“I choose to fight. Stand and fight, stand and fight!”
– John McCain

Conservatives had it easy for several decades. The Democratic left of the ’70s and ’80s was in full retreat, convinced by the Reagan revolution that they had no serious place in the American political spectrum. Occasionally there were flashpoints, like Ted Kennedy being so mean to Robert Bork, or for other Democrats not rolling over for the nomination of Clarence Thomas — who retreated into identity politics when his sexual harassment was revealed.

But those were exceptions. Cons set the parameters of the discussion, they said the worst they could about the left and the left was mute, foolishly assuming that the mainstream media might do their jobs and debunk the lies that pass for discourse on the right. Of course that didn’t happen.

We had a moment of false hope when Clinton ran for president, as the war room was conceived of to fight back versus the smear machine – but at best it neutralized elements of it. The right was still able to impeach Clinton and the mainstream press just kept on carrying the water.

Then came the Bush presidency, 9/11, and the Iraq War. At that moment, the Democratic party essentially ceased to exist for all intents and purposes. They went along with the entire Bush program with nary a protest. It wasn’t until the blogosphere came along and began to fill the coffers of pols who refused to back down like Howard Dean did the left regain it’s capacity to fight – the same spirit that fought against racism and sexism in some of the seminal battles of the American story.

Now we’ve got a Democratic administration who has simply pushed back against the day-in-day-out smears of Fox News, as well as a congressman who is telling the basic truths of the GOP’s non-plan for health care reform. For this, the mainstream press rushes to Fox’s defense, while the Republican noise machine expresses OUTRAGE that a Democrat would do to them what they’ve done for the last 20+ years.

Oooooh, scary.

Here’s hoping this fighting spirit becomes the natural position of the left. No more cowering, go toe to toe. Don’t turn off what offends you, but refute it and yell it from the highest mountain. When they punch you in the gut, you rhetorically beat them in the face until they can’t stand anymore.

I chose to fight.

The First Reader stopped by the cafeteria at Viers Mill School, where Mr. Obama admitted to having read Harry Potter books (with his daughter, Malia), but not the Goosebumps series of children’s horror books that are apparently a favorite of many of the kids at the school.

President Obama visits a Washington-area school.Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images Viers Mill schoolchildren squealed when the president called on them.

The school receives federal poverty aid and has closed the achievement gap between minority children and other students, administration officials said.

(via)

“Especially in light of the North Korean launch, I thought his speech was otherworldly,” said John Bolton, the conservative former Ambassador to the United Nations under President Bush. “What is he saying about the real, concrete threat from proliferant states like North Korea and Iran? We’ll take you to the Security Council. Say, there’s a threat! That has had no practical impact on either Pyongyang or Tehran before and will not in the future.”

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said he would have attempted to knock out the missile. And Richard Perle, a former Reagan official who was a leading proponent of the Iraq war, mocked Obama for recently trumpeting the prospect for renewing an arms agreement with Russia, saying the president was practicing diplomacy that is utterly irrelevant.

“Can anyone imagine a Russian nuclear attack on the United States?” said Perle, who said Obama should worry instead about terrorists getting a mass-destruction weapon, possibly with the aid of Iran.

Most of these people are clinically insane, depraved, or both. That they had any hand in American foreign policy for the last 10 years is troubling at best, and a betrayal of fundamental American values.

As we stand here in 2009 the United States is just now regaining its moral authority to lead the world after these people dragged the planet into the sewer with their pigheaded decisions and arrogant actions. The core of how we deal with the world is that in addition to having the biggest guns we also have the most respect. The right has always been big stick without the requisite “speak softly”, and when they were given unfettered control over our foreign policy they loused it up.

Now that the grownups are back in charge, they throw their fecal matter from the sidelines with all kinds of ridiculous statements without any root in reality. Thank God that’s all they can do, for the safety of us and the world.

And yeah, I’m pretty sure this Rasmussen poll is the usual crap that now passes for polls from Rasmussen: Drudge/Fox News linkbait.

“This is a corporation that finds itself in financial distress due to recklessness and greed.

Under these circumstances, it’s hard to understand how derivative traders at AIG warranted any bonuses, much less $165 million in extra pay. How do they justify this outrage to the taxpayers who are keeping the company afloat?

In the last six months, AIG has received substantial sums from the US Treasury. I’ve asked Secretary Geithner to use that leverage and pursue every legal avenue to block these bonuses and make the American taxpayers whole.”

You’re the man now, dog.

Twitter Updates

follow me on Twitter ]]> http://www.oliverwillis.com/2009/01/20/inauguration-live-thread/feed/ 29 http://www.oliverwillis.com/2009/01/19/making-fun-of-obama-chris-rock-style/ http://www.oliverwillis.com/2009/01/19/making-fun-of-obama-chris-rock-style/#comments Mon, 19 Jan 2009 22:46:21 +0000 Oliver Willis http://www.oliverwillis.com/?p=12453 At some points there will be stuff to make fun of about Obama. There always is, when it comes to presidents.

CNN: I watched the special last night, and I noticed that you did a lot of jokes about John McCain — his age, his war hero story — but not so many about Barack Obama. Is it harder to make fun of Obama?

Chris Rock: He’s just one of those guys, you know, like Will Smith. There’s no Will Smith jokes. There’s no Brad Pitt jokes. You know, what are you going to say? ‘Ooh, you used to have sex with Jennifer Anniston. Now you have sex with Angelina Jolie. You’re such a loser.’ What do you say? ‘Ooh, your movies are big. You make $20 million.’ There’s nothing to say about Brad Pitt.

CNN: Why is Obama like that?

Rock: It’s like ‘Ooh, you’re young and virile and you’ve got a beautiful wife and kids. You’re the first African-American president.’ You know, what do you say?

CNN: As time goes on do you think it will get easier?

Rock: Of course, as time goes on. At some point he’s going to — there’s always slip-ups. No one can survive that level of scrutiny without occasionally making it easy for a comedian.

Barack Obama Official Presidential Portrait

Oh yes.

(made by me, via)

The Democratic party just won a historic election, taking control of the White House and increasing its margins in the House and Senate – so of course its time for the Dems to do what they do when they get in power: Tear down the leader of the party and leave him open to Republican attack.

Today’s edition of the stupidest game in politics involves some congressional bellyaching about the plan to save the economy, poorly written opposition to a possible appointee, and of course anonymously sourced news stories about supposed discord between the President-elect and the outgoing chairman that’s treated as gospel.

And Obama’s not even president yet! This bodes well as usual. While the Republican party runs around squawking about Twitter in search of a clue, the Dems are already on schedule to kneecap their president.

If Obama was a less capable person I would be even more concerned. Jesus.

Heh.

That has changed.

The island of Oahu lost power Friday evening in the midst of heavy rain and lightning, leaving some 800,000 residents and thousands of tourists in the dark, as well as the neighborhood where President-elect Barack Obama was vacationing.

Residents were being advised by the power company and civil authorities to get to their homes and conserve water. Several radio stations were broadcasting emergency information.

Gov. Linda Lingle said that Hawaiian Electric Co. was taking an emergency generator to the compound on the east side of the island where Obama has been staying. Lingle said she had asked the utility to notify her when it had been delivered.

Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann told KSSK radio that Obama is in one of the “most secure places, so he’ll be OK.”

It’s quite possible that for the next 4-8 years we’re going to hear more about Hawaii than we did about Crawford, Texas. And that’s going to be a pretty cool thing. Because – no slight to the folks of Crawford (their local paper endorsed Obama) – but hearing more about Hawaii is a refreshing change from the ordinary.

Though I’m still waiting for the first president from here in Maryland, the southern state with a Yankee sense of mind.

Things are going to get better.

A month before his inauguration, Americans choose Barack Obama as the man they admire most in the world, according to a new USA TODAY/Gallup Poll. It’s the first time a president-elect has topped the annual survey in more than a half-century.

President Bush falls to a distant second after seven years as the most-admired man.

Hillary Rodham Clinton leads the list of most-admired woman, a spot she’s held for 13 of the past 16 years — as first lady, then New York senator and now Obama’s designate for secretary of State. A newcomer is second: Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, who wasn’t well-known nationally until Republican presidential candidate John McCain chose her as his running mate in August.

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