In Reply: Visuals Matter (Obama and Compromise)

In reply to: And Doctor Biobrain's Response Is...: Why Obama's Victories Aren't Enough
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I think you're correct on the facts, but still think he's blowing the optics, Doc... He makes it look like he's giving it away from the beginning, rather than making the other side demand it, and then reluctantly giving it up.

Yes the result's the same... But it looks different to folks... (While I like the fact that there's not so much unanimity on the left, there is something to be said for that "we'll let everyone die if we have to, but we're not giving in" lock-steppedness of the Republican party. (Again, optically speaking... Even though I often think the tent is a little too big--Lieberman and Kucinich or Sanders are really in the same party, and kinda wish for a more parliamentary system, with multiple parties, and coalitions of folks coming together to get things done, rather than the "we hate them/they hate us, politics as football" mentality--I do respect folks who speak their minds (rather than the hive mind, "my party right and wrong" opinion), even when I don't agree with what they have to say.)

I do think you're correct, but I also believe the administration can make these deals look more like he's fighting, and only compromising when there's no other choice... ...even if he knows from the get go that that's where he's at. It is little more than gamesmanship, and it is unlikely to change the outcome of the negotiation, but those visuals do matter.
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Posted Wednesday, 12/15/10, 6:55 AM

Roundup and Commentary - 5/11/09

What works for you may not work for someone else. So what makes you think your way is so much better?

Commentary:

Satire? Close, but no meatstick: And Doctor Biobrain's Response Is...: Everyone's Racist, But the Racists

Ephemera:

Conservative lesbian makes with "teh gay prez" joke that's sweeping wingnuttia like a CA wildfire. By golly, it's almost like satire -- but no, it isn't: Activism wasn’t the only thing Barack experimented with in college … — Cynthia Yockey

Roundup and Commentary - 5/10/09

Commentary:

Someone doesn't know what satire means: And Doctor Biobrain's Response Is...: Everyone's Racist, But the Racists

"'taking down' 'nihilist' windmills like a punchdrunk Don Quixote," Gay Marriage Strikes Again: Part 2

Roundup and Commentary - 4/29/09

A person is not deceived by others, he deceives himself.

Commentary:

Morality and partisanship; are we different but complimentary, or just different?: Conservatives Live in a Different Moral Universe than Liberals-- And Here's Why It Matters

Donald Douglas' plane blame shame: American Power: Change! Obama Flyovers Show Wall Street Bankers Who's Boss

Spector's switch, term limits, and the entitlement mentality of many who serve: American Power: Speaking of Swine: Specter to Switch Parties (And note Donald's classy post title... Republican good, Democrat bad. Must attack democrat. Ugg.)

"Biological Equality?": Breakfast Scramble | BitsBlog or Immoderate Monk: "Biological Equality" Man of Straw

Definitions, Opinions, Personal Diplomacies, and Marriage: The Joan of Arc, and/or Joe the Plumber of the Anti-Gay Marriage Movement

Planting the Tea Party flag in the ashes of the 9/11 dead: Is it just me...

Chickens roosting, and being "respsectful": American Power: Arlon the Democrat!

Spelling, smelling, & shilling for your side: And Doctor Biobrain's Response Is...: Arlon the Democrat

Roundup and Commentary - 3/15/09

Blog Post:

Good thing, or bad thing? Depends on who you ask... American Nihilist: Michelle Malkin: Conscience of the Conservative Movement

Comment:

What Stewart was saying, and what he wasn't: Wingnuts & Moonbats: Jon Stewart and Jim Cramer: The Extended Interview

When O'Reilly sounds like the sane one... Wingnuts & Moonbats: Beck: People ‘Pushed To The Wall’ By ‘Political Correctness’ Launch Spree Killings

Just because they call themselves religious, it doesn't mean they are... And Doctor Biobrain's Response Is...: The End of Religion

Pwned old man, obsessed... Brain Rage: Geek Cred: How Pwned Can One Old Man Get?

Body image and ability, and how it affects the way others see us. and the way we see ourselves... Brain Rage: "How My Legs Give Me Superpowers"