Comments on: Trying Not to Listen

By: That Seventies President » Postmodern Conservative | A First Things Blog

Fri, 15 Feb 2013 03:43:53 +0000

[...] is a sense that Peter Lawler is right when he called Obama SOTU “reactionary.” There are no new New Deals or Great Societies. There is something really old fashioned about [...]

By: Robert Cheeks

Robert Cheeks — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 23:44:34 +0000

It saddens me to see you collapsing into the proverbial ‘slough of despond,’ not to mention Carl’s poignant albeit oxymoronic comment referencing ‘reasonable Democrats.’

It strikes me that the Logos becomes real, in immanent terms, to people in times of great suffering.

By: Kate Pitrone

Kate Pitrone — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 22:30:31 +0000

Bob, my point is — THEY KNOW that what the president has proposed is awful and will not work. I look forward to Pete taking the speech apart. But Peter, I really did not hear anything like “the era of big government is over” from the president. Rather the opposite. However, the president cannot really propose any further great expansion of government while everyone knows that we cannot pay for what we have. The minimalist tweaking is going to be damned expensive, although it is a blip in the deficit since the deficit is as large as it is. Yet, he does propose more of the same and says it all will not mean more expense. Who believes that? That matter of the expense of government was what he both spoke to and did not speak to, because he claimed he has the deficit under control, while complaining that Republicans won’t let him get it under control. Well, which is it?

I spent today at the art museum and therefore do not know where the national conversation about this has gone. I can imagine where it has gone, but should not assume. Carl, I am trying not to despair, but truly I understood your cri de coeur, while agreeing with some your critics that our emoting about our despair probably does not much good. Honestly, if we cannot even look at Marco Rubio or any of our conservative young fellows and make ourselves believe “it is morning in America again” then we are likely to descend into one long commentitious whine, which is what I keep hearing from the Right (and certainly not just here) and dread being part of. It will not be morning in America until everyone wakes up and wipes the sweet dreams of heaven on earth from the eyes. Maybe that’s God’s purpose? To let us surfeit ourselves on the state as god?

I wished I could become prosecutorial with the NPR reporters. When did they know what they know?

By: Steve Billingsley

Steve Billingsley — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 22:02:21 +0000

The best way I can describe the speech was “small”.

Tonally progressive, yes – but not particularly ambitious. Wonky on its face – but with no “there” there.

It just makes me shake my head.

By: Robert Cheeks

Robert Cheeks — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 20:18:33 +0000

” During busy work I often listen to National Public Radio. ”

Mrs. Cheeks allows me to listen to classical stuff on the commie radio channel, outta Pittsburgh. But, I must agree to turn if off when the commie news from NPR comes on.
She’s right, of course.

By: Trying Not to Listen | CATHOLIC FEAST

Trying Not to Listen | CATHOLIC FEAST — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 20:05:27 +0000

[...] I simply couldn’t bring myself to listen to the president last night. I honor the office, or want to. Honor implies some sort of trust and I cannot find that in myself any longer. I did not listen last night because I cannot stand to hear the Source: Postmodern Conservative [...]

By: Peter Lawler

Peter Lawler — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 19:59:31 +0000

As Yuval says over there at NRO, the speech was “tonally” but not substantially progressive. It was substantially defensive on belf of minimalist tweaking of unsustainable entitlements. It really didn’t point in any big way to bigger government.

By: Gail Finke

Gail Finke — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 18:57:01 +0000

As the saying goes, “there are lies, and there are damn lies.” I could not bring myself to listen last night, as the administration has clearly gone from the first to the second, and most people don’t seem to care.

By: HT

HT — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 18:06:02 +0000

If it cheers you up, there are some intelligent conservative folks over at TAC (such as Ron Unz) advocating a higher minimum wage as a practical economic stimulant.

The most dispiriting thing about O for me is that he has largely continued (and maybe even exceeded, in droneland) the GWOT policies of the previous administration. His taste in appointments, from Hillary on is also about as atrocious as Bush’s was. (At least he *probably* won’t invade a country needlessly, though you never can tell, such is the bipartisan consensus on bad foreign policy.)

By: Brad

Brad — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 17:59:02 +0000

But it was Progressive – the line about the Constitution making us “partners of progress” and all the times he tried to preempt charges that govt cant solve every problem. Rubio was overly sentimental and non-specific, thought he was going to cry at one point – like Biden did as he listened to Obama speak about rights. But Rubio did, in a weak kind of way, call Obama a liar.