Althouse: “I think those of us who voted for McCain are going to be a lot happier with Obama than the people who voted for him.”
January 19, 2009 12:31 am by Shanan
Ann Althouse is not the only moderate conservative singing a happier tune these days, because it appears as though the party most rankled by the incoming Administration is the Democratic party.
Stephen Hayes at the conservative paper Weekly Standard details a presser given by Republican House minority leader John Boehner on the 825 billion dollar proposed stimulus package presented by House Democrats (highlights include: federally subsidized water slides and a NASA initiative to combat global warming).
According to Hayes, Boehner’s an Obama fan:
[According to Boehner,] with their proposal, House Democrats are apparently failing to support Barack Obama’s efforts to change Washington.
It’s an interesting strategic play. Obama has certainly given many indications over the course of this transition that he would like to govern as a centrist. And congressional Democrats, a very liberal bunch, have expressed their concerns, often publicly. So Boehner, leader of a very conservative group of House Republicans, declares that Obama is promising change he can believe in.
“The president-elect really does want to change the way Washington works,” Boehner explained to the small gathering of reporters.
While congressional Democrats are calling for the “same-old, same-old,” he said, the new president offers hope for a new tone in Washington. “We’re going to work with him to try to prove that Washington can work differently, because in this time of economic anxiety the American people expect us to work together.”
While Hayes does temper his enthusiasm with several sobering quotes from Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell (along the lines of, “Obama should be a Republican if he wants support from Republicans” — how refreshing) he does an excellent job of pointing out the following:
It is quite a moment. While Republicans are embracing Obama, Democrats are expressing skepticism. Harry Reid says he doesn’t “work for Obama.” David Obey called Obama a “crown prince.” Barbara Boxer insisted they weren’t “potted plants.” Barney Frank wants him to challenge Republicans–actually, Frank called it fighting the “savage beast.” Bill Nelson called Obama’s comments on the economy “mumbo jumbo.”
For the majority of the previous Democratic presidents’ time in the White House, the uberliberal wing of the Democratic party was swept under the rug once the election was over. Historically, it’s likely that Obama will do much the same thing.
Is it possible that hope and change has come — to the Republican party?
Share 
1 Comment
Nikegate/ Theater of the Absurd, Part 2
December 15, 2008 2:42 am by Shanan
So… I guess this is what passes for Iraqi diplomacy?
The President has the reflexes of a cat.
Well, at least that reporter didn’t chuck a shoe at Saddam. He’d find himself “relocated” by now.
Share 3 Comments
This Could Be Bogus
December 2, 2008 1:50 am by Shanan
But it could also be kind of funny.
I’ll let the hyperlink speak for itself: Ann Coulter’s jaw wired shut.
Share Leave a Comment
Do My Eyes Deceive Me?
December 2, 2008 1:48 am by Shanan
Conservatives are…. happy about Obama’s Cabinet picks?
Right-wing writer Mona Charen certainly seems to think so. In fact, she’s not the only one.
She writes:
Superstition almost forbids me to comment on President-elect Obama’s appointments thus far. The news has been so shockingly welcome that I’m almost afraid to remark on it for fear of breaking the spell.
Granted, she’s grasping at some pretty thin straws, like this one:
New York Times columnist David Brooks has acknowledged that he is “tremendously impressed.”
To paraphrase David Limbaugh: If David Brooks is a conservative, I’m a Hasidic Jew.
Mona then tries the type of snark that should be left to those of us who are funny writers, and Ann Coulter:
If I were a left-winger, I’d be tearing out my hair about now.
But enough quibbling. Check out what Charen thinks of O’bama’s foreign policy team:
If the economic team is centrist, the foreign policy team (and I pinch myself as I say this) leans a little to the right. Did you notice that in introducing his choices, the President-elect used the term “defeat our enemies”?
Okay, okay, one more thing: Since WHEN have conservatives and Republicans said, “Wow, that guy can make a great speech! Did you hear what he said? It must be true! Damn the torpedoes (and his voting record)!”
Come on, guys. Doesn’t that sound a little familiar… and a little soft in the head? Kind of like a lot of Obama supporters you know?
Anyway…
Gen. James Jones, Obama’s choice for national security adviser, is a four-star Marine general who was commandant of the Marine Corps and Supreme Allied Commander for Europe (SACEUR), among other posts. Response to his nomination among conservatives ranged from cautious optimism to outright enthusiasm. “He is a thoroughly decent man” one conservative foreign policy analyst told me. Though his political views are not known, he has received the “Keeper of the Flame” award from the hard-line Center for Security Policy. The Foundation for the Defense of Democracy’s (and National Review’s) Michael Ledeen, no coddler of wimps, calls him “almost unbearably delightful” in the two or three conversations they’ve had. Everyone seems to agree that he has high intelligence and deep patriotism.
Like me, some other conservatives aren’t so sure about O’bama’s sneak to the center. David Limbaugh, always a gold mine for RINO pwnage, says:
You should note that President Bush received no accolades from the press for choosing centrists such as Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice. In Bush’s case, it was just assumed they would do his bidding and not the other way around.
Not so fast, Mona. Wait till the chips are on the table.
Share Leave a Comment
Shenanigans Has It: Top Ten Political Quotes of the Year
December 1, 2008 4:06 pm by Shanan
Hey, the laugh-worthy lines don’t ALL come from George W. Bush. Most of them do, but not all. Here are some of the best political one-liners of 2008 compiled by Shenanigans’ own Anne Schroeder Mullins:
10. Mike Huckabee, on what squirrel tastes like:“It tastes like squirrel.”
9. John Edwards on cheating on Elizabeth Edwards:
“Can I explain to you what happened? First of all it happened during a period after she was in remission from cancer.”
8. Nancy Pelosi:
“I have always loved longitude. I love latitude; it’s in the stars. But longitude, it’s about time. … Time and clocks and all the rest of that have always been a fascination for me.”
7. President Bush, meeting with President Arroyo of the Philippines:
“I reminded the President that I am reminded of the great talent of the — of our Philippine-Americans when I eat dinner at the White House.”
6. Barack Obama:
“Can you imagine if you had your Social Security invested in the stock market these last two weeks? These last two months? You wouldn’t need Social Security. You’d be having a – you know like, what was it. ‘Sanford and Son,’ ‘I’m coming Weezie.’ It ain’t right.”
5. A tie …
Joe Biden, at an Ocala, FL, ice cream shop:
“Look at this! Man, this is a dangerous place. Holy mackerel! I’m an ice cream guy. Is ice cream down that way? Could I get a sugar cone and chocolate chip? … I’m getting plain old chocolate chip. That’s plenty, God love ya.”
And Joe Biden, hearing testimony from Gen. David Petraeus:
PETRAEUS: Senator, the vice president was in Iraq just a couple weeks after that, and he also had a very warm reception.
BIDEN: Did he get kissed? Get a kiss?
PETRAEUS: I believe he did get kissed when he was there.
BIDEN: I just want to know whether he got kissed, that’s all.4. John McCain:
“We should be able to deliver bottled hot water to dehydrated babies.”
3. Sarah Palin, being interviewed by Katie Couric:
COURIC: And when it comes to establishing your worldview, I was curious, what newspapers and magazines did you regularly read before you were tapped for this to stay informed and to understand the world?
PALIN: I’ve read most of them, again with a great appreciation for the press, for the media.
COURIC: What, specifically?
PALIN: Um, all of them, any of them that have been in front of me all these years.2. Chris Matthews:
“It’s part of reporting this case, this election, the feeling most people get when they hear Barack Obama’s speech. My, I felt this thrill going up my leg. I mean, I don’t have that too often.”
Want to see #1? Visit ExtremeMortman’s blog!
Share Leave a Comment
Back from the dead
November 20, 2008 1:48 pm by Shanan
Hello everyone. I apologize for my absence over the past week. Like a lot of people, I’ve been experiencing political fatigue from the never-ending parade of bad news following the elections Nov. 4. Also, my life has disappeared into the collegiate hell that is week-before-Thanksgiving insanity. Papers, projects, and deadlines abound.
However, I’m back, and we’re ready to roll. Let the games begin.
Share Leave a Comment
These are the blogs worth livin’ for…
November 11, 2008 12:10 am by Shanan
One of my competitors at the 2008 Blogging Scholarship finals (vote for me HERE if you haven’t already!), David Cameron’s U.S.S. Mariner blog, seems to have acquired some, uh, fans in his comments…
Fans of… me. Check out these comments (in a thread that was supposed to be about the blog competition)…
And another…
Thanks, IP, even though I have no idea who you are.
And Scooter4, yes, that’s really my name.
I love the blogosphere.
Share 3 Comments
People ask me all the time: “What caused this economic crisis?”
November 9, 2008 1:50 am by Shanan
And because people would rather watch a video with music and blinky thingies than read some long, boring explanation, I offer you:
This video was made right before the election; therefore, just watch the first 8 minutes or so.
Too long? I guarantee you’ll be riveted to the screen by 00:03:00. Watch it.
Keep in mind — the President-elect has all kinds of moneymen advising him, and after almost a week of receiving Presidential briefings, all he can say is that he wants another stimulus package (when the last 4 failed miserably). He can’t even tell Poland whether or not they’re still in NATO and whether or not we’ll still put up missile defense arrays, whether or not we’ll defend them in case Vladimir gets a jock itch and rolls into Warsaw.
Should we start printing up the “Don’t Blame Me; I Voted For McCain!” stickers now?
Share 2 Comments
Washington Post: We were biased toward Obama, so what?
November 8, 2008 1:34 pm by Shanan
The Washington Post’s ombudsman analyzes the WaPo’s obvious bias during this election season:
The op-ed page ran far more laudatory opinion pieces on Obama, 32, than on Sen. John McCain, 13. There were far more negative pieces (58) about McCain than there were about Obama (32), and Obama got the editorial board’s endorsement. The Post has several conservative columnists, but not all were gung-ho about McCain.
But… too bad? Appparently, McCain was just boring and nobody wanted to write about him, if the Post’s assistant managing editor of politics, Bill Hammond, says so. In a response that can be loosely interpreted as “Suck it, Republicans,” he says:
“There are a lot of things I wish we’d been able to do in covering this campaign, but we had to make choices about what we felt we were uniquely able to provide our audiences both in Washington and on the Web. I don’t at all discount the importance of issues, but we had a larger purpose, to convey and explain a campaign that our own David Broder described as the most exciting he has ever covered, a narrative that unfolded until the very end. I think our staff rose to the occasion.”
Translation: “We think issues are cool, but Obama was cooler, and our staff thought so, too.”
UPDATE:
As soon as Drudge linked to the story, it went “exclusive” and folks have to sign in to read it. Interesting.
Share 1 Comment
Another Bush fan comes out of the woodwork
November 8, 2008 12:24 pm by Shanan
Jim Towey, director of the White House’s Center for Faith-Based Initiatives from ‘02-’06 in the Wall Street Journal:
I remember coming to the West Wing one morning before the daily 7:30 senior staff meeting and seeing Mr. Bush at his desk in the Oval Office, reading a daily devotional. I remember the look of sorrow on his face as he signed letters to the families of the fallen. When he met with recovering addicts whose lives were transformed by a faith-based program, he spoke plainly of his own humiliating journey years ago with alcohol. When a Liberian refugee broke into tears after recounting her escape to freedom in America, the president went over and held and comforted her.
Little acts behind the curtain like these inspired intense loyalty by staff members. They spoke of someone never too busy or burdened to care — like when he took time on Air Force One to call my wife when she was sick. The president’s true character rendered his media image pure caricature.
“Intense loyalty by staff members” — possibly the explanation for why the Bush White House was so leak-proof — to many who have been stymied by the Administration’s sheer inscrutability. Which causes me to wonder — why hide this side of the man from public view? For what?
I can only hope that the next GOP administration defends itself better than this one has seen fit to.
Feed for The Spectrum