Paul Revere by Cyrus Dallin, North End, Boston

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Wednesday, January 29, 2014

PERSISTENCE












I listened to Mr. Obama's SOTU, which was mostlhy an outline of his plans to continue to move the country forward, with or without the useless Boehner and his House Republicans.

The speech was, for the most part, optimistic, focusing on what we Americans can accomplish if we have the will and the good sense to work together.

I hope every Democrat running for office in 2014 will use the image of the GOPers NOT applauding when President Obama said this:


"This year, let’s all come together – Congress, the White House, and businesses from Wall Street to Main Street – to give every woman the opportunity she deserves. Because I firmly believe when women succeed, America succeeds."



The GOPers richly earn the "anti-women" label they protest is so undeserved.


Andrew Sullivan had this to say about the speech:


"The metaphor of the soldier slowly, relentlessly, grindingly putting his life back together was a powerful one for America – and Obama pulled off that analogy with what seemed to me like real passion. One aspect of his personality and his presidency is sometimes overlooked – and that is persistence. He’s been hailed as a hero and dismissed as irrelevant many times. But when you take a step back and assess what he has done – from ending wars to rescuing the economy to cementing a civil rights revolution to shifting the entire landscape on healthcare – you can see why he believes in persistence. Because it works. It may not win every news cycle; but it keeps coming back. 

 If he persists on healthcare and persists on Iran and persists on grappling, as best we can, with the forces creating such large disparities in wealth, he will look far, far more impressive from the vantage point of history than the news cycle of the Twitterverse sometimes conveys."


President Obama is persistent.  And history tells us how that is rewarded:




“Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan Press On! has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race,”Calvin Coolidge.


Charlie Pierce gives us a review of one (how many rebuttals did they need to answer what they claim is a "weak" president? 5? 6? LOL!) wingnut's confutation to President Obama's SOTU.


Oh, and those Executive Orders the Gee-Oh-Pee-ers are wetting themselves over?


"Whenever a President is forced to govern by Executive Order, it isn't testimony to his leadership weakness, but to the adversarial, obstructive, and deliberate actions of the people who fight his attempts to move this country forward. If we had a Republican Congress who hadn't blocked 18 Jobs Bills, 3 Infrastructure Bills, Bills against Minimum Wage, against extending Unemployment Benefits to 1.6 million Americans, against Equal Pay for women, Executive Order would never have to be considered, but a REAL LEADER DOES WHAT HE HAS TO MAKE THIS A BETTER AMERICA FOR ALL OF US." - Marian D. Fisher

14 comments:

Infidel753 said...

Because I firmly believe when women succeed, America succeeds.

Conservatives in every culture have always been uncomfortable with that idea.

how many rebuttals did they need to answer what they claim is a "weak" president? 5? 6? LOL!

I've heard of four (so far). It's pretty pathetic when the Republicans are so factionalized that they can no longer agree on what are the correct reasons to be against whatever Obama wants to do. Soon the different factions will be doing rebuttals to each other's rebuttals.

Les Carpenter said...

Like most all presidents SOTU, long on party boilerplate, short on specifics.

Speech was well presented and flawlessly delivered. A treat for the faithful, a challenge for the opposition.

My money is on things will, as they generally do, stay about the same.

Closing note, Obama seemed to be striking a more centrist tone that served WJC so well.

Could it be the Prez is learning?

Shaw Kenawe said...

RN, you seem to be so immersed in the idea that Mr. Obama is a far-leftist that you're unaware of the fact that real lefties dislike him because he's a centrist, always was always has been. You are so used to listening to the extremists in the GOP, that you and others believe they represent the right. In fact, in many, many ways, Mr. Obama represents an Eisenhower Republican. Today's TeaPublicans are radicals and extremists not worthy of any serious political considerations.



Infidel: "Soon the different factions will be doing rebuttals to each other's rebuttals."

Well one can only hope they rebuttal each other into oblivion.

Anonymous said...

"Rebuttal Oblivion" sounds like a great name for a rock band.

okjimm said...

Infidel said. "It's pretty pathetic when the Republicans are so factionalized"

....seems more like, "fictionalized"

gees, I listened to Cathy McMorris Rodgers Republican response and I had a few, ah, thoughts.

She is the highest ranking Republican woman in Congress?

ah, OK. That's like being the tenth runner up for the Denver Bronco's second team quarterback job. Sheesh...and she comes out with what sounded like a recycled Sarah Palin speech, most of which were baffling in the first place.

She has a son with Down's syndrome. Well, that truly is unfortunate,sincerely, but is not a qualification for... ????? Beats me. At least she has good insurance through Congress and her Hubbies military pension to get them through.

She then stated "but this law (ACA) is not working. Republicans believe health care choices should be yours, not the government's."

hmmmm...not even 30 days into full implementation of the ACA and it is not working? well, gees, I guess not!!! see, GWB only needed 3 months to declare 'Mission Accomplished' in Iraq...oh,and that turned out great.
Republicans believe that health care choices....should be yours? Yupperz...like...if you cannot afford it you can choose not to have any. She gets hers through the Government, right?

"And that whether you're a boy with Down syndrome or a woman with breast cancer ... you can find coverage and a doctor who will treat you."

yupperz....that's why Us Republicans want to wage a war on women... http://pol.moveon.org/waronwomen/

oh, sure...you got breat cancer...just go find a doctor who will treat you....then find a way to pay for it yourself!!!!!!!!

ohohoh...and she started taking about all the 'plans' the Republicans have.....
"Our plan is one that dreams big for everyone and turns its back on no one."



What the FUCK plan is she talking about???? The only CONCRETE Republican plans in the last five years was a)make sure Obama was a one term president b)get as much black money from corporations as we can c)rig elections so we can get more corporate money d)truck out Sarah Palin every few months like a carnival hooker to appease the frothy libidos of Tea Party no-nothings

well, they couldn't do A and are getting tired of D...but they sure plan on full buckets of C & D.

No,Ifidel....the Republican Party has become fictionalized and made into a bad TV show.

aw, shit....this is not funny. And I heard that there is a Velveeta shortage, right before the super bowl. SeaHawks by 10.



Les Carpenter said...

I guess you did get my point Shaw, and made it your own.

Gee, is that progress? ;-)

Les Carpenter said...

What would America do without the entertainment of partisan politics and mutual hating?

How far we've fallen. Or perhaps it had always been this way with the rhetoric just being more respectful "back in the day."

Shaw Kenawe said...

okjimm, why does anyone expect rational talk from extremist TPer pols?

I'm rooting for the Seahawks. By 10?

It took FOUR mewlers from the Gee-Oh-Pee to rebutt the president?

What a howl! He's so "weak" and all that, y'know?

They can't seem to make up their mind on whether he's a jack-boot dictator or a puny weak wuss.

IOW, he drives them insane!

LOL!

Les Carpenter said...

Personally I hope the Seahawks destroy the Broncos. Aside from spending the first 17 years of my life in Washinton State (in and near Seattle) I hate the Denver Broncos.

Shaw Kenawe said...

RN! We agree on this 100%! Wish we could sit with our families and boo the Broncs! I never knew you once lived in Washington! My dearest nephew lives in Seattle and married a beautiful woman from there! How could I not support the Seahawks?!

okjimm said...

I pretty much support NFC teams...My brother lives in WA state by the Canadian border. when he first moved out there his first job was as a beer vendor in the old King Dome.

Russel Wilson did his last year of college ball at Wisco...was really exciting....and..very intelligent and articulate. SHawks defense is awesome. Playing it in Jersey, in Feb, is insane.

MAybe if congress had to meet in an open air stadium in Feb something would happen. Dems by 10 over the Repubs.

Shaw Kenawe said...

I thought the NFL scheduled the Superbowl in indoor stadia. With the awful weather we've had in the northeast, and the rest of the country, what were they thinking????

My nephew and his wife live in Seattle. So I'm rooting for the SHawks.

Ducky's here said...

Only a couple weeks till pitchers/catchers report.

I'm way past ready.

Shaw Kenawe said...

So am I, Ducky. My sister lives near Ft. Meyers!