The cover story of this week’s New York Times Magazine is a lengthy piece entitled The Obamas’ Marriage that could come straight from the pages of People. I didn’t make it through, not because I was angry with its fawning hortatory tone (no surprise there), but because I got bored. I’m not very interested in the etiology of the Obamas anymore, particularly bowdlerized versions in the Times. I’ve given up hope of ever finding out what young Barack actually did at Occidental and Columbia or even reading a snippet of what he wrote, if anything, for the Harvard Law Review.
No, when I read this tedious New York Times piece, I was reminded of Lerner & Lowe’s immortal “Show Me.” We all remember the lyrics: Words, words, words, I’m so sick of words/ I get words all day through/First from him, now from you/Is that all you blighters can do, etc. (Here’s Julie Andrews in the original Broadway production.)
So I’m not really interested in Obama as a man (or as a husband). I’m interested in what he does. And most of that, of late, he has done in secret. We know more about his marriage than about how the healthcare legislation was drafted or how its contents are being negotiated. As Politico told us a few days ago:
When Barack Obama was running for president, he vowed to lead the most open and transparent government in history. Candidate Obama even promised to negotiate health care reform live on television.
Then it came time to govern, and President Obama has negotiated major parts of the health care bill behind closed doors. Earlier this year, he announced deals his administration had cut with drug companies and hospitals after brokering them out of public view. And now his top lieutenants are working in secret with leading Democrats to craft the health care bill that will be debated on the Senate floor.
What the Times is giving us then in their Couples Hagiography is a form of distraction that is probably deliberate. If you love the people, you wont care what they are doing. Trust them – they’re nice folks. Well, okay, but the reaction of someone like me is that I trust them less. Sure, you could say that I am already an Obama skeptic, but I suspect I am not alone in recoiling at this public relations flackery. It even makes me suspicious when I read things about the Obama administration I applaud, like the recent news from Jerusalem that US has for once given the Israelis a break – but perhaps that was Hillary’s doing. You can bet the Times isn’t writing puffery about her marriage… Well, maybe they would.
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46 Comments
1. Pajamas Media » Obama’s False Transparency:[...] Read the entire piece here. [...]
Nov 1, 2009 - 11:29 am 2. XiaoMei:It’s also known as changing the subject. Michelle is the perfect diversion I guess, considering her high approval ratings — although how she maintains them is beyond me.
Nov 1, 2009 - 12:51 pm 3. Gaffe Prices:The word “shall” makes its appearance in this “health scare”/Death care screed some 8000 times. And that’s “shall” as in the legal sense of you will or else. That’s about 4 “shalls” per page. Legally binding “shalls we’re ostensibily supposed to “abide by”.
This is just like stimulus bill, Apollo Alliance wrote that one; no representative or senator wrote, has read, or will read this 2000 page abomination. but they’ll get their own rubber stamp what for to stamp it with.
But they’ve miscalculated again; they got the majority, but they don’t got the votes.
And they aren’t going to get them neither.
Nemesis is close behind, it’s his very shadow. Their superstitions and their usual thefts won’t conjure up a victory here. Puff pieces intended to obfuscate and change the subject, like trolls on a thread, only gonna make matters worse for them.
Ironic that it is their dreaded Saturn, who has beheaded their chicken of leadership; the body can run around with “date nights”, and veegin gardens, free rides for saudi supporters on Air Force One, broadway shows, and gridlock and expense where ever it occurs, overnighters to Copenhagen, exploiting children for their political ads, and all their other gypsy stunts: but the blood will run out, long before the taxpayer funding of it will.
good luck, you suck, you suck at what you do. Too bad there’s not a nobel, or a pulitzer for Insipid, or maybe there is; that’s what they’ve reduced themselves to.
Nov 1, 2009 - 1:32 pm 4. Professor Guvinoff:That health care monstrosity is neither healthy nor careful. If we don’t get distracted by the allure of the engineered biceps-enhanced gossip, we will see it for what it is, and reject it soundly. Right now the closest thing available to oppose the marxist tsunami is to elect Hoffman, McDonnel and Christie. Their electoral buoyancy surpasses their local appeal. The nationwide fears and frustrations with the subversion from the top (would it be called “superversion” if it had a name?) is where the extra kick comes from.
If you don’t have anything more than hand flags, you will figure out the semaphore code to send whatever signals must urgently be broadcasted. It’s not enough to stop the presidential hubris, but it’s enough to signal the predictable stoppage when the angry balloting goes “viral”, in 2010.
Nov 1, 2009 - 2:04 pm 5. Delia:The only thing ‘transparent’ thus far about this administration is how blatantly ‘opaque’ it has been beginning with Barry securing the continued concealment of the following records:
Indonesian Passport – Not released
Immigration Records – Not released
Obama-Dunham Marriage License – Not released
Soetoro-Dunham Marriage License – Not released
Soetoro Adoption Records – Not Released
Fransiskus Assisi School Application – Not released
Punahou School Records – Not released
Selective Service Registration – Only a counterfeit version generated
Occidental College records – Not released
Columbia College Records – Not released
Columbia Thesis – Not released
Harvard College Records – Not released
Medical Records – Not released
Illinois State Senate Records – Not released
Law Practice Client List – Not released
University of Chicago Scholarly Articles – None
The bait-n-switch 0bamas can try as they might, but Jack & Jackie they ain’t.
Nov 1, 2009 - 2:05 pm 6. Delia:Oops. I replied to a comment that was moderated out.
Anyway, the disappointing thing about the ‘transparency’ promise is the complete 180° Barry did as soon as he ‘won’ the presidency without so much as a feigned attempt to show he even halfheartedly meant it.
Nov 1, 2009 - 3:08 pm 7. Roger L Simon:The reason a comment above was deleted was that it was homophobic. Not welcome on this blog. Thank you.
Nov 1, 2009 - 3:14 pm 8. Steve:Great post. Obama thinks politics is poker and if he shows his cards he loses. I wonder if this is an Alinksy rule. He may think he is being clever or he may not know what else to do. Either way he is creating mistrust and stirring dissent.
Nov 1, 2009 - 3:34 pm 9. Poor Citizen:I have to say that I share some of your concern. I remember years ago when 3 year old son was making noise in his room, I did not worry so much, when he was quiet..I would check it out. Most often, no problem, but then sometimes I would find him up to no good. Same could be with this president. From the left of center, I think he is getting ready to sell out, or should I say, compromise on the public option..or something else…to get broader support for health care reform. It would break a campaign pledge, but for some reason, he is really stuck on getting as much moderate support for this bill as possible. I can also understand the concern about “back door deals” from the right as well. After all, if he shores up big insurance/ drug company support, the right wing has little or no chance left of getting reform defeated. So both sides….are listening and watching…..the door, for very good reason….
Nov 1, 2009 - 3:42 pm 10. Hyphenated American:Poor Citizen:
Did you just call our first African-American president “a boy”? You, racist, you. It’s like you are the voice inside Dawd’s head…
Nov 1, 2009 - 4:24 pm 11. Hyphenated American:Conservatives should stop being nice, and should start following Alinsky’s ideas. We must make Obama follow his own rules. Obama wants to spread the welath? Obama wants everyone to have same healthcare? All children should have same coverage? All right, comrade. Then same applies to you and your children. No more jumping in front of the line to get the vaccine. My children should be treated no better than the children of a welfare bum? My kids should stand in the same line for 3 hours with the kids of illegal immigrants? Fair enough – then send YOUR Natasha and Malia, and have them stand together with my kids. If you want social justice – then live it, don’t push it on others.
The GOP must start exploiting the popular anger. How about a quick comparison – long lines for the vaccines for the middle class – Obama’s children just got theirs without any trouble – Obama talking about how all kids are precious and how all have to be treated the same. Come on, fight back, dammit it.
For more, read my blog:
http://hyphenatedamericans.blogspot.com/
BTW, the Soviet elite was defeated when the plebs questionned the government perks. It’s a devastating weapon – when the left claims everyone is equal, and yet demands special treatment – heck, it makes those buerucrats really uncomfortable when people start asking questions…
Nov 1, 2009 - 4:31 pm 12. stuart williamson:You are absolutely right about articles like the NYT’s “two hearts with but a single thought” bilge. It is so corny its like an old-fashioned Hollywood Star magazine piece. It is pablum fed to the blind disciples to keep his ratings up.
It is increasingly apparent that the whole White House organization is a boiler room set up by uber-propagandist Axelrod and Chief-Comiver Emanuel. Obama conceives nothing, directs nothing, leads nothing. His role is to be cool, play golf, play with Bo and the girls, look pretty, and lull the herd by reading the teleprompters. He is less a front man than a cover-up for the big Chicago Sting. A Red Herring. The real effort goes into 2,000 page drafts of bills, orchestrated by commisariats like Van Jones. who made the fatal error of identifying himself as a Communist.
The only reason the Ayers/Axelrod cabal were able to execute a bloodless coup and take over the White House is the total lack of exposing the dirty swamp in which Obama was raised and thrived.
Nov 1, 2009 - 4:43 pm 13. Barry Dauphin:OT
For any old commenters around, I read that PeterUK passed away. Here’s a link to a tribute page.
Nov 1, 2009 - 5:02 pm 14. Roger L Simon:Sorry to hear that, Barry. Would you mind reposting the link?
Nov 1, 2009 - 5:03 pm 15. Delia:“The first couple’s frequent joking appears to help them cope with the epic changes in their lives. Here, they share laughs while waiting to greet world leaders at the Group of 20 Summit meeting in Pittsburgh.”
Oh brudda.
Nov 1, 2009 - 5:14 pm 16. Sebastian Shaw:The only thing transparent in the Obama Administration is President Obama’s thin skin when it comes to any kind of criticism; his only response is to lash out & try to shut down the conversation. He did it against Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, & Fox News which all backfired in his face. He did the same at some obscure car website when they discovered the Cash For Clunkers cost $24,000 per car instead of the original stated amount. President Obama acts more like a spoiled, rotten Veruca Salt child than any POTUS. In the meantime, Obama’s popularity parachute has turned into a very heavy stone. This is not going to end well.
Nov 1, 2009 - 5:29 pm 17. Subliminal:What a cool post thanks for sharing.
Nov 1, 2009 - 6:00 pm 18. Barry Dauphin:Here’s the link for Peter Bocking AKA PuterUK (I hope it works, wish this had preview function)
Nov 1, 2009 - 6:16 pm 19. Baker:I think Mr. Obama needs to worry about the econmy, the unemployment, the dollar and foreign policy, etc and keep his marriage issue in his bedroom. People careless about private, he promised to fix the countries problems so far he has done nothing. One year done and three to go. Healthcare is not an issue, it is an issue in his mind.
Nov 1, 2009 - 7:29 pm 20. SukieTawdry:Boring article about boring people (at least the first third of the article, as far as I got, was boring–the people, I’m sure, remained boring to the end). Loved how Dear Leader is “annoyed”–and if he admits to “annoyed,” you know he must be seething–because he can’t take his wife on a date without it becoming political. He’s annoyed. The two are really quite tone deaf and display a number of the most unattractive qualities of the nouveaux riches. Class tells.
God speed to Peter Bocking, a man of wit and substance who will be missed. RIP, Peter.
Nov 1, 2009 - 8:50 pm 21. Delia:19. SukieTawdry,
There’s some twisted irony eh? Someone gets into politics and then complains about things getting ‘political’. Well, yeah…uh, when you spend money that isn’t yours to do personal stuff that’s kinda…erm…POLITICAL. lol
Nov 1, 2009 - 10:19 pm 22. Andrew_M_Garland:I want to ask Obama,
o Have you collected or done research supporting the health care policies that you refer to as your plan?
o Will you identify or release this research, so that others may agree with you on the facts and understand your approach? If not, why not?
Nov 1, 2009 - 11:07 pm 23. Terry:Image over substance, cult of personality, but mostly, a distraction from the failure of policy. Obama is the president of the naive, the gullible, & the uninformed.
Nov 2, 2009 - 1:00 am 24. Gaffe Prices:Staging the various puff’n'fluff PR photo ops and NYT puff pieces and then going on to pretend to complain about “not having any privacy” is just the follow-up part to the whole PR stunt(s) to begin with. It demonstrates the transparent, disingenuous, patronizing, dishonest, and lame strategy they intend to serve as interference for their cupidic schemes to rob us all of our privacy, and rape the last of the previously sacrosanct doctor/patient confidentiality.
And that’s already more transparency than this puerile administration ever planned on.
I mentioned previously the planet Saturn only because this paranoid, superstitious administration places so much
stockhope in such astrological predictive mumbo-jumbo capability- “We must pass this legislation NOW!!”, The stars have aligned!!!”-B.O.Last year, Imperial Jupiter dominated the sky, and now Saturn casts a shadow over 0bama night and day. He’ll pine for the good old days for the rest of his term, but it will be too late for Imperial jupiter to return and save his royal bacon. (I know you’re watching)
Also, I’m not a homophobe, but I resent the hell out of the Jesse Jackson/al Sharpton style hustler mafia that claims to represent them; I’ve never said anything about them any worse than they say about themselves to each other, and isn’t that the way of political correctness: they can say whatever they want about me, put crosses in urine*, pretend its funny, but I must curb my enthusiasm (to coin a phrase) for them.
Muslim groups do this every day, and have surpassed and eclipsed all the other victims group mafias in accumulating silent but deadly politically correct concessions, from textbooks to honor killings, you name it. This was the faustian bargain of fast tracking the agenda of balkanizing us all into groups and the sowing of this endless web of multiple hegelian struggles. A tower of Babel with guess who ascending to the top for totalitarian control
It’s like the teachers union, trying to force the will of it’s timesitting membership on all of us, when there is no constitutional mandate at all for national participation in education whatsoever. The first schools in this country were church schools. The
federalnational intrusion of government here is analogous to drug dealers buying their way into kids lives by making the first hit free, and making us all pay for the rest while peddling their agenda at our expense, unsupervised by representative government. Now look who’s bought their way into Harvard, Yale, and countless other schools across the country in the lurch of eradicating the church tradition in United States education. (*Hint*- It rhymes with ‘Claudia Rabies uh’)If saudi arabia wants to hijack the arcane Muscovian plan for demoralization of america, there aren’t any Anita Dunns who are willing to stand in their way or quibble; and what’s the hitch in them joining forces anyway? They both have the goal of eradicating christianity and Judaism in common. They have that going for them.
If or when they hit on me my strategy is to play dumb and pretend I can’t possibly get what it is they are driving at, so as to spare them and I any attention focussed on their poor, used-car salesmanship. I don’t care, I choose to avoid a confrontation on what they prefer to engage in; I would appreciate if the mafia’s that claim to represent them would drop the agenda and stop the agitation, but that’s not likely to happen anytime soon. There’s one of me versus government funding for them.
I know of no poll result specifically screening the so-called same sex demographic showing anything close to unanimity or majority on the same sex marriage issue. I also know that such polls have been taken, and the results of the polls point to the reasons why such poll results are not released. And if positive poll results start showing up at this point, I’ll have good reason to suspect that the Kinsey method of “scientific” research is at work. Such is the current politically charged climate we live in today, where large portions of the assaultive media is on hand to serve as handmaiden for the sake of an out of control agenda.
they’ve pushed this thing way to far as it is, and created a Franken-state monster that won’t be cleaned up with Obamas mop. [see getamop.com] The sorcerer’s apprentice would be a more apt apology.
*BTW, Sarano was making a comment on the state of christianity, or Judeo/Christian freedom in this climate- he was saying “This is what christianity has been reduced to; this is what some people think should be done with christian tradition”. He was not presenting it for the “me too” adoption of the edgy and the hip, although that’s pretty much exactly what the hip and the edgy have done; they have lurched into the void of their own miasma, and interpret it as part of some secularized litany.
Nov 2, 2009 - 2:03 am 25. Can't Get Enough of Those Obamas or Not - Politics and Other Controversies - Democrats, Republicans, Libertarians, Conservatives, Liberals, Third Parties, Left-Wing, Right-Wing, Congress, President - City-Data Forum:[...] [...]
Nov 2, 2009 - 6:05 am 26. Sally:Given the general state of marriage as an institution these days and the number of children born to single moms, especially in the African-American community, it’s probably not such a horrible thing that the Obamas offer their own up as an example of a positive, loving marriage that both parties work on and treasure.
Nov 2, 2009 - 6:08 am 27. rrbs:The sad thing to me, I’ve said this before, is that the MSM treats Health Care Reform like a football game. The football is the health care bill(s). We know, and are told, virtually nothing about the actual football, just that one team is trying to get it over the goal line, and the other team (those Bastards!!) are trying to prevent it. I want to know about the football!! Most of the milquetoast articles you read in Time, Newsweek, NYT, etc. are of a similar vein. I can’t stand reading the NYT. There is virtually no news there most of the time, unless they’re exposing “classified information” from some unnamed high official. It just meandering prose. The folks that write the articles should switch to writing romance novels, it’s clear that’s what they really want to do.
Nov 2, 2009 - 6:09 am 28. bibio44:“False transparency: we know more about the Obama’s marriage than we do about healthcare”
Because – goddammit! – we’re sure as hell not gonna read the healthcare bill!
“I’ve given up hope of ever finding out what young Barack actually did at Occidental and Columbia….”
Gee, Rog, did it also incense you when W declared his pre-born-again shananigans off-limits?
Nov 2, 2009 - 6:41 am 29. Banjo:The people who base their political opinions on what they read in People magazine and the other glossies that swoon over the Obamas won’t be voting next year on the merits of O’s first term. The country will take a long step back toward its natural orientation. The question will be how long ot tales to undo the damage.
Nov 2, 2009 - 7:00 am 30. Instapundit » Blog Archive » ROGER SIMON: False transparency: we know more about the Obamas’ marriage than we do about healthcar…:[...] ROGER SIMON: False transparency: we know more about the Obamas’ marriage than we do about healthcare. [...]
Nov 2, 2009 - 8:07 am 31. Cynic:Barry Dauphin,
Nov 2, 2009 - 8:12 am 32. Calvin Dodge:Usually I don’t have time nowadays for anything more than reading the actual posts and now that I hit comments I get to see your sad news about PeterUK whose comments I so enjoyed reading from way before pajamas media came on the scene.
The Israelis have a word for it – davka.
Obamamart, where transparency is a slogan.
(apologies to Bruce McCall)
Nov 2, 2009 - 9:23 am 33. Maureen Martin:The Obama marriage? What bearing does it have on Obama’s statesmanship, or lack thereof. Lenin was deeply attached to Nadya Krupskaya. That did not make him any less lethal.
Nov 2, 2009 - 9:40 am 34. gk1:At what point will the MSM feel embarassed by printing this fawning crap about all things obama? They are receiving daily reminders from the public through plummeting revenues it is unwanted. And the idea that they (big media) think they will get some sort of federal bail out is laughible as even they can do simple math to know they would only get a pittance from the feds. It borders on neurosis, what they are doing to themselves.
Nov 2, 2009 - 9:58 am 35. Andy Freeman:> Gee, Rog, did it also incense you when W declared his pre-born-again shananigans off-limits?
Back at you.
Unless you’re arguing that W was correct, “W did it” isn’t a defense of Obama. It’s actually an attack.
Hint: If you claim that W was evil/wrong, saying that Obama is the same is claiming that Obama is evil/wrong.
Nov 2, 2009 - 10:07 am 36. blotto:Roger: So you don’t like someone questioning your motives and policies. And nobody here knows because you control the access point.
Nov 2, 2009 - 10:43 am 37. Jim Lindgren:Roger,
Late in the 2008 campaign, it was revealed that President Obama was the author of an unsigned student note in the Harvard Law Review. He did not list it on his 1990s resumes, which is very odd.
I just skimmed excerpts, but it struck me as PC, liberal (not radical), and fairly boring.
Jim Lindgren
Nov 2, 2009 - 11:35 am 38. Poor Citizen:Northwestern Univ.
volokh.com
To No: 10, the hepher american
I make comments here, I do not ignorant comments like yourself and I do not have the time to teach you how to read or the what words mean. Besides, your much better off with your IQ level, trust me, you will continue to enjoy your life by jus bein u. Good Luck.
Nov 2, 2009 - 12:10 pm 39. Rob:“My Fair Lady” may be immortal, but it seems the spelling of Fritz Loewe’s name is not. O tempore O mores.
Nov 2, 2009 - 12:11 pm 40. bibio44:32. NCBob: “Actually, we know very little about the Kenyan’s marriage. The only reason he has refused to release his medical records (Bush did!) is that he has a problem that many would have held against him had they known. Drug addiction or AIDS could be his secret. My view is that Obama is impotent and the release of his medical records would bring the paternity of Michelle’s two girls into even greater doubt.”
No need to delete this comment, Rog. Seems consistent with the rest of PJM.
Nov 2, 2009 - 12:18 pm 41. Roger L Simon:Good point, bibio44. I am deleting. I am sure you are sympathetic with the fact that I run a company and can’t monitor all comments closely – not even yours. We are currently reviewing our comment system to possibly bring in closer to PJTV and vice-versa. That would entail genuine registration and no anonymity.
Nov 2, 2009 - 12:22 pm 42. Dred Scott:Why not switch to a log-in system, Roger? Then it can be the “column without rules.”
Nov 2, 2009 - 7:17 pm 43. Oxy alum:Roger states he’s given up hope of ever finding out what young Barack actually did at Occidental. Well, I was there one year while he was (I am a year younger) and I can tell you a little about it. I remember the anti-apartheid movement and the student speakers holding rallies on the steps of Coon Hall (talk about a bad name for an administration building). Obama of course was one of the demonstrators and key speakers. I have read the names of some of his Oxy professors and in particular the ones he sought out and yes, there were avowed Marxists among our faculty, although to my knowledge I had no classes with then-Barry. I was an econ major, and I’m not sure what his declared major was. I remember the manly pick-up basketball games that the cool kids (and assorted professors) held—which makes me laugh when I see the flak he’s getting now for holding similar men-only events at the White House. Perhaps most vivid in my memory, though, was that the Oxy of the early 80s was a place where the African American students (then known as “black”) all sat together in a long table in the middle of the dining hall to take their meals. It was never officially designated, but you knew you had to be black to sit at that table.
Nov 2, 2009 - 8:42 pm 44. Arthur K:There are many things to worry about, and be concerned about.
Obama could certainly be one.
But, the true worry is the falure of the “Free Press” – or has it not been “Free” for a long time.
This should worry everyone!!
Nov 2, 2009 - 10:13 pm 45. Can't Get Enough of Those Obamas or Not - Politics and Other Controversies - Democrats, Republicans, Libertarians, Conservatives, Liberals, Third Parties, Left-Wing, Right-Wing, Congress, President - Page 2 - City-Data Forum:[...] [...]
Nov 3, 2009 - 10:22 am 46. MacHeath:Sukie Tawdry, (#20), love your handle. For three pennies I’d ask you to marry me. And yes, PeterUK will definitely be missed. I hadn’t heard before today that his voice will no longer be with us.
Nov 4, 2009 - 2:30 pmAs for Teh One…was it Dorothy Parker who said, “Time wounds all heels.”? Mrs. Parker was deadly accurate on so many things; need we simply mark time?