July 17, 2008
"Change we can believe in"

Barack Obama is complaining to Glamour Magazine that some Americans have criticized Mrs. Obama's public speeches:

... the apparatus of conservative columnists, blogs and the like. Talk shows, talk radio....When you see in the span of two or three or four weeks essentially the same talking points being used on a whole variety of shows or a whole variety of columns, over and over again....Hillary Clinton was subject to this, others have been subject to this in the past...It is part of our political environment that I'd like to change.
Does Obama seriously expect to change our political environment so that citizens don't criticize campaign speeches made by surrogates of a presidential frontrunner? Is that kind of "change" either desirable or consistent with American values and history?

Posted by Stefan Sharkansky at July 17, 2008 06:23 PM | Email This
Comments
1. Congressional Dimocrats are licking their chops at the prospect of re-imposing the so-called "Fairness Doctine" on the U.S. media. They are not satisfied controlling the content of most newspapers, news magazines and television networks, they also want talk radio. Adolf Hitler and Josef Stalin would be proud.

Posted by: Saltherring on July 17, 2008 06:26 PM
2. If the Fairness Doctrine means that Stephanie Miller and Thom Hartmann have to live under the same rules they want to impose on Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity, then I'm all for it.

"Fair" means fair, not "favorable."

Posted by: Politically Incorrect on July 17, 2008 06:34 PM
3. #2 - Don't count on it. The left would find a way to take out right-wing radio and leave TV untouched - keeping the rampant leftwing cable stations CNN and MSNBC as is. IF the right had any cajones, they would not stop until it was applied to TV. However, I believe the final word rests with the chairman of the FCC.

Their quest for political correctness will surely bring about troubled times. Maureen Dowd's op-ed piece says it well and she is left-of center. "Change for the worse we can believe in..." indeed !

Posted by: KS on July 17, 2008 06:56 PM
4. Obama should just come out and say that there is this "vast right wing conspiracy" against his wife and that he means to take them out--that's what the fairness doctrine is all about. The Left can spout whatever nonsense that they want, but if you are critical of them, you are an unreasonable voice that should be silenced.

Posted by: Bill H on July 17, 2008 08:26 PM
5. Going from 'hood rat to fat cat hasn't been a flawless transition for mama Obama and the chip on her shoulder is as transparent as her husband's glib personality is to those that are able to rationally assess him. The longer that angry albatross Michelle O. is paraded out there for the electorate to see, the better this gets for John McCain, who appears to be sleepwalking through this presidential campaign.

My pre-nomination comparison of McCain to the character in "A weekend at bernies" is unfortunately turning from a comedy into a tragic reality right before my eyes. My advice? Get a Veep that can sell McCain...ahem ROMNEY..and do it now!! Time's a wastin'

Posted by: Rick D. on July 17, 2008 08:30 PM
6. Obama's reference to It is part of our political environment that I'd like to change.
is not even disguised. He would like to abolish the criticism he hears from blogs and talk radio, in favor of the "balanced" - and viciously slanted - spin of the NYT, the 3 networks, PBS, NPR and its dingleberry Pacifica Radio.

Perhaps his moneymen like George Soros could buy a nice little network for him and Bill Ayers, a sort of Pravda-from-Chicago, to shovel his revealed truths out to the public.

But until the 'progressives' managed to completely subdue the First Amendment (with the help of silly inattentive goodthinkers like John McCain), poor lil' Obama might have to take it as well as dish it out.

Posted by: Insufficiently Sensitive on July 17, 2008 08:38 PM
7. Obama certainly didn't change the corrupt Chicago political machine. At all. Exactly WHAT does he think he'll change on a national level? (except tax rates; that's about the only thing I can think of...and that's nothing new for liberals to do--pick our pockets)

Posted by: Michele on July 17, 2008 09:20 PM
8. I think the point he was trying to make is that the discourse - the criticism - does not go very deep. News organizations take clips - often out of context - and replay them over and over again, without really discussing any of the overall points the candidate was trying to make. Obama wants to change that.

Posted by: Noble on July 17, 2008 10:17 PM
9. #8: How?

Posted by: Michele on July 17, 2008 10:52 PM
10. We were honered to have Michelle Obama spend the night here in "white bread" Bellevue.

Posted by: Paul on July 17, 2008 11:05 PM
11. Sure "Obama wants to change that." That, of course, explains perfectly why Oliar insisted on repeatedly stating the lie that McCain "wants to keep troops in Iraq for 100 years," over and over again.

In addition to being a hypocritically lying empty suit, Oliar would be well-served to occasionally look in a mirror if he's so concerned about "changing the discourse."

Posted by: hinton on July 17, 2008 11:07 PM
12. Read that as honored

Posted by: P on July 17, 2008 11:08 PM
13. Barak, if mamaobama can't take the heat, put her back in the kitchen.
Ohhh, that wasn't very 'pc' of me now was it?

Posted by: PC on July 18, 2008 12:02 AM
14. @13: Ohhh, that wasn't very 'pc' of me now was it?

Don't worry... Americans are quite used to conservatives having a complete lack of tact and class!

Posted by: demo kid on July 18, 2008 12:35 AM
15. Demo Kid
Yea do conservatives tear down Democrat Signs. No. JUst Democrats do that espicially around in The University area. Do Republicans stop traffic in the middle of the highway during rush hour. No just democrats. Do Republicans marching damage buildings in the area. No just Democrat supports. Historically in this area it is Democrats that silence anyone that opposes them. I have been threatened with being fired because a liberal was losing a political arguement. THat she started.
Discussion on any topic Immigration, SOcial Security, Education or Energy Independence. YOU are a racist, Want to kill Grand Parents, Hurt the CHildren, Anything but nuclear power. BUt you can not build the windfarm there because... Every possible way to help fix the problem.
Never talk on topic it is name calling. Be glad Republicans are patient but there are times people like you cause anger to boil. Democratic ideas make things worse not better. Just because you claim you do something and make things worse does not mean your ideas are better. It just means you corrupt the system and destroy the good that this country was originally built on.

Posted by: David Anfinrud on July 18, 2008 05:32 AM
16. "I think the point he was trying to make is that the discourse - the criticism - does not go very deep." ~ Noble

..uh huh, kind of like Barack Obama's resume, right?

The true Obamaphiles will carry B-uh-rack's water no matter what facts are presented to them to the contrary. It's called the "cult of personality"

From Webster's on-line:
cult of personality
-noun a cult promoting adulation of a living national leader or public figure, as one encouraged by Stalin to extend his power.

Posted by: Rick D. on July 18, 2008 05:38 AM
17. 10--typical "bleached" comment; clinging to his wallet & constitution; for the first time, I'm proud to be Sound Politic-er; that post-taxes change left in your pocket is something you can believe in...

Posted by: jimmie-howya-doin on July 18, 2008 06:05 AM
18. Conversly, we have finally determined what The Bush Legacy will apparently be. :)

Posted by: Duffman on July 18, 2008 06:35 AM
19. pc @ 13:

I seriously doubt Mrs. "Hope and Change" can boil water, let alone cook a meal for her family. Quite typical of the Stalinist types who espouse the "do as I say, not as I do" creed. The Obamas literally ooze the snobbery of leftist elitism, tossing crumbs and cliches to the poor as their limo speeds off.

Posted by: Saltherring on July 18, 2008 07:04 AM
20. ..careful grasshopper, do not judge them by the image portrayed by today's White House :)

Posted by: Duffman on July 18, 2008 07:08 AM
21. Aaaah, the vaunted "D" game again.

Why is it that the DalaiBama gets three three main anchors on tour with him overseas and McCain gets two minutes total between the three?

I tell my Code Pink buddies that Obama is about to change his position on Iraq when he comes back to the States. They see it as a sign of maturity and intelligence and the ability to change. I about threw up. Folks, this is what we are fighting.

The wife and I are trying to figure out where we can put our modest retirement money (we don't have wonderful retirement programs like many) if the DalaiBama gets elected.

Posted by: swatter on July 18, 2008 07:36 AM
22. #5: John McCain, who appears to be sleepwalking through this presidential campaign.

Considering he's tied with Obama in the polls (was down 15 points just a month ago), why should he do anything?

When your opponent is imploding and self-destructing by all means necessary do NOTHING. Don't draw attention to yourself or give your opponent something to fixate on and potentially save themselves.

The best thing McCain can do right now is what he is doing - raising more funds than Obama, building his organization, and keeping his mouth shut. Let Obama have the spotlight for now because it's doing nothing but hurting Obama.

Posted by: Shanghai Dan on July 18, 2008 07:40 AM
23. demokid@14
You prove an earlier post of mine about the humorectomy that creates a liberal.
My grandma was THE biggest racist I ever knew and the most staunch demo ever. Think Archie Bunker to the 10th power. Her comments were serious. My comments a mere punchline.
But you can't comprehend that now can you?

Posted by: PC on July 18, 2008 08:49 AM
24.
So, she gives "public" speeches, but whines when people criticize them publicly?

Did she really go to Princeton? Or what that the Princeton Technical College in New Brunswick?

Posted by: John Bailo on July 18, 2008 10:28 AM
25. Obama has a problem and it is his wife. She is one sour woman in spite of her good favor so far in life. "We have holes on our souls" indeed.

The Obama campaign simply wants to stop any "discourse" it doesn't like and they've been trying to do that since day one by "inoculating" any subject they consider harmful by declaring it shabby and out of bounds politicking or the "same old right wing attack style politics". They need to inoculate his wife and soon. Her "makeover" might not be sticking.

At this point the right is doing all the howling but the left should be howling right along with them. The "Fairness Doctrine" will harm, dilute or kill their message too. There is a "Fairness Doctrine" in China and it is total control of the Internet and the airwaves making sure that nothing is said that the regulators don't like. And if you think it can't happen here you haven't been listening. Government is on a hiring binge and there soon will be plenty more to monitor what is being said and by whom. The "Fairness Doctrine" is simply the establsihing mechanism for future expansion into what you can and cannot say.

What also worries me about the "Fairness Doctrine" is how it will affect blogs like SP, HA. Although I haven't heard anything to the contrary, some wag somewhere will mention that the "Fairness Doctrine" will have to be "updated" for the 21st century. We are it.

And that's the kind of regulation that Obama believes in.

Posted by: G Jiggy on July 18, 2008 10:52 AM
26. Michelle, his belle (who looks like James Brown) better toughen her hide. And the taupe one, too. As for conservatives being mean spirited. BDS originates and flourishes on moveon.org dailykos and the huffington post. I have never read such vile, mean spirited garbage dog stuff in my life. I read a lot of conservative blogs. Never read that kind of stuff on those sites. If you don't agree with "THEM" you are evil. Civil discourse no longer exists.

Posted by: Clusiana on July 18, 2008 11:02 AM
27. Oh yeah, I almost forgot:

Politically Incorrect @ #2. "If the Fairness Doctrine means that Stephanie Miller and Thom Hartmann have to live under the same rules they want to impose on Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity, then I'm all for it." With thinking like that you haven't been paying attention. When the government starts regulating, whatever is regulated turns into a political football whos control is at the whim of whoever is in power and . . . who is paid the most by . . . lobbyists. If that is how you'd like your information disseminated to you, filtered through a few million dollars in the hands of a corporate, NGO or foreign government lobbyist, slid under the table, than more power to you but leave me out of it. I like to hear all sides of every argument, unfiltered by those that know what is "best" for me. We also have the problem of who decides what you'll hear. Who will be the opposite opinion of Stephanie Miller? Who decides that? Trust me, it sure won't be you.

"Fair" means fair, not "favorable." May I suggest that you read "1984" and then "The New Thought Police"? "Fair" means whatever they want it to mean and you'll have nothing to say about it.

Posted by: G Jiggy on July 18, 2008 11:14 AM
28. This is a general Democrat tactic. Remember when Clinton put Hillary on stage and called it 'two for the price of one'? R's rightfully criticized her, but then Bill got all defensive and told them to quit picking on his poor, innocent wifey.

Apparently, accurately quoting spokesmen for Democratic candidates is now defined as a "smear". Welcome to the brave new world of NewSpeak.

Posted by: Frank Black on July 18, 2008 11:33 AM
29. I hear Obama will only allow criticism to be distributed en Francaise by gauloise smoking professors of the Sarbonne!!! Liberté Toujours!

Posted by: Acid Brain on July 18, 2008 11:47 AM
30. Demo Kid,

"Don't worry... Americans are quite used to conservatives having a complete lack of tact and class!"

Look at yourself in the mirror before you make statements like that. You can get away with that nonsense on Moveon or Huffington, but it isn't going to fly here. Clusiana is correct about liberal web sites, and if you've ever been to one, you know it's the truth. Liberal sites are not only ugly and mean spirited; they will pull posts that prove their liberal propaganda is baloney. Have you ever had your drivel censored here? Furthermore, pay careful attention to the news around next election time. Tally up the instances of vandalism perpetrated by liberals against Republican campaign offices, and then come back here and tell us how classless conservatives are. You might also want to research the history of the Democrat party before making charges of racism against Republicans. The Ku Klux Klan was an arm of the Democrat party. Democrats were responsible for Jim Crow, black codes, lynching, and oppression of blacks. Kid, you are either uneducated, blind to the truth, or brainwashed.

Posted by: NW Denizen on July 18, 2008 12:30 PM
31. So once again, it's a liberal, and one of the uppercrust libs at that, who says "cut off his gnuts" and then we learn was loose with the N word.
Hey demokid...who's got the lack of tact and class now??
Salt @ 19...Looking at BHO's size, I think you're right. Either she doesn't cook or he can't stand her cooking. But how DARE we insult her kitchen abilities.
Okay, I promise not to insult the wife of "Wing-nut"

Posted by: PC on July 18, 2008 03:15 PM
32. Check this new poster out: "Illegal Wiretapping: Change We Can Believe In." Seems the Left isn't very happy with Barack these days.

Posted by: Eastside-R on July 18, 2008 03:57 PM
33. "Don't worry... Americans are quite used to conservatives having a complete lack of tact and class!"

Primarily spoiled brat moonbats like yourself would use this rant on those who disagree with the self-righteous progressive agenda.

Posted by: KS on July 20, 2008 09:19 AM
34. Change that will get us all killed

Posted by: Ragnar Danneskjold on July 20, 2008 11:28 AM
35. Obama = Socialist. He was a community organizer for the (DSA) Democrat Socialist of America. So what makes you think that he cares about fairness. He is a complete phony and lier by definition and will say and do anything to win power. Whenever the left proposes a bill called the FAIRNESS docterin then you can say that the word "FAIRNESS" is actually the opposite of the word. Count on them trouncing on free speach. What happened to the left I thought that they were the protectors of "FREE SPEACH"... No they are not when it comes to power and money.

Posted by: TruePatriot on July 22, 2008 08:06 AM
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