Bennacht

Enough!

I am so sick about the way this stimulus passage is being covered in the media.  It is so maddening.  The theme seems to be:  Obama has been given everything he asked for from Congress by passing an $800 billion bill two weeks after his inaugural.  How did he screw up??

Give me a break!!!  An unprecedented political accomplishment.  That's the story.

Josh Marshall, as usual, gets it.

Maybe They're Starting to Get It

Talking Points Memo has this video, which suggests that maybe the pundits are starting to get it. As per my post below, it shows that Obama's winning.

Obama's Game

I like Josh Marshall's take on the press conference. He notes that, if you listen to Washington chatter, you'd think that Obama's position was unpopular or controversial. In fact, the public is behind him and stands in opposition to the Republican approach. This happened during the campaign, as well. The "pundits" would act as though Obama was in deep doo doo as a result of some perceived gaff. And the polls wouldn't move. He continues to surprise everyone with his command of the situation, every situation.

Here's Marshall's take:

What's most striking about these numbers is the continuing disconnect between the mood of the capital and that of the country. For me, a lot of that is a product of how Washington continues to be wired for Republican control. A president, and particularly one like Obama, is the one person who is in a position to cut through that.

As to the pundits' demand for bipartisanship and their indictment of Obama for failing to achieve it, again, I think he's a few steps ahead. He meets with Republicans on the Hill, invites them to the White House, makes seemingly grand gestures of conciliation and still they stiff him. And, even while he makes "nice," he slams them for leaving him the mess he has to deal with. I think he has the discipline to continue the outreach even while they stiff him. Over time, whether or not he concedes anything in terms of policy, he will continue to gain public support for his efforts. So, while the Republicans congratulate themselves for standing strong against him and receive their kudos from the Washington pundits, Obama lays in wait. At the appropriate time, like September of 2010, he will declare the Republicans hopelessly obstructionist and ask for more Demcrats and the public will give them to him.

Just watch.

Science ahd Religion

John Polkinghorne appeared at the National Cathedral today as part of the Sunday Forum to discuss science and religion. This is a topic that is dear to me and I've long admired Polkinghorne, an internationally renowned physicists, who became an Anglican priest at age 49. He is very British, very articulate and very persuasive in reconciling the worlds of science and religion.

Among his many provocative comments was his discussion of the nature of light being both particle and wave and comparing that mysterious understanding to the nature of Jesus Christ being both divine and human.

He also talked about "unseen realities" in both science and religtion, using quarks as an example from the physical world. No one has ever seen a quark, yet scientist believe firmly in their existence. Again, analogized to religious belief, which is "belief driven by experience."