Obama frustrates Republicans' desire to criticize

[onehandle]

Source: International Herald Tribune

WASHINGTON: It's not so easy being the loyal opposition these days. Nearly two months after Barack Obama's election, Republicans are struggling to figure out how - or even whether - to challenge or criticize him as he prepares to assume the presidency. The president-elect is proving to be an elusive and frustrating target. He has defied attempts to be framed ideologically. His cabinet picks have won wide praise. An effort by the Republican National Committee to link Obama to the unfolding scandal involving Governor Rod Blagojevich of Illinois and the accusations that he tried to sell Obama's Senate seat was dismissed by no less a figure than John McCain, the Republican whom Obama beat for the presidency.

The toughest criticism of Obama during this period has come not from the right but from the left, primarily over his selection of Rick Warren, a leading opponent of gay marriage, to deliver the invocation on Inauguration Day.

There are plenty of battles ahead that may provide Republicans an opportunity to find their footing. They will no doubt find arguments to use against Obama when he starts to lay out the details of his economic stimulus plans, or signals how aggressively he wants to fulfill a pledge to labor to back a bill that would take away employers' right to demand a secret ballot-election to determine if workers want to unionize.

Still, this image of Republican uncertainty is a testimony to the political skills of the incoming president, and a reminder of just how difficult a situation the Republican Party is in. More than that, though, Republicans and Democrats say, it is evidence of the unusual place the country is in now: buoyed by prospect of an inauguration while at the same time deeply worried about the future. It is going to be complicated making a case against Obama, many Republicans said, in an environment where people simply want him to succeed and may not have much of an appetite for partisan politics.

Read more: http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/12/23/americas/memo.php

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I suspect that this may explain the choice of Warren. Another political shield to protect Obama from criticism from the Right and Corporate media.

[Shiver]

1. They should become Democrats

I think I see a few open spaces in the circular firing squad...

[FailureToCommunicate]

18. I don't know... there are MANY more google hits for 'impeach Obama' than

for 'impeach Bush' Amazing! And the guy isn't even in office yet!

[no_hypocrisy]

2. Guess Antichrist and Muslim don't work anymore . . . .

[comtec]

3. What is the sounds of 5 MILLLION people BOO-ing?

That is a sound i want to hear January 22nd.
He can't put this scum bag up there and NOT expect a majority of the 5 MILLION people expected to show up NOT to BOO!
What a wonderful sound that could be :)

[jaxx]

7. You're going to boo the democratic president?

Say it ain't so....

[comtec]

8. I'm talking about boo-ing that ass-wipe preacher

and CHEERING our president.

the two ARE mutually exclusive.

[Shiver]

9. In all fairness, your post did make it sound like you were talking

about booing both the asshat and the incoming President. I misread it the same way :hide:

[comtec]

14. *begs forgiveness*

:yoiks:

[jaxx]

10. Alrrriiiiggghhhhhtttttt.

That explains it.

[Blarch]

13. Jeeeesh.

this guy can't wait to boo.

[cali]

15. What's happening on January 22nd?

And I doubt on inauguration day, January 20th, there will be even half that number in D.C. Furthermore, most of those there won't boo. I'd like to see a sign of disapproval over Warren, but I doubt that it will happen in large numbers.

[Cary]

4. They should STFU until such time as they can gather their words . . .

and actually have something coherent to say.

I am of the school of thought that we need effective dissent. What "conservatives" are doing now isn't effective and is further eroding their credibility, if that's possible.

[Smarmie Doofus]

5. "Wide praise" from whom?

>>>His cabinet picks have won wide praise.>>>>

Seems like Mrs. ( or Mr. ) Clinton's cabinet. Except.... more conservative. As usual, the gamut of legitimate political dialogue... as defined by the MSM.... runs from A to B.

So.... what country should we invade next?

[Lorien]

11. Corporate America, I suspect

I can't say that I've heard any praise from anyone I worked with on the campaign, aside from "well, he's a very smart guy, so I guess he must know what he's doing. Still..."

[Smarmie Doofus]

12. Truly. What ,on earth, would they have to complain about? nt

[cali]

24. more of teh stupid.

yeah, we're really likely to attack another country under an Obama adminsitration. And no sorry, but the Obama cabinet is not more conservative than the Clinton cabinet was- and it wasn't conservative either.

dog, I'm sick of stupid.

[bonnieS]

6. at what expense?

[Clio the Leo]

16. Heh heh heh .... it's working!!! NT

[alwysdrunk]

17. This is going to be so much fun

Obama is good at politics. The best in our lifetime probably. Better than Clinton, probably even better than Reagan. I truly believe that Obama and his team have so much collective political skill between them that the Republicans are going to be frustrated time and time again over the next 4 years.

All they know how to do is attack. They've never come up against anyone like Obama. It is going to take them a while to adjust. They probably won't figure it out until some point in the second term.

This is going to be fun to watch. :evilgrin:

[Renew Deal]

19. Let me tell these idiots what to do.

They shouldn't feel obligated to "attack" Obama. They should challenge him ideologically when issues of ideology come up. Otherwise, they should not use some kitchen sink type hysterical lunatic attack. People aren't looking for that. But like I said, there is no obligation to attack him on everything.

[Johonny]

20. It's hard to criticize when everythings going to the crapper

8 years of Bush rule is hard to talk up. The right is taking a blood bath the last few weeks with Bush trying to leave with his "legacy". The legacy plan has turned both into a tragic vigil for what could have been and a horror show of what was. Their usual chestnuts of Obama going to ruin the economy seems laughable right about now. Obama ruining the military might, is equally laughable.

[RandomKoolzip]

21. Yay for pandering to the right!

:thumbsdown:

[spinbaby]

22. They can get really funny when they do try to criticize

Yesterday I was listening to some wingnut complain that Obama isn't going to fix our problems fast enough.

[Orsino]

23. He has something of a suck deficiency...

...that must be extremely frustrating for the GOP.

[davidpdx]

25. I agree, we may end up shooting ourselves in the foot

rather then have the Republicans do the shooting. Right now the Republicans are fairly weak and disorganized, that could change at any time though. I hope this doesn't happen because we need to do a lot of work this next year.