[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=1-7io3OBoDQ[/youtube]
It’s not calling the President a dick that’s a problem. It’s a problem that the entire analysis of the press conference yesterday by the President was dickish because he pushed back at the bullshit Republicans have been pushing during the stand off over the federal debt limit.
Dicks like Boehner, Cantor, and The Turtle from Kentucky have voted repeatedly for an increase in the debt ceiling for years while supporting keeping the wars off budget and ignoring the effect of tax cuts on the deficit. Yet, these dicks insist on cutting programs and not even closing any unnecessary tax breaks for companies with record profits.
It’s not that he called the President a dick that’s a problem. It’s that Halperin is a delusional dick himself. And a douche nozzle. Treating this negotiation as anything other than insane is what a dick would do. If Republicans want to fight over the budget–fight over the budget, but leave the debt limit increase out of it.
Becoming upset because the President called out bullshit is exactly what is wrong with the Washington commentariat. Politics is a way of resolving conflict. A much better solution than the alternative that involves guns and all sorts of nasty stuff. There’s nothing wrong with a good battle of ideas and idiots like Halperin don’t recognize that there is nothing wrong with it. In fact, it just might lead to responsible government with clear lines drawn for an election. Do you want an austerity program that will drag the economy into a long slow lost decade as the Japanese had in the 1990s or do you want to try and get the economy moving and through targeted spending on infrastructure? It’s not being a dick to give voters a choice–it’s being a leader.
Boehner, Cantor, The Turtle from Kentucky all are being just as combative every day, but only in Washington does that make Obama a dick. He’s upsetting the Mark Halperin cocktail circuit and that’s most important.
Mark Halperin called the President a dick because he thought he could get away with it. After all he has been called everything else and the people who have done so have suffered no consequences. Indeed one might argue they have been awarded newspaper columns, TV shows and all types of analyst gigs.
To be honest, it gets somewhat silly for commentators to be treated like Animal House frat boys with their double secret probation. I never have understood why TV is loaded with “pundits” who are the equivalent of Adam Dunn at the plate this year. They whiff well over 50% of the time but somehow they continue to stay in the line-up.