Howard Fineman: Obama’s SOTU address makes him worthy of Mount Rushmore consideration

Another “thrill up my leg” moment brought to you by MSDNC …

Newsweek’s Howard Fineman’s commentary on Obama’s SOTU, muttered last night on Keith Olbermann’s “show,” pretty much speaks for itself (via Jim Hoft):

HOWARD FINEMAN, NEWSWEEK: If presidential leadership were only about giving speeches, the jackhammers would already be at work on Mt. Rushmore. I thought the guy dominated the room, used humor, occupied the middle ground. It was both theatrically very good, playing in the hall much better than it read on the page, tactically quite smart. Keith, this was one of the most conservative speeches that I, leaving aside the fact that the tax, some of the Bush tax cuts will lapse, some of the other features in there. By and large, talking about tax cuts, stressing tax cuts, spending freezes, talking about the virtues of the econ, free enterprise and the economy. In many, many ways, this is one of the most conservative speeches that a Democratic president has given since I think the middle of Bill Clinton’s time. And it was tactically quite smart on the President’s part. And his tone, which was all sweet reasonableness, designed as Rachel said to force the Republicans to stand up as they eventually did, I thought it was, it was very, very well done, and really left the Republican governor of Virginia very little to say. He didn’t have much to say to begin with.

Video:

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Sigh …

Flashback:

5/31/08 – Obama has another Al Gore moment while at Mount Rushmore

13 Responses to "Howard Fineman: Obama’s SOTU address makes him worthy of Mount Rushmore consideration"

Nina says:

January 28, 2010 at 11:05 pm

Howie u are a moron.
Anthony says:

January 28, 2010 at 11:48 pm

Wasn’t Fineman the same sycophant who said Obama towered over the world like a god?

Yeesh.
Transplanted Lawyer says:

January 29, 2010 at 12:24 am

What speech was Howard Fineman watching that moved him so? I want to watch that speech. Unfortunately, I watched the 2010 State of the Union Address. The speech I watched was half an hour too long, unstatesmanlike, pedantic, periodically obviously based on untruths or flagrant distortions of the truth, approached legislative priorities with the discrimination of a medium-range shotgun blast, oddly technocratic without containing much by way of policy specifics, and worst of all, bloodless and uninspiring.

SOTU 2010 ranks appreciably below the “mediocre” mark, particularly for a public speaker of Barack Obama’s well-demonstrated ability. He can do better and I hope that when the occasion for him to give a truly rousing, inspiring speech, he rises to it. I give it a “C” in the sense that it conveyed some of the President’s basic humanity and his sense of irony at his reversal of political fortunes from twelve months ago, but it just didn’t have the “oomph” of a really good Barack Obama speech. The rhetoric did not soar, it kind of plopped. I left frustrated and unclear about what part exactly Congress was supposed to play in making things better — and indeed, with the distinct impression that no one had found a road map to better times in the White House, either.
Sefton says:

January 29, 2010 at 12:24 am

HOWARD FINEMAN, NEWSWEEK: If presidential leadership were only about giving speeches, the jackhammers would already be at work on Mt. Rushmore.
[oddly enough, this sounds like a line The Joker would say]
I thought the guy dominated the room, [imagine that; at a SOTU address, the president is the center of attention] used humor, [condescension] occupied the middle ground [contradicted himself over and over]. It was both theatrically very good, [complete with smoke and mirrors] playing in the hall much better than it read on the page, [he’s playing us alright] tactically quite smart. [if you call being lied to “smart”]

The rest is more bad spin…not even worth it.
Jo says:

January 29, 2010 at 8:12 am

I couldn’t even stomach watching it. Lies and the lying liars who tell them summed it up for me before he ever took the podium. He is a disaster and if he succeeds in getting this criminally Socialistic health care takeover through, he will be credited with ending this nation’s unique freedoms and liberties as we once knew them. Until those who cherish individual liberty and freedom are put back in a position of control and influence, we are doomed. And I don’t care what lies he tells based on the fluctuations of polls; it’s his actions that must be watched and feared.
Kate says:

January 29, 2010 at 9:39 am

I wasn’t going to watch it, but my 26-year-old son bugged me about it and watched it with me. This was the first SOTU address he had ever had any interest in watching. Needless to say, he was both amused and perplexed. His opinion: this was nothing but a campaign speech. He was galled by the fact that Obama blamed the banks for the mortgage debacle….can you guess he has been watching Glen Beck and reading his books? His question: How can anyone watch this and not realize the guy is misleading us? He also wondered who could possibly believe Obama and why in the world would the democrats even applaud….to which it told him: It’s all about politics, son, and not about what is really important.

Too bad for the USA.
ZippyTheWerewolf says:

January 29, 2010 at 9:49 am

Fineman is still on his KoolAid high. Obama is a pseudo intellectual hell bent on manipulating people to believe his contradictions. His perceptions are distorted at best, though he wants people to believe his idiocy, and gets angry with the fact that people no longer believe him. He hasn’t the grace or the chops for the big political arena. His agendas are half thought out, idealistic stupidities even my 18 year old sees through. I’m amazed still, at the fact he was elected into office to begin with. No experience, just his vision of hope and change. PFFT!
ZippyTheWerewolf says:

January 29, 2010 at 9:53 am

Kate, I’m really proud of your son! More young people need to be interested in the state of our country and who controls it.
NC Cop says:

January 29, 2010 at 10:41 am

Absolutely frightening. These idiots are worshipping this man like he’s some sort of god.

Truly pathetic. That will make his fall that much harder.
Xrlq says:

January 29, 2010 at 10:57 pm

In many, many ways, this is one of the most conservative speeches that a Democratic president has given since I think the middle of Bill Clinton’s time.

That makes sense, seeing as Obama is indeed the most conservative Democrat President we’ve had since Bill Clinton. All those other Democrat Presidents between Clinton and Obama were waaaay more liberal than that, or something.
Tarheel Pundit says:

January 30, 2010 at 9:37 am

some of the Bush tax cuts will lapse,

Lapse? Meaning to end and then eventually resume? No, the Bush tax cuts are going to end and we are going to be out a couple thousand dollars more a year.

Is this the same “journalist” who said that people who drive pickup trucks are racist?
Support Your Local Gunfighter says:

January 30, 2010 at 1:19 pm

Newsweek’s Howard Fineman: Idiot…

One of Newsweek’s many left-wing journalists hacks, Howard Fineman really outdid himself this week when he said that President Obama’s SOTU speech should make him worthy of Mt. Rushmore consideration. Seriously. And people wonder why no one…
Neo says:

January 31, 2010 at 7:57 pm

The reality here is that Obama is still well liked, but his policies and proposed legislation are not. The SOTU performed exactly what Bill Clinton tried to do.

The SOTU made Obama look once again like the “good guy” but voters are a little bit smarter than the average Democratic Congress-critter thinks, so they aren’t blaming Bush for Obama’s policies and proposed legislation, they are going to blame Congress. Obama’s “detachment” from the legislative process frames Congress as the “bad guys” as well.

Yeah. Call it a variant if you must, but it’s triangulation at it’s best.

Comments are closed.