Monday, August 10, 2009

Kaus lists 3 character flaws of Obama that are hampering his efforts on health care

Mickey Kaus lists these three shortcomings of President Obama:

1. He's not cynical enough.

2. He doesn't know enough.

3. He's too much like Bush.

(To be clear, that's my paraphrase, not a quote, of Kaus's list.)

Here's Kaus's explanation on Bloggingheads (with plenty of tangents, including an allusive but soul-baring confession by Kaus!):



In case you want to actually read the pieces Kaus refers to, here's Jacob Weisberg on how Obama is afraid to be like Bush, and Peter Singer on the necessity of "rationing." (Kaus is inclined to disagree with both of those articles.)

13 comments:

Meade said...

20th -21st C Presidents with highest IQ:
1. Nixon
2. Clinton
3. Hoover
4. Obama

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

It’s all beginning to make sense.

The Obama presidency is just a fantasy.

Bush is still the president.

Nichevo said...

Why would you say Obama's IQ is so high? Prove it. (Good luck!)

The Elder said...

Meade, was that a list of 20th and 21st century presidents with the highest IQ, or was it a list of the 20th and 21st century presidents with the lowest levels of personal integrity?

I suspect Wilson's IQ was actually the highest. And I agree with Nichevo. I don't think Obama is really that intelligent. Savvy, perhaps, but not intelligent.

John said...

Meade is on to something, but for real psychological insight, look at how many recent presidents have been unable to produce male offspring.

Bill said...

"Meade is on to something, but for real psychological insight, look at how many recent presidents have been unable to produce male offspring."

From memory,
Obama, 0/2
Bush 2, 0/2
Clinton, 0/1
Bush 1, 2+/3+
Reagan, 1/3?
Carter, 0/1
Ford, 1/3
Nixon, 0/2
LBJ, 0/2
JFK, 1/2
Ike, 1+/2+

I don't know what that means, but the patriarchy thing doesn't seem to be working.

John said...

So Bill, by your own count, only 6 of the last 23 presidential offspring were male.

Ruth H said...

Carter had sons, we just seem to remember Amy.

Ralph L said...

Carter and GHWB each have three sons. Ford had at least 2, more likely 3. The youngest child of all three were daughters. Of nine presidents in a row, only Reagan's last (known) child was a son.

rcocean said...

High IQ has no relationship to being a great POTUS.

Our greatest president's were usually thought of rather stupid:

-FDR
-Reagan
-Eisenhower
-Washington
-Jackson

The only high IQ POTUS who were successful were TR and Jefferson.

Bill said...

From Wikipedia,
Obama, 0/2 ; Bush 2, 0/2
21st cen: 0/4

Clinton, 0/1 ; Bush 1, 4/6
Reagan, 1/4 ; Carter, 3/4 !
Ford, 3/4 ; Nixon, 0/2
LBJ, 0/2 ; JFK, 2*/3* (1/2)
Ike, 2/2 ; Truman, 0/1
FDR, 5/6 ; Hoover, 2/2
Coolidge, 2/2 ; Harding 0/0
Wilson, 0/3 ; Taft, 2/3
TR, 4/6
20th cen: 27/53 = 51%

John said...

Thanks for correcting your earlier error Bill. Mighty big of you!

The inability to produce male offspring is still something that Obama has in common with Bush II, Clinton, LBJ, Nixon and other presidents. In Henry the VIII's day a man could blame it on his wives, but nowadays he has only himself to blame.

Unknown said...
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