Jonah Goldberg
New York Post
January 28, 2010
…Washington graybeards and pundits have been insisting that Obama needs to “start over,” “reboot” and “tack to the middle” after Scott Brown’s win in Massachusetts. But Obama’s response last night was to recommit himself to the agenda that has gotten him in so much trouble.
In fairness, the president took a French-bath of Clintonism before he took to his beloved TelePrompTer. He doused himself with the scent of the deficit-fighter and trade-promoter. He unveiled a slew of small, easy, applause-gathering proposals and populist appeals that he knows will go nowhere.
He also indulged in a lot of feel-your-pain pathos, trying to connect with the real Americans suffering from the recession and the misdeeds of a “Washington” that Obama seems to think is run by someone other than him.
But the eau-de-Clinton couldn’t mask the stench — and Obama, in his supreme arrogance, didn’t really seem to care.
There was no “pivot to the center,” no serious accounting for the Massachusetts miracle or his misfortunes. Instead, there was an innumerate, inaccurate and distinctly unpresidential whine — blaming George W. Bush for nearly all of his problems (leaving out, among other things, that the Democrats have been controlling Congress and crafting budgets since 2006)…
…he not only implored Democrats not to “run for the hills” on the health-reform bill, but insisted that as “temperatures cool,” hot-tempered opponents will, of course, realize they were wrong about the bill.
Obama began his presidency insisting that government is the answer to our problems. A year later, he still believes that the era of big government is upon us…
…But Obama has a bigger problem…whenever he grew passionate, it was to blame others.
His predecessor topped his list, of course. But also everyone else who disagrees with him.
Obama insists that Americans need to muster the courage to agree with him, to sign on to his agenda…”Again, we are tested. And again, we must answer history’s call.” That “call” is the call of Obama…
Read the entire article at the NYPost.
