Conducting a retreat ‘they’ say is the hardest of all military operations. And it is.
On the other side, converting a political defeat into retreat, pursuit and rout is equally tricky. One must retain the fruits of victory and avoid hesitation. Then switch over to an operational up tempo to deny an opponent time and space to regroup or re-organize.
The field of battle after January 20th is ideal. Obama shows so far an encouraging sure touch for operational maneuver in service of renewal strategy. Even as euphoria from Tuesday’s Liberation intoxicates still.
We concede enjoying watching erst-while Republicans/Movement types also shout in awe of America’s spirit unbound. How sad their knowledge they will always be on the outside looking in. No matter where they are. That’s their doing, not Obama’s. Enabling a soul destroying parasite for 8 years has consequences. And the dead enders? In broadcast and on Capitol Hill they fight among themselves shrilly stampeding across their Berezina.
Obama’s Executive Orders substantively and optically appear to be terrific. Wise legal drafting for unanticipated future contingencies (almost certainly not to be used) gives added dividends of squeeking Leftist criticism.
The Stiftung is particularly delighted with Obama’s lobbying reform. It’s not the end game by any means but a strong opening move. Note to White House — next in this vein you need to rebuild the deliberately decimated, irretrievably broken and contractor-rigged procurement system. As an interim step just hire auditors. Also stop the rigged privatization of government entities, services and expertise. Please.
Obama’s criminally overdue recognition that the United States cares about both Palestinian suffering, deaths and subhuman treatment and security for Israel. A baby step, but a welcome one.
By contrast, the actual mechanics of the stimulus package are relatively uninteresting. We agree as a matter of empirical research that personal tax cuts don’t give the same ROI as direct outlays. We’re also confident that the United States is no longer capable as a society of large scale physical undertakings anymore. To be more precise — not without staggering inefficiency, foreign input substitution, graft, lies and unaccountability. None of which are particularly stimulative to the economy. Is anyone surprised that many of the allegedly useful projects aren’t even ‘shovel ready’ and would get started in 2010 or 2011?
And this is not even touching Pell Grants stuff, etc. So we’re resigned to watching a monstrous bloat roll over us all.
4 days in from Liberation? Color us pleasantly optimistic.
anon says
The House GOP is now filled to the brim with fragile personalities afraid of phantom socialism – There is a clear psychological component that explains the lockstep vote against Obama’s stimulus. What is it? It’s hard to pin down. But you can see the fear watching the non blinking simpleton Pence or Boehner with his maudlin anecdotes about his large family,
DrLeoStrauss says
Well said, Alex.
Alex says
Come to think of it, Clinton panic is a Decent Left trait as well – Hitchens got his status ticket with the Movement punched by joining the VRWC. And arguably it was always about Hillary rather than Bill, an essentially conservative manager of state.
Their response to her is very familiar from a British perspective; Thatcher enjoyed much the same kind of hate-fascination from the Tory milieu. They feared her/loved her – all kinds of mother issues and dread/temptation of the uncontrollable female masses were invoked. This gave her immense authority over what was, to begin with, a parliamentary party containing a lot of significant people. (The Left despised her for very solid reasons based on the distribution effects of her policy, especially the politicisation of housing and its related exaltation of finance.)
We’ve already seen that for a lot of Republicans who were Clinton-baiters in the 1990s, the line between the Year of Hating Women 2007 and the Year of Not the Black Guy 2008 was fine indeed. Of course, for a lot of them it won’t stay the lesser evil – they’ll flip to full blown worship. It is typical of that kind of Movement mindset, full of fear about performed masculinity, that it is really just as fragile as its maker thinks.
A lot of people imagine that the authoritarians are deluded in the belief that they Must Stay Firm, and that any moment’s inattention will wreck the castle. Wrong. It’s basic to that kind of personality that it *is* fragile and unstable. All cheap pipes inconveniently buried in Doric columns of sheetrock and glue, built on slab-on-grade foundations 40 miles from town. It has neither real strength nor adaptability; there is only one answer to change, to deny it, and then to….urrgh!
anon says
One of the reasons that loser ex spy at No Quarter was pushing that stupid Michelle Obama “Whitey” rumor was because he, though now a nominal post-plame Democrat, was very typical of a certain slice of mediocrity that gathered around The Movement in the heady years of late Clinton hatred. You know – familiar with the names of various Arkasans troopers – enthralled with Malkin etc, Vince Foster, etc
So he had recourse two two or three templates that work with the vast Cornyn masses re educated black women – But Michelle sort of blew past that mess and has found a happy medium as First Lady.
anon says
Leo – your analysis of GOP ops vis-a-vis HRC is hilarious and accurate. We have seen that fearfull bristle at the mention of HRC’s name and the concern about her voodoo (based entirely on mere womanhood + intelligence + a series of unproven myths and dubious tales). Bizaare. Tweety expressed the same frightfullness about her in prime time. Btw – Immelt owes it shareholders (and teaxpayers – since GE has received TARP money) to can Tweety.
anon says
re Cornyn kuture has overtaken the librul media – Alex and Leo – note this demented article from the WaPo – Note the last paragaph – The WaPo people do not warn Agency personal that they will be watched closely by the Pres to make sure they follow orders and obey the law and cease the Cheney stuff. Rather – they, the WaPo reporters, warn Obama that an endless team of career spies will be monitoring him to make sure he allows sadism (allegedly convinced one retarded terrorist to spill the beans – so says Cheney) to continue:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/09/AR2009010903784_pf.html
Dr Leo Strauss says
Alex, here’s my perhaps overlong take. Would be curious as to yours.
Even if an imaginary meme this vignette gains traction and legitimacy both because of her persona and the contemporary gestalt. The meme speaks to a larger reality transcending the actual truth of the details.
First, Cornyn as symbolic stand in for a defeated, embittered regime had no choice but to cave. Americans in general and our media in particular are largely immature and ahistorical (ironic given how many ‘historical’ books they peddle on each other’s shows).
The human subconscious mind as social animal, non-rational and instinctive, has always formed and defined politics and will do so unto our extinction. The sheer spectacle and awe of 2 million people at the inauguration joyous at Warlord-Republican-Movement repudiation hammers Cornyn’s brain stem and fires neurons while he is oblivious to what galvanizes his impulses. That record-setting crowd makes rallies in the 1930s look like PTA meetings. Senators are more susceptible to the meta-political spectacle than gerrymandered Republicans in safe, Movement-infected districts.
Hillary in this meme also speaks to larger accepted truths. From the Republican/Movement point of view, she has always assumed a strange melange of psycho-sexual authority, castration, and Lord knows what. Literally, we could be sitting with local Republican operatives in a Senate race, joining Movement grandees with furtive cigars, or eating bad finger sandwiches at Heritage — all of them immediately quiver/bristle at Hillary as authoritative, domineering sacred-nether region-transgressing-the-Baby-Jesus force. We’ll stop there because this can get hinky very quickly but the point is made.
If only the meme were true. Hillary will need that kind of atomic knee drop skill to coral Mitchell, Jones, Holbrooke et al. Fortunately she is a true intellect and has an opportunity to bond with Obama on the policy plateau. The institutional inertia and other personalities around Obama can absorb some of HRC’s penchant for ready, fire, aim. She in turn will given them vertebrae.
Could well be an effective combo.
Alex says
Any thoughts on the Grosse Kurfürstin’s beatdown of Cornyn? The Clintons don’t forget.
Surely the mix of nordic twinkle and Wotan heels will bring the good doktor back to himself?
DrLeoStrauss says
Aldershot, just call me . . . McLovin 😉
Aldershot says
Get hold of yourself, man! *smack, smack*
DrLeoStrauss says
Holy cow, you’re right ! I must be hypmotized !
DBake says
Is Leo starting to think there’s a chance Obama’s for real? I notice he isn’t ‘Boy King’ once in this post.