Matthews opened with an homage to Paul Newman.
CHRIS MATTHEWS: What we have here is a failure to communicate. Let’s play Hardball. Good evening, I’m Chris Matthews. Leading off tonight, I’ll say it again: this failure to communicate, it’s not just the Daschle problem with not paying taxes or the Geithner problem with not paying taxes or the deputy OBM director’s problem with not paying her taxes. Believe me, it’s bigger than that. I’ve never met a political figure more gifted at communication than Barack Obama. Certainly he was in Kennedy’s league and Reagan’s league.
But here’s the difference: you knew what those presidents were doing once in office. You knew Kennedy wanted the Peace Corps; wanted to put a man on the moon, wanted civil rights. You knew Reagan was out there cutting taxes to make government smaller. What’s Barack Obama doing? He keeps talking about his stimulus package like it’s some big Santa’s bag filled with all sorts of sundry items: extended unemployment benefits, “green” jobs, aid to states. But how on earth does this trillion-dollar grab bag work? How does spending this money—all of it borrowed—repeat, all of it borrowed, going to help the country get moving again? That’s my question. And I’m going to keep asking it.
I’ve had as much fun as the next conservative blogger with Matthews’ thrill up his leg. But kudos to Chris for asking the quintessential question: who is Barack Obama?
Note: not to quibble, but while Matthews wanted to emphasize JFK’s warm-’n-fuzzy side, he was a big tax-cutter, too—and a heck of a Cold War hawk.
Jennifer Rubin at Contentions: “Remember how critical that was, how impressed everyone was with Obama’s temperament during the campaign? Well, some of us questioned ”the Zen-like benefits of inactivity.” And sure enough it seems that vaunted temperament has manifested itself as passivity or cluelessness. Yes, he’s very calm — as he’s losing control and losing influence. Granted, calm is good. Focus, decisiveness, good judgment and leadership would be better.”
4 Comments
All I saw of it was the clip you posted, but if I were judging from that I would say the thrill might be wearing off.
It was surprising. We’ll continue to monitor.
Hmm, is it just possible that…The Thrill Is Gone?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qtm66Z3lebc
LOL-Looks as though Chris’ “thrill” lasted exactly 15 days.
-Dave
The honeymoon is over…
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