Drive-by Friday
On Jimmy Carter and other sundry topics
Drive-by Friday
Dick Polman, Inquirer National Political Columnist
Drive-by observations:
I bet that President Obama and his people would dearly prefer that Jimmy Carter and Nancy Pelosi simply shut...the...fug...up. The president is trying to focus people's attention on health care reform (ideally, the substantive pros and cons of reform), and the last thing he needs right now is for people to be distracted by a ratcheted-up, cable TV-driven debate about whether "the overwhelming portion" of his critics are racist (Carter's twice-enunciated view), or whether the prevailing vibes today are as darkly portentous as they were in San Francisco 31 years ago, shortly before Mayor George Moscone and gay leader Harvey Milk were assassinated by an aggrieved white guy (tearful Pelosi's view). Not helpful. Obama is set to run the media pentathlon on Sunday morning (five TV interviews), but thanks to Carter and Pelosi, he won't be able to control the message. He'll want it to be about health care, but he'll undoubtedly be compelled to answer questions about whether he agrees with what Carter and Pelosi said. This must be frustrating for the White House. Pelosi is not very deft at the outside game (communications), and as for Carter...well, there were many reasons why he was the sole Democratic presidential incumbent in the entire 20th century to be tossed out of the office. His uncanny instinct for bad timing was one of them.
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Judging by yesterday's predictable Republican hysteria, one would think that Obama's decision to scrap Ronald Reagan's outmoded, unbuilt Star Wars fantasy (a Cold War antiballistic missile shield for Eastern Europe) was tantamount to a white-flag surrender. What Obama actually intends, of course, is to rejigger America's defenses so that we can actually use existing, proven, and cost-effective technology to address what the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff calls "the realities of life" - to wit, the potential threat to Israel and Europe posed by Iran's short and medium-range missiles. The most noteworthy aspect of the GOP's hysteria is that it no longer seems to matter that Obama's security decisions are vetted and supported every step of the way by a prominent Bush appointee, Defense Secretary Robert Gates. Gates used to provide Obama with political cover, but apparently no longer. Yesterday's classic attack line was uttered by House GOP leader John Boehner, who declared that Obama is showing "a willful determination to continue ignoring the threat posed by some of the most dangerous regimes in the world." Willful determination? Under the quaint rules of civility, a president's critics would at least acknowledge that the man in charge sincerely cared about his country's safety, however wrong-headed his decision might be. But Obama doesn't even get that level of respect; rather, Boehner says that Obama is willfully determined to weaken his country. But that's actually no surprise, since many Republicans don't believe that America is Obama's country anyway.
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Following up on the overblown ACORN story: Capitol Hill Republicans, apparently rediscovering the importance of congressional oversight (after being so conveniently lax in that department during the ruinous Bush era), are now demanding that hearings be conducted about the community group's far-flung activities. I actually think that would be a fine idea, because, in addition to shedding light on ACORN's obvious flaws, such hearings would enlighten more Americans on some of the crucial tasks that ACORN workers perform in 80 cities - such as helping impoverished families fill out tax returns, so that these income-challenged folks can collect certain benefits that they might not otherwise know about. ACORN workers have reportedly counseled 42,000 families on how to fill out those returns, in order to take advantage of various education and child credits, as well as the earned-income tax credit. If ACORN is forced to go away, I am so really, really confident that the Republicans will work extra hard to ensure that these impoverished families can still get the same kind of tax return assistance that is readily available to...oh, you know...the high-income Americans whose trusted accountants work the system for every last dime. Yeah, right. Don't hold your breath that the Republicans will ever utter a word about the ACORN clients who would be left in the lurch.
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And speaking of civility: Notwithstanding all the bad behavior of recent weeks, I truly realized last night, while watching baseball, that the impermissible line had finally been breached. It was the top of the ninth inning at Fenway Park, with the Angels and Red Sox tied at three runs apiece. Again, this is Fenway Park, with its baseball-wise fans and venerable traditions. This is Angels versus Red Sox, two teams destined to meet in the playoffs. This is high-stakes September baseball. This is a 3-3 game in the ninth, with all the tense anticipations that weigh on such moments...and yet, take a guess what the fans were doing, with boisterous gusto, from one end of the ballyard to the other: The wave. The cry of "You Lie!" on the House floor was bad enough, but this Fenway wave was truly the death of civility. Call me a traditionalist conservative if you wish, but thou shalt not blaspheme the church of baseball.
What's better, helping ACORN clients fill out a tax return, or shutting down an organization that's all to willing to facilitate underage prostitution and sex slavery? People needing help on their taxes can go to H&R Block.— jmc
So is America safer today since Obama decided to capitulate to Russia and Iran? More evidence that 2009 is like 1939. People forget theat FDR's foriegn policy directly lead to WWII. What is Obama's leading us to?— CD75- FDR's foreign policy led to WWII? I don't remember that from my history courses. It's true in a way, though--FDR cut off Japan's oil supply to help the Brits in southeast Asia, and the Japs were so PO'd they bombed Pearl Harbor. CD would apparently have appeased Japan instead.— liberal
- 1) Carter is right, but his timing definitely stinks. Plus, he gives the folks who disagree with Obama for his policies and not his race another arrow in their "He MUST fail" quiver. 2) That's funny, DP. Republicans and civility in the same sentence. Heck, why am I picking on the R's? Whoever is out of power seems to lose civility. Perhaps I should have typed politicians. 3) The only thing the rightside overblows more than ACORN would be the congressional pages. 4) By the 9th inning most fans are a bit inebriated. Perhaps they're showing their team spirit? Could be worse. Could have been folks heading out of Chávez Ravine to beat the traffic.— Phrossty
- Funny and ironic, since helping with taxes is exactly how this whole ACORN dustup got started. Maybe those returns compiled by ACORN should be audited. As for Gates, he is the one who recommended to Bush in the firt place to put the missile shield (which has proven to work in nearly all testings) in Poland and the radar in the Czech Republic in the first place. Are we expected to believe that he has since changed his mind? Does protection against short range missiles help when Iran is developing long range missiles? This is capitulation to Russia, plain and simple. Now let's see how Russia reciprocates from this use of "smart power" and reset of relations.— tom - wilmington, de
- This is nothing whatsoever like 1939. Let's see Iran even hint at invading anybody. It would be like Joan Rivers trying to go inside on Shaquille O'Neal. Deflated basketball in the 26th row.— schnail
- I cannot stand the wave. Clearly started by some San Francisco liberal ex-surfer who hated the National Pastime to such a degree he wanted to poison its atmosphere. He probably was hoping those baseball fans would migrate to soccer, another society destroying sport trying to take our kids away from football.— tom - wilmington, de
- tom : "which has proven to work in nearly all testings" - you couldn't be farther off. the missile failed several highly scripted, partial mission tests. twice, they couldn't even get the missile to launch. Tom, do you deploy defenses against a future potential threat, or do deploy defenses against an actual threat? Also keep in mind that the systems they are now going to deploy are expected to eventually be able to meet the long-range missile threat.— still_independent
Comment removed.
When honesty fell out of fashion and was seen as weakness is when civility went away. The irony is being civilized takes strength, dedication and mindfulness. It's not easy but necessary for any societies survival. Being uncivilized and undisciplined, lying, cheating, stealing, bullying has a momentary rush to it but its short term and counterproductive in the long run. Being uncivilized is easy, lazy and weak. It's child's play. It will also bring down markets, societies and countries faster than it takes to build them. This life is not a game it is serious, and your actions and words have consequences. Just ask Gail Norton.- Dick, exactly how is Obama trying to focus people's attention on health care reform? "...rejigger America's defenses..." What? And I hope you're joking about your disdain for the wave. BTW, I think they refer to it as "the chappaquiddick" in Boston.— A Friend
- still_independent - asking tom, NEPhilly, jmc and swedesboromike to reference peer reviewed evidence vs. Faux News Network talking points is like whizzing into the wind. In the end you're left with nothing but getting wet.... You can't debate peer reviewed facts with folks who don't acknowledge peer review procedures and probably don't understand the results anyway.— 77volks
- I'm not a sports fan. Could someone please explain this wave thing to me? I think I know what it is from the movie When Harry Met Sally, but I don't understand why it is an affront to baseball. Is it just for other sports?— NigeltheMastiff
- How can a story that has been flat out ignored by the media be considered "overblown?" Comrade Polman is right by suggesting the White House would rather see the race baiting go away. The rest of you lefties would be wise to denounce such absurd assertions. Because if this is how you're trying to sell your beliefs to America, you should start making funeral plans for progressive ideology right now. If the second coming of Jesus Christ himself, Barack Obama, can't sell the country on the true progressive agenda, this ideology will live on only in the history books. The left senses this, and I imagine that's why they're grasping for straws. I'll let you lefties in on a little secret: the politically 'middle of the road' people put Obama in office. In fact, they put everyone in office. The right will always be the right and the left will always be the left. But without the center, one cannot win. So when you denounce all forms of skepticism as "racist, stupid, violent, etc" and attack concerns by attaking people, you lose the center. Contrary to popular left wing belief, not all who don't share your view are "stupid." So when you call us out, what do you think we'll do? Look in the mirror and "yea, I am stupid. I better get in line here?" Not gonna happen. If you call us out, we'll ask when and where, then kick the tar out of you on the playground in front of all your friends. Wise up left wing. You're hanging yourselves, and you;re doing it out of ignorant arrogance.— tjm333126
- 1) Carter and Pelosi have no political instincts and both have a tin ear! 2) Scrapping long range missile defense (not to mention leaving two supportive NATO govt.'s in the lurch) at a time when Iran is heck-bent to achieve long range missile technology is negligent, IMHO! And to do it to appease Russia (who hasn't helped us internationally since WWII) and Putin is a mistake and shows weakness on the administrations part (I wonder if Hillary is on board? where is Hillary come to think of it? has anyone seen her since the healthcare speech?)! 3) Poor people have plenty of honest business choices to get their taxes done without condoning Acorn and it's illegal counseling of how to 'game' the govt. when it comes to illegal business'! The govt. should audit all the tax returns that Acorn has helped with just to make sure they did everything legal on them:) It is a story like 60 minutes used to do, back when real journalism wasn't dead and the MSM didn't have their collective noses up the President's keester:) 4) The wave at a baseball game when the outcome is on the line is a 'violation' and I wholeheartedly agree with Mr. Polman on that one (1st time for everything:)— NEPhilly
Cited by the Columbia Journalism Review as one of the nation's top political reporters, and lauded by the ABC News political website as "one of the finest political journalists of his generation," Dick Polman is a national political columnist at the Philadelphia Inquirer. He is on the full-time faculty at the University of Pennsylvania, as "writer in residence." Dick has been a frequent guest on C-Span, MSNBC, CNN, NPR and the BBC. He covered the 1992, 1996, 2000, and 2004 presidential campaigns.
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