Huh, I thought the West Wing was cancelled.
Lately, I've been rewatching the last seasons of The West Wing on Bravo. I know it's a TV show and it's definitely an idealized version of the Presidency and politics in general; characters on the show get away with saying things in political speeches and news conferences that you wonder how the heck anyone would get away with it in real life. Vinick and Santos are basically the "dream candidates" for a large part of the country, and they make speeches written by TV writers to evoke drama for storylines the writers have complete control over.
Tonight though, I saw Obama's "State of the Nation" address. I wrote a month ago about his inaugural address, and I said that it kind of blew me away. But when I saw this address tonight -- when I saw him display the same kind of confidence and not pull any punches, when he gives some firm plans and bold statements -- it really felt like I was just watching another episode of The West Wing. Supposedly, Santos was extensively based on Obama, but if anything Obama's rhetoric and manner of speaking seems more impressive than the "idealized" version. When he lays out specifics and (holy shit) tells people that he is going to raise taxes, that's pretty bold -- at least compared to the kind of (attempted) feel-good pap we've been fed for the last eight years. Yes, he goes for inspiring words, and the proof really lies in the pudding, but he's really pushing an agenda that is not "get out there and shop."
In contrast, Bobby Jindal's response...well, first off, compared to Barack Obama wading through a clamoring crowd, looking completely comfortable in the element, when Jindal walked out he struck me as looking really awkward. Maybe that's shallow, but body language is important, especially for a politician. Also, I couldn't put my finger on it when he was talking, but jesus does he sound a lot like Kenneth the page from 30 Rock. I suppose that's just a Southern accent, but I couldn't stop thinking about it.
And then we get to the content. There are some good Republican ideals, and I think that it's extremely important that there be an "honorable opposition" in government. But to have a Republican use the mess in New Orleans during Katrina as a reason not to trust big government, to have a Republican say they are going to clean house and cut out corruption after one of the most scandalous administrations in history, it comes across as unbelievably ridiculous.
Sure, Jindal tried to show some introspection, but it fell horribly, hilariously flat. He said that Republicans had "gone along" with massive government spending -- who, exactly, were they going along with? For six years, the Republicans had control of both Houses of Congress and the White House. Come on. It's not that I don't understand what the deal is here -- no Republican wants to sit there and go "yeah, we kind of fucked up the country here," especially when most of the people who were in charge during those 8 years in Congress are still there. But what that shows to me is that the Republicans still just won't take a long hard look and own up to their failures. Jindal tried -- maybe. But his hesitance in going all the way makes it seem like he doesn't actually realize it was the Republicans fault.
Also, "Americans can do anything" is an okay catch phrase. But when you repeat it about ten times in 15 minutes, after a powerful oratory like Obama's, it shows that you either have nothing to say, or you badly need a new speechwriter.
Tonight though, I saw Obama's "State of the Nation" address. I wrote a month ago about his inaugural address, and I said that it kind of blew me away. But when I saw this address tonight -- when I saw him display the same kind of confidence and not pull any punches, when he gives some firm plans and bold statements -- it really felt like I was just watching another episode of The West Wing. Supposedly, Santos was extensively based on Obama, but if anything Obama's rhetoric and manner of speaking seems more impressive than the "idealized" version. When he lays out specifics and (holy shit) tells people that he is going to raise taxes, that's pretty bold -- at least compared to the kind of (attempted) feel-good pap we've been fed for the last eight years. Yes, he goes for inspiring words, and the proof really lies in the pudding, but he's really pushing an agenda that is not "get out there and shop."
In contrast, Bobby Jindal's response...well, first off, compared to Barack Obama wading through a clamoring crowd, looking completely comfortable in the element, when Jindal walked out he struck me as looking really awkward. Maybe that's shallow, but body language is important, especially for a politician. Also, I couldn't put my finger on it when he was talking, but jesus does he sound a lot like Kenneth the page from 30 Rock. I suppose that's just a Southern accent, but I couldn't stop thinking about it.
And then we get to the content. There are some good Republican ideals, and I think that it's extremely important that there be an "honorable opposition" in government. But to have a Republican use the mess in New Orleans during Katrina as a reason not to trust big government, to have a Republican say they are going to clean house and cut out corruption after one of the most scandalous administrations in history, it comes across as unbelievably ridiculous.
Sure, Jindal tried to show some introspection, but it fell horribly, hilariously flat. He said that Republicans had "gone along" with massive government spending -- who, exactly, were they going along with? For six years, the Republicans had control of both Houses of Congress and the White House. Come on. It's not that I don't understand what the deal is here -- no Republican wants to sit there and go "yeah, we kind of fucked up the country here," especially when most of the people who were in charge during those 8 years in Congress are still there. But what that shows to me is that the Republicans still just won't take a long hard look and own up to their failures. Jindal tried -- maybe. But his hesitance in going all the way makes it seem like he doesn't actually realize it was the Republicans fault.
Also, "Americans can do anything" is an okay catch phrase. But when you repeat it about ten times in 15 minutes, after a powerful oratory like Obama's, it shows that you either have nothing to say, or you badly need a new speechwriter.
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It really just goes to show you that politics in this country is about politics for its own sake, first and foremost. The people we elect to represent us are not interested in our well-being, or in our rights, or in what's best for our country in general. They are interested solely in a "my team vs. your team" mentality, in the name of maintaining and increasing their own power. Jindal is a textbook example of this.
I will admit that Obama has seemed to be above this kind of childish bullshit for the most part so far, but the more he tries to combat it, the deeper into this type of thinking his opposition seems to sink. I guess I'm just not a fan of the two-party system at all, and never have been, but it really seems like in my lifetime this phenomenon has gotten progressively worse, particularly in this decade.
Well, here's the good news -- Obama's approval level is at 60%+ and congressional Republicans have an approval level of something like 10%. So whatever the Republicans are trying, it doesn't seem to be working. Maybe the "lay it all out there" approach will actually work. We're only a month into his administration though, so I agree it's a little early to be carving his face onto Mt. Rushmore.
And it looks like I wasn't the only one that thought Bobby Jindal sounded like Kenneth. The meme is rather prevalent it seems -- Andrew Sullivan was blogging about it at about the same time I was.