Anybody who’s ever raised a child knows that for them to get stronger, they must “take their lumps” along the way. If you shelter children too much, particularly from the consequences of the choices they’ve made, they don’t learn from their worst mistakes, errors, and simple bad judgments. The mainstream media has been treating Barack Obama as an affirmative action case for more than four years, and on Wednesday night in Denver, they paid a price: Unprepared on the facts, and unaccustomed to facing pressing, difficult questions, Barack Obama looked stunned at first, and then annoyed, and finally petulant as he was thoroughly drubbed by Mitt Romney in the first Presidential Debate. Even Jim Lehrer couldn’t prevent it, despite his obvious efforts to coach and guide President Obama. No amount of deck-stacking on the night could save Obama from his own state of unpreparedness. This stunning defeat was a demonstration of the real world result of affirmative action, and since the media who has sheltered him is composed of leftists who believe in that nonsense, rather than toughen-up Obama, they will seek to shelter him further.
In the 2008 campaign, the media succeeded in sheltering Obama through the election. They got their man in place because they were able to conceal his many warts, and because McCain was not at all aggressive. The Republicans ought to be more prepared for any debate, simply because they are almost never coddled by the media. The real problem began for Obama after his disastrous press conference during which the subject of his former professor and friend Henry Gates arose, and Obama went well off script, telling the press that the Cambridge Police “acted stupidly.” From that moment on, both his own staff and the press, often in a joint effort, went into full protection mode because they realized Obama wasn’t up to the scrutiny or the tough questions.
Since then, the actual number of press conferences that Obama has conducted has been quite limited, and all of the questions were known in advance. This permitted Obama to prepare for the soft-ball questions, so that he never fell into any mire quite so sticky as the earlier press conference debacle. Most other times Obama has appeared in public, it has been to issue prepared remarks, fed to him on a teleprompter. When everything he’s going to say is scripted for him, he can deliver a speech quite well, irrespective of whether you agree with its content. In the debate on Wednesday night in Denver, he had no such advantage, the closest thing to shelter available being the coaching given by the moderator Jim Lehrer. The lack of readiness merely highlights the matter: Obama hasn’t taken many hard questions during his presidency, but under the harsh lights of the debate stage, that simply won’t help him. He was neither agile nor strong. He had no substance, but uncharacteristically, he didn’t seem even to possess style. On Wednesday night, the media could not conceal it for him.
This doesn’t mean the media will simply give in. They took a pounding last night, when even Chris Matthews seemed to have lost the tingle in his leg:
“Tonight wasn’t an MSNBC debate, was it? It just wasn’t. It didn’t mention all the key fighting points of this campaign. […] I don’t know what he was doing out there, he had his head down, he was enduring the debate rather than fighting it.
“Romney on the other hand, came in with a campaign, he had a plan. He was going to dominate the time, he was going to be aggressive. He was going to push the moderator around, which he did effectively. He was going to relish the evening, enjoying it. Nothing to do with the words he spoke.”
Extreme leftist Andrew Sullivan was beside himself in the liveblog on the daily beast:
“How is Obama’s closing statement so f*cking sad, confused and lame? He choked. He lost. He may even have lost the election tonight.”
I’d be happy to explain to either man why Obama debated so poorly, but neither would listen: Their constant coddling, their covering, and their failure to hold Obama’s feet to the fire on any issue over the last four years has led to a debacle for the left in which their guy, the President of the United States, is a bumbling, inept candidate who is arrogantly unaccustomed to being questioned on anything. They built this candidate, and this candidacy, but also this administration.
Naturally, this is far from over, and you can expect the media will go after Mitt Romney relentlessly over the coming days and weeks. There will be no cessation in hostilities, because rather than learn from their failures, the media will double-down. They will criticize Obama a bit in the wake of this debate, as they must, but the media will close ranks around him and continue to shield him. They will because they cannot conceive of the fact that it is precisely this sheltering, coddling affirmative action that has left their candidate wholly unprepared. Indeed, that is the story of his entire presidency, and their role in it. Rather than being hardened by repeated hammering and heat, Barack Obama has been able to maintain his stature by the artifices erected by a sympathetic media.
It is in these moments when a candidate’s character becomes known, and on Wednesday night, what was revealed about Barack Obama is that he had been too small a man for the office to which he had been elected. He was not able to rise to an occasion for which the media’s lack of testing had not prepared him. Here was a petulant child, caught with his hand elbow-deep in the cookie jar, and as he stammered through excuse and rationalization, one after the other, the media could no longer hide the fact that he had been unprepared to lead four years ago, and that even given the job by the manipulations of their own affirmative journalism on his behalf, he remains unsuited to the office because after four years, he’s learned nothing, because it was never demanded of him. The media will double-down on this approach because they’re desperate, and don’t have any other ideas, except to attack Romney, but at this late date, there is nothing they can do to make up for their malpractice. Obama is who he is, and it’s too late to fix that, but that doesn’t mean the media won’t try.
So is he Incompetent to be Malevolent? I’ve read posts saying he voted present last night. Others saying he was absent like at intelligence briefings. I think…was something else on his mind? A crisis to exploit and make debates insignificant? Look at news concerning “target packages” in Libya for Benghazi attack. Rather than throw Rice, Hillary under bus or fall on own sword, he…they…media…will find someone else to blame.
His goose is cooked.
His chicken is fried.
He seeks re-election,
but shall be denied.
Buh-bye, barry soetoro. Enjoy ChiCongo, or Hawaii, or Kansas…
Connecticut, Indonesia or Kenya…..how about Guantanamo?!
But here’s where we are and what has transpired. To sum it up is… irrevelant congress, haven’t you seen it…ignore court decrees and laws of the land by E.O.s. ?
See : http://patriotsforamerica.ning.com/forum/topics/american-thinker-article-by-john-porter-steve-mccann
Wherever O is. Has any E.O. been negated? Only altered and expanded as far as I can tell. Never accountability…always they did it before. Not us.
The Progs stole 10 million votes from McCain in 2008 – there is no way in hell they will let their affirmative action loser lose in 2012 – our voting machine results have been oursourced to Spain and guess who owns the company……………btw – our congress never questioned this either…………………..
It was all an act. Sociopaths do not let their masks down for 90 whole minutes! It was, and continues to be, designed to lull his enemy into a false sense of strength. A man is weakest when he is self-satisfied. Haven’t you heard of the likes of Alinsky, Machiavelli, the angler fish?! Animals play dead or camoflage themselves. Ever heard the expression, “Looks can be deceiving”? Now, why would Obama look SO different than he normally does? Ever heard the expression, “Know your enemy”? You think they don’t KNOW Romney? Poor Mitt, he took the bait like a starving dog. Are we all that desperate, too?
They did not tell him presidentin’ would be this hard.
Sometimes I think the Democrats/media want 4 more years of Obama more
than Obama wants it himself. He may have a breakdown during the next
debate. I always thought he was mentally unstable. He may want to fundamentally transform America, but he was hoping it would be easier.
The DNC, Pelosi and Reid (media) using Obama for their own political purposes, knowing that he was never qualified to be president, is
in a sense cruel. I hope they felt guilty as they watched the debate,
knowing that they are to blame for this public humiliation of Obama.
Possibily you are so correct. O’s done his damage. What laws passed that the agencies can make rules for and E.O.s will never be resended or negated. He’s made history and in the books forever…long as America lasts and history remembers whatever historians choose to remember. But Jarrett, Soros and other handlers won’t let him off the hook! Never seen a democrat look guilty while hand down my pocket taking my money! But we will see soon if he’s out.
32 days to go. It’s seemed a lifetime last four years. Never did it seem that any election meant so much, been here for quite a few. Even Russians liked life. Our nation painted in pastels instead of vibrant hue. Let try “Morning in America!”
Of all the excuses i’ve heard about poor debate, my favorite has been “Obama’s been too busy doing his job as President to prepare for debate.” lol.
Mark could have written this article in today’s candadafreepress:
http://www.canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/50079
That is surely the case. Mrs. Obama’s quote about first time in my adult life to be proud is well posted and remembered. But the one she said that should have been remembered…I can only paraphase…”he’s not ready to be president, he doesn’t know enough yet (or isn’t experienced enough yet).” Perhaps a blessing he was elected before he did know enough or was experienced enough yet. Then again…perhaps it would be a different story? But it ain’t over yet…Jarrett and Soros ain’t through with him either. It’s come through or else. Just sayin’. Maybe Snoop Dogg knows?
Understand Bill Clinton will still campaign for O. And now must cover for Hill. What will he say?….”Al-Qaeda didn’t have sex with our Ambassador!” Sound familiar?
Well, it’s crying time again. Time for bus time to roll. Who is under? WillJClinton might leave Hill to get her own stain. But don’t forget they both grooming Chelsea for future. There won’t be no more slick cigars in our future. They done. I hope?
Bill decided. Hill falls on sword. Blade misses vital organs and vessels. After all even taking responsibility, if blame is different , said “we all had the same intelligence.” Still a little shifting the buck back to intelligence folks? Slick Willie keeping democrats in game, still campaigning, keeping Clinton faction together. Just in case O loses, say I told you Mitt was right on economy. If little or no improvement with Mitt, I told you no president could fix this, give me and Hillary a chance in 2016. Or wait for Chelsea.
OK. Still no Obama advantage for Monday debate. Screw the Clintons, “I’ll have my brothers announce 1 on 1 talks concerning the nukes. Of course I’ll be the one,… I, me, and myself as the 1. Did I say myself? And as Iran said of course…after elections… so I’ll have flexibility. Oh, and then Hillary and Bill will have the sploched face. :) “
Come on, Mark, tell us what you think. There is no objective voice to be found in the old and new media today. You were the only one. We need to hear a truthful analysis. You are the only in new media still capable of that. Please, say something!
Rush said it yesterday afternoon before debate. Iran ploy failed because it was leaked by someone in WH beforehand. Might it have worked if O could have sprung it at debate? I looked but haven’t seen how many watched this #3. Isn’t that usually out by now? Would like to compare to NFL and baseball. Honey Boo Boo wasn’t on then was it?
Time we the people say something. Debates over. Two weeks away about 10 p.m. CNN will announce the winner. Justice Department won’t pursue intimidation charges againt New Black Panthers, NAACP and ACLU has United Nations monitors coming to watch our election to be sure conservatives don’t intimidate, election voting results compiled by foreign Spanish firm with no way to check paper votes. Better be a landslide, by we the people. Read where Raul Castro’s daughter, Hugo Chavez, Vladimir Putin, and
I’m sure Mahmoud Ahmadinejad likes O to win again. Why you think that is?
We better speak strongly.
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=review%20atlas%20shrugged%20roger%20moore&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&ved=0CCEQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.military.com%2Foff-duty%2Fmovies%2F2012%2F10%2F13%2Fatlas-shrugged-2-review.html&ei=IT2HUNA8hZaIAuaegegD&usg=AFQjCNH0CQbJXaBG39mjt4UGRle-4ExhyA
This review had me laughing. Now I must go see the movie. Roger Moore reviews Atlas Shrugged.