Bacon's Rebellion

Democracy Thrives in Sunlight

Never Leave Home Without Your Teleprompter

—

by

James A. Bacon
in

I recently subjected myself to a full dose of the trilogy of tripe – Matthews, Olbermann and Maddow. They were each desperately trying to excuse Obama’s incompetent management of the Deepwater Horizon fiasco. As always, they quickly got to the “blame Bush” defense.

The liberals’ song has been sung so often I know it by heart – Bush and the truly evil Cheney emasculated good and proper off-shore drilling regulation as a personal favor to the beloved oil companies. Obama and the Democratic superheroes in Congress have been working 24 X 7 to fix Bush’s mess (in Obama’s case, that means 24 hours a week, 7 months a year). Unfortunately, the Deepwater Horizon disaster happened before our brilliant and heroic Democratic leaders could undo the terrible and obvious risks taken by Bush and Cheney.

Note to Obama puppet-masters: Do NOT let Barry out in public without his teleprompter …
The embedded video was from a speech given to a group of employees at a battery manufacturer on April 2, 2010 – almost 15 months after Obama took office and 18 days before the Deepwater Horizon rig exploded.

One would think that such clear evidence of Obama’s ignorance would stop even the trilogy of tripe from trying to blame the Deepwater Horizon catastrophe on George Bush alone. One would be wrong. Sixteen months after Obama’s inauguration, three months after Obama’s fateful “teleprompter-free” speech and two months after the BP oil spill started the liberals were still trying to blame Bush. However, as the video clearly shows, Obama himself thought off-shore drilling was extremely safe because of the technology used on the rigs.
One can only imagine Bush and his side-kick Cheney using some secret mind control rays developed by Haliburton to beam erroneous thoughts about the safety of deep sea drilling into Obama’s head. Perhaps President Obama should remember not only his teleprompter but his tinfoil hat when he leaves the White House.

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21 responses to “Never Leave Home Without Your Teleprompter”

  1. Anonymous Avatar
    Anonymous

    Not your best work Groveton.

    Not funny, does not point in any positive direction.

    The US does not have much time to turn things around, it does not matter who is to blame.

    What are your ideas for action?

    Observer

  2. Larry G Avatar
    Larry G

    I'm thinking just how would Bush have handled this mess… then how would McCain/Pallin have handled it.

    Better than Obama?

    Do you think they were have done better OR do you think that this only proves that Obama did not do it any better and in fact, equally a bad?

    I think, to date, most everyone agrees that the MMS agency did not cover itself in glory.

    We know this.

    Neither Cheney nor Bush did much to "fix" MMS – right? (as opposed to accusing them of "fixing" MMS as in neuter it).

    We also know that Obama did not do much to fix it either but I do doubt that he would (or will) neuter it.

    But … do folks like Groveton …once he can get past his tele-prompter syndrome – think – at the end of the day – that this was a job for MMS to have been in charge of in the first place.

    The real question is does Groveton believe that an agency such as MMS is a legitimate function of govt in the first place…

    The biggest failure of the Obama Administration in my view – the biggest disappointment – was that even though he could not stop the leak – he could have marshaled every skimmer and allied assets that he could get his hands on – and he has not.

    I was not surprised at what happened to Bush with Katrina… I figured the guy was clueless as soon as he made the "helluva job Brownie" comment which was perfectly consistent with his "mission accomplished" comment – inane and clueless.

    but Obama has the same problem and that's a shock.

    The critics are correct. The man is not leading – apparently does not know how to lead.

    And it's not just him.

    He probably has a couple hundred people working this issue and apparently all of them sitting in a room together cannot fathom the fact that the greatest country in the world can get it's butt down to the gulf in force and roll up sleeves and get to it.

    If I hear one more crack about the Nobel Scientist, I'm gonna barf.

  3. Groveton Avatar
    Groveton

    Observer:

    A post can only be so long. I'll follow up with the main conclusion. However – here is a quick summary – it doesn't matter whether it's the Exxon Valdez or Hurricane Katrina or the Deepwater Horizon …

    Big government doesn't work.

    So, when people tell me that government should be bigger I just shake my head in wonder.

    What percentage of our GDP is consumed by our government today?

    There should be a government and, unfortunately, it needs to be pretty big. But it is bigger than it needs to be right now and I reject calls to make it bigger.

    It doesn't really matter whether it's Reagan, Bush I, Clinton or Bush II. They all want to make government bigger and government doesn't get any better.

    Obama honestly thought the rigs were safe. Then, when one blew up the government couldn't stop the leak. In fact, they can't even accurately estimate how much oil is leaking.

    We need to at least cap, if not shrink, the size of government.

  4. Groveton Avatar
    Groveton

    LarryG:

    Big government doesn't solve problems – no matter who is in charge.

    That's the lesson.

    Government is too big now.

    There should be a government and an MMS. However, I reject calls to make government bigger. It should be smaller. If I had to guess how much smaller, I'd guess 15 – 20% smaller.

    Doesn't matter whether it's Reagan, Bush I, Clinton, Bush II or Obama. Doesn't matter if it was Kerry, Palin, Howard Dean or McCain.

    We're wasting a lot of money on a government which promises too much and delivers too little.

    You might want to make government more effective. I want to make it smaller.

  5. Larry G Avatar
    Larry G

    " You might want to make government more effective. I want to make it smaller."

    You could have a smaller government that included MMS and a given administration could, in turn essentially gut and neuter MMS or any other "downsized" govt agency.

    Is MMS ineffective because it is too big?

    Does downsizing a govt agency make it more effective?

    Is govt that has a "righteous" mission – like the military – effective because their mission is "righteous" or are they just as wasteful and ineffective as other govt agencies?

    Would you do away with FEMA because it's impossible to have a govt agency that does not get too big, waste money, and become ineffective?

    I'm "with" just about everyone who has frustration with the govt these days but enough of us would have to agree on specifics if we want to actually downsize and it's not happening.

    Instead, it's becoming a "movement" without a defined purpose – much like those who become terrorists to attack "the system" in defiance of it's monolithic-osity.

  6. Larry G Avatar
    Larry G

    I have never "got" the teleprompter deal.

    Obama strikes me as someone who speaks off the cuff fairly competently certainly as compared to his predecessor and yet.. those who don't care for the man continue to blather on and on about how he apparently can't express himself without one – which is clearly not true given his ability to engage in Q&A in all manner of venues.

    So when I hear this – in the context of a comment, I always wonder why it's part of the comment.

    So I'll ask Groveton.

    Can you better explain the teleprompter issue?

  7. Groveton Avatar
    Groveton

    Teleprompter is just a foil. The press gave Gerry Ford a terrible time for being clumsy based on a couple of trips going down the gangway from Air Force One. In fact, Gerry Ford was an All American center on Michigan's football team while a student at Michigan. John Kennedy played touch football at Hyannis Port with his sisters. Gerry Ford could have been a professional football player. Yet Kennedy was always pictured as lithe and athletic while Ford was imitated as incapable of standing by Chevy Chase.

    It's the nature of the game.

    Obama uses teleprompters when he gives college commencement speeches. Seems a little "over the top" for a man who was portrayed as a brilliant public speaker who could articulate his vision better than anybody else who ever held the office.

    I see it more as a foible than anything else. Like constantly making fun of George Bush's mis-pronunciation of words despite the fact that he is a Yale grad and a Harvard MBA.

    It's a strategery of political commentatators.

  8. Larry G Avatar
    Larry G

    huh? Obama speaks often without a tele-prompter – right?

    He often takes Q&A from audiences and handles them without major gaffs – right?

    so how can the "strategy" be to diss him about his tele-prompter "need" when it's pretty clear that he can handle himself quite well without it?

    it doesn't make any sense Groveton and it just gives tremendous impetus to the idea that the right wing propaganda machine spews out venom and vile no matter what… and then folks like you pick it up and propagate it.

    which totally undercuts any legitimacy of your otherwise reasonable observations…

    why engage is such disengenous distractions in the first place?

    Is that your way of showing your contempt for this President by just mouthing whatever drivel comes from the right-wing propaganda machine?

    Be an honest broker of opinion Groveton – don't be what the idiots on the far right are.

  9. Groveton Avatar
    Groveton

    Sorry LarryG but he talks on a teleprompter a lot. I've been to many college graduations. In some cases high level politicians spoke. I have never seen anybody need a teleprompter to give a college commencement address. Except Obama.

    And no – actually he doesn't always handle himself so well when he speaks off the cuff. He definitely babbled redistributing wealth when he answered the question from "Joe the Plumber". And he wasn't reading from a carefully crafted speech fed to him on a transportable teleprompter when he said off-shore oil drilling is safe because of the technology on the rigs 18 days before the Deepwater Horizon blew up.

    And he rambles on about health care while sneaking out to Rose Garden for cigarettes.

    And he's played almost 40 rounds of golf since he was inaugurated despite the worst recession since the Great Depression and the worst ecological disaster in US history.

    They guy looks to be hopelessly over his head and his frequent use of teleprompters just serve to amplify that image.

    Sorry, LarryG, but you guys on the left are going to need some much thicker skin for the next 2 1/2 years.
    The facts are the facts.

  10. Groveton Avatar
    Groveton

    Every day is a new treat. Now the general who Obama put in charge of Afghanistan gave an interview to Rolling Stone where he (and some of his aides) mocked Obama (and some of his aides)?

    First, why would a general commanding forces in a war zone give an interview to Rolling Stone?

    Second, how does a general leading the troops during the deadliest period of the 9 year long war have time to give interviews?

    Our Commander in Chief appears to be completely over his head and totally out of control.

    Maybe huff a quick cig and take Marine One over to Andrews for 18?

    I am going to hack into Obama's teleprompter with the following subliminal message, "I will play no more golf until I have my administration under control. I will play no more golf until I have my administration under control.".

  11. Larry G Avatar
    Larry G

    Groveton – he speaks any better or worse than folks like Bush or …. name your guy that speaks that does not "need" a teleprompter…

    Do you really think that everyone who gives a commencement speech 0 does it "off the cuff"?

    Do you think that a written copy to read from is any different than having the same thing projected on a teleprompter?

    This is totally bogus Groveton and you know it.

    you are doing exactly what the right wing propaganda machine folks are doing – you are attacking the person – the man and that's LOW…

    when we use personal attacks in an opinion about some policy or event – that commenter is no longer an honest broker of objective comment in my view – it's just more propaganda… without merit…

    this is what passes for political commentary now days apparently…

    you should start off with all of your comments by saying "I don't like this guy and here's why" and then go into his personal traits that you don't care for which, in turn, invalidates any policies he might advocate for or against.

    If he needs a teleprompter and he sneaks cigarettes then it's clear that he's a bad President, eh?

  12. Larry G Avatar
    Larry G

    Groveton – you're blaming the President for something a General did – and KNEW he was doing it?

    What this proves to me is that this General is a coward.

    It's his way of saying that his plan did not succeed so now he's going to exit the playing field while hurling insults at the coach.

    Why else would ANYONE make such comments KNOWING FULL WELL that they'd be broadcast around the world within hours?

    Why would ANY GENERAL do this?

    what would he be trying to accomplish by doing this?

    As far as I can tell – he got everything he asked for and he has failed to produce and now the war is in trouble so this is his way of quitting the game.

    So much for valor and honor.

  13. Groveton Avatar
    Groveton

    LarryG – In any endeavor a leader has to live with the actions of the people he or she appoints. Or, is that an ad hominum attack too?

    Who knows what McCrystal was thinking? He's back in Washington apologizing for his comments. So, hard as it seems to believe, I think the interview was more of a blunder than a plan. Which brings us back to the question of how much Obama knew about this guy before he put him in charge of the war in Afghanistan.

    I'd guess that McCrystal will be fired over this. I'll wait until I read the full article before committing to a final opinion but, from what I've read so far, I'd be ready to let him go. Truman fired MacArthur during the Korean War. Obama might have to fire McCrystal now.

    Gates is another likely target. I mean – he's a Republican anyway. Might as well clean house. Maybe Obama can coax General Powell out of retirement. You know, head over to Colin's house with a teleprompter and a pack of Marlboro Lights…. 🙂

    Obama could even offer Powell a shot at the VP slot in 2012. Lord knows Biden isn't helping Obama's image.

  14. Larry G Avatar
    Larry G

    Groveton – let's go over this:

    " LarryG – In any endeavor a leader has to live with the actions of the people he or she appoints. Or, is that an ad hominum attack too?"

    Do you mean if you as an employee makes very public disparaging remarks about your employee that we'd argue about whether or not that behavior is an "ad hominum" attack similar to what non-connected commentators might say?

    "Who knows what McCrystal was thinking? He's back in Washington apologizing for his comments. So, hard as it seems to believe, I think the interview was more of a blunder than a plan. Which brings us back to the question of how much Obama knew about this guy before he put him in charge of the war in Afghanistan."

    this is a "blunder" ? ha ha ha ha ha.. Do your think that McCrystal is THIS DUMB? I don't think so. If you think this guy is this dumb, do you really want him in charge of anything?

    "I'd guess that McCrystal will be fired over this. I'll wait until I read the full article before committing to a final opinion but, from what I've read so far, I'd be ready to let him go. Truman fired MacArthur during the Korean War. Obama might have to fire McCrystal now."

    Isn't this REALLY …a COWARD's way of exiting his position instead of admitting failures of his own?

    "Gates is another likely target. I mean – he's a Republican anyway. Might as well clean house. Maybe Obama can coax General Powell out of retirement. You know, head over to Colin's house with a teleprompter and a pack of Marlboro Lights…. :)"

    Huh? Gates was from the get go a self-avowed Republican who made no bones about it – and both he and the President AGREED on his role.

    If Gates is a man of character and I think he is – he would agree to exit on the merits instead of sleazy back-door antics like McCrystal is guilty of.

    One has to recognize that this is not an accidental thing.. that this interview is a purposeful action on his part.

    "Obama could even offer Powell a shot at the VP slot in 2012. Lord knows Biden isn't helping Obama's image."

    I can't believe what you say you believe here guy.

    You're blaming the President for the lily-livered behavior of someone we thought had character and now has proven himself to be a feckless sleaze.

    Why not just come out and say that you had some differences of opinion that could not be reconciled and depart with mutual respect FIRST.

    and THEN go do your interviews where you tell your true feelings ?

    Why do THIS ACT – right now ?

  15. Groveton Avatar
    Groveton

    I think we'll find it's a blunder. McCrystal was too quick to apologize. The comments were too personal. Maybe he got "ambushed" by the Rolling Stone.

    Have no doubt – a naieve error by a man in command of a war zone is a huge problem and makes him worthy of dismissal.

    However, I think we'll find that it's a blunder.

    Why would you you go to the Rolling Stone with a criticism of the President's conduct of the war?

    Also, the comments I have read so far are just weird. Obtuse insults and odd rants. Hardly an orchestrated and methodical critique of Obama's conduct of the war – which is what I'd expect of somebody trying to save his own skin.

    It looks amateurish and I am betting it is a series of blunders. Although, I have to agree with you on one thing … is this guy really naive enough to get caught in a journalistic ambush?

    I guess we'll see over the next few days.

    Maybe McCrystal plans to run for president in 2012 and this is his campaign kick-off.

  16. Anonymous Avatar
    Anonymous

    SMALLER GOVERNMENT OR BETTER GOVERNANCE

    Groveton said:

    “…it doesn't matter whether it's the Exxon Valdez or Hurricane Katrina or the Deepwater Horizon …

    “Big government doesn't work.”

    Now we are getting somewhere.

    First:

    Big government can be managed for better or for worse.

    It is pretty clear who has done worse over the last 60 years.

    There is an interesting article in the 18 Feb 2010 The New Republic on the qualifications of those Bush appointed to key agencies vs the qualifications of those Obama has appointed.

    But BIG or smaller is NOT the issue.

    Of the three ‘disasters’ you list, take Katrina for example:

    Had the head of FEMA known about disaster planning and response instead of Arabian studs (see Obama appointee vs Bush appointee noted in The New Republic article):

    Fewer people would have died and there would have been FAR fewer wasted resources – think FEMA trailers…

    BUT

    To avoid the disaster of Katrina’s total impact it would have taken what Dr. Risse calls Fundamental Transformation of governance structure 30 years BEFORE Katrina hit.

    Federal (Corps of Engineers for starters)

    State (ALL functions)

    Regional (was and still is NONE)

    SubRegional (was and still is NONE)

    Municipal (ALL functions)

    SubMunicipal (was and still is NONE)

    See “Down Memory Lane With Katrina” – just Google the title through the magic of Bacon and the Internet it is the first item in that search.

    Groveton, we need you on the side of making things better, not fussing over who uses a Teleprompter better of who gives the best interviews to Rolling Stone.

    Please try to avoid the mud pit.

    Posts like this only incite Tea Party Anger of Ignorance.

    What specifically do you propose to evolve more functional governance structure?

    Larry had some good, simple steps on debt recently.

    Perhaps the evolution of governance to match economic, social and political reality?

    Our mutual friend Tom J said:

    “I am not an advocate of frequent changes in laws and constitutions but laws and institutions must go hand in hand with the process of the human mind. As than becomes more developed, more enlightened, as new discoveries are made, new truths discovered and manners and opinions change … institutions must advance also to keep pace with the times.”

    Times have changed.

    Please use your time with us to make the world a better place for those children of yours.

    Observer

  17. Larry G Avatar
    Larry G

    the "big govt is bad" narrative is as dumb as it is wrong and I'm constantly amazed by the folks who don't see the obvious disconnects with the narrative.

    Apparently, "big govt" works just fine with the military, with homeland security, with the Patriot Act, NSA, FBI, building walls along borders, Guantanamo, renditions, torture, Tricare for military health care, the Veterans administration, the Nuclear Regulatory folks, NOAA weather forecasting, GPS satellites, seat belts, lead in gasoline, Interstate highways, etc, etc, etc.

    but "big govt" is BAD.. VERY BAD if it is doing something you do not agree with…

    "big govt" is just fine and dandy if it is doing Medicare even if it is going broke – because the same folks who make this point – that it is full of waste and corruption and going broke – will simply not agree to actually do away with it.

    Nope.. Medicare, is terrible but we cannot "afford" to do away with it.

    huh?

    this is an approach to govt – big or small?

    I don't think these folks know their head form a hole in the ground to be honest because there simply is no rhyme or reason to their approach to govt other than what they like and what they don't like..

    Gawd Forbid – we actually elect some folks like this … they'd essentially be like George Bush all over again… where you just make up the laws you think should apply and ignore the ones you don't like and to heck with the Constitution unless o course it supports what you want to believe.

  18. Anonymous Avatar
    Anonymous

    Well, the court just overturned Obama's six month moratorium on deep water drilling.

    RH

  19. Hydra Avatar
    Hydra

    What percentage of our GDP is consumed by our government today?

    25 to 30%, smae as it has been since the war, more or less. But since our GDP is bigger so is government, and it has more to manage. It gets harder as it gets bigger, even though you have more resources.

    Government consumes 30% of our GDP but it also produces 30% of our GDP. While it may not be productive in the sense of a manufacturing concern, government does provide goods and services that Private Enterprise will not and cannot provide.

    RH

  20. Larry G Avatar
    Larry G

    Govt does "take" income from those who earn it but it does not squirrel it away in a vault never again to see the light of day.

    They spend it on Humvees, oil spill booms, safety testing, etc, etc, etc…

    NoVa BOOMS because the govt "re-directs" income from personal luxury items to things the govt says that we need.

    Is there terrible waste in the govt paying a private company to produce Humvees and employ hundreds of workers to do it?

    any more or less so than that same number of workers being paid to supply big screen TVs instead to those who have more of that money instead of the government spending it?

    Could the government be basically in charge of the economy instead of a capitalistic private sector and succeed?

    You tell me since it is the Chinese who are apparently loaning us money rather than the other way around, eh?

  21. Larry G Avatar
    Larry G

    Govt does "take" income from those who earn it but it does not squirrel it away in a vault never again to see the light of day.

    They spend it on Humvees, oil spill booms, safety testing, etc, etc, etc…

    NoVa BOOMS because the govt "re-directs" income from personal luxury items to things the govt says that we need.

    Is there terrible waste in the govt paying a private company to produce Humvees and employ hundreds of workers to do it?

    any more or less so than that same number of workers being paid to supply big screen TVs instead to those who have more of that money instead of the government spending it?

    Could the government be basically in charge of the economy instead of a capitalistic private sector and succeed?

    You tell me since it is the Chinese who are apparently loaning us money rather than the other way around, eh?

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