“It was like The Rolling Stones opening for Air Supply”. The words of an avowed Jumpin’ for Jindal phanatic embarrassed this morning. She is being kind.
Fascinating how many are referring to the President’s speech as the State of the Union [note the omission of “Boy King”]. Just another sign of a commanding presentation’s impact. The President’s tone, substance and delivery merit all the encomiums.
How refreshing to have an intellect again, to watch and listen to a mind in action. How comforting to see one we labeled consistently “the Boy King” demonstrate such assurance wearing the Purple.
All presidencies collide with exogenous events. Vision and pragmatism blend over time until one must hunt amid the tactical to find echoes of the opening trumpets. We savor this moment knowing it is transitory. But then the Stiftung enjoys cherry blossoms each year in the Imperial City. Obama’s combination of vision and political talent suggest the post-bloom era will still be vibrant even if comparatively humbled.
The Left’s ill-informed grumbling about Iraq is ankle biting. Aside from geopolitical considerations, from a purely logistical point of view, an orderly American withdrawal will take more time than buying a ‘Yes we can!’ t shirt online. We’ve all discussed this in detail here before. The strategic rationale for an American presence on the littoral is a debate (pro and con) that eludes earnest but sophomoric simplicities of Rachel Maddow et al..
Meanwhile, we don’t know this morning who did the focus groups for Jindal’s speech. But we counted his blank blather “Americans can do anything” maybe 8 or 9 times. Great trial attorneys, orators and even parents know this truism: make the point 3 times: (a) this my point; (b) this is why this is my point; (c) remember when I told you my point. In fact, this neuro-linguistic ritual lies at the foundation of many Church activities for millennia. 8 or 9 times? Even Ashley Simpson would laugh.
Dr Leo Strauss says
re the G Man
We miss his show – it no longer runs on Winger radio here. Aural Dada and completely unintentional. We loved his merchandizing like the ‘Stacked n Packed’ calendars. One wonders if Richard Hofstadter could be motivated to even utter ‘I told you so’, the phenomenon is blatantly entrenched.
Firebombing Brookings seems so Mel Brooks today – quaint, archaically funny and so much locked into its time. Especially with the Saban Center.
Dr Leo Strauss says
Newt Gringrichovsky would have been very Kerensky-like. Telling the peasants they needed to self actuate their potential while explaining to the nobility that studying Suleiman I was essential to renew Russian civilization via tax reform. Then as with every speech he would close and assign homework — vam nado chitat’ tri knigie (you need to read three books) . . .
Finally,
Paxonisky, DeLayevichKornilov et al. can’t take it anymore and botch a coup. Grinchrichovsky flees St. Petersburg for Altoona State University where he gives lectures on how he was undone by high marginal tax rates on the nobility and gay marriage. (Although in private Newt is libertarian regarding many wedge issues).DrLeoStrauss says
re Newt
The whole scene was a Fellini movie. Alvin Toffler would toss out a brain burp and then his wife Heidi would bounce around in this quasi-gutteral voice that she really did all the work and impart this was the real point. More talk about Peters and management taken from the book dust jacket.
Then Frank would come in with his ‘perception analyzer’ (this is 1994-1995 when it had the patina of techno cool — the original Playstation was just coming to market) and show Newt on Press the Meat. Tony actually would covertly arrange for this because he was tired of banging his head on the wall without another bottle in his desk drawer (we say this in admiration, btw).
So after all the earlier pontification on neuro linguistics, Frank would run the tape and Newt would be there talking to Tim, The Beloved about ‘radically changing”, ‘revolution’ ‘eliminate the Department of [noun]’, ‘destroy’ and now and then ‘transform’. On every instance but the last the red lines (negative reaction) would spike to the roof. Tony would quietly urge that Newt re-think this approach. And Newt would say ‘I know, but I can’t help it. That’s me.’
One really did expect to see a small clown juggling to saunter past.
Alex says
The problem is that maglev is a shitty technology for a whole lot of reasons, none of which I would expect Jindal to understand for one second, and none of which have anything to do with “grunt! too many syllabubbles! gay! If Siemens can’t make a business of it, you know it’s no good.
LGV, now you’re talking.
Dr Leo Strauss says
Yes, perhaps we need a Monica Bellucci (never Cher) to slap us with a “Snap out of it !”
One can only imagine Grover’s meeting this morning. But he still should be comparatively upbeat surveying the wreckage from his new digs.
Aldershot says
“How refreshing to have an intellect again, to watch and listen to a mind in action. How comforting to see one we labeled consistently “the Boy King” demonstrate such assurance wearing the Purple.”
Oh, shit! They got to Doc!
Alex says
I prefer “Former Regime Loyalists”.