Please Mr. President, More "Jackass" Outbursts

When I heard that the president of the United States called someone a "jackass," I cheered. This is exactly the kind of human, non-Spock-like outburst Obama needs to do much more of to better connect with the vast majority of the American people.

Sure, everyone in the world, even Kanye himself, would call him a jackass for this:

But what the president's natural outburst shows is that sometimes you don't have to split the difference and find common ground with lunatics, the underinformed, or crooks.

Sometimes, maybe even often, you have to call them a jackass.

Sure, it's un-presidential but that's why you have surrogates. Have Rahm or Axelrod do it for you but make it clear that that's what you said behind closed doors. Congressman Joe Wilson calls you a liar on national TV and, sure, you play it down a bit on 60 Minutes, but you leak that privately you called him worse than a jackass and now the clearly racist, disrespectful sonofabitch is dead to you. What would LBJ or Truman have done? As Quentin Tarantino might say, "They would've gotten black on his ass."

Conciliation only gets you so far.

On health care for example, conciliation got some concessions from Big Pharma and the Insurance lobby yet at the same time they keep pumping millions into crippling those same reforms. If there is no consequence to that treachery then every other industry from Wall Street on down will know how to cheat to win.

The money changers are in the temple. It's time for even the most peaceful and conciliatory leader to throw them out on their ears.

The first step is to call them a bunch of jackasses.

Follow Trey Ellis on Twitter: www.twitter.com/TreyEllis

Comments

[stevebol]

Obama doesn't need to connect with Americans. He needs a special advisor on domestic policy who can. Hillary Clinton would be good.

[Juanabana]

Interesting. But the president was referring to a BLACK man, and an ENTERTAINER. Did we that quickly forget the fall-out from his "stupidly" remark made against a white cop? Sorry, but I could not disagree more.

[robbep]

obama is playing games

[robbep]

not worth the time

[bkca]

In a way, Trey, I agree with you. The comment by Obama made me like him a lot more, even as I disagree with him when it comes to policy. I thought it was great.

Of course, Joe Wilson was proven right, as evident by all the scrambling done by the dem senators and Obama to make sure that the bill contained enforcement provisions. Do you actually think any of that would have happened if Wilson had, say, called some boring press conference? Nobody would have cared or paid attention. By calling out the president's disingenuousness on national TV, Wilson effected change far more quickly than anyone could have hoped.

Now, if someone would have yelled out at Bush when he was proposing the Medicare prescription drug benefit, maybe we wouldn't be stuck with that grotesque pig...... More yelling, MORE YELLING...­.... I love it.

[feyangel]

Wilson was NOT proven right. YOU clearly have not read the bill:

SEC. 246. NO FEDERAL PAYMENT FOR UNDOCUMENTED ALIENS.
Nothing in this subtitle shall allow Federal payments for affordability credits on behalf of individuals who are not lawfully present in the United States.

Can't get more clear than that.
READ THE BILL: http://energycommerce.house.gov/Press_111/20090714/aahca.pdf

ALLL the Dems have been "scrambing" to do is be EVEN MORE concilatory-- by adding redundancy to bill. THE ISSUE JOE WAS RANTING ABOUT WAS ALREADY COVERED. Any "loopholes" were closed by it.

When dealing with IRRATIONAL DUMB people who just can't see what is going on-- it is a great PEACE-MAKING tactic to just duplicate what it is they can't see that is already happening. It is like why in a speech or teaching situation one repeats what one wants the other person to get at least THREE times.

[sweetbwaoy]

Good little article. Trey Ellis is a BRILLIANT writer. FYI: he gives some poignant in the film "For Our Sons" which you can watch here: http://www.foroursons.com/ in case you guys are interested.

[Cosatjockomo]

Kanye has a history. Kanye continues to get invited to these things. Kanye will be invited to the next one. The event organizers are as much to blame.

[UniverseMan]

Does Joe Wilson telling Obama he's lying make him a racist? Or is he a racist for other reasons not stated here?

When you view the whole world and everything that happens in it through a lens of race, THAT'S RACISM!

[LibDrummer]

Rush is that you?

[UniverseMan]

Yes, because I challenge the author calling someone a racist for no apparent reason, I am Rush Limbaugh. Well played, LibDrummer.

[Palmz]

keep trying....­.........

[UniverseMan]

If that is the best you can come up with, why even reply? What does that even mean? Apparently I'm succeeding in making my point, not just trying, because you can't think of but two words and a bunch of periods to rebut.....­..........­.........

[qbtilltheend]

Jesus people, myself as a non-african american, didn't you learn that this country was built by slaves, on the backs of slaves, through the financing of slavery. How the hell not could African-Americans not see it through a "racial" lens. Just like some "White" people can't stop seeing it through the the "looking glass" lens. Time to step out from inside that bubble people.

[dj5850]

No, I kinda figured that he was a racist when he fough NOT to relinquist the confederate flag.

[Epiphany2b]

The problem with equating everything as race-driven on both sides is that the real issues are not dealt with. Either way, it's clearly a lack of respect being shown not only to the president, but to Congress as a whole, for whatever reason. Would he have shouted such a thing at President Bush or President Clinton if he disagreed with what was being said? I doubt it. Is it because there is less respect across the board in the world today?

Perhaps it isn't race driven, but it is certainly much more out of place in Congress than Michelle's sleeveless dress was. Much was made of that by the same people who are excusing his behavior. Sometimes when you eliminate other possible reasons, the only thing left is race.

[Scent]

"If there is no consequence to that treachery then every other industry from Wall Street on down will know how to cheat to win."

Would You kindly wake up?

That is not a recent development. It is standard procedure in every field of economy. And it is the very reason we as a people need to realize that they have bought our democracy and now treat it as bad as they do the people working for them.

Our problem is not how to prevent this from happening all over the economy.

Our problem is how to get rid of even part of it. Because not only does it pervade our economy. It rules it.

And in a democracy there is no worse thing than someone or something takin power over the people.

[lentinelia]

It's sad but funny that people, experts, continue to coach Obama as to how he should behave and what he should say.
This has been going on since the primaries.
Obama should say this, Obama should say that.
He won't and he can't.
He is a conservative.

[SimplyAmazed]

Until the whining about health care, I agree 100%. I don't like nearly anything that comes out of President Obama, especially the lunacy of his policies. However, the casual, unguarded moment was exactly what he needed, specifically because it was not Presidential. He is always so tightly scripted, fearing to tread from his teleprompter, so it was good to see the guy be... well, a guy.

[Epiphany2b]

How do you figure the tightly scripted stuff? The guy often talks off the cuff. Don't remember the time the teleprompter failed and he continued on as if nothing had happened? Is it tightly controlled that he goes to his kid's soccer game, out to eat, on the kinds of vacations that normal people do? I'm almost 70 and I don't remember any president doing that before. Remember when one of them went into a store as a publicity thing and didn't even have money to pay for his purchase?

[XME]

I have to say I agree. First, it's completely true, and second, no one can claim he's trying to be politically correct calling ANYONE a jack@ss!

[Loretta Callahan]

Yup, Mr. President! Say it like it is!

[GoCards1978]

Amen, Trey! I'm reading Douglas Brinkley's new biography about Teddy Roosevelt and keep hoping President Obama will channel his inner T.R. soon.

[OneLiberalLady]

And Give'em Hell Harry with a bit of the Machiavellian Johnson thrown is, as Ellis suggests. On the other hand "To thine own self be true" isn't bad advice either. Obama is a truly decent guy, and that doesn't always translate to an image of sterngth. But I, for one, believe he is very strong.

[lightbulb10]

I don't think many f-bombs would fly well.
That IS what Rahm E is for. He's good at it.

The leak was a plus, and this writer has some good points, but he's doting too much on the supposed character of Joe Wilson and trying to link it to why he made that comment to the President. Wilson was acting out and behaving less temperate than his years might lend, but the President is made to handle working with the array of representatives that represent the country. The fact that Kanye was a genuine leak makes the difference. "Plotting" dis -leaks is Presidential only in next-step-­after-Nixo­n Presidential. I also think he may have felt more liberal critiquing Kanye's behavior because he and Kanye share race, and I agree he should feel comfortable calling out name callers regardless. As they say: Morality is the stance we take towards someone we generally dislike. However, I definitely DO NOT think there should be "Departed" degree drama. The market and regulations are entropied enough. No need for governmental "episodes". In fact, what IS this guy thinking? Also, SHIVA is intended for those that actually pass, as a way for some to cope. I have somewhat observed it in my immediate fam. If turned into a living episode, because someone can't work it out or meet in a middle relation, it marks something VERY detrimental to the doer. And that is just not worth it's ROI.