Face the Racists: Obama's Town Hall 50% Less Changey, 80% Less Hopey Than Expected

So sayeth the NYT.

Disappointed Supporters Question Obama

A headline that could not be applied to the New York Times Editorial Board, by the way.

It was billed as “Investing In America,” a live televised conversation between President Obama and American workers, students, business people and retirees on the state of the economy, a kind of Wall Street to Main Street reality check.

But it sounded like a therapy session for disillusioned Obama supporters.

I don't if there's anything here to be worth making a mountain out of, but they always do immediately brand Obama critics -- even ex-supporters -- as somehow unhinged or emotionally unbalanced, don't they?

Check out Obama's spin:

...

“The challenge for the Tea Party movement is to identify specifically: What would you do?” the president said. “It’s not enough to say ‘get control of spending.’ I think its important for you to say, ‘I’m willing to cut veterans’ benefits,’ or ‘I’m willing to cut Medicare or Social Security,’ or ‘I’m willing to see taxes go up.’ ”

The challenge, he says, is that the Tea Party must support the most wildly unpopular spending cuts first and cannot, say, first support a reduction of discretionary spending back down to Clinton's 1998 levels, or a 5% across the board cut in such spending (as Mike Pence proposes), or a one or two year wage freeze/attrition program for federal workers, etc.

No. See, no. See, unless the Tea Party leads with the most controversial budget-reduction plans imaginable, they've failed the "challenge."

By the way, some commenters explained why Obama laughed at first at that racist woman who said "I'm tired of defending you:" Obama thought at first she was making the point that exists only in Obama's head, that is, that these attacks are all silly distractions made by unserious people (or seriously racist people who talk about him like he's a dog). He wanted to laugh with her at how nonsensical all this criticism was. I hear ya, sister. It's ridiculous, isn't it?

But then she affirmed her own belief in the seriousness of these criticisms and he realized he wasn't going to get what he had been used to -- adulation for his lack of accomplishments. And then he grimaced.

Liveblogged... Points and Figures liveblogged this grim tableaux earlier. Bush, you will be surprised to hear, was blamed.

BTW, does anyone ever say "tableaux" without the "grim" before it? I only see it crappy horror writing.

posted by Ace at 05:20 PM

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