Happy Nowruz!

The President had two significant video moments yesterday–in a personal message to the people and government of Iran…and on Jay Leno. He aced both.
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You use that word “aced”. I do not think it means what you think it means.

As for Leno, the emphasis will be on the special olympics gafflette.
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As long as the chattering classes keep flogging it, it certainly will be. Don’t act like it’s not your own fault.

A guy draws a cartoon that is believed to be cruel and racially insensitive, and it is in the press for a week with people demanding the artist/editor’s head. The President of the United States of America makes a “celebrity” appearance in the midst of two wars and a global economic crisis and makes a joke at the expense of people with special needs, and he “aces” his appearance. Thanks for the education.

Joe Klein
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Had you seen this?
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http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1072481.html

We’re back to the supposed horrors of “celebrity”? John McCain owes half his reputation (pre-Palin) to appearances on Leno, Letterman, SNL and TDS. Obama used Leno as a platform to discuss the financial situation. McCain used his to burnish his legend and have his…. ego stroked about what a great hero he is. See the difference?
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Yes, the the SO comment was stupid and offensive. Especially disappointing to those of us who value intelligence in a poltician. I don’t really know what there is to say about it beyond that.

“In other words, he’s treating the Iranians the same way as he treats the Republicans. One hopes the Iranians will respond more rationally, although there are no guarantees.”
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Hilarious, Joe.

Or this
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http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1072475.html
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“From above they said it was permissible, because anyone who remained in the sector and inside Gaza City was in effect condemned, a terrorist, because they hadn’t fled. I didn’t really understand: On the one hand they don’t really have anywhere to flee to, but on the other hand they’re telling us they hadn’t fled so it’s their fault … This also scared me a bit. I tried to exert some influence, insofar as is possible from within my subordinate position, to change this. In the end the specification involved going into a house, operating megaphones and telling [the tenants]: ‘Come on, everyone get out, you have five minutes, leave the house, anyone who doesn’t get out gets killed.’
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“I went to our soldiers and said, ‘The order has changed. We go into the house, they have five minutes to escape, we check each person who goes out individually to see that he has no weapons, and then we start going into the house floor by floor to clean it out … This means going into the house, opening fire at everything that moves , throwing a grenade, all those things. And then there was a very annoying moment. One of my soldiers came to me and asked, ‘Why?’ I said, ‘What isn’t clear? We don’t want to kill innocent civilians.’ He goes, ‘Yeah? Anyone who’s in there is a terrorist, that’s a known fact.’ I said, ‘Do you think the people there will really run away? No one will run away.’ He says, ‘That’s clear,’ and then his buddies join in: ‘We need to murder any person who’s in there. Yeah, any person who’s in Gaza is a terrorist,’ and all the other things that they stuff our heads with, in the media.

As long as the chattering classes keep flogging it, it certainly will be.
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Keep flogging it? Klein said that Obama “aced” the interview and that we “shouldn’t belabor this”. How is that flogging it? Or is the press not even allowed to note when Obama says something stupid?
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Meet the new Dear Leader. Same as the old Dear Leader.

I often feel that I live in some parallel universe.
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In the universe where I live, Obama spent most of his Leno appearance laying out the case for why the bailouts are necessary, why the AIG bailouts are not actually the biggest story of the day, why we need to fix the financial sector, why healthcare reform is important, and why we need to invest in green tech.
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Of course I should have known the media would focus on some trivial comment that is completely irrelevant.
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The political discourse in this country is perpetually stupid. We really do deserve our long-term national decline.

http://instaputz.blogspot.com/2009/03/ding-ding-ding.html

sqr1 – I could be wrong. That’s just how it struck me at the moment.

JK – Thanks for the link to the HuffPo story and transcript. Interesting – and encouraging.

Amen, Art Pepper and you can thank Jake Tapper who fancies himself as the new inquisitor at press briefings. We ask politicians to be “human” like the rest of us but we have our “politically correct” antenna out looking for a slip. Tapper has got his Village credentials now, Salon is in the past.

As one of the two elected leaders chosen nationally, the President answers to — and must listen to — the entire country. It seems to me that Obama is using every available medium to do just that. The GOP and their MSM enablers should just STFU.

[...] joe klein: Yes, he should apologize, as he has. But we shouldn’t belabor this. I’d much rather see Presidents caught in the act of being human than in the promulgation of egomaniacal excess. Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)Obama Misstep on Leno: Mocking Special OlympicsBarack Obama to Appear on Tonight ShowAides Attempt to Cover for Obama; White House Not Worthy of Special OlympicsObama cracks Special Olympics joke on Leno show [...]

The MSM is concerned that their sphere of influence continues to shrink as more politicians take advantage of non traditional media outlets. They had learned to accept the use of the Leno type venues during the course of a campaign. However, now they are apoplectic at the use of these non traditional sources for the Presidency, which up until now had been their sole pervue. Remember the Conniption fit they had when the President called on a blogger?

So I’ll try to be slightly constructive. Here’s a quote from the Leno appearance that seems more relevant than the gafflette (great word!).
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That’s what’s going to create the auto industry of the future. That’s where we’re going to win back manufacturing. But right now we’re behind. These batteries are being made in Japan –- just like wind power is being made in Europe.
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(h/t Michael Scherer for posting the transcript)
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I have my doubts that the United States can actually create any industry of the future. I think we’re done as a great economic power. But I’d be happily proven wrong. Now – what would it take?

Deep Wonder: If the media had spent half the time on prewar Iraq claims from the previous administration as they do on special comments, who knew what about a bonus before they knew about it and how much money was spent on office re-design would we have gone into Iraq? Maybe not.

Art Pepper:

I disagree. There is nothing inevitable about America’s continued manufacturing decline. (Although it was largely inevitable that the U.S. could not permanently sustain significantly higher standards of living and wages relative to the developing world).
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If America ever gets over its hangups about single-payer health care, is willing to aggressively fight for labor and environmental standards in international trade agreements, and reverts to being a leader in providing education to its citizens then I see no reason why we shouldn’t maintain and expand manufacturing capabilities, particularly in high-tech areas.

I have my doubts that the United States can actually create any industry of the future. I think we’re done as a great economic power. But I’d be happily proven wrong. Now – what would it take?
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To start treating those who invent the new technologies with the same reverence that we have given to the “Masters of the Universe” for over a generation who, lacking any real ideas of their own, merely have to be able to recognize a good idea when they see it, then have a lawyer cut them in for a piece of the action.
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Use to be, our heros were the Pasteurs, Hughes and Bells. For too long, it’s been the Milkens and Paulsons.

sqrl: I’m a natural pessimist – but I agree whole-heartedly with your list. I would add investment in basic science research.
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I also don’t think we’ll ever do any of the things on this list. But as I say, I’m a pessimist. (Then again, I also thought for a long time that McCain would win the election, so I’m obviously wrong a lot!)

“I would add investment in basic science research.”
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Art,
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The “best and brightest” need to be encouraged to go into those fields too. My degree’s in computer science but I know that good research personnel are the key to our future success. Technology can HELP us do that, but we need dedicated people prepared to do the long hard work needed.

If these “best and brightest” are in it JUST for the money, it won’t last. I’ve never believed that you can BUY real dedication. And that’s what we need now.

afguy: Yep, definitely. But it’s interconnected – if you don’t think there will be jobs in a particular field, you aren’t as likely to pursue it. Of course, some will pursue a field purely from passion. (If not, we wouldn’t have poets and philosophers.) And I agree, those who are in it just for money are not likely to perform at a high level. But money helps. How many people will spend $40K or whatever for education in a field with no job prospects?
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And the flip side – without good basic education, it doesn’t matter how many jobs there are.

And the flip side – without good basic education, it doesn’t matter how many jobs there are.
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Art,
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Bingo !
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I work at a college and over half of the courses offered in the catalogues are remedial classes (meaning that the HS aren’t doing their jobs).
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We offer programs for which there aren’t any real prospects for jobs in the area and too many of the incoming students are too frightened about the economy to want to move away from home.
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Advanced analysis skills are in short supply – even basic skills are not being taught when growing up. My problem with the whole idea of doing testing in the HS to determine if the teachers are doing their jobs is that the teachers often end up teaching how to take the tests given, NOT the subject matter. The latest cure for cancer is NOT dependent on how well one did on the state battery of tests. If the students know the material, they WILL do well on the tests. Unfortunately, they’re not being taught the subects all that well.
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But then, doesn’t the bailout have a lot of this same sort of reasoning – that, if we can make the Wall Street numbers look good, then the country MUST be doing well?
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Uh, not necessarily.

[...] an ill-advised visit with Jay Leno. As much as I hate the feeling that I cut Obama too much slack, I’m going to have to join Joe Klein on this one in say that, yeah the comment wasn’t exactly kosher, but it wasn’t incredibly [...]

too many of the incoming students are too frightened about the economy to want to move away from home
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Or are unable to because they can’t afford it. Let’s say you’re renting. You have to:
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(1) Pay two months’ rent (in essence) to break the lease
(2) Leave your job if you have one, cutting off your source of income
(3) Pay what it costs to move your stuff across the country
(4) Pay to stay somewhere until you find a place to rent
(5) Pay 1 month’s rent (at least) to move in to your rental
(6) Sit out the negative cash flow until the second pay period at your new job, assuming you have one.
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No fun. (If you’re still living with Mom and Dad, you start at step two or maybe three, but still . . .)

Joe, I used to believe that this degree of shilling was only possible in a parody. Evidently, I was wrong. You actually used a careless comment the President made ABOUT THE MENTALLY CHALLENGED to PRAISE the President for being HUMAN.
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WHAT??
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Right now, your blood-Kool Aid content is more like your Kool Aid-blood content. What this should be telling you is PUT THE KOOL AID DOWN.
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I don’t read that much into Obama’s comment either…all of us have probably made a joke like that at some point, and maybe some do it habitually. But saying that on national TV does IS NOT GOOD. I can hardly imagine the media storm if Bush had been the one to say it, it would be so massive.
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You are possibly the spinning-est writer I have ever seen. You’ve got enough of it to single-handedly power a merry-go-round.

(3) Pay what it costs to move your stuff across the country
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Friar,
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The sad thing is, many of the students I see would never even contemplate that. They see very little difference between moving into the next state and moving into the another country. Anyone/anything that is not very familiar to them is considered “foreign”. They have a substandard education and are unwilling/unable to move where they can get one, to be able to come back home and help their communities overcome the cycle. It’s really sad.
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I was lucky. I was forced to leave home in the ’60s and see a different part of the world. Maybe the only up-side to the military draft I saw.
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Your point is very well taken, though.

Sorry – meant to say “move where they can get a better education”. I REALLY need to take an extra moment sometimes before hitting “Submit”.

afguy, read you five-by-five.
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Point #3 came to mind because my wife and I live in South Carolina and a job opportunity opened up in the Great White North, but without relocation we just couldn’t make it work.
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Failure of the imagination is a different problem and just as perplexing, I agree.

afguy: But then, doesn’t the bailout have a lot of this same sort of reasoning – if we can make the Wall Street numbers look good, then the country MUST be doing well
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That’s how the media and GOP are spinning it. I thought the actual purpose was to get banks lending again. On NPR they mentioned that we are loaning money to auto part suppliers, because they can’t get the short-term loans that normally cover them during their billing period. That matters more than the daily gyrations of the Dow, IMO.
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Obama mentioned on Leno that they are looking into other ways of providing direct (or alternative) credit lines until the banks start lending again.
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Will we see a Swamp post about it?
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(agree with you about standardized testing, btw)

(by “we are loaning…” I mean the Treasury)

That’s how the media and GOP are spinning it. I thought the actual purpose was to get banks lending again. On NPR they mentioned that we are loaning money to auto part suppliers, because they can’t get the short-term loans that normally cover them during their billing period. That matters more than the daily gyrations of the Dow, IMO.
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Art,
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Agree with you on present purpose of bailout. Hope it works. I guess I would like to have seen more skepticism regarding the numbers BEFORE all of this happened. I watch as commentators trot out various different numbers and often wonder “why those? They weren’t looking there before” and then I remember what someone told me: “Figures don’t lie but liars figure.”
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Once the banks are re-capitalized – then what if they don’t lend? We really need MANY GOOD projects to fund, hopefully some things that will give us a foundation to build on. (Green technology?)

There are just a number of things this country would never have done without a govt lead (Internet, for example). And definitely the space program. Long term projects for which there is no immediate prospect of profit would seem to be good candidates for funding.
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I would love to see President Obama motivate us like John Kennedy did with Project Apollo. Those scientists/engineers at NASA were some of the most enthusiastic/dedicated that I have ever seen. And they did it almost for peanuts.
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Just seems to me that, with the current emphasis on the bottom line in business over the recent past, the current venture capitalists seem to have had little interest in new technologies with long lead times.

This is unrelated, but everyone in this country should read this: http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2009/03/bonfire_of_the_trivialities.html. Krauthammer may say some crazy things, but I think he’s got this one right.

Joe Klein’s unapologetic lack of objectivity on all things Obama is mind boggling. He and Monica Lewinski have a lot in common in terms of the services they provide to their “men.” Query, Joe, if John McCain had made the comment, would you have written the same? While this will, undoubtedly, be made larger than it should, it should be remembered that Obama has a history of making impertinent remarks, including, arguably, sexists/demeaning references to Hillary Clinton and the guns/religion comments. God knows if he were a Republican, the MSM assasination would be in full force.

I’v been putting off comment on the Special Olympics remark because I don’t know what to make of it. Clumsy comes to mind. But then again, “I am a Special Olympian” comes to mind too. How would he describe his basketball skills? NBA? Amature pick up game? high school second string (which is what he actually was)? The benefit is that no doubt the Special Olympics will receive more support (they have a lot already), but at the Presidential level.

I stated that badly. Another view…anybody who has attended a Special Olympics event and seen the level of effort, pride, competition, sense of accomplishment, would not think such a reference to be demeaning, unless that person harbors demeaning thoughts to begin with.

NYT take on the Leno appearance:
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President Obama didn’t look burdened by his office on “The Tonight Show” on Thursday; he seemed detached.
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http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/21/arts/television/21watch.html?_r=1&hp

I don’t think the nyt piece quite captured the event very well. I thought it was a little strange in the sense of a departure from what presidents traditionally do. Being an old fart, I envisioned Eisenhower doing something like that, and it was an incongruous image in my mind. Movie star Reagan could have done that, but didn’t as he was former movie star now president. I could easily see frat boy little Bush doing it, but he didn’t either. Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, you can’t imagine such a thing. Carter appears all the time now, but not when he was president. Reagan? As B movie star, yes, as fascist president no way. Clinton had no shame, and just didn’t think to do it. Obama is Obama. He has the respect and dignity to pull it off, Leno is all class, and I think it was good.

[...] praising President Obama’s video message to Iran, Joe Klein wrote, “The Iran message–already being criticized by neolithic conservatives–is part of [...]

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