Comments on: Obama As Machiavelli

By: mermer

mermer — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 10:28:00 +0000

Many people who are successful in these new paradigms that can be adapted to find the fastest, or the new ones come to realize that.

By: campbell

campbell — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 03:52:15 +0000

You nailed it Victoria — teaching for Obama was not a full-time career and I admire him for fitting it into his schedule at all. Really regret the tone of this article which doesn’t seem to take any of that into account.

By: ernie nazario

ernie nazario — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 12:44:06 +0000

“— the American Civil Liberties Union, which opposed the measure, or the community groups that supported it out of concern about crime.” There is no mention of why the ACLU is opposing the measure. It seems clear that the writer is trying to suggest that Obama is not supporting anti-crime efforts.

By: Victoria

Victoria — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 02:58:46 +0000

Sorry – this is about the text: As a former adjunct prof, I read the Times article with particular interest because I recognized the terrain and felt I could read between the lines, but I’m sure it read differently to others. For instance, that he didn’t publish… That’s primarily for tenure and he was never interested in tenure. So? This article leaves out what another made clear: True, he didn’t engage in regular (tenure track) faculty exercises, but he was there at eight in the morning for coffee with students, which drew fairly large numbers. He was doing two other jobs at the same time he was teaching! So how could he join in many things? That he taught around what personally interested him is probably part of what made his courses so interesting. – I read the article and thought, “This is a centered, grounded person who knows how to stay on course. Admirable. I wish I had been more adept at that when I was teaching.”
But yes, it’s getting played in words and images that all go back to Uppity.

By: Aiken Blue

Aiken Blue — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 23:39:22 +0000

Obama is a mastermind becaue he takes time to study the situation and find a solution. He’s thoughtful. McCain, on the other hand, rushes along headlong. Obama will make a great president and a good leader. We need somebody who inspires. Please support Obama, visit WHYOBAMA08.ORG!

By: prince

prince — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 22:29:48 +0000

Nobody's going to do this to him.

By: ratfood

ratfood — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 21:22:47 +0000

Donna, I for one still find newspapers useful. They provide my pet bird with a place to submit his editorial opinions, which are every bit as insightful as those that typically emerge from the beltway crowd.

By: donna

donna — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 20:04:54 +0000

Trolls are just so cute, huh? Too bad they never say anything useful.
Anyway, the NYT bias is pretty clear, as with most of the media. And it is not liberal. Too bad their profits are going down the tubes, huh? You think they would show a bit more interest in who is funding those relationships based on self interest. Hint: It is not their readers, it is their advertisers. They might want to look at what those advertisers think when their readership goes down because of stuff like this.
I’ve told the L.A. Times and the SD Union Tribune exactly why I canceled my subscriptions in the past. They apparently didn’t care.
Perhaps the BAG ought to offer a consulting service to the media on why many of us no longer bother to read their tripe or view their photo essays….

By: Anti Obama.net

Anti Obama.net — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 19:52:35 +0000

Seems to me Obama is Machiavelli in at least this way: he’s willing to do anything (his means) to get elected (his end).

By: black dog barking

black dog barking — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 19:48:37 +0000

… Mr. Obama discussed the issue with unusual thoughtfulness, they say, but gave little sign of who should prevail…
They say it like it’s a bad thing. By postponing judgment Prof Obama leaves in place the mechanisms of observation and the possibility of update. Far too many of us make a judgment, Thing A is Good, and thereafter suspend all observation of the underlying substance of our now “known” “truth”. While there’s nothing quite like a sharp adversarial debate in the faculty lounge the outcomes are easily gamed by rhetorical facility and trickery. Our adversarial legal system works only when strict rules of evidence limit the course of rhetoric.
As for Relationships Built on Self Interest our economy would be a lot better off if the parties of interest recognized the interconnection required for successful and sustainable commerce. Can’t imagine what it would be like to have a President that understands the necessary role of cooperation in progress.