Peggy Noonan: 'A Leader Leads,' Obama's 'Never Been Able To Do It'
On Sunday's "Meet the Press," Washington Post columnist E.J. Dionne wheeled out the typical Democrat talking point that President Obama can't get anything accomplished because of Republican obstructionism in Congress.
Not buying this nonsense was the Wall Street Journal's Peggy Noonan who smartly responded, "A leader leads. Part of the president's problem is that he has never, from day one, been able to really pull in bipartisan support, either make Republicans afraid of him or want to follow him. He's never been able to do it" (video follows with transcript and commentary):
E.J.DIONNE, WASHINGTON POST: Could, could I just say that a lot depends on whether Obama can hold the Republicans accountable for blocking this? And we--you can't--it's not some vague, "This can't get done." There's a very specific obstacle--Harry Truman did a good job in 1948 at identifying the obstacle as Republicans, and that's what Obama has to do. We don't know if he can do it yet.
REP. XAVIER BECERRA (D-CALIFORNIA): But his...
DAVID GREGORY, HOST: Let's--Peggy, go ahead.
PEGGY NOONAN, WALL STREET JOURNAL: A leader leads.
MR. GREGORY: Go ahead.
MS. NOONAN: A leader leads. Part of the president's problem is that he has never, from day one, been able to really pull in bipartisan support, either make Republicans afraid of him or want to follow him. He's never been able to do it. Part of the reason people are talking about Chris Christie is that he's in a Democratic state, he's a Republican governor, but he has made progress on deficits, spending, pensions, property taxes with a Democratic legislature. It's never an excuse that washes to say, "Oh, the other team, the other party are bad guys. They wouldn't follow me." If you're a leader, you make them...
REP. BECERRA: Well, then let's put the president's jobs bill on the floor of the House...
MS. NOONAN: But if you're a leader, you make them follow you.
Indeed. And as MSNBC's Joe Scarborough accurately noted regarding a similar charge by Dionne in a September 1 column:
The President owned – OWNED! – Washington, D.C., in 2009 and 2010. Owned it! Fifty, at points he had a filibuster-proof Senate. He had a seventy-nine vote margin in the House. And E.J. Dionne, again with all due respect, he’s a nice man, but he was blaming Republicans then as well.
At some point, E.J. Dionne and other people who celebrated the triumph of Barack Obama are going to have to turn the mirror on the man that they adore and realize that they’ve been writing the same columns whether this president was, had a filibuster-proof Senate or whether they had John Boehner as Speaker.
Exactly. And now a month later, Dionne is saying the same nonsense on "Meet the Press."
Fortunately, Noonan was there to set him and the viewers straight.
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Comments
EJ is a malignant narcissist just like his mancrush Zero.
Submitted by drsamherman on Sun, 10/02/2011 - 3:47pm.
At the point where the delusions become obsessions, and when the reality is so distorted, the narcissist is veering dangerously close to complete dissociation with reality. EJ is about three steps from the cliff on this one. Devotion to a leader is one thing, but complete surrender akin to a martyrdom complex is taking it way too far. EJ, please see your therapist.
Hell, Doc - I'm just a
Submitted by killa37 on Sun, 10/02/2011 - 4:06pm.
Hell, Doc - I'm just a blue-collar dummy, and I can psycho-analyze guys like E.J. ( what does that stand for, anyway??? Extraordinarally Jaded??? Extreme Jerk??)..........at a much-discounted price tag!!! Can he tell me when the last time Boy Barry EVER 'led' at anything???.................aside from leading our country down the road to ruin???
Eugene Joseph.
Submitted by Reaver on Sun, 10/02/2011 - 5:23pm.
Eugene Joseph.
Extra Juicy
Submitted by C-townGiant on Sun, 10/02/2011 - 5:29pm.
In Obambi's eyes, anyway.
LOL, Killa.
Submitted by drsamherman on Sun, 10/02/2011 - 10:43pm.
Most of my patients are managed care and we only get the contracted rate. I certainly don't get the big bucks the private pay the psychiatrists who treat celebrities demand.
I think Barry Zero is not capable of leading anyone the right way down a one-way street. He's a bigger economic catastrophe than Jimmuh ever was.
Little thing they're forgeting
Submitted by syvyn11 on Sun, 10/02/2011 - 7:56pm.
Harry Reid doesn't want to bring this bill to the floor. Democrats in the Senate are running away from this. They know that Obama's union jobs bill is a joke and don't want any part of it.
It's easy to demonize the other side as do nothing, when your side does nothing too.
He's a little, little man...
Submitted by Hozeking on Sun, 10/02/2011 - 10:20pm.
What are the chances of E.J. actually being able to throw a baseball?
E.J.--Boldy goes where no gerbis gone before
Submitted by AMR1960 on Sun, 10/02/2011 - 3:52pm.
E.J. is so far up"DearLeader" Obama's Transformational backside higher that even gerbils dare--That sometimes he makes himself useful & cleans the back of Obama's teeth
_____________________
Long Live...THE REPUBLIC !
Another lone smackdown -- thousands more needed.
Submitted by Gary Hall on Sun, 10/02/2011 - 3:51pm.
Bingo, Peggy Noonan.
Let's see - the Democrat controlled House, under Pelosi, did not pass a federal budget during Obama's first two years. Republicans take charge in the house - pass a federal budget bill this year. Democratic Senate majority leader Harry Reid, refused to allow it to be heard and voted on in the Senate.
Who's obstructing?
Obama's own debt reduction commission, Bowles-Simpson came out with a pretty darn good set of recommendations last last year. By and large the national media did not like them - a week of light discussion, then it died. Then, we had the debt ceiling road show. Throughout the entire episode, President Obama (to the best of my knowledge) never once mentioned the Commission. Likewise, I doubt that the national media was pounding on him to get it on the table. Only after - during the last week, or so - the entire negotiations had crumbled (during which time the entire MSM laid all the blame at the feet of the R's) did the MSM start talking about the Bowles - Simpson Commission recommendations; and, in that context they were only criticizing the R's for not going along with those recommendations, although Obama and the Democrats still were not putting it on the table.
Our national MSM is the "obstruction" instrument in the broken process. It is they that are leading - prompting - feeding - staging - the division, both in congress and amongst the electorate. And it is that directive that has a leader in the game, and he is Obama. His leadership is pretty much limited to creating division.
(;~/ gary
How can Obama lead?
Submitted by Kingfish17 on Sun, 10/02/2011 - 3:59pm.
When he doesn't even know who is married to? This guy is beyond stupid.
"You can’t go take a trip to Las Vegas...on the taxpayer’s dime." Barack Obama
Maybe 'Michael' is another
Submitted by killa37 on Sun, 10/02/2011 - 4:02pm.
Maybe 'Michael' is another one of his in-house boyfriends, like Reggie???
First thought, genius boy is
Submitted by ant on Sun, 10/02/2011 - 8:50pm.
First thought, genius boy is an extremely poor reader or the teleprompter programmer is also not a genius or is a Republican infiltrator. I'm going with the former. BTW, it seems whenever this shmuck needs to say something nice about the Country or it's military, he has a very hard time spitting it out. Nice job, 50% of America, you hired a man-child who hates this country as it's President.
This clip...
Submitted by adamsmith on Mon, 10/03/2011 - 7:17am.
is outright weird. Even weirder than the Youtube one where he refers to his Muslim religion. I don't think he has ever told the truth, and that American citizens will not know who he really is until he gets voted out. This is the STRANGEST president to ever hold office...
Not just the strangest
Submitted by jon_torlin on Mon, 10/03/2011 - 9:00am.
But the most dangerous. Dangerous to the country with everything he's done and what he wants to do. Put simply, he really is a menace to the American people.
-Jon
ROFL
Submitted by Denny Crane on Tue, 10/04/2011 - 12:33am.
His teleprompter reading skills are slipping again!
We Are The 53%
Wait for me. I, ah, ah, ugh, ... I'm your LEADER!!
Submitted by Newsbubba on Sun, 10/02/2011 - 4:22pm.
Bambi,
Lead, follow, or get the flock out of the way.
I....................I.......
Submitted by killa37 on Sun, 10/02/2011 - 4:35pm.
I....................I...........................I..............................I............................I'm aaaaaaaaaaaa..............uhhhhhhhhhhhhh..............I'm ................I"m a warrior for the working class!!! So....................ummmmmmmmmmmmmmm...........aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaannnnnnnnnnnndddddd...................FIX THE DAMN HOLE!!!!!
And Bubba, did you notice that the last time Boy BlahBlah flapped his gums about being a 'warrior for the working class' - it really sounded like a fifth grader reading his school lesson from a blackboard??? I guess that stuttering disaster forced his handlers to take him to the woodshed and get his head straight!!!
Oh - how did you manage to post a comment on your own, anyway???
Whoops!!! I said
Submitted by killa37 on Sun, 10/02/2011 - 4:38pm.
Whoops!!! I said 'blackboard'!!!! Bad bad racist killa!!!! I apologize!!!!!!
And speaking of which - did anybody check out the Obama Fried Chicken story out of China?? (Or New York City??) Ya gotta hand it to those Chinese - they don't know anyting about 'political correctness'!!!
OFC.
Submitted by Newsbubba on Sun, 10/02/2011 - 4:51pm.
Obama Fried Chicken! I loved that story.
I don't know about the box (can I say that?). It just popped up finally.
I'm waiting to see if Barney Fwank finds out Perry had something named "NIggerhead," and tags him for not naming something after Barney called "Whitehead."
I think with Barnaby, it's
Submitted by killa37 on Sun, 10/02/2011 - 5:38pm.
I think with Barnaby, it's just plain old 'head'!!! Hahhahahahahaha!!!
The warrior eats well anyhow
Submitted by StarAZ on Sun, 10/02/2011 - 4:42pm.
He took his wife to some fakey upscale restaurant for their anniversary after her humorous mock-shopping trip to Tar-ghay, More than three hundred bucks for dinner--not incl tip. We in the middle class feel well defended.
Really?? Three hundred
Submitted by killa37 on Sun, 10/02/2011 - 5:41pm.
Really?? Three hundred bucks?? That pays a few bills and buys some food for me!!! I'll bet that Moooooooooooooooooochelle ate $250 of it!!
You remember that old rhyme ? Jack Sprat could eat no fat, and his wife could eat no lean?? Make it into a new kids book, and draw in pictures of the Obamas!!!!
BHO is a fan. Stand In
Submitted by Dan Diego on Sun, 10/02/2011 - 7:35pm.
BHO is a fan.
Stand In Front : He blows
Stand Behind: He sucks
Stand Beside: He doesn't do a damn thing and you wake up under a bus.
Obama's idea of leading is to
Submitted by motherbelt on Sun, 10/02/2011 - 4:36pm.
Obama's idea of leading is to accuse Republicans of standing around with Slurpees while he pulls the car out of the ditch all by himself.
And Dionne wonders why the Republicans aren't eager to go along when Obama says they can ride "in the back seat"??
Oh NOW Peggy is dissing O'Bozo?
Submitted by NJRightWinger12 on Sun, 10/02/2011 - 6:07pm.
She sure loved him before last election, proudly proclaiming she would vote for him, while ripping GWB! Aww, what happened, Margaret-Barry not return your calls? Noo-nan, Noo-nan!
Exactly!
Submitted by Chicagoray40 on Sun, 10/02/2011 - 6:11pm.
They only want bi partisanship on their bills so they can share the blame when they historically fail as they always do. Every single thing they've passed has been a money wasting fraud his entire term and half the stuff will be overturned by the people or the SCOTUS. Talk about a wasted 4 years. This will top anything previous in failure.
Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I’m not sure about the universe. –Albert Einstein My Twitter
I don't know about you all....
Submitted by Chicagoray40 on Sun, 10/02/2011 - 6:08pm.
But I'm so sick and tired of this lame "republican obstructionist" argument when the left held congress and the white house through this past January and wasted a year a half on Obama care even voting while most of America was celebrating Christmas on a Sunday to push through even though the far majority of America was against it's unconstitutional passage. THAT is why Obama has failed, and nothing else.
You can't blame with a straight face tea party candidates who've only been in office for 7 months, have almost tripled the legislative output of the dem led senate of three years during those months, having nearly every single bill die in that chamber or on Oblamo's desk which has a nameplate that says "the buck stops not here but somewhere down Pennsylvania Avenue"..... LOSER and nothing but.
Just wait until he loses in this upcoming historic landslide, then it'll be "I was too progressive for all the Neanderthal racist Americans who weren't "Ready" for a Black president" and then a month later will come the swearing in of one black Herman Cain....||
Then we'll hear "Cain is nothing but the GOP Tea party house slave" for four years with silence coming from the left and MSM the entire time.....bet on that as good as the sun coming up in the morning.
Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I’m not sure about the universe. –Albert Einstein My Twitter
The Dear Ruler is a leader
Submitted by Dave. on Sun, 10/02/2011 - 6:40pm.
He's leading the lemmings right over the cliff.
Problem is, they are dragging the rest of us over with them.
-Dave
Vote for the American in November
Barack Obama 'Finger Pointer in Chief'
Submitted by Retired Geek on Sun, 10/02/2011 - 8:51pm.
President suggests America has 'gotten a little soft,' lost 'competitive edge'.
Barack Obama is NOW blaming the American Citizenry for the results of his Policies and Actions..
Since the results of Barack Obama's Policies are NEVER Obama's fault and everyone is tired of hearing the results of Obama's Policies are Bush's fault, Obama is NOW shifting the Blame for the results of his Policies and Actions on the American Citizenry.
http://thpatriots.blogspot.com/2011/09/president-obamas-malaise-moment.html
Barry as Hitler on Ice again....
Submitted by adamsmith on Mon, 10/03/2011 - 7:25am.
Hitler did the same thing. In his bunker he said the German People should be destroyed because they didn't sacrifice enough for him and the Reich. As Berlin was being obliterated all around him. These tyrant types are all alike.....
The Only Obstructionists I see are
Submitted by hbnolikeee on Mon, 10/03/2011 - 12:57am.
harry and company. Do they not have the latest jobs bill? Is it not true that many democrats won't touch it with a ten foot pole?
SO HOW ARE THE REPUBLICANS OBSTRUCTING?
E.J. is so far up"DearLeader"
Submitted by bagtree on Thu, 03/29/2012 - 5:39am.
E.J. is so far up"DearLeader" Obama's Transformational backside higher that even gerbils dare--That sometimes he makes himself useful & cleans the back of Obama's teeth
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