Pravda On The Potomac: Obama Praises Jeb’s “Reforms” in Florida [New]
This story is slightly funny, a bit creepy and rather puzzling from the standpoint of a sitting president who seems interested in being re-elected in 2012.
First up, the oddly funny/creepy part, which these reporters gleefully scribbled into their notepads, in which an ostensibly Democratic POTUS seems to be kissing the ring of his seeming successor:
MIAMI – In his first year as Florida governor, Jeb Bush was vilified by Democrats as a “radical” for an education agenda they argued would undermine public schools. So it was a striking moment when, 12 years later, a Democratic president came here Friday to hail the Republican as a “champion of education reform.”
It was even more striking to consider that President Obama, introduced by Bush for a speech at a Miami high school, was teaming up with the younger brother of the man he replaced in the White House – a predecessor he has been quick to blame for many of America’s troubles. And even more intriguing to think that, if only his last name were not Bush, Jeb would probably be the Republican Party’s best hope of beating Obama next year.
Yet there they were, warmly shaking hands, exchanging laughs and declaring themselves brothers in arms when it comes to fixing the country’s schools.
“I’ve gotten to know Jeb because his family exemplifies public service,” Obama said, declaring he was “grateful to him for the work that he’s doing.”
Bush was more muted, withholding direct praise for Obama but adding: “Mr. President, as you have said, educational achievement is not a Republican or Democrat issue.”
The exchange served as a reminder that the president and the former Florida governor are two of the more pragmatic figures in American politics, and both no doubt saw much to be gained politically from at least the appearance of harmony.
(Emphasis mine, of course)
I like how these reporters manage to contextualize this as either a meeting between two equals or a slightly subservient Obama gushing praise on his erstwhile competition in the spirit of “pragmatism.” Of course, the creepy part is the mere fact this also appears rather incestuous on a certain level. Almost as if Obama is somehow endorsing him for 2016. Or at least that’s the way Henderson and Wallsten seem to see it. It’s just so pragmatic!
Obama, after all, is looking to soak up all the bipartisan bona fides he can in advance of a reelection campaign next year. Florida is a key state for him, and Bush remains popular here. Bush also is well-liked by Hispanic voters across the country – as a fluent speaker of Spanish and the husband of a Mexican American – and Obama seeks the support of that bloc.
Bush, 58, has repeatedly said he would not seek the White House next year despite his status as perhaps the one Republican equally admired by the business, tea-party and evangelical wings of the party. Those close to him say he would look seriously at a run in 2016 – and teaming up with the president shows Bush’s relevance in a key national policy debate.
So this is really about Bush helping Obama get re-elected and Obama helping Bush succeed him in 2016? Say it ain’t so! But here’s the puzzlement part. If a certain sitting POTUS of the Democratic variety wants to win a state, he should be bolstering his support within that state party apparat, right? Well, apparently not in this case:
The naysayers, however, came mostly from Obama’s own party.
One of them was .Rep. Frederica S. Wilson, whose district includes Miami. As a state legislator she battled Bush’s education plans. She rode with the president aboard Air Force One and was described by a pool reporter to have “bowed her head with great drama and shook it, as if in despair,” over Obama teaming up with Bush.
Reporters asked her whether Congress should reauthorize the No Child Left Behind law – the accountability plan, enacted by George W. Bush, that Obama is trying to recraft. Wilson answered, “We have to be careful about what it is we’re doing. You can’t assume that all children are cookie cutters.”
Florida Democrats signaled their feelings later Friday about Obama’s outreach to Jeb Bush – booing and hissing at a party fundraiser when the president mentioned that he had spent time with the former governor.
Dan Gelber, another former Democratic legislator who jousted with Bush over education, said he disagreed with the president’s embrace of Bush’s legacy. He said Obama may be correct to admire Florida’s “system of weights and measures,” but he added that inadequate funding, high dropout rates and low scores on college readiness suggest efficient testing does not mean better schools.
Just imagine what people were saying to each other as they left that fundraiser. Jeb Bush is a bitter enemy of the Florida Democratic Party, so hearing POTUS chat them up about how great this likely future preznit is could not have sent a worse message. That’s really not a good way to conduct one’s self at a fund raiser, right?
Does this guy even care if his own party supports him in a crucial state? What’s his angle on all this? Is busting teachers unions somehow pragmatic? Am I begging the question?
What Do You Think?
16 Responses to 'Pravda On The Potomac: Obama Praises Jeb’s “Reforms” in Florida'
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David [New]
Saturday, 5 Mar, 2011 at 2:15 pm
Pragmatic, according to official Washington, means acting in the service of elites concerns. In that sense, their joint embrace of corporate education reform is deeply ‘pragmatic’. As is unending wars, destroying social insurance, leaving infrastructure crumbling, etc.
Saturday, 5 Mar, 2011 at 2:21 pm
Yes indeed. It’s becoming increasingly impressive the extent to which “pragmatism” can be summed up with words like Death & Destruction, isn’t it?
Tim [New]
Saturday, 5 Mar, 2011 at 3:15 pm
It IS creepy the way the political establishment, regardless of party, and the media, they all push the same line. At least the reporter reported the boos and hisses, and the principled objections of the Miami representative, but it’s possible the reporter included those details to make Obama look better, above the fray, which is one of their storylines.
This also reminds me of Bloomberg’s editorial the other day saying that, one the one hand, unions were good and should not be busted, while on the other hand unions should never make a living wage and absolutely not it if it means re-taxing the wealthiest to solve these state budget problems. That a billionaire would publicly take those positions in public is hubris.
But it’s the same hubris Obama, Jeb, and the corporate media exhibit every day. They don’t give a rats patootie about working people being able to make a living, raising their kids, taking an annual vacation. They only care about more money and more power, apparently.
Oh, and I forgot my favorite part of every Jeb Bush story, his Hispanic wife. I pray she’s a good person, doesn’t kick her dog too much, and is kind to people. But we’ll never know. Instead, the media always drags her out to prove Jeb’s a regular guy who cares about brown people because … wait for it … his wife has brown skin. Way too funny. On this earth there are lots of grubby, greedy, back stabbing people, never mind politicians, who happen to have all shades of skin color. And I’d hope people who happen to be Hispanic are smart enough to judge people and politicians by their actions, not their skin color.
Well Liked:
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0
Saturday, 5 Mar, 2011 at 3:29 pm
The reporters definitely structured that story to make Obama look good, although more for his willingness to stiffarm his own party, than to look “above the fray.” The way they buried Obama’s own party booing and hissing at him–at a fundraiser no less–is most telling, in their sniffing derision for Democrats.
A more competent reporter might move that up into the lede and contrast BOs genuflecting towards Bush at the extreme displeasure of the Florida Democratic Party. That would seem, to me at least, to be a more valid angle on the story.
It’s funny, because when Republicans piss off their base, it’s news, because the backlash might become important. When BO disses his own party, he’s merely being “pragmatic” or “making the tough decisions,” or being “bi-partisan.” For these reporters, the booing wasn’t a problem, it was something to put in the best possible light.
Thing is, I’m sure that incident found its way into a bunch of emails that are now making the rounds within the FDP. This strikes me as either really arrogant or really incompetent.
Travis D. [New]
Saturday, 5 Mar, 2011 at 3:31 pm
not that I want to relive 2008, but I would like to note that Florida’s primary didn’t even fully count last go ’round
Saturday, 5 Mar, 2011 at 3:44 pm
True dat. And I don’t want to relive that either. I was more thinking about the general, especially given what’s happening in PA, OH and WI. The way he’s going, he could depress turnout to the point of losing rather badly. (I’m not sure if I care about that either… at this point.)
pieceofcake [New]
Saturday, 5 Mar, 2011 at 3:42 pm
I just think the ‘shellacking’ finally created a monster -(in a ‘dudely’ matter of speaking) –
Or that’s what is happening if you elect a President who tells you before -(he is elected) – that he will bring ‘the American people together’ -(AND he is really serious about it!)
Red Valhalla [New]
Saturday, 5 Mar, 2011 at 3:46 pm
It should be a rule forevermore that any public Democrat that heaps praise on any member of the Bush clan for any reason whatsoever has their party membership revoked. The only exception I’d allow is praise for poppy’s WWII service and maybe his solid 1st base play at Yale. That’s it. Nothing else. Ever.
No one family has done as much to harm this country in the last 100 years or – and here is the kicker – done more to try and destroy the Democratic party by any means available, usually in the form of skullduggery.
Tim [New]
Saturday, 5 Mar, 2011 at 4:01 pm
Don’t forget that the Bush family is a walking talking example of American aristocracy. Forget how the first Bush actually made the money. Poppy (the second generation) sure used his elite connections to add to the pile, but would’ve had nothing without Dad. And we all know how Shrub turned out, the third generation. And Jeb. Now there is a fourth and fifth generation, all feeding off the wealth they had nothing to do with creating in the first place, in the first generation. The Bush family exemplifies everything that is wrong with this country, that they can wield political power based solely on being members of the lucky sperm club.
That’s what makes me believe this struggle, here and elsewhere, really still is about the aristocratic elites demanding every last penny against the 99% who are not so fortunate and who maybe don’t want to be so fortunate. Most people would be thrilled with a living wage job that pays enough to raise their kids, enjoy their family and friends, and grow old with some dignity.
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Red Valhalla [New]
Sunday, 6 Mar, 2011 at 5:26 am
Absolutely.
A great article I read back in the day on this very point and looking at the entire parasitic family is:
Jack Calhoun, “The Family That Preys Together,” Covert Action Information Bulletin 41, Summer 1992.
People forget often forget even if they were aware of the Prescott Bush-Nazi connection:
(These are facts PoC not insinuations or lazy comparisons.)
Travis D. [New]
Saturday, 5 Mar, 2011 at 3:58 pm
Obama clearly doesn’t give a fuck about the Democratic Party brand, only his own. Also, based on the antics of Michelle Rhee, everyone involved in education should look at what Obama endorses and do the exact opposite.
David [New]
Saturday, 5 Mar, 2011 at 4:01 pm
There was a story in the NYT recently about Democrats complaining that the White House refuses to treat the Republicans like opponents, or other Democrats like allies. Of course, they made similar objections before the election.
Those who remember a little history will remember that the same complaints were ubiquitous during the Clinton years. (I’m too young to say if this happened under Carter, but I’d bet the answer is yes).
If these people were thinking straight, they would realize that the only way to stop this is to ally themselves with the activists. But power is a blinding force.
Tim [New]
Saturday, 5 Mar, 2011 at 4:07 pm
Agreed but today, after Obama, Democrats who care about people who have to work for a living (which is all but 10,000-50,000 people) know that both Obama and Clinton policies are moderate Republicans at best. Neo-liberalism is not about building and maintaining a middle class. It’s about building and maintaining a corporate backed elite, aka aristocrats, plutocrats, whatever your favorite term. We know who doesn’t care about the middle class and it’s Democrats like Obama and Clinton. It’s Republicans. And neither group has represented the majority views in this country in decades. They’re a power and a law unto themselves.
The Big Hurt [New]
Saturday, 5 Mar, 2011 at 7:12 pm
So, Obama had time to go to Florida to praise Jeb Bush, but not time to go to Wisconsin to support the workers of WI and the entire country. What a disgusting and despicable sellout…
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Red Valhalla [New]
Saturday, 5 Mar, 2011 at 7:36 pm
Amen. Disgusting.
Spitball [New]
Saturday, 5 Mar, 2011 at 11:14 pm
The best part of this blog is that so little of the conversation revolves around Barack Obama and how disappointing his administration has become.