As I read Sullivan, he basically says the critics on the right are mostly peddling nonsenscial crap. True enough. And like shooting fish in a barrel, once you look at the facts.
Then he goes on to Obama's critics on the left, agrees with a fair number of their criticisms on civil liberties issues, emphasizes the repeal of DADT at length (which his left wing critics are NOT criticizing, either), and ignores liberal criticisms of Obama's more conservative policies that he most likes, such as keeping all the Bush tax cuts in place. As a criticism of these critics, it is pretty thin stuff. But then, most op-ed is small beer.
― Aimless, Monday, 16 January 2012 17:59 (twelve years ago) link
And what have we seen? A recurring pattern. To use the terms Obama first employed in his inaugural address: the president begins by extending a hand to his opponents; when they respond by raising a fist, he demonstrates that they are the source of the problem; then, finally, he moves to his preferred position of moderate liberalism and fights for it without being effectively tarred as an ideologue or a divider. This kind of strategy takes time. And it means there are long stretches when Obama seems incapable of defending himself, or willing to let others to define him, or simply weak. I remember those stretches during the campaign against Hillary Clinton. I also remember whose strategy won out in the end.
This is OTM. My issue I have is that I want him to be to the left of some of the positions he champions. I agree with him enough to vote for him again without any regret.
― Bam! Orgasm explosion in your facehole. (DJP), Monday, 16 January 2012 18:00 (twelve years ago) link
Not surprisingly--something you should almost take as a given--Sullivan says on his site that the cover headline was not his.
― clemenza, Monday, 16 January 2012 18:04 (twelve years ago) link
sullivan's willingness to relegate civil liberties to a couple of sentences is baffling to me. under bush, the executive branch's power-tripping threatened the future of the country. under obama, pushing (for the most part) the exact same policies, it's a fringe issue that only a few 'unrealistic,' 'deluded' leftists care about.
― (The Other) J.D. (J.D.), Monday, 16 January 2012 18:41 (twelve years ago) link
it's almost like he trusts the motives of one over the other
― Bam! Orgasm explosion in your facehole. (DJP), Monday, 16 January 2012 19:01 (twelve years ago) link
right, it's the thought that counts.
― (The Other) J.D. (J.D.), Monday, 16 January 2012 19:03 (twelve years ago) link
When your only safeguard is the good will of the current president, you have no safeguards at all.
― Aimless, Monday, 16 January 2012 19:18 (twelve years ago) link
i'm just glad niall ferguson ended class warfare, that was going on for too long
― human trash (buzza), Monday, 16 January 2012 19:32 (twelve years ago) link
fuckin hate that guy
― Critique of Pure Moods (goole), Monday, 16 January 2012 19:43 (twelve years ago) link
what sort of warfare did he substitute in its place? a first person shooter, I hope
― Aimless, Monday, 16 January 2012 19:46 (twelve years ago) link
I wonder what schtick the GOP will pull to block this
― job kreaytor (Shakey Mo Collier), Monday, 16 January 2012 20:02 (twelve years ago) link
― (The Other) J.D. (J.D.), Monday, January 16, 2012 1:41 PM (2 hours ago)
as everyone here knows i think obama's done some truly evil and unforgivable things in this realm, but i've got bigger gripes with him than his civil liberties record. why sullivan's piece fails (as it was doomed to do) is because he tactfully elides these other parts of his record - when he's not agreeing with them
― tebow gotti (k3vin k.), Monday, 16 January 2012 21:13 (twelve years ago) link
the 'radical middle' will find this to be a good essay, and it might even be useful to show the first half of it to some of the more noxious conservative blowhards we all know, but the entire thing is basically middlebrow nonsense, which is why it's in newsweek
― tebow gotti (k3vin k.), Monday, 16 January 2012 21:15 (twelve years ago) link
the truly weird part is figuring out how sullivan squares his admiration for a president he sees as 'moderate' and 'pragmatic' with his wobbly on-and-off support of ron 'kill em all and let the states sort em out' paul.
― (The Other) J.D. (J.D.), Monday, 16 January 2012 21:42 (twelve years ago) link
http://www.bongsbay.com/weed_leaf.jpg
― Critique of Pure Moods (goole), Monday, 16 January 2012 21:47 (twelve years ago) link
lolololol
― incredible shrinking man on euphonium (Drugs A. Money), Monday, 16 January 2012 22:08 (twelve years ago) link
hi, guys!! What'd I miss??
― lumber up, limbaugh down (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 16 January 2012 22:15 (twelve years ago) link
Under Obama, support for marriage equality and marijuana legalization has crested to record levels.
i'll have what this sullivan guy's smoking
― river, Monday, 16 January 2012 22:23 (twelve years ago) link
I'll read the article tonight, but I can't fathom how any critic of Bush administration's civil liberties abuses and abuse of executive authority can now treat them as secondary because Obama is so cool. I would rather Sullivan just said, "Look, these things don't really matter much to me tbh."
― lumber up, limbaugh down (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 16 January 2012 22:47 (twelve years ago) link
― river, Monday, January 16, 2012 5:23 PM (1 hour ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink
um actually i wouldn't necessarily disagree with that claim
― incredible shrinking man on euphonium (Drugs A. Money), Monday, 16 January 2012 23:47 (twelve years ago) link
i have no idea what obama has done to make either of those things happen, though, particularly the latter. a strange point
― tebow gotti (k3vin k.), Monday, 16 January 2012 23:59 (twelve years ago) link
well yeah i just mean that since Obama has been President, support for those two things have been bigger than they've ever been. I'd believe that.
― incredible shrinking man on euphonium (Drugs A. Money), Tuesday, 17 January 2012 00:18 (twelve years ago) link
when Calvin Coolidge was president, Scott Fitzgerald published his best novel.
― lumber up, limbaugh down (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, 17 January 2012 00:19 (twelve years ago) link
well I mean yeah, though to imply that Mr. "The business of America is business" had nothing at all to do with The Great gatsby or its themes seems a little silly
― incredible shrinking man on euphonium (Drugs A. Money), Tuesday, 17 January 2012 00:54 (twelve years ago) link
Sully's statement is well-meaning gas though. How can Obama get credit for increased support for marijuana legalization?
― lumber up, limbaugh down (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, 17 January 2012 00:56 (twelve years ago) link
those raids he authorizes hurt him more than they hurt us, you'll just never know
― tebow gotti (k3vin k.), Tuesday, 17 January 2012 01:00 (twelve years ago) link
Yeah ok Sully's full of hot air. I wouldn't necessarily disagree with that claim.
― incredible shrinking man on euphonium (Drugs A. Money), Tuesday, 17 January 2012 01:04 (twelve years ago) link
Pretty sure pot busts have increased since Obama took office, and people still hate gays everywhere
― river, Tuesday, 17 January 2012 01:06 (twelve years ago) link
Anyway, sullivan has untrustworthy facial hair
― river, Tuesday, 17 January 2012 01:07 (twelve years ago) link
well, if he's going to have a Time Magazine cover let it be for his slavish devotion to obama's long game and not an impassioned defense of the bell curve
― Mordy, Tuesday, 17 January 2012 01:16 (twelve years ago) link
worse - newsweek :(
― tebow gotti (k3vin k.), Tuesday, 17 January 2012 01:31 (twelve years ago) link
you know, i actually read the whole article earlier today. i just have trouble distinguishing between the two
― Mordy, Tuesday, 17 January 2012 01:31 (twelve years ago) link
i'm sure many dads will find enlightening the half of this they read while they wait in the dentist's office
― tebow gotti (k3vin k.), Tuesday, 17 January 2012 01:32 (twelve years ago) link
Boy, I consider Ike the least dangerous of modern presidents but Sully's carrying his idolatry too far (i.e. Ike's not the prez to go to for enlightenment and patience re democratically elected foreign leaders, especially Iranian ones).
― lumber up, limbaugh down (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, 17 January 2012 01:36 (twelve years ago) link
John Foster Dulles and Richard Nixon both graced Ike's administration.
― Aimless, Tuesday, 17 January 2012 01:37 (twelve years ago) link
Both kept on leashes, Nixon's a bit tighter.
― lumber up, limbaugh down (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, 17 January 2012 01:40 (twelve years ago) link
i want to say that sully is the dumbest "public intellectual" but there is so much competition for that role that i'll just say he's a very very dim "public intellectual"
― Mordy, Tuesday, 17 January 2012 01:41 (twelve years ago) link
'I'm a conservative but I'm not 100% batshit insane' is the best way for some average shmoe to get a lot of attention
― iatee, Tuesday, 17 January 2012 01:45 (twelve years ago) link
sully is kind of batshit insane tho
― mookieproof, Tuesday, 17 January 2012 01:47 (twelve years ago) link
yeah but only like 94%
― iatee, Tuesday, 17 January 2012 01:49 (twelve years ago) link
― Mordy, Monday, January 16, 2012 8:16 PM (34 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink
"why are obama's critics so dumb?" vastly preferable to "why are black people so dumb?"
― max, Tuesday, 17 January 2012 01:52 (twelve years ago) link
life's too short to read that guy, including his personal ads
― Dr Morbois de Bologne (Dr Morbius), Tuesday, 17 January 2012 02:41 (twelve years ago) link
'm just glad niall ferguson ended class warfare, that was going on for too long
― human trash (buzza), Monday, January 16, 2012 7:32 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark
Did I miss something he wrote recently? Dude is good for lolz. Though his ethnic warfare stuff is interesting.
― encarta it (Gukbe), Tuesday, 17 January 2012 06:57 (twelve years ago) link
It's time soon for this again(from tpm). Fun, fun, fun:
With Congress set to return to town this week, staff-level bipartisan discussions are underway over how to pay for extensions of the payroll tax cut, unemployment insurance and the so-called Medicare "doc fix" beyond the end of February, when they're set to expire. The private meetings are a continuation of the December showdown, which ended with two-month extensions of the three provisions and a guarantee that the House and Senate would negotiate a year-long measure.
― curmudgeon, Tuesday, 17 January 2012 14:46 (twelve years ago) link
Ike's not the prez to go to for enlightenment and patience re democratically elected foreign leaders, especially Iranian ones).
To his credit, he's posted readers pushing back on this.
― Do you know what the secret of comity is? (Michael White), Tuesday, 17 January 2012 15:19 (twelve years ago) link
Dem convention cut to 3 days! Bank of America Stadium lol
http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2012/01/17/democrats-trim-convention-to-3-days/
― Dr Morbois de Bologne (Dr Morbius), Tuesday, 17 January 2012 18:21 (twelve years ago) link
Over 1m signatures to recall Walker in WI:
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/01/wis-dems-make-it-official-one-million-signatures-collected-to-recall-walker.php
― carson dial, Tuesday, 17 January 2012 20:53 (twelve years ago) link
has this been posted:
Mrs. Santorum, 51, apparently wasn’t always committed to the cause. In fact, her live-in partner through most of her 20s was Tom Allen, a Pittsburgh obstetrician and abortion provider 40 years older than she, who remains an outspoken crusader for reproductive rights and liberal ideals. Dr. Allen has known Mrs. Santorum, born Karen Garver, her entire life: he delivered her in 1960.
― puff puff post (uh oh I'm having a fantasy), Tuesday, 17 January 2012 21:54 (twelve years ago) link
there's a GOP thread
― tebow gotti (k3vin k.), Wednesday, 18 January 2012 00:54 (twelve years ago) link
keystone dead?
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/204807-obama-administration-keystone-pipeline-announcement-seen-as-imminent-
― Critique of Pure Moods (goole), Wednesday, 18 January 2012 18:31 (twelve years ago) link