Time by Karen Hughes former counselor to President George W. Bush
Like many Republicans across the country, I woke up this morning deeply depressed, my mood soon matched by the falling stock market. I’m distressed not only by the outcome of the presidential election, but also because of the way it was won.
In stark contrast to the hope and optimism he stirred in 2008, this time, President Obama won ugly. During his first election, although I didn’t agree with his proposals or philosophy, I was among those who found myself inspired by the president’s call for our politics to be higher and better. Unfortunately, the way he has governed and the way he conducted this campaign undermined that central and hopeful promise.
In stark contrast to the hope and optimism he stirred in 2008, this time, President Obama won ugly. During his first election, although I didn’t agree with his proposals or philosophy, I was among those who found myself inspired by the president’s call for our politics to be higher and better. Unfortunately, the way he has governed and the way he conducted this campaign undermined that central and hopeful promise.
I felt that I was watching a shrinking presidency as the campaign unfolded, with President Obama getting smaller each day. He often came across as peeved, petty and not presidential. On stage during the first debate he looked as if he wanted to be anywhere else, and his comments about his opponent were cutting and deeply personal. The final blow came with his comments in the final days to his supporters that “voting is the best revenge.” The mindset that comment reveals is deeply disturbing: an election as a weapon to be wielded against our fellow Americans.
At its core, the central message I took away from the President’s re-election campaign was: Stick with me, we are inching forward and things could be a lot worse. Not exactly a hopeful agenda on which to build.
At its core, the central message I took away from the President’s re-election campaign was: Stick with me, we are inching forward and things could be a lot worse. Not exactly a hopeful agenda on which to build.
LOL. boo hoo! an experienced political hack is so so sad that someone was mean to her during a campaign!?!?!
ReplyDeleteand the charges are so vague...he "came across" as,....yea, maybe to her, he came across that way! but not to most people.
just a bizarre comment after a strong showing by obama in the election
I agree completely. I don't understand why this partisan political propaganda piece was posted here. It diminishes my esteem for this site. What garbage: "The mindset that comment reveals is deeply disturbing: an election as a weapon to be wielded against our fellow Americans." Perish the thought! I'm sure Karl Rove and Sheldon Adelson would never stoop to such a level!
DeleteActually, telling supporters “voting is the best revenge” sounds perfectly legitimate to me.
As I saw it, Mitt Romney's campaign diminished the presidency. His entire campaign was based on attacking Obama.
ReplyDeleteThings are bad in America and it was a good strategy but it didnt work and in the process, all he accomplished was attacking the presidency.
Also, I am NOT an Obama supporter. I DO NOT think he deserved another term.
ReplyDeleteI wish Romney had outlined a real vision that spoke to the American people instead of a vague 5-point plan with no details.
Even more bizarre that it is cited here.
ReplyDeleteI agree with her. The president does set some standards or expectations of conduct. I remember 1998 when the presidents conduct brought certain subject matter that was only the place of "adult conversation" and it became part of the everyday "water cooler" talk. And it really sent a message to the younger generation at that time that its this behavior is okay. They only thing he did wrong was lie about it under oath, right?
ReplyDeleteThis too, I agree, is another milestone in the deep decline of our American society. Remember the good-ole-days when president didn't curse people out?
why in the world are you posting on the US presidency?
ReplyDeleteRomney was and is a BRAZEN megalomaniacal Mormon and we should all bentch gomel that he was relegated to the dustbin of history! His putative "presidency" would have been based on the same GREED and callousness that brought the world the catastrophe of the Bush II presidency, angering the world, crashing the US economy and forcing Israel to make more concessions (like the retreat from Gaza) in return for nothing for the Jews or Israel. Romney was was "blessed" by Bush I and used ex Sec of State Condi Rice, Israel's nemesis who pushed Arik Sharon to vacate Gaza in return for Kasams and Grads, as his foreign policy adviser.
ReplyDeleteObama is much more parev than that, so far he has done nothing to hurt Israel. He's all talk and gestures but comes through for Israel in the end. It's plain racism and ignorance that drives fear of him. Maybe before he was elected 4 years, he was an unknown, but now Obama's record speaks for itself, he is a LOT better than the Republican presidents who came before, especially the odious and despicable antisemitic Bushes. Obama is no worse or better than any Labor member of the Israeli Knesset or government.
Have the Mormons and Israel forgotten the controversy and insult the Mormons created when in spite of all protests and objections they built the notorious eye-sore Mormon center in Jerusalem.
Let Mitt Romney (he even has the word "Rom[e]" in his name, not to mention that the word Romney sounds like "Romani" a Roman) go back to making his hundreds of millions by buying out factories, selling them off, and then shutting them down by shipping the labor to China as he did when he was at Bain Capital which he still runs.
As a Mormon, Romney stood directly in the path of the coming Third Bais Hamikdosh, and no doubt like his Roman name-sakes he would have delighted in burning it down to ashes to make way for the fantastical Mormon fantasy "kingdom of the Mormon god" that Romney and his Mormon cult worships and wants to build in Jerusalem and Missouri, and Utah (read up on it!).
Baruch shepatranu!
"Recipients and Publicity"
DeleteYour comments are hateful. What is Romney being a Mormon has to do with him managing Bain Capital and doing what he did. There are plenty of Jews in the same line of business who act same or worse.
Interesting perspective! Too many frum Jews uncritically accept Republicans, as if the whole Republican party platform were straight from Har Sinai. They may not realize there are many Orthodox Jews who support Obama or other Democrats, or who have more nuanced views that don't fit into either party. One of the biggest problems, I think, is that people completely abandon their values of humility and judging others favorably when it comes to politics -- and based on hardly any information at all (partisan blogs and the like) develop the fiercest convictions about policy and a deep hatred and disgust at those who disagree with them. Talk about bitul Torah -- people's obsession with politics is worse because it leads to the opposite of Torah middos.
DeleteKsil and all those that agree with him,
ReplyDeleteYour name is appropriate. Just because a bunch of moochers and freeloaders voted for him that proves anything about his plans and accomplishments? His dismissal of Israel, embrace and advancement of the Muslim winter, destruction of the United States energy capabilities, weakening of the American military, catastrophic failure in protecting the Libya diplomats beyond the Watergate scandal, tipping the US into unrecoverable debt and secret shrouded personal life mean nothing to you? Amazing
The old America is gone and Obama and his cohorts will make sure it never returns. The turning of the US into the nascent Greece that socialism breeds is well on its way.
This is the punishment to America for its support of the gay lifestyle and all other forms of perversion. Rav Avigdor Miller z"l predicted this many years ago in the event that perversion were advanced.