A four-hour stop in New Orleans, on his way to a $3 million fundraiser.

Snubbing the Dalai Lama.

Signing off on a secret deal with drug makers.

Freezing out a TV network.

Doing more fundraisers than the last president. More golf, too.

President Barack Obama has done all of those things — and more.

What’s remarkable is what hasn’t happened. These episodes haven’t become metaphors for Obama’s personal and political character — or consuming controversies that sidetracked the rest of his agenda.

But others say there’s a larger phenomenon at work — in the story line the media wrote about Obama’s presidency. For Bush, the theme was that of a Big Business Republican who rode the family name to the White House, so stories about secret energy meetings and a certain laziness, intellectual and otherwise, fit neatly into the theme, to be replayed over and over again.

Obama’s story line was more positive from the start: historic newcomer coming to shake up Washington. So the negatives that sprung up around Obama — like a sense that he was more flash than substance — track what negative coverage he’s received, captured in a recent “Saturday Night Live” skit that made fun of his lack of accomplishments in office.

Make sure you read the whole thing. Especially ponder the list of stories that the President has gotten a pass on, and remember that the source of this reportage is definitely no bastion of wingnuttery. And Mr. Obama's opponents shoud take some refuge in the reporters observation that the press' friendly tone is ebbing.

Rocketman

What we can learn about Obamacare from the declared flu crisis

If one pays attention, a lot can be learned from the national health emergency Obama recently declared.

President Obama's late-night declaration of a nationwide public health emergency last night shouldn't be allowed to obscure the most important lesson of the developing swine flu crisis - The same government that only weeks ago promised abundant supplies of swine flu vaccine by mid-October will be running your health care system under Obamacare.

Read the rest of Mark Tapscott's piece for illustrations of why this may preview the system Mr. Obama wants to impose on Americans.

Also, take a moment to read Blackiswhite Imperial Consigliere's concerns of the purview given Secretary Sebelius and the Federal Government via said "emergency".

Rocketman

WSJ on TARP, Kaus on GM, and a “Frank” discussion of statist dreams.

The editors of the Wall Street Journal recap the major mismanagement of the TARP program, and explain why it should not be renewed.

Of related interest is an offering by Mickey Kaus about "The Man who didn't save GM."

Also, from RCP, a rare moment of candor for Representative Frank in which he laments, "We Are Trying On Every Front To Increase The Role Of Government!"

Rocketman

Krauthammer holds forth on, well, everything!

Here's a wide ranging interview with Dr. Charles Krauthammer on President Obama and American politics and policy, both foreign and domestic; a taste:

SPIEGEL: What major mistakes has Obama made?

Krauthammer: I don't know whether I should call it a mistake, but it turns out he is a left-liberal, not center-right the way Bill Clinton was. The analogy I give is that in America we play the game between the 40-yard lines, in Europe you go all the way from goal line to goal line. You have communist parties, you have fascist parties, we don't have that, we have very centrist parties.

So Obama wants to push us to the 30-yard line, which for America is pretty far. Right after he was elected, he gave an address to Congress and promised to basically remake the basic pillars of American society -- education , energy and health care. All this would move America toward a social democratic European-style state. It is outside of the norm of America.

It's a fascinating discussion with an erudite professional.  Do yourself a favor and read the whole thing.

Rocketman

HBO Lines Up as PrObama Network

WTF?

By the People Is “a Defining Record of the Winning Presidential Campaign,” Says Politico

10/22/2009

In a feature called “Film Gives Glimpse of Real Obama,” the influential Politico reporter Ben Smith writes that By the People “represents a rare glimpse behind the curtain of discipline and discretion that surrounded the Obama campaign—a glimpse that came even though some highly placed campaign operatives feared the presence of cameras in their midst.”

I can't recall anything ever quite like this. Can you? The Box Home Office Network.

Related: Josh Gerstein on "What If Bush Had Done It?"

Dan Collins

Dan Collins is a dude who blogs. He used to blog elsewhere. Now he blogs here.

Website - More Posts

Bat-Tastic

Dan Collins

Dan Collins is a dude who blogs. He used to blog elsewhere. Now he blogs here.

Website - More Posts

If it’s any consolation…

Hip-hop culture has not degraded our society exclusively; but I take little solace in the cultural leveling power of MTV.

Rocketman