Throughout last year's presidential campaign, NewsBusters routinely reported that without the unprofessional and unconditional support of an adoring media, Barack Obama would never have gotten past the Iowa caucuses let alone John McCain.
One of his staunchest fans was Newsweek's Howard Fineman who right after Election Day said: “Obama's changing everything as he moves. His victory speech last night in Grant Park...was so memorable on so many levels.”
Well, like many so-called journalists who sycophantically gushed and fawned so much last year that they sent an inexperienced, unqualified junior senator who had never written one signficant piece of legislation straight to the most powerful office in the land, Fineman is now having second thoughts (file photo):
If the establishment still has power, it is a three-sided force, churning from inside the Beltway, from Manhattan-based media and from what remains of corporate America. Much of what they are saying is contradictory, but all of it is focused on the president:
- The $787 billion stimulus, gargantuan as it was, was in fact too small and not aimed clearly enough at only immediate job-creation.
- The $275 billion home-mortgage-refinancing plan, assembled by Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner, is too complex and indirect.
- The president gave up the moral high ground on spending not so much with the "stim" but with the $400 billion supplemental spending bill, larded as it was with 9,000 earmarks.
- The administration is throwing good money after bad in at least two cases—the sinkhole that is Citigroup (there are many healthy banks) and General Motors (they deserve what they get). [...]
- A willingness to give too much leeway to Congress to handle crucial details, from the stim to the vague promise to "reform" medical care without stating what costs could be cut.
- A 2010 budget that tries to do far too much, with way too rosy predictions on future revenues and growth of the economy. This led those who fear we are about to go over Niagara Falls to deride Obama as a paddler who'd rather redesign the canoe.
- A treasury secretary who has been ridiculed on "Saturday Night Live" and compared to Doogie Howser, Barney Fife and Macaulay Culkin in "Home Alone"—and those are the nice ones.
- A seeming paralysis in the face of the banking crisis: unwilling to nationalize banks, yet unable to figure out how to handle toxic assets in another way—by, say, setting up a "bad bank" catch basin. [...]
- Obama is no socialist, but critics argue that now is not the time for costly, upfront spending on social engineering in health care, energy or education.
Other than all that, in the eyes of the big shots, he is doing fine. The American people remain on his side, but he has to be careful that the gathering judgment of the Bigs doesn't trickle down to the rest of us.
Well, Howard, maybe if you would have done your job last year rather than acted like a teenybopper in the presence of a rock star America would have found out just how unqualified this man was BEFORE they voted.
—Noel Sheppard is the Associate Editor of NewsBusters. Follow him at Facebook and Twitter.
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"Well, Howard, maybe if you
March 10, 2009 - 22:52 ET by dborschjr68"Well, Howard, maybe if you would have done your job last year rather
than acted like a teenybopper in the presence of a rock star America
would have found out just how unqualified this man was BEFORE they
voted."
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Yep, there it is. It's nice that you are having your doubts, sir, but for Pete's sake, where the hell were you when we NEEDED you to simply DO YOUR JOB, buddy?
F**K Socialism.
yup
March 11, 2009 - 00:38 ET by katainkentthat about sums it up for me too.
who has that tag line from I-Robot... "somehow 'I told you so' doesnt quite cut it"
All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing. -Edmund Burke
~That would be ahusser
March 11, 2009 - 09:48 ET by choselife3xHope and Change= Despair and Socialism
Fineman is Fineman...he
March 10, 2009 - 22:54 ET by bigtimerFineman is Fineman...he ain't gonna' change his spots.
Poor guy, now he is going to play straddle the fence again...he tries his fifteen minutes of fame here...fifteen there, never really makes the mark. (If memory serves me he withheld his story about Monica and the blue dress or something along those lines as he was chomping at the bit ...in the meantime Drudge broke the story.)
Oh well, he always has msnbc as long as they last that is.
If he ever had grown up to be a real man, he would of could have been a heck of a real investigative reporter in his own right, but heck, he sold his soul long ago to the leftist power.
we serfs in flyover country
March 11, 2009 - 20:19 ET by TruthMongerwe serfs in flyover country saw obama the schiester coming miles away
yet these "highly educated" coastal brains had no clue
sounds very plausable to me
who's worst prez ever now?!!
If he steps out of line too
March 10, 2009 - 23:09 ET by d1carterIf he steps out of line too far, the thugs will whip him back into line. Count on it.
d1... Worry he
March 10, 2009 - 23:13 ET by bigtimerd1...
Worry he won't...he's been whupped back in line before... he knows the routine. ;-)
Thanks Howard et al
March 10, 2009 - 23:17 ET by DelsaWhen will you and yours, come out and admit you screwed up?
On that day, I'll say, Now what?
Great deals in Florida real estate. No state taxes either! Please get in touch!
Yes. He is doing fine. Other than that of course.
March 11, 2009 - 00:46 ET by JWFOther than all that, in the eyes of the big shots, he is doing fine
Yes, other than performing the duties of the President of the United States, he is doing fine.
1. He still manages to tie his shoes every day.
2. He is able to navigate the corridors of the White House and find his office. Ok, he occasionally confuses a window for a door. Other than that...
3. He has not started any new wars. Ok, he can't use the word victory in the 2 we already have. Other than that...
4. He has not insulted any of our allies. Ok, he did give some dvd's to a guy that is almost blind, and the guy can't play them because they are the wrong region AND the wrong format (NTSC). Other than that...
5. He did say he would shut down Gitmo. Ok, he still does not say where we will put all those nasty vicious little critters. Other than that...
6. He stopped blaming everything on Bush. Oh wait...
7. He said we would stop torturing people. Ok, he still RESERVES the right to use it in case where people actually try to kill our citizens. You know people like the ones we have in Gitmo. Other than that...
8. He is repairing the torn relations with other countries so no one hates us anymore. Ok, Russia, North Korea, Iran, & Syria still hate us. And now Poland and Chzeckoslovakia hate us because he sold them out to buy Russia. Other than that...
9. He said he will save us money by getting rid of Cold War relic weapons. Ok, he is referring to nuclear weapons. It is not like other countries will still have them. You know, like Russia, Pakistan & now Iran. Other than that...
10. He is focused like a hawk on fixing the economy. Ok, he is a little distracted with slamming private citizens like Rush Limbaugh, Rick Santelli, & Jim Cramer. Other than that... 11. He said he is not a socialist. Ok, he is trying to dramatically in SOCIAL entitlement programs. And that is very socialist-like. But he is not a socialist, ok. Anyway, mommy, Bush started it. Other than that...
12. He is no longer blaming his gaffes on lack of sleep. Oh wait...
13. He is very bipartisan. He has the support of both parties. Ok, if by both parties you mean "everyone but the Republicans". Other than that...
Sincerely,
a Veteran of a 1000 psychic wars.
You forgot
March 11, 2009 - 05:51 ET by God Bless the USAYou did not mention his Wednesday night parties! Oh wait, America is supposed to be cutting back, right??? I guess that only applies to a few.
And also
March 11, 2009 - 10:04 ET by sherylsimsKeeping the White House at a comfortable 82 degrees or whatever it was while people are freezing to death elsewhere in the country, and taking the heli to Camp David for a sleepover even though it would use an awful lot of non-green fuel. And flying to (Was it Colorado?) to celebrate 25 jobs gained as over 6,000 jobs were lost. But other than that...
ummm...
March 11, 2009 - 06:55 ET by AJBScratch #4 and modify #8. The Brits can't get him nor his staff on the phone. They're getting pissed. But they're just white people, so we need not include them. Remember now, we're TOLERANT of anyone except whites.
On #13, he's bipartisan. Libs and Democrats support him, as well as the gushing 'tingle up your leg' media. Anyone else isn't important enough to include.
#14 - he's still looking for the other 8 states.
Colombia
March 11, 2009 - 08:01 ET by slickwillie2001#15; he's open to opening up relations with Cuba, but not to Colombia.
Cuba Si; Colombia No?: http://www.investors...
Fineman needs to take
March 11, 2009 - 00:43 ET by RogerCfromSDFineman needs to take remedial courses in economics, politics, and philosophy for saying Obama is not a Socialist.
A nation cannot be free without a free, unbiased media. We are not free.
Maybe
March 11, 2009 - 05:47 ET by God Bless the USAMaybe the current Administration should take the same courses!
Fineman is usually slow
March 11, 2009 - 04:26 ET by celatorFineman is usually slow to catchup on events, and figure out what's going on. He has no credibility at all.
The Government cannot give to anybody anything which the government does not first take from somebody else. Dr. Adrian Rogers
From Fineman to Whineman in
March 11, 2009 - 06:13 ET by Jack BauerFrom Fineman to Whineman in three months. Boo hoo Howie.
What the Lobamatomy didn't take? So everyone has to suffer because you where pone of those whites who couldn't bring themselves to scrutinize a black man the way you would have investigated any other candidate of pallor?
You fat, elitist, white-guilt trippin' racist doofus. Bet you're a tax cheat too.... oh I'm sorry, I mean I bet you pay handsomely for accountants and lawyers to avoid taxes.
"Our own Howard Fineman"
March 11, 2009 - 07:20 ET by SickofLibsOlbermann is going to seriously punish his little pet Howie, cutting his appearances down to only every other day.
If KO does that, how's
March 11, 2009 - 08:32 ET by marpelIf KO does that, how's Fineman going to afford the shoe polish for his hair??????????????? OMG!!!!
Another?
March 11, 2009 - 08:06 ET by slickwillie2001Stuart Taylor may not be jumping ship, but he's looking for the exits (ever done that on an airplane?).
Obama's Left Turn: http://www.nationalj...
"The house is burning down. It's no time to be watering the grass." Sounds like an answer to Gibbs goofy analogy from yesterdays WHPC.
What took them all so long??
March 11, 2009 - 12:07 ET by PrairieSkyHoward Fineman and the rest of the Obama cheering squad just kill me. They are starting to realize what the rest of us have known from the beginning...This emperor has no clothes...There is no "there" there.
"...(Obama is) increasingly dismissed as being in over his head by technocrats."
"...what's left of the American establishment is taking his measure and, with surprising swiftness, they are finding him lacking."
Gee...what took them so long??
"...peace is the highest aspiration of the American People. We will negotiate for it, sacrifice for it, we will never surrender for it, now or ever." President Ronald Reagan~ January 20, 1981
Days Remaining
March 11, 2009 - 12:40 ET by slickwillie2001I'm waiting for the conversation to change from 'will he lose in 2012?' to 'who will knock him off in a primary challenge?'.
One of you bloggers out there should start a 'days remaining until Obammy is gone' counter.
#(whatever)
March 11, 2009 - 15:30 ET by okiehawk44Didn't anyone notice that Obama got more tired during the campaign than either Hillary or McCain?
Didn't anyone notice his need to take vacations while the others didn't?
Doesn't everyone notice that Obama wants to get "everything done" that he promised his supporters as quickly as possible so he can sit back and take the rest of his presidency easy?
He is not only inherently lazy because life has come easy to him, he has no idea what work is about. He has never done any.
Sychopants (buyers) Remorse
March 11, 2009 - 19:00 ET by bpjamToo bad Howie didn't spot any of these signs PRIOR to the Coronation. And just think - this is only 7 weeks into the Glorious New Age of Obama!!! We only have 3.8 more years to go!
If there is anything left.....