UP-INAUGURAL NUGGET!!
Live-Blogging The Second Inauguration Of Barack Obama (Andrew Sullivan) from the Daily Beast
"If you have long believed, as I have, that this man could easily become the liberal Reagan by the end of his second term (even Ross now agrees), then this speech will not have surprised you."
Why Reform Eludes China (Jonathan Levine) from the National Interest
"Economic reform allowed its champions to become rich; political reform stands to make them obsolete. Today there is no Deng, and as the power of individual men has diminished, it has not been replaced with a commensurate level of authority from institutions."
For President Obama, al-Qaeda Is Our Problem Now (Janet Daley) from the Daily Telegraph [of the UK]
"The US no longer sees itself as the world’s bodyguard."
Obama’s Best Days are Probably Ahead (Steve Kornacki) from Salon
"His second term could produce the broad, sustained popularity that eluded him in his first."
The Liberation of Barack Obama (E.J. Dionne Jr.) from the Washington Post
"Barack Hussein Obama can begin his second term liberated by the confidence that he is already a landmark figure in American history. His task is not to manufacture a legacy but to leave his successors a nation that is more tranquil because it finally resolved arguments that roiled it for decades."
Obama's Startling Second Inaugural (James Fallows) from the Atlantic
"This was the most sustainedly "progressive" statement Barack Obama has made in his decade on the national stage. ... More detailed parsing later, but this speech made news and alters politics in a way I had not anticipated."
The Big Deal (Paul Krugman) from the New York Times
"F.D.R. had his New Deal; well, Mr. Obama has his Big Deal. He hasn’t delivered everything his supporters wanted, and at times the survival of his achievements seemed very much in doubt. But if progressives look at where we are as the second term begins, they’ll find grounds for a lot of (qualified) satisfaction. Consider, in particular, three areas: health care, inequality and financial reform."
For all those liberals who have bitched about Obama's willingness to compromise, an alternative view:
Republicans Should Start Acting Like Obama (Marc Thiessen) from the Washington Post
"I wish more Republicans were like Barack Obama. Really. Give the president his due: he fights for what he believes in."
Thiessen (the first doctrinaire conservative pundit I can recall) gets a two-fer here today!
An Inaugural Gift from the GOP (Marc A. Thiessen) from the Washington Post
"They should be holding today’s inauguration on the deck of the USS Missouri instead of the steps of the U.S. Capitol, so Barack Obama can formally accept the surrender of the GOP. Before Obama even places his hand on the Bible today, his rout of the House Republicans is already virtually complete. Not only have Republicans capitulated on taxes by violating their no tax pledge, Republican leaders have now announced that they are capitulating on spending as well, by violating the “Boehner rule.” All this before Obama’s second term even began."
No Longer the Black President (Eugene Robinson) from the Washington Post
"The nation now regards Obama as simply the president. What a marvelous, unremarkable thing."
Obama Comes Out Swinging for Second Term (David Lauter) from the Los Angeles Times
"That approach has unified Democrats, who remain staunchly supportive of the president, while exacerbating splits in Republican ranks, according to polls. While the strategy involves considerable risk, Obama and his aides seem convinced it offers their best hope of winning major legislative victories in an era of deep partisan divisions in Washington and in the wider electorate."
Will Conservative Media Give the GOP Cover to Make A Deal on Immigration? (Adam Serwer) from Mother Jones Magazine
"... the right wing media's reaction to Florida GOP Sen. Marco Rubio's new immigration proposal—a plan that resembles the one put forth by the White House—suggests conservatives may really be changing their tune on immigration reform."
West Point Study on ‘Violent Far Right’ Shows ‘Dramatic Rise’ in Attacks (Samantha Kimmey) from Raw Story
"The executive summary of the paper, “Challengers from the Sidelines: Understanding America’s Violent Far-Right,” claims that “since 2007, there has been a dramatic rise in the number of attacks and violent plots originating from individuals and groups who self- identify with the far-right of American politics.”"
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