Howard Fineman talking to Tony Kornheiser about SOTU

[Captain Hilts]

Tony's a pretty good progressive.

TK: I hope the SOTU doesn't compete with American Idol.
HF: I've just come from a WH briefing on the SOTU...
TK: what's the state of the union
HF: It's dreck. The problem O has is hemade some decisions last year -even before he was inaugurated that were correct. Throw money and credit at the problem AIG, get the Fed to borrow to keep the system from collapsing. He was wise to accept the exisiting policy framework. He doesn't get any credit for that. Some deicsions after that - the stimulus package - which saved jobs - millions of more jobs have been lost. Unempl has gone from 7 to 10^%. Real unemployment is 17%. In DC it's 12% unemployment. A lot are sufferiing. Middle class people are scared. They think Obama is relying too much on government. Right wingers don't ever want it. Those that do think the govt. hasn't done well.

TK: what is the state of Obama?
HF: Most polls show on a personal level people haven't lost hope in him. They're quesitoning if he can be as good a prez as he was a candidate. It was a mistake to spend a year chasing a health care reform that looks like it's not going to happen. He took his eye off the ball on job creation. They're going to focus on jobs and the ecoomy. Financial reform, which is where he should have been.

TK: Whose head ends up on a stick? Geitner, who?

HF: It's a lose, lose. All presidents go through this. O's going to be more of a stay-the-course theme. Someone else has to take the hit. It could be Bernancke. Probably be Geitner if not BenB. He could take the fall. Rahm Emanuel is a non-economic possibility. He's been conspicuous by his absence the last few weeks.

TK: Evaluating MVP candidates, they give you a list of accomplisments. What are Obama's other than making lovely speeches?
HF: Not much. He needs a win. He needs to play Longwood or something. Just yesterday they were trying to put together a commission to cut the debt and then congress screwed him over on it by voting against it. It's about unemployment and economic growth. All those numbers are bad for him. Home foreclosures also. A double dip in housing? I think his wisest decisions were before he became prez...ironically his biggest achievement was maintaining the status quo.

TK: that big loss in Massachusetts, they have to think folks hate them.
HF: They don't see it that way in the WH at all. What they're missing is that a lot of people DO want govt. to get out of the way. There is a lot of govt. anger as well as that against big business.

TK: You can't lose Teddy Kennedy's seat and think it's not about you. THE safest seat in the world.
Jeanne: It's a HUGE shot fired across the bow.
TK: I voted for Obama but I'm thinking I want a do over.

[joeybee12]

1. HIs biggest achievement was maintaining the staus quo????

Can Howeird say that with a straight face????????

[Captain Hilts]

3. He was speaking specifically of the economic stuff early on. I wonder about that too. HF is a tool.

[fugop]

2. Whatever

I have no respect for someone who says Obama has accomplished nothing but pretty speeches. At least he admits that the majority of people haven't turned on Obama. I'm surprised he allowed that little positive note in there.

[Captain Hilts]

4. Kornheiser is a good progressive and is concerned at what's going on.

He's also trying to spur Finemann to elaborate on stuff.

[fugop]

9. That part I'm fine with

Believe me, I get that part of it. I understand concerns of fellow progressives. I have fewer than many on DU, but I do have them. But I would NEVER, even with my concerns, suggest Obama has done nothing more than give lovely speeches. That's crap. That jerks like Fineman spout off and reinforce the right-wing notion that Obama is all words and no accomplishments pisses me off to no end. He can't even allow that yes, he's got some accomplishments, but many of things he's worked hardest for haven't come to fruition yet. I'm just so tired of them reinforcing crap points as if they're the God's honest truth.

[Captain Hilts]

10. You have to dig to read the nuts and bolts of govt. There was a good post here this morning...

that discussed some of these things...

This post has some good points rather than that boilerplate of 'accomplishments' that has often been posted here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=433x154813

[Jennicut]

5. TK is a "progressive" but not a well informed one.

He doesn't even know what a SOTU is? Yeah, okay.

[Captain Hilts]

7. He asked "What is the State of the Union" as in 'status'. nt

[BeyondGeography]

6. So people are mad at Big Gov't (we have weak gov't) and Big Business

Well, they're halfway there. If Americans ever figure out how their own country does and doesn't work, we might have a shot.

[Captain Hilts]

8. Yeah. I think anger is greater at Big Biz. I wish the DNC would run some ads...nt

[impik]

11. I really can't wait for 2012

Should be a lot of fun seeing the so-very-clever Liberal-elite, watching the inauguration of Palin, because the most progressive president this country will put in the WH - at least for now - was thrown under the bus after less than a year.

[Jennicut]

12. Obama has anywhere from an 83% to a 90% approval from Dems

DU is but a small fish in a big sea.

[Captain Hilts]

13. VERY true. nt

[Captain Hilts]

14. Palin won't be elected and Obama isn't that much of a progressive. nt

[Phx_Dem]

15. The Progressive wants a "do over" so he can vote for McCain/Palin!

:rofl:

[GreenTea]

16. Fineman makes me sick every time he opens his trying to hide his partisan, know-nothing mouth

Perhaps Howard Fineman is a notch better than his republican brother, Pat Buchanan on MSNBC...but that sure isn't fucking saying much for either of them!

[Captain Hilts]

18. He's a tool. nt

[Thrill]

17. Jeesh. Thats what a good progressive is like these days?