Category Archives: Political Commentary

Media Criticism, Political Commentary

I Was A Right-Wing Obama Town Hall Crasher

8 Comments

An interesting story:

MTV deserves respect not only for populating the room with relatively articulate conservatives, but for actually giving those differing opinions a chance to be heard — this push on the economy was particularly well-stated. President Obama unfortunately gave little in the way of real answers. He’d hear a personal story or probing question and immediately jump off onto whatever talking point might be related to the question.

As a person, Obama was affable, kind, and gracious. When the camera turned off, he stayed after and talked to the crowd, working his way across the room and shaking hands. There were tears from a few members, and more than one person who sobbed out, “Mr. President, you inspire me more than any other person in the world.”

When he made his way over to me, he shook my hand and wished me good luck.

“Do you want the best piece of advice for a good marriage?”

“Yes sir.”

“Do whatever she tells you to do.”

I thanked him.

It’s a shame that so many conservatives were too wary of MTV to apply.

Media Criticism, Political Commentary, Space

“Decolonizing” Space?

12 Comments

I don’t know whether Barack Obama is an anticolonialist or not, but it’s quite ignorant to think that this would be an explanation for ending Constellation, which was not an “ambitious” project. An ambitious project would have been one to make it possible for us to actually colonize the moon, not redo Apollo. NASA is not being “converted” to improving Muslim self esteem, and anyone who actually understands the new policy knows that, but very few people seem to.

Business, Economics, Media Criticism, Political Commentary

The Miners Were Saved

17 Comments

…by capitalism:

Getting a nation’s economics right is more important than at any time since the end of World War II. Chile, Colombia, Peru and Brazil are pulling away from the rest of their hapless South American neighbors. China, India and others are simply copying or buying the West’s accomplishments.

The U.S. has a government led by a mindset obsessed with 250K-a-year “millionaires” and given to mocking “our blind faith in the market.” In a fast-moving world filled with nations intent on catching up with or passing us, this policy path is a waste of time.

There’s something you’re not going to hear the president say.

[Update a few minutes later]

This seems related somehow. Obama is worse than Carter:

“For the last couple of years, President Obama keeps claiming that the recession was the worst economy since the Great Depression. But this is not correct. This is the worst ‘recovery’ since the Great Depression.” The extended stagnation, high unemployment, and the troubling potential for a double dip recession is starting to look more like the Depression itself now.

But the indictment of Obamanomics goes beyond the actual performance so far. Even worse is that the economic policies have been so illogical, so transparently doomed to failure, and so threatening to America’s future.

And he’ll continue them as long as we let him. We can start to fix it in nineteen days. Read the whole thing. I agree with all of it, except the “President Newt Gingrich” part.

[Update a while later]

Comparing two recoveries:


This is why those saying that Obama’s OK, because Reagan’s approval was bad at this point, are whistling in the dark.