The Congressional Supercommittee failed to arrive at a plan to lower the deficit because the Republicans approached negotiations offering (like Michael Corleone) “not even the fee for the gaming license, which they’d appreciate if Democrats would put up personally.”
Tag Archives: Barack Obama
Democrats Refuse a Deal You Can’t Refuse
Posted in Uncategorized | Also tagged Deficit, Godfather II, Life of Brian, Supercommittee | Comments closed
Mitt Romney, an American Podsnap
Charles Dickens has a character who resembles Mitt Romney when he states that he believes in American exceptionalism while Barack Obama doesn’t: John Podsnap in “Our Mutual Friend.”
Austen Teaches Moral Compromise 101
The example of Edmund Bertram in Jane Austen’s “Mansfield Park” helps us understand the less-than-ideal choices our leaders sometimes make as they negotiate a compromised world.
Posted in Uncategorized | Also tagged Jane Austen, Mansfield Park, moral reasoning, politics | Comments closed
Life Is So Short, Fall in Love, Dear Maiden
Akira Kurosaw’s magnificent film “Ikiru” reminds us, among other things, that when we give our lives to the betterment of our communities, we redeem our lives.
American Politics as Lord of the Flies
Recent Republican political tactics against Barack Obama have me thinking of the battle in William Golding’s “Lord of the Flies.”
Posted in Uncategorized | Also tagged GOP, Lord of the Flies, politics, William Golding | Comments closed
The Cost of Poverty: “Unnatural Cruelties”
As the Census Bureau reports the highest number of poor people since it has been publishing figures, it’s worth turning to George Bernard Shaw’s “Major Barbara,” which reveals the true cost of poverty.
Posted in Uncategorized | Also tagged George Bernard Shaw, Major Barbara, politics, poverty, recession | Comments closed
Obama’s Locker Room Speech
President Obama’s jobs speech last night resembled a coach’s half time speech to a team that feels on the ropes. The Al Pacino speech in Oliver Stone’s “Any Given Sunday” comes to mind.
Posted in Uncategorized | Also tagged Football, Jobs speech, Oratory, politics, Ronald Reagan, Sports | Comments closed
The President Is Reading Novels? Good!
Rightwing attacks on Obama for including novels in his summer reading are all wrong. We want our presidents to be balanced and grounded, and good fiction helps one remember what is really important in life.
Posted in Uncategorized | Also tagged Abraham Verghese, Aldous Huxley, Brave New World, Cutting for Stone, Environment, Freedom, Jonathan Franzen, politics, Reading lists | Comments closed
Obama Passes the Beowulf Test
When subjected to the Beowulf test on good leadership, Obama scores surprisingly well.
