The Politics of Seduction

And President Barack Obama is a master. Once again, after being backed into a corner during the past couple of months, he came out swinging, slamming an oratorical home run over the left field fence, temporarily making me forget the year that was 2009. I loved the speech. In fact, I love listening to Obama talk. While he talks I am inclined to believe everything he says. I tend to take all that he says at face value. I want the feel good snake oil that he peddles every time he opens his mouth to address the American people. His best speeches are like sex on a crowded beach at high noon, crawling with people, walking by, as you surreptitiously get it on, covered by a not big enough towel with a stranger you met twenty minutes before. A stolen, impulsive adrenaline rush kind of moment that you want to go on forever, but doesn't, because it can't.

And now, its the next day and the thrill is gone. The speech is over leaving only the echo of his voice in your mind. Hollow. The politics of seduction, having worked its magic and done its job, fading away in the cold fog of the morning after.

So in the filtered light of a new day, let's look at the speech, shall we........

Don't ask, don't tell...remains a vague promise....no deadline...sometime this year he will work for it..

Jobs...calling on business to help...like before...tax cuts to make it so....republican solution..another failed attempt at bipartisan politics

Bitch slapped the Supremes....I did like that.....How can these fools not understand that the Sup co ruling just opened us up to some foreign government like China or even rich man Bin Laden, spending bucks to gift wrap a legal Manchurian candidate for the American people...

His announced intention to go forward with health care reform is good...his blast at the scaredy cat democrats who are backing down was on time. My fear is that what will come is even less than what is currently on the table, and what is currently on the table, sucks...no other way to describe it.

President Obama did go school yard on the GOP, putting them on blast for refusing to take part in governance of the country. Did they hear him? Probably not, judging from their response delivered by the latest Mitt Romney clone, who's upside is that he is not Mitt Romney.

This slight of hand spending freeze...put off for a year...but still nothing less than a covert shout out to conservatives..another attempt to placate them.

Liked his tone. Obama took the middle ground between Fresh Prince Carlton and John Shaft. He didn't back down, instead striking just enough of the right note for the conservative talking heads to resurrect the old “he's arrogant” insult again.

If white people call him arrogant, it means he's doing something right like challenging their sense of control. “the boy just won't stay in his place!”

That's a good thing.

So to conclude, I like the speech. It was the right one for the time. Obama is still the best option given the choices of what else is available. It remains to be seen, however, if he was successful at taking back control of his own narrative from the conservative spin doctors.

And I just wish he'd have slapped the GOP obstructionists as hard as he came down on the Supremes.