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2016 Postmortem
Related: About this forumAfter getting the Benghazi and IRS stories completely wrong, pundits write off the president again
The pernicious myth of Obamas incompetenceMonths after getting the Benghazi and IRS stories completely wrong, pundits write off the president again
BY JOAN WALSH
Excuse me if I sit out this round of hyperventilating over President Obamas alleged incompetence on matters ranging from the Affordable Care Act roll out to the NSA spying scandal. Because we just played this game last spring.
Five months ago cable news and the Web were aflame with charges that the Obama White House had reached either a new level of tyranny or ineptitude after supposed new revelations about Benghazi, the IRS non-scandal and the administrations spying on journalists. In fact, the heavy-handed investigation of leaks targeting journalists in creepy new ways was the only story that merited serious coverage (and of course it faded more quickly than the other two.) Likewise, the revelations that the NSA is listening in on the cellphone calls of our allies, and reports that Obama didnt know about it, is the story that really matters. But weve got wall-to-wall coverage of hearings on the ACA, with the NSA stuff thrown in to make all of the Has Obama lost control of government? (an actual chyron on CNN yesterday) hyperventilating more defensible.
So Richard Cohen hysterically declares the latest mess a question of competence (Obamas, of course). If that sounds familiar, its because the National Journals Josh Krashaar wrote about Obamas crisis of competence in the wake of the Benghazi/IRS/reporter-spying scandals. Declaring the president incompetent may be a new symptom of false equivalence and journalistic balance OK, the right says Obama is evil (and a Kenyan Muslim usurper ineligible to be president), and we wont go that far. The left says hes being sabotaged by an extremist Republican Party that wont accept his legitimacy; well, thats a little shrill. Lets find something in the middle; how about incompetent?
Over at CBS, conservative favorite Sharyl Attkisson told us in May that even her White House sources admitted to incompetence on Benghazi. Were portrayed by Republicans as either being lying or idiots, said one Obama administration official. Its actually closer to us being idiots. On USNews.com, Lara Brown derided a clueless White House while USA Today asked Is Obama under siege? and advanced the storyline that the administration was guilty of incompetence if not malice in the trifecta of alleged scandals.
full article
http://www.salon.com/2013/10/30/the_pernicious_myth_of_obama%E2%80%99s_%E2%80%9Cincompetence%E2%80%9D/
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After getting the Benghazi and IRS stories completely wrong, pundits write off the president again (Original Post)
DonViejo
Oct 2013
OP
Predictions of imminent and terminal doom of President Obama/Democrats
Proud Liberal Dem
Oct 2013
#2
SunSeeker
(51,571 posts)1. K & R
Proud Liberal Dem
(24,414 posts)2. Predictions of imminent and terminal doom of President Obama/Democrats
everytime there is a (largely) media- and/or Republican-driven spate of "bad news" for the Obama Administration/Democrats is getting really tiresome, particularly when you consider the previous (mis-)Administration of George W. Bush, whose incompetence and/or bad choices actually, literally, harmed and killed lots of people. President Obama's missteps/mistakes have largely resulted in little more than bad publicity and/or inconveniences for some.