Politics and Culture

Obama accuses Republicans of flip-flopping.

I won't comment on style, since I'm biased.

1. The president said that China and Germany have better economic plans than us. That's because he believes in top-down planning.

2. Green tech does not produce jobs if they only exist because of government subsidies. See Spain, which has 20% unemployment.

3. Obama threw a radioactive bone with nuclear and off-shore oil, "In exchange for ruining the economy with cap and trade, I'll build a plant and allow a study of off-shore drilling."

4. The federal government doesn't improve education. No evidence for that at all. But, he wants to "do something." Students have a world-class education now. That some don't want to learn is another thing.

5. What's up with the 10% student loan cap? If private industry is so important, why do we want to encourage people to enter unionized government jobs? Woops, I answered my own question.

6. "I didn't choose health care because it's good politics [I chose it because I'm a committed leftist.]."

7. Obama raises a huge straw man, "Let me see your idea that covers the uninsured," knowing that only a socialized system would guarantee coverage.

8. Obama hates political posturing.

9. "So, with that deficit, I said, 'What the heck? Let's just spend more money and blame it on Bush.'"

10. How do you "invest in people" (spend money) without increasing the debt (spending too much money)?

11. I can't believe Obama's talking about lobbyists when he gave a no-bid contract to his friends.

12. Has any other president complained about a supreme court decision in a SOTU? To their faces!

13. Transparency!

14. "Every day is election day?" Dude!

15. Let's pass everything!

16. Stop with the sanctimonious better government talk! The nation is wrenching.

17. Let's not have petty partisan attacks and schoolhouse taunts, after taun...aww, forget it.

18. Who wanted to only improve the lives of Afghan men?

19. You will support the Iraqi government without combat troops?

20. We support the freedom of Iranian dissidents? How?

21. Let's all get along by prosecuting people who don't tow the line.

22. Equal pay? That old chestnut.

23. He's going to do immigration reform.

24. Values that banned gays from serving in the military.

25. "We can do what the people want or we can do what's right." Translation: The people don't know what's good for them.

26. I usually don't like when presidents speak about specific small people. "It lives on in this eight-year old..."

27. I liked his ending. The most powerful part is when he said that Haitians were chanting "USA, USA..."

28. Wait, ruined it with his campaign-style hope and change stuff.

29. All in all, all Americans can find something to like...and hate.

Obama has been very good to the Asymmetric household:

1. I'm a high school teacher in a district within a state with a huge budget deficit. LAUSD received a large wad of stimulus cash, saving many teaching positions, including mine, possibly.

2. Obama won't tax my health benefits because I'm in a union.

3. I'm also an officer in the Army reserve. Obama's desire to leave Iraq and Afghanistan may mean that I don't have to leave my family and go over there, again.

4. If I lived in Nebraska or Louisiana, I'd be even better off. Obama may yet bail out California. Keeping my fingers crossed.

I'm one of the winners. Hopefully, I stay on his good side.

OK. Let's add some perspective. Reid had said during the campaign that Obama makes an attractive candidate because he's light-skinned and can speak in a neutral American accent.

Reid could have been speaking as a consultant, in which case he was saying that white Americans are too racist to accept a very black candidate- he's insulting white Americans. If he was voicing his own enthusiasm, then he may have meant that Obama is somebody who can bridge the gap between white and black Americans.

I doubt that Reid wanted to communicate how he wouldn't like a very black candidate.

Obama's ability to alter his accent really is a special gift, nearly as impressive as his ability to alter his policies.

Anyways, I don't see why Reid has to apologize, unless it's rude to notice such things.

Which is why most complaints seem to be of the "What if this non-liberal had said it?" variety.

Twitter is a better forum for this stuff. Here.

Looking at this year's nominees, as well as some of the more inspiring past winners, one comes to the conclusion that bravery is something of a requirement for winning the Peace Prize, an observation that makes at least partially true the old trope that it takes more courage to walk away from a fight than to engage.

With that in mind: what, exactly, is so brave about telling foreign audiences already somewhat hostile to one's own nation that one's own nation is at fault for a particular negative situation?

It's like a reverse scapegoat: Obama falsely places the blame on the insider, ourselves.

Or, is he? It's always been a feeling on my part that when leftists criticize the United States, they're not, as they sometimes claim, engaging in self-reflection. What they're doing is attacking the "other" Americans, to which they ascribe all manner of evil intentions and actions.

It's why leftists are more often comfortable claiming that Americans are stupid (with the exception of the claimants, of course).

I can also bring up my operative theory that every religious phenomenon has a secular equivalent. "Prophets aren't welcome in their own country," "some are blind to the truth," etc.