I just want to make it clear that even though I’m a supporter of Obama, I think the award is awfully premature. But the conservatives’ bloviating has been, as usual, disgusting.
Anyway here’s what the DNC had to say about the rw’s reaction to Obama being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. :
“The Republican Party has thrown in its lot with the terrorists – the Taliban and Hamas this morning – in criticizing the President for receiving the Nobel Peace prize,” wrote DNC Communications Director Brad Woodhouse. “Republicans cheered when America failed to land the Olympics and now they are criticizing the President of the United States for receiving the Nobel Peace prize – an award he did not seek but that is nonetheless an honor in which every American can take great pride – unless of course you are the Republican Party. The 2009 version of the Republican Party has no boundaries, has no shame and has proved that they will put politics above patriotism at every turn. It’s no wonder only 20 percent of Americans admit to being Republicans anymore - it’s an embarrassing label to claim.”
Meh, words…words…words. Once they stop working toward “bipartisan” solutions with an opposition that has no intention of working in good faith, then I will give them credit.
This is a strange thing to “grow balls” about. This award has been roundly criticized by all ends of the spectrum, and they pick this to get wound up over? If the Republicans were the only critics of this I could understand, but they’re not.
It doesn’t make sense. Obama, by any objective standard, does not deserve this award. It was a political gesture, not a reflection on any deeds that advanced the cause of peace. The DNC needs to develop better timing.
I agree, but after some of the utter crap that the RNC has decided to spew I think it’s good that the DNC finally managed to stand up for something.
On the other hand, this sort of reflexive and retaliatory shit spewing is probably another sign of the ongoing degradation of the political process.
This is the loudest the DNC will ever get. And yes they are right, but the award has everyone scratching their heads. Beck, Limbaugh, Steele and all the others are loudmouthed morons. When someone you don’t like wins the Nobel Peace Prize, you make a joke.
For example, suppose you are a satirist who composes political songs and they give the Prize to Henry “Christmas Bombing” Kissinger. You announce (and follow through) that you will retire forever from satire because you can’t top that. I do miss Professor Lehrer.
If they’d announced this two weeks ago, we might be looking at Olympic rings in Chicago in 2016!
Actually, the above is a joke. I do think the Prize committee would have done well to table his nomination until something substantive had been accomplished.
I’m reminded of a silly, throwaway line from an old football videogame called Blitz. It vaguely resembled football and more closely resembled professional wrestling. After particularly gruesome, not to mention impossible, tackles, the announcer would say, “That was completely uncalled for, but a lot of fun to watch.”
That’s kind of how this all feels. It’s essentially meaningless, yet people will froth and stutter as if they themselves were slapped in the face. What a fucking circus.
This is often how the Peace prize is awarded, actually. The committee awards the Peace prize to someone in the process of doing something as a way of saying “atta boy”
They gave the prize to Desmond Tutu 10 years before aparthed was abolished, not after the fact. They gave the prize to someone who is still under house arrest in a very oppressive Burmese State. They didn’t wait to see how it turns out. This is the committee’s way of saying they like the direction Obama is heading. It’s not now and never has been designed to be a lifetime achievement award.
As an european Social Democrat, I was extremely relieved to see Obama get elected as POTUS. But I have to say I find this weird. I mean, the guy hasn’t really had time to accomplish much of anything yet as a president.
Also, Obama’s win seems to be in fashion with most of the other past winners of the Prize:
I mean, shit, if Arafat can win one then Obama should be able to, as well. Ditto for Kissinger. People who spent their whole lives opposing peace end up winning the NPP and Obama is the one who catches flak for his? Boggles the mind.
“The Republican Party has thrown in its lot with the terrorists – the Taliban and Hamas this morning”
This is the same sort of blatantly manipulative bullshit that the Republicans have become so disgusting for using. It’s not appropriate to lower yourself to their level of discourse.
This, however, is a more pertinent and reasonable criticism:
"Republicans cheered when America failed to land the Olympics and now they are criticizing the President of the United States for receiving the Nobel Peace prize – an award he did not seek but that is nonetheless an honor in which every American can take great pride – unless of course you are the Republican Party. "
What did you think they would say? Those that represent allies say it’s deserved, those that represent enemies say it’s not deserved.
You would be better served to look at polling numbers in various places. They have indicated varying levels of dissatisfaction with this award. Hell, you need look no further than here, where Obama can do little wrong and yet people are puzzled by this award.
They are puzzled because of the presumption that the Peace Award must reflect some accomplishment, like the awards for medicine or chemistry. “But what has he done?” would be a perfectly valid question in that context. On a number of occassions, the award has been made in support of an aspiration and an inspiration, this is one of those times.
Of course, it is a shame that our President is somehow associated with such naive ideas like “world peace”. Hard headed realists understand that such drivel is a bunch of hippy nonsense, and that we are most likely doomed.
Myself, I wish they hadn’t, but only because its trouble he just doesn’t need right now.
Being puzzled is fine. The Republican leadership could have said “As Americans we are proud, that the President received the award, but like many people we are puzzled by it coming so early in the President’s term. We will work with the President so that America can live up to the highest ideals of the Nobel Peace prize”.
The DNC is apparently a bunch of pathetic chumps. I have no use for any further words from them. If they want to show a backbone, they need actions now, not words.
