Obama Dines With Conservative Opinion Leaders: Kristol, Brooks, Will

[DeepModem Mom]

Source: The Atlantic

....He motorcaded to a house in Maryland this evening, and if the press pool report is accurate, he is breaking bread with William Kristol and David Brooks. (If Brooks and Kristol seem to be unusually briefed about Obama's thinking, you'll know why.)

CBS News's Dan Raviv tells the pool that the house, on Grafton Street in Chevy Chase, belongs to George Will. (Unless he's moved.)

Tomorrow, I hear Obama has another private meeting with non-Republican opinion columnists. Ellen Moran, the incoming White House communications director, set these meetings up.

Again -- establishment opinion matters to the Obama communications team.

Read more: http://marcambinder.theatlantic.com/archives/2009/01/obama_dines_with_conservative.php

[Alhena]

1. Will may have voted for Obama ...

he wrote some pretty scathing columns saying McCain had shown he wasn't presidential material during the economic crisis while Obama had. I thought at the time that he seemed likely to vote for Obama. Will is an intellectual and I think he's attracted to smart people with elite educational background like Obama.

[scytherius]

12. Of course I don't know, but I'd bet money on it. n/t

nt

[pasto76]

25. Will is a hack

Ive followed him for a long time, but was dumbfounded when he came out and said General Powell's endorsement was racially motivated.

[Doremus]

31. And that he refuses to see anything wrong with trickle down economics

Or blasted the Detroit bailout

etc, etc, etc.

[tekisui]

2. I can take Brooks, and even Will came around some.

Kristol is a goddamned sonuvabitch.

[navarth]

3. you are correct. n/t

[theoldman]

He is also a stupid sonuvabitch.

[madokie]

47. My spell checker says 'sonuvabitch' is spelled properly

well sonuvabitch

[IndianaGreen]

4. Obama should have poisoned their food

They are rats!

[NM Independent]

5. Kristol?

KRISTOL???

:wtf:

Put ME in the same room with that lying MFer. We'll have a real nice talk.

[ProgressIn2008]

20. Thank you - I was starting to wonder what web site I'd stumbled on.

I guess this is the Democratic party now. Talk to Kristol and you're a principled genius. Who knew?

[Jim Lane]

6. I think it's a good idea

Meeting with them doesn't commit him to following their advice. It just means that he'll have one more avenue out of the "bubble" that surrounds Presidents. There's also an advantage in knowing what the other side might say. For example, one of them might criticize a particular position, and he could improve his explanation of the position to take account of that objection.

On top of all that, a little schmoozing might incline them to cut him more slack at some point. That would be a natural reaction, and they're only human. Even Kristol.

[paulkienitz]

7. he's meeting with them without preconditions (nt)

[Critters2]

9. Making nice with Warren encouraged him to take an active side against progressives

in the Episcopal Church. God only knows what'll come from making these people feel like they're your new best friends!

[Jim Lane]

42. I'd be surprised if that were true

My guess is that Warren would've been our adversary regardless of what Obama did. Or do you think that if Obama had bitterly denounced him, Warren would've been intimidated and would've joined the ACLU?

[Hulk]

8. Better to talk with these bastards than to hide from them....

I have to hand it to President-elect Obama.....to meet with these scum bags would kill my appetite, but if you can stomach it, why not.

These will be some of his greatest critics. Meeting them face to face will perhaps make it a little more difficult for them to make up shit and spew it over the airwaves to try to stop his success.

BRILLIANT MOVE!! What is the expression about "talking to your enemies"? Better idea that what the current White House dip shit has been doing.

[Libertyfirst]

30. Right on! Only a smart self confident guy would dare do this. Go Obama

[Cetacea]

43. Agreed. Smart move.

[okiru109]

10. as long as he meets with our BIGGIES - Chomsky, Zinn and Michael Parenti

or at the very least Keith, Randy and Mike Malloy

now that would be reaching out i could get excited about :evilgrin:

[Chiyo-chichi]

45. Just what I was thinking. When's he going to meet with liberal thinkers/columnists/talking heads?

[ErinBerin84]

46. he's supposed to have a dinner party/meeting

with "non-Republican" columnists (uh, does that mean Democratic? Liberal? I'd like to know who this group will include) tonight I believe.

[Chiyo-chichi]

48. interesting. thanks.

[Caution]

11. Pretty much exactly what he said he would do.

Can't fault him for that, though I'm sure many will

[Political Heretic]

53. I only ask, when will he be meeting with Progressive leaders.

How about a sit down with Naomi Klein, Amy Goodman or Bill Moyers - anyone would be an equivalent for George Will. And then how about policy director from the Center for American Progress, the Executive Director of Working America, the Legislative Policy Director for the Coalition on Human Needs. How about an invitation to Noam Chomsky and Howard Zinn?

I've got no problem at all with sitting down with conservative thinkers and policy people. I do, in theory, think that a correlation approach to advancing a political agenda is a good thing, when your goal is to engage your opponents and persuade them to your agenda (not capitulation.) But so far we've seen 100% engagement with the conservative far right and zero engagement with the progressive left.

Why? When did this vision of change become one of progressive exclusion?

[laststeamtrain]

13. O. should have gouged some eyes with his salad fork.

Just for shits & grins.

[TankLV]

24. I thought it was shits and giggles...

[laststeamtrain]

29. I've heard both...

I'm more of a grinner than a giggler.

It may be generational.

[islandmkl]

33. ...grins...

[spotbird]

14. It won't help, but it was right anyway. nt

[elleng]

16. I think it WILL help!

He's smarter than all of them, and unless they lose the conversation in senior moments, he'll explain stuff so they will agree.

He'll also ask THEM for help in a number of ways.

A good night's work.

[iandhr]

15. some intellectual GOPers voted for Obama

Susan Eisenhowe,r Christopher Buckley. I have no problem with in talking to Conservatives and Obama will listen to people like us when he is president do not worry. Remember just because he talks with them does not mean he agrees with them

[peaches2003]

17. Reading elsewhere Rush is at the dinner

If so I feel like the bottom dropped out of everything I thought about Obama.

[qanda]

19. I'm not sure why that would be the case

He has always said that he wants to hear from all sides. I want one person to tell me what's wrong with sitting down with those who disagree with you. This world would be a better place if we all followed Obama's example.

[Tarheel_Dem]

35. Obama is a diplomat, in the true sense of the word. This is why I trust

him on foreign policy matters. I think he'll try and bring people together.

[kskiska]

22. Mike Gallagher was off today, too.

Went to Washington.

[DeepModem Mom]

54. That was, indeed, a rumor for a while, but, I believe, was discounted late last night. nt

[ErinBerin84]

56. he wasn't there

The Huffington Post article by Sam Stein on this subject has the event that Rush went to (don't feel like finding the link now, but you're free to). The conservative columnists like to think they are better than Rush, and vice versa, while they are all pretty much full of it. But Rush wasn't there.

[iamjoy]

18. I Kinda Like George Will

Oh, I know he's a Conservative, but he seems like a congenial enough sort and he isn't scornful of intellectuals. He is willing to admit when he knows he's wrong. Because he is willing to criticize Conservatives (and not just that fake "they're too liberal" crap) I have a little respect for him. Also, while I disagree with him on the abortion issue, at least he isn't a foaming at the mouth bible thumping Conservative on it.

He can also be quite funny. I believe this favorite quote of mine is his
The nice part about being a pessimist is that you are constantly being either proven right or being pleasantly surprised.

[Thor_MN]

21. Kristol? "NeoConservative" should have the same cachet as "Child Molestor"

After the last 8 years, how can anyone say NeoConservative, PNAC, or Bill Kristol without spitting right afterward to clear the foul taste from their mouth?

[TankLV]

23. This can't be good at all...

Sorry - but it's getting more depressing about obama every fucking day...and he's not even officially "it" yet...

[Tarheel_Dem]

37. How the hell do you know? You never have anything good to say

about Obama, as I remember you quite well from the primaries. At least you're consistent. Would you have Obama freeze out any opposing voices, just as Bush froze out disagreement? What do you not understand about diplomacy?

[EconomicLiberal]

26. Why give these clowns legitimacy?

Sigh, Obama dissapoints again.

[Old and In the Way]

27. Interesting....I'm guessing that as much as it will bother us that this meeting is happening,

those on the other side are bothered a whole lot more. If their collective braintrust is dining with Obama, can total capitulation be far behind? He's got all the cards and the mandate from the voters for his agenda. What do these people share, except the minority opinion? I'm guessing that Obama is doing a lot of listening, but offering very little.

[IsItJustMe]

28. He is working the crowd. Let's see how he governs.

[islandmkl]

32. i'm thinking the table conversation went like this:

BO: I appreciate you all agreeing to have this little meeting, so we can informally discuss various visions of what we need to do to move this country forward. Before I state any of my thoughts, I just want to ask you, collectively, to give some particulars concerning your viewpoints and opinions that have been proven to be beneficial to our current condition. Speak at will, as you may.

ALL the neocons, RW pundits, etc. in attendance: ---------------



BO: Well, let me say what I think we need to accomplish, and how I propose to do it....

[Politicalboi]

34. Maybe Obama is taking notes from Bush

It's called Catapulting the Propaganda and these idiots have no idea they took part in it.

[RCinBrooklyn]

36. Did Rick Warren say grace for them?

[LibDemAlways]

38. I hope he had someone taste his food before he put

fork to mouth. I wouldn't trust any of those bastards for a second.

[FrenchieCat]

39. Tomorrow, I hear Obama has another private meeting with non-Republican opinion columnists.

Yep....He's listening to everyone.

[Algorem]

40. Yuk.

[Demeter]

41. He Who Dines With the Devil Needs a Long Spoon

Unless Obama intends to threaten them with jail, I'm not sure I like this.

[sufrommich]

44. Why legitimize these guys

by motorcading to their headquarters and breaking bread with them?Will the "non republican opinion columnists" be as far to the left as these jokers are to the right? I doubt it.It only serves to give gravitas to the nuts on the right.

[mmonk]

49. Pretty much my thoughts as well.

[tom_paine]

55. Bingo.

:puke:

[Algorem]

50. maybe they watched IDF video of Gaza bombings like a fireworks show

"Ooh!". "Ah!". Good times at the Will house.

[Political Heretic]

51. When will he be dining with Progressive leaders?

[Odin2005]

52. Obama probably told them to take their Fascism and shove it up their rears.

Politely of course, and saying in a way that makes them think they'll like it! :evilgrin:

[guitar man]

57. "Come into my parlor

...said the spider to the fly" :evilgrin:

[SidDithers]

58. Meeting with opposing thinkers is good politics...

giving them a podium at your public inaugural isn't.

Sid