That’s not Obama being “outplayed.” That’s just McConnell being a partisan asshole.
4 Likes
That’s semantics, and you know it. McConnell outplayed Obama in this situation (and re: Garland, but that’s a different discussion) by being a partisan asshole who was willing to erode our system of government for partisan gain. McConnell should be condemned by history as a corrosive figure in our government who represented the worst of partisan politics. But that doesn’t mean we can’t also recognize that Obama should bear some criticism for letting McConnell outmaneuver him and leaving him with no other option than to do nothing.
1 Like
No, it’s not.
To say Obama was “outplayed” by McConnell suggests that McConnell is a better political strategist. He isn’t. This wasn’t even McConnell’s strategy to begin with, it was Putin’s.
“Refusing to take bipartisan action against a hostile foreign power manipulating the election” doesn’t make someone a master player on the world stage, it just makes them a traitor and a coward.
4 Likes
A traitor and a coward who got exactly what he wanted, while his political opponent didn’t get what he wanted.
I think you may interpreting my argument that McConnell outplayed Obama here as some kind of endorsement of McConnell’s geopolitical genius. Believe me, it isn’t. He’s a moral coward whose willingness to harm the country got him what he wanted.
But let me ask you this to try and figure out where any actual disagreement may lie: do you believe Obama should be held blameless for Russia interfering in our election, and/or its ultimate outcome?
I believe that if Obama knew then what we all know now then he might have been able to take actions that would have changed the outcome of the election.
I have yet to see any examples of Obama making grave and obvious missteps on how he handled the Russia interference given the information that he had at the time.
2 Likes
Not for nothing, but Obama was in charge of all the agencies that were supposed to know these things. It’s not a 1:1 analogy, but if Bush had a time machine and could go back to 9/10 he would have done some things differently, too.
I’m honestly not trying to argue for the sake of it, though. I concede that one could make an argument that Obama’s actions (or, more specifically, his non-actions) were actually the best course available to him at the time given the alternatives and their down sides.
But that argument is most definitely not open and shut, nor does it preclude the criticism I believe Obama is due for allowing that situation where he was placed in a no win scenario to arise in the first place.
Or, just pay them. I did, about three months ago, and found that I use it often. Side benefit: supporting investigative journalism.
7 Likes
Do you have any reason to believe that Obama ignored intelligence reports that Russia was trying to manipulate the election, or that he refused to allocate the necessary resources to mount a counterintelligence effort?
1 Like
There is an aphorism: “Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity.”
Some people say that Heinlein said it first: “You have attributed conditions to villainy that simply result from stupidity”, and called it the devil theory fallacy
Anyway, you seem to have ignored this sage advice. How about I put forth an even less sexy theory?
The Democracts kneecapped a popular candidate because they had status quo bias and thought Bernie couldn’t possibly truly be popular or win. They pushed their planned candidate despite all evidence being that she was awful and that she had become less popular since 2008. They were simply stupid.
1 Like
I have reason to believe that his actions and inactions were insufficient to prevent exactly what Russia was attempting to accomplish. I don’t think we can really disagree about that.
I can’t wait to read on The Intercept how this book represents such poor journalism.
1 Like
And now this guy is…
… sigh.
Potato, potato. Regardless of McConnel’s political savvy, or lack thereof, he succeeded in derailing everything. I – from my armchair with 20/20 hindsight vision – agree with @anon21100188 ; a better “Plan B” would have been super.
Because, see photo above… that guy is the leader of our country.
Maybe not, but that guy is absolutely ignoring them, and is totally willing to let the Russians do it again in 2018 and 2020.
As long as he feels like the prettiest girl in the pageant, the rest of the country can go fuck ourselves.
2 Likes
I’d have an easier time blaming Obama for all this if someone explained exactly what he did wrong. Even in hindsight, I haven’t heard any specific actionable suggestions for how he could’ve averted this mess.
3 Likes
I can’t speak for anyone else (and I understand this wasn’t specifically directed at me), but I should be clear that I most definitely don’t blame Obama for all of this. I just don’t absolve Obama from all blame in all of this, either.
That’s fair, but it’s not terribly difficult to imagine alternatives to what was actually done.
Memorialize the conversation with McConnell however you have to, and then tell him that not only will you hold the press conference without him, but you will lay out for the American people how he refused to take part even though the intelligence is clear because he wants to benefit from it. Force that charisma-free prick to stand up and pick a side.
Go to Graham and McCain, and a half dozen other GOP Senators, lay out all the intelligence for them and tell them that can stand with you at the press conference or let it be known that they did nothing while Russia interfered.
Use our counter-intelligence agencies to actually, you know, counter what the Russians were doing. Work with Google/Twitter/Facebook to root out bots and agitprop, expose agents like Butina, and cut off Russian money.
3 Likes
Nor is it terribly difficult to imagine how those alternatives could have yielded consequences just as bad or worse.
There were no good options.
1 Like
Of course not. But you were positing that no alternatives were being offered.
And, as I pointed out above, I think Obama letting the situation evolve into one in which there were no good options available is something for which he bears some blame.
Even simpler: the Democrats didn’t “kneecap” Bernie, he just wasn’t as genuinely popular even among the likely Democratic primary voters than his hardcore supporters thought.
2 Likes
He also didn’t have billions of dollars of dark money over a decade or so poured into making him look as bad as possible. So he has that going for him, which is nice…
3 Likes
Every time he says “I love Canada” or “We love Canada”, I reach for the Purex. (It kills fungus.)
3 Likes
