Howard Fineman: Obama Should Have Spent More Time as an Alderman Than Teaching Law
The primary argument conservatives made against presidential candidate Barack Obama in 2008 was that he lacked the proper experience and qualifications for the most important job on the planet.
On Tuesday, Huffington Post's Howard Fineman, one of the many liberal media members that helped get the woefully lacking junior senator from Illinois into the White House, said on MSNBC's "Hardball," Obama "should have spent more time on the Chicago Board of Aldermen than at the University of Chicago" (video follows with transcript and commentary):
CHRIS MATTHEWS, HOST: It seems to me that mainly it's a political challenge from right now to get the attention of the Republicans, force them to deal with the jobs issue, force them if necessary to say yes or no to creating jobs in their own districts. History, common sense tells us it's hard for a politician to say no to a job site in his own or her own district. How does he do it, Howard? You and I know politics. Doesn't the President know politics?
HOWARD FINEMAN, HUFFINGTON POST: Well, I don't think he knows it the way you know it in this context, Chris, which is that you've got to be specific. The stimulus package that famously was enacted at the beginning of President Obama's term did some good things, but it was more like spraying water in the desert as opposed to dropping each drop of water on each seed, and that's what needs to happen.
Hmmm. So now Fineman tells us the stimulus program was way too general in scope and not targeted enough to be effective.
Wasn’t that the conservative argument? Didn't people on the Right claim this was far too scattered an approach to have any significant impact and therefore would be a huge waste of money?
Moments later, Fineman supported another right-wing viewpoint:
FINEMAN: Number two, Barack Obama as John was indicating probably should have spent more time on the Chicago Board of Aldermen than at the University of Chicago. That way he would have understood the specifics of these kinds, this kind of politics as opposed to the abstraction of politics.
Isn't it nice that three years since Fineman did his darnedest to convince Americans to vote for "Hope and Change" he's now realizing the man he supported lacked the experience for the job.
Maybe if people like him spent less time swooning over the junior senator from Illinois and instead examined and reported his background we'd have a far more qualified man in the White House.
Of course, it seems a metaphysical certitude that whatever realizations Fineman comes to concerning Obama's shortcomings, he and his colleagues will be enthusiastically supporting the President next November making any criticism of him now rather hypocritical despite the entertainment value.
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Comments
You're a Fineman, Howard...
Submitted by bigdaddy on Tue, 08/09/2011 - 8:03pm.
...welcome back from the "Darkside".
I better go check the color of the moon tonight
Submitted by Galvanic on Tue, 08/09/2011 - 8:27pm.
FINEMAN: Number two, Barack Obama as John was indicating probably should have spent more time on the Chicago Board of Aldermen than at the University of Chicago. That way he would have understood the specifics of these kinds, this kind of politics as opposed to the abstraction of politics.
Well, for the first time since I can remember, I agree with Fineman. But it would've been even better had Obama been a mayor or governor to learn how to be an executive. Had he tried it, he might have learned early that he's not cut out for it,
Heck,
Submitted by HockeyKid on Tue, 08/09/2011 - 8:38pm.
a boyhood paper route would have demonstrated his fecklessness.
"Beauty is only skin deep, but liberal's to the bone." - me
I always
Submitted by Bob K on Tue, 08/09/2011 - 8:15pm.
enjoy telling liberals to stop referring to obama as a former "Professor". Only tenured instructors are given that title. Students do not call them by that title unless they actually are a Professor. And his associates who were tenured certainly did not consider him to be one. But liberals like to make him out as having been greater than he actually was.
Bob K
Submitted by hydrodynDM on Tue, 08/09/2011 - 9:44pm.
Actually, assistant and visiting professors are not tenured but have the word "professor" in their title and so can be referred to in that way. Associate professors are usually tenured but not necessarily (depends on the school) so same thing with them.
As I understand it (I'm too lazy to look it up), Obama was a lecturer, in which case calling him a "professor" wouldn't be appropriate.
So "Bad Leader" Obama is a Good Thing, Right?
Submitted by Chris Norman on Wed, 08/10/2011 - 1:09am.
I don't know about anyone else, but I thank goodness that Obama isn't a stronger politician or "leader", able to shove more of his agenda through Congress - I shudder to think about how much more damage he could cause than he already has.
Good morning, Howard!
Submitted by HockeyKid on Tue, 08/09/2011 - 8:38pm.
How was that long nap?
"Beauty is only skin deep, but liberal's to the bone." - me
I hold a professorial title from three medical schools.
Submitted by drsamherman on Tue, 08/09/2011 - 8:41pm.
I hold the title of "Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and Neurology" at three different medical schools in Texas - and soon to be five or six as the psychiatry and neurology residency and fellowship programs begin to change. If anyone ever called me "Professor", I would be looking around the room wondering who they were talking to - I treat patients in clinic and in hospitals. I don't have the fancy office or the hordes of fawning junior faculty or wannabes like the full-time tenured faculty do. I end up having to de-program a lot of the garbage the whackademics tell medical students and residents about what they consider the real world.
Thanks, Dr. Sam
Submitted by HockeyKid on Tue, 08/09/2011 - 8:53pm.
I now have a new official medical term in my vocabulary: "whackademics".
"Beauty is only skin deep, but liberal's to the bone." - me
drsamherman
Submitted by hydrodynDM on Tue, 08/09/2011 - 9:51pm.
Fancy offices and fawning junior faculty?
Let me know what schools you're talking about and I'll see if I can get a position at one 'cause what you're describing certainly isn't the case where I teach :)
Seems to me like old Howie
Submitted by Nortonalec on Tue, 08/09/2011 - 8:51pm.
and the rest of the cheer squad are trying to salvage what is left of their credibility after shaking their pom poms and lifting their skirts for the last four years to get the professor in the White House. Now that Buddy Love has changed back to Professor Kelp it looks like someone just turned on the kitchen light and the roaches are starting to scatter!
I think fireman is wrong,
Submitted by Dan The Man 2 on Tue, 08/09/2011 - 9:10pm.
I think fireman is wrong, Obama has been hardwired and no amount of experience would change his mind. For proof just look at his record of losses and licked and blames game he has played over the last 3 years.
One man's opinion
Submitted by Tomorama on Tue, 08/09/2011 - 9:12pm.
To me the inkling of reality.................... finally coming out of these asshats is due to one thing and one thing only.
Hillary Rodham Clinton, the ducker of bullets, the enable in chief etc, etc.
I think they are seing the polls and indies and young people "aint gonna" vote for the fraud this time.
This is the start of a DRAFT HILLARY buzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.
If I thought for a second they had a moral compass, they would simply admit THEY were WRONG, but they will just find a bus and toss him under.
Poetic justice indeed.
Hillary Clinton?
Submitted by okiehawk44 on Tue, 08/09/2011 - 10:46pm.
The Dems didn't want Hillary in 2008 to be their candidate and chose instead Barack Obama so why again would the rest of America want her now?
The Democrats want to pawn off someone besides Obama on us but come on now -- Hillary Clinton? You folks are demented.
I agree -- Clinton is not a factor
Submitted by Galvanic on Wed, 08/10/2011 - 10:12am.
1. As disappointed as many in the Democratic Party are with Obama, they're sticking with him. Since his record is rather pathetic, their strategy (according to Politico) is to portray the GOP opponent as "weird." They've begun on Romney because he's the perceived front runner right now.
2. For any part of the DP to back a Clinton nomination now would splinter their "base." The resentment among black Democrats would be so strong that many would stay home, and if that were to happen, the GO wins.
3. Clinton is old and showing it. Ask younger voters and they see her as a dinosaur. If she somehow managed to get the nomination, many would stay home, or vote for a fringe candidate.
4. The economy is very bad and the outlook for the next few years is gloomy. Clinton knows that she and her circle of friend don't have the ability to fix it. Having lost her chance in 2008, her precious legacy is now what's important. Well, that and the $ millions she'll make from books and appearances.
5. As Secretary of State, Clinton cannot point to any real achievements. She can't describe some new foreign policy because she's already botched the current one.
For all these reasons, I think she's out of the picture.
Tomorama
Submitted by Redrowan2000 on Wed, 08/10/2011 - 10:04am.
Hillary has been unusually quiet, although she must be chomping at the bit (literally) to say a few words about our beloved leaders crisis skills--See BP disaster--See U.S. economy--See Afghanistan--See decline of the United States of America, etal.
Whether she runs or not some Dems on both wings have to be shaking their heads at this underqualified, over his head city politician who happened to be elected to the presidency of the United States.
"Don't let the bastards grind you down."
He was what ?
Submitted by AGreer on Tue, 08/09/2011 - 9:17pm.
When was Obama a Chicago Alderman ?
He spent as much time as "Alderman" as he did as "professor", NONE.
He was Rep. "present".
Gimme a break !
rats are seeing the ship take on water
Submitted by MidAmerica on Tue, 08/09/2011 - 9:39pm.
A lot of the 'smart folks' are going to say things on record to appear wide eyed and able to say I saw all this coming as obama really begins to look like a loser next year. Soon it will be every man for himself. Not only that but some will try to make like they are impartial journalists just to put distance between obama and themselves.
OMG!
Submitted by cbrown90 on Tue, 08/09/2011 - 9:56pm.
This comes under the heading of WE TOLD YOU SO! How stupid do you have to be to not get this simple idea 3 years ago?
Even liberals are disappointed with Obama. Is there anyone not in his immediate family that is happy with how he has been as president?
What has anyone gotten from Obama that they can truly say they want more of?
Barack's published legal papers?
Submitted by okiehawk44 on Tue, 08/09/2011 - 10:53pm.
I've searched high and low for a reference to Barack Obama's published legal papers as a member of the law school faculty at the University of Chicago for 12 years. I can't find even one -- not one. Quite unusual for a faculty member -- he was a faculty member wasn't he or did he just sign in "present" for 12 years while actually honing his many "other" skills like...well like...or like...OK let's add...?
Not-So-Fineman and the
Submitted by killa37 on Tue, 08/09/2011 - 11:14pm.
Not-So-Fineman and the Leghumper are sitting there telling each other that they know so much about politics, right??? Yet both of these self-appointed 'political experts' have been totally 'punked' by the biggest 'punk' to ever reach the office of the Presidency in the history of our country!!! So, guys............keep telling each other how much you know......................Boy Blunder took you, and millions like you, to the cleaners................and we're all holding the dirty laundry now!!!
Fineman the Fraud
Submitted by Truestar on Wed, 08/10/2011 - 6:12am.
Fineman is a two-faced media whore. An "expert" he is not. Otherwise why is he always on MessNBC? But even a cheerleader like Fineman has to recognize reality at some point, so he shamelessly criticizes the President he helped get elected, when it becomes so obviously expedient to do so.
I would like to think that most sentient Americans of voting age, even those who deluded themselves enough to vote for Obama, have come to understand the utter woeful mistake that the Obama presidency has been. Americans all over this land who didn't vote for Obama knew how unqualified this jerk was two and a half years ago. So I would conclude that Mr. Fineman is about as "expert" on politics as Obama has been as a Commander in Chief----both are frauds.
Jobs are NOT "created" by
Submitted by amyshulk on Wed, 08/10/2011 - 8:56am.
Jobs are NOT "created" by gov't.!!! The playing field {rules/regs/taxes} are, and that they DO control. I really wish the R's would push back on this stupid meme already!!!
Ronald Reagan
Obama is to the United States
Submitted by Kenyon Schraeder on Wed, 08/10/2011 - 10:31am.
Obama is to the United States in 2011 what Marvelous Marv Throneberry was to the 1962 Mets.
I can tell you one thing....
Submitted by almostacowboy on Wed, 08/10/2011 - 12:19pm.
Being a Chicago Alderman is a heck of a lot more lucrative than being a ....well, than being what ever he was at UC.