Brooks' advice to Obama, "Go visit a factory for once"; but Obama spoke at a General Motors plant days earlier
SUMMARY: Responding to Chris Matthews' question, "[W]ill Barack Obama's oratorical ability on the lectern in front of big rooms continue to be his winning edge?" The New York Times' David Brooks said: "Yes, but he's got to get away from colleges. Go visit a factory for once." In fact, Obama delivered what his campaign called a "major economic policy address" at a Wisconsin General Motors factory a few days before Brooks made his comment.
On the February 17 edition of the NBC-syndicated Chris Matthews Show, host Chris Matthews asked his panel if "Barack Obama's oratorical ability on the lectern in front of big rooms [will] continue to be his winning edge?" In response, New York Times columnist David Brooks said: "Yes, but he's got to get away from colleges. Go visit a factory for once." In fact, Obama visited a Wisconsin General Motors factory, where he delivered what his campaign called a "major economic policy address" a few days before Brooks made his comment.
A February 14 New York Times article reported that on February 13, Obama "opened his campaign for next week's Wisconsin primary by presenting his plan to spur the creation of construction and environmentally friendly jobs. He made his speech inside a General Motors plant in Janesville, Wis."
A blogger for the Obama campaign put a photograph of Obama at the GM plant on Obama's website:
In addition to the Times, the Associated Press, Los Angeles Times, USA Today, and Washington Post reported on Obama's factory visit and address.
From the February 17 edition of the NBC-syndicated Chris Matthews Show:
MATTHEWS: Let me ask you about this question. Let's step back to who going to win in the next three or four months. Without completely defining, as reporters, something you can't define, what will happen in the future, will Barack Obama's oratorical ability on the lectern in front of big rooms continue to be his winning edge?
CHRYSTIA FREELAND (Financial Times managing editor): Yes.
DAVID GREGORY (NBC News chief White House correspondent): Yes, Absolutely.
ELISABETH BUMILLER (New York Times reporter): Yes.
BROOKS: Yes, but he's got to get away from colleges. Go visit a factory for once.
[laughter]
MATTHEWS: Before we break, as we've been saying, Hillary Clinton needs something to shake up the Democratic race.
of course Brooks knew this was inaccurate. his comments were deliberate. this was not an oversight.
typical tactic of "attack where the opposition is strong": Barry actually *does* go to factories, talk to middle- and working-class folks. Brooks knows this and therefore levels an invective comment to perpetuate the media myth that Obama is too "preachy" and only appeals to "intellectuals".
At a certain point it becomes so easy to dissect their pathological pundicratic-un-reality ----- how can the majority of Americans not see through this?
of course Brooks knew this was inaccurate. his comments were deliberate. this was not an oversight.
I believe you are wrong and you are giving pundits like Brooks too much credit. He doesn't read his own newspaper. He is hired to give his opinions based on his contacts and information other than the Times. Brooks just made this fact up "'on-the-fly" because it supports his pre-conceived notions about the candidate. They all do it.
by *supporting his pre-conceived notions as a pundit* when filling time on the TEEVEE with Chris Mathews, it helps to make him seem more relevant as a *columnist* in the painfully tedious op-ed section of the dead-tree media outlet he happens to take up inches in.
either way, i think we agree on how *stupid* this is. but my vote is for *it's on purpose*.
Besides, tell me how many factories exist that - 1. Have facilities designed to accommodate a large audience for public speaking - 2. Would disrupt or shut down production to allow a politician to speak?
Just the physical makeup of colleges vs. factories makes them the forum of choice. A candidate doesn’t need to visit a factory to get a large blue collar audience, if this is what Brooks is trying to imply. I am sure there are plenty of “factory workers” who have seen Obama speak on college campuses around the country. A factory or workplace might be a good facility for shaking hands, but it is usually hardly an adequate place for a politician to give a speech.
...who can't possibly understand or relate to the blue-collard voters.
You mean those that ate too many collard greens? (Sorry I couldn't pass up on your typo - :)
Which raises the question...
Has anyone asked whether John McCain has visited any factories? Did GW ever do it? The last time I can remember (my memory being far from perfect, though) any Republican candidate doing the factory thing was George H.W. Bush visiting a flag factory, and his excessive pandering to symbols of patriotism drew rebukes even from the right wing. A spokesman for GHW admitted they had done it "once too often."
Speaking for the place that I work at, a manufacturing site, we're open 24/7/365 at this point in time in order to get our product to our customers, who are clamoring for it. So indeed, you are correct. In order to shut the place down for someone to speak to just possibly one shift of floor operators, would cause immense trouble in our supply chain, and probably shut down one or more of our customers since we have a just in time delivery system, and if we miss a shipment, there is a very real chance of shutting someone down, to the tune of about $25,000 - $30,000 / minute, depending on which customer we're talking about.
Anyway, I don't feel that Universities and Colleges are the bastions of elitism that they used to be, and most people feel more than comfortable going onto campuses around where I live (Chapel Hill, NC) for many different events for many different walks of life.
Snarky ignorant advice, who isn't happy to recieve this?
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tied down by the unions. toyota can open in san antonio, build the tundra, without all the costs imposed by the uaw on gm. of course, that's only part of it, but a part nevertheless. foreign mfrs seem to be more forward thinking in giving the consumers what they want.
on the other hand, cadillac got car of the year, and i love my tbird.
The biggest overwhelming issue is health care costs. That, and they're making cars that nobody wants to purchase, plus the fact that over the years foreign automakers have gotten a reputation for quality in their vehicles, even though Toyota, as of late, have had a lower rating than many of the big 3 in initial quality ratings over the last couple of years, but they drove that quality mantra, and delivered on it, that people are willing to pay more, for more or less the same car that the big 3 deliver on, but folks have a perception that Toyota is better quality, even though recently it hasn't been the case. Unions are only a small part of the problem for the big 3.
The big 3 also have this continued issue of building monster vehicles that don't get good gas mileage, and with higher oil prices, we are seeing a selling of more small and midsize cars than ever before. Which, Japanese companies are very good at.
Also, we have Toyota building and opening car plants in the US while we have American companies closing them down, as well as moving them to cheaper labor countries (such as Mexico). The Japanese come off looking better because they are actually employing Americans in their plants, and in their supply chain. For instance, in the Camry made in Kentucky there is more domestic content than most American company cars.
Taxes don't have anything to do with it, since all the automakers get huge breaks. So your initial assertion that GM is waffling because of taxes (so you could get a cheap poke at Hillary in there) is just downright wrong.
the raising of taxes on individuals will undermine the economy, and that will affect gm, although not in particular. the confiscation of taxes from oil companies and big pharma (which is not doing very well, presently) is just evidence of her fascistic tendencies.
like in bananas, when i'm president, everyone will wear underwear on the outside -- and change it every 20 minutes.
How?
Taxes have been lowered and lowered for the better part of ten years now. Meanwhile, the cost of fuel, energy, food, housing, education and healthcare have gone up. Do you understand the net effect of this? Any extra money alotted to lower and middle class workers by lowered taxes results in the net transfer of wealth from the hands of working people to the money changing hands of the corporate class.
This is the raiding of the commonwealth, it's a hostile takeover of the public trust by unaccountable corporate elites.
Why does this matter? Because the best way to spur the economy is to invest in the commons. Quality public education and healthcare for all frees us from high costs and empowers us to prosper. Good roads, strong environmental regulations and consumer protections likewise enables us to prosper.
The Republican vision of a privatized, pay to play society creates the unequal distribution of power for the wealthy. That is fundamentally unAmerican.
Are you out of your mind? Both oil and pharma are doing EXCEEDINGLY well.
It has nothing to do with organized labor like our name dropping friend claims. Auto workers in Canada are union workers too. It has everything to do with GM having to pay more to produce a car here than there, because of the Canadian national health care system.
You really parrot the propganda no matter how stupid it is dont you? Japan has had a higher average wage than the US since the 70's and Toyota in Japan IS union. In fact their Japanese Union just filed for a major raise. Its not that GM just kept making school bus sized SUVs and other cars people dont want to buy no the problem has to be one of those things the brainwashed sychophantic rightwing has been TOLD is the problem with all the worlds ills. IF you ever had an original thought you would mistake if for an anuerism
But Solon, don’t you realize there’s a big market out there for the SUV’s? All the global-warming naysayers love buying them up to park in front of their light-on-in-every-room homes just to piss off the “tree-huggers”. I'm sure HIST has one in his drive (The Cadie is in the garage.)
A true proud Conservative – so uplifting.
What would you ever do if we had a REAL president who fought terrorism like a REAL war and you had to make sacrifices for your country that included giving up your gouging of resources?
I’m glad you agree we should take this burden off the companies and initiate universal health care.
The question was GM vs Toyota. Since Japan like all the rest of the industrial world has a national healthcare system they dont HAVE to provide health care. Toyota IS union in Japan though you insufferable moron. Your stupidity is so palpable I could cut it with a knife. We tried the rightwing stupidity of a Bush presidency. Not likely America will take advice from idiots like YOU again. Your evidence that Obama or Hillary will bring on a recession? Our last Dem president only gave us the longest peacetime expansion of the economy in history. Oh thats right you are too stupid to make actual points. You settle for being a sideshow moron calling Obama Hussein and pulling idiocy out of your ass to spew on this board. You are stupid. Your posts are worthless.
"...bring on a major depression and let's get it out of our system, once and for all"
Please do advocate your ingenious plan. It's a sure winner come November.
Now that's funny lol
We've been told that Detroit is at a disadvantage due to high labor costs. But, Japanese cars haven't always sold well due to lower prices but to quality, design and reliability. In fact, some models are sold at premium prices with no discounts. How come? GM has a long history of poorly designed cars that were discontinued after a few years. I don't even know what models Chevrolet has anymore. They've rearranged the deck chairs on the Titanic so often.
How did Hyundai go from a joke to catching up with the Japanese in quality in such a short time? But, GM with all it's resources has had a hard time of it. I know. a GM model here or there might make the list.
It all started with the Chevette !
And it's d**n near impossible to get a Chevette to start..... :-)
"so hillary goes to a gm plant and tells everyone how she's going to raise taxes"
Let's see you link to this quote from Hillary at GM saying, "I'm going to raise taxes".
Which still doesn't change the fact that it was false.
You forgot one other comparative feature of the website that would never happen… Allow liberals to participate in the conversation without censorship. (Humming Buddy Holly. "That'll be the day...")
Maybe I should have said it another way. It is true that after a long number of rallys at colleges and stadiums or arenas, he was at an auto plant. My point was that if you have a 30 minute show and 29 minutes of it are cast in a favorable light toward your candidate, maybe you could accept that in the greater context. Just think if you supported Hillary, you would have to listen to 29 minutes of bashing and maybe one good point.
Let's adopt your high standards for all professions.
One day per month everyone is allowed to be totally screw up everything at their jobs.
Hey Brooks:
Go read something besides tired right wing talking points for once.
I noticed that many comments here and on other sites contain "Obama love-fest" or "Media gushing over Obama". Is it Obama's fault that the MSM has decided to put the spotlight on ONE good looking (to say the least) intelligent, eloquent speaking black man or because MSM's daily news coverage reflects an imagine of black men as drug dealing, drug addicted, uneducated unemployed criminals they can't help but create a "Obama love-fest" in their surprise at Obama? When watching media coverage of Obama the uneducated are left thinking there is only ONE black man in America who has such qualities.
Should we be angry at Obama or should we be outraged at MSM?
I for one think the latter. MSM is no different that our society as a whole. There are many in the media who only see black men as they appear on television. They have no more contact or interaction with black men in their day to day life. Therefore they are surprised and amazed at Obama hence the love-fest and the extreme attention. We think that our media types are well rounded, educated individuals but as this site has shown us they are lazy, uneducated and many never travel from their safe environment.
I'm a Obama supporter but I get angry at the gushing media attention not because I think it slights Hillary or help Obama but because it continues to leave too many uneducated folks who have never left their safe environment with the impression that Obama is a rare black man. The majority of black men are exactly what we, MSM, show you and Obama is unique. THAT IS A LIE! There are many many intelligent, eloquent, good looking black men available if our lazy uneducated media would only notice them and stop relying of the stereotypical imagines so often used.
You mean people like this????...
Summary: Discussing his recent dinner with Rev. Al Sharpton at the Harlem restaurant Sylvia's, Bill O'Reilly reported that he "couldn't get over the fact that there was no difference between Sylvia's restaurant and any other restaurant in New York City. I mean, it was exactly the same, even though it's run by blacks, primarily black patronship." O'Reilly added: "There wasn't one person in Sylvia's who was screaming, 'M-Fer, I want more iced tea.' "
Cleve, EXACTELY!
MSM seems amazed at Obama. They seem to never consider that if there is ONE Obama there MIGHT be a lotta lotta Obama's across America. There is more to the black man than what appears on television. So much media attention is given to black rap artists, football/basketball players and very little if any is paid to black men who are writers, politicians, artists, chefs, restaurant owners, entrepreneurs....
While Bill O is in no way MSM he is not alone in his amazement that black folks use a knife and fork. While not all MSM are as extremely ignorant as Bill many have not encountered black men like Obama, therefore he is special. Think about how often Black children see white folks every day of their lives whether they are their teachers, grocery store-clerks, police officers or doctors. Think about how often many white children see black folks? How often do white children interact with and learn about black folks? A lot of what they and their parents know about black folks is what they see on television.
Don't get me wrong, Obama is a fine speaker, one of the best in a long time. I would say since Mario Cuomo in recent times and Kennedy and MLK is latter times. That is simply a fact. You may not like the man but you cannot deny his ability to speak and that his speeches have the ability to move people. I just think that all the gushing attention is in some ways more of an insult than compliment.
Hi Pearlene. I have one of the men you speak of. Not only are his morals superior, but he is a good and kind person. He is a beautiful person inside and out. I have met many in his extended family that are good men as well. They really are not an anomoly. Moral, employed, well spoken, good looking, nice, decent people. America needs to be exposed to the reality. When my family first met my husband, my brother in law asked if he lived in the projects. Then my brother said he thought he looked like Billy Dee Williams (he doesn't look anything like him). So white people are pretty dang ignorant of blacks. We have traveled throughout the world and Americans seem to be the most ignorant. Any time we get into a group of Americans they act like my husband must be a star athlete or something in order to afford travel. And they always say dumb stuff like oh, you look like so and so (somebody on TV).
The other night during our nightly walk, we were talking about the dumb stuff people say when we are on trips. I told him next time some old white dude (it's always the old white dudes) says he looks like somebody on TV, he needs to yell out real loud DYN-O-MITE. Just to have a good laugh, which we do anyway. Good thing the younger people are much better. There may be hope yet.
I predict Barack Obama will win, stay in office for two terms, and will then be succeeded by Michelle Obama. They will usher in an era of social change that will mean the final liberation of African Americans and world peace.
Everyone says the media will turn on Obama if he wins the nomination, but I'm not so sure. One thing the media hates more than putting a Democrat in the white house is admitting any sort of error in prior group character judgments. The Obama worship group-think is firmly in place, and once group-think gets into the media, it NEVER gets out.
(Of course I don't mean Fox by the above. Their viewers are too stupid to even notice a reversal.)
Everyone says the media will turn on Obama if he wins the nomination, but I'm not so sure.
Please clarify your terminology. MSM or Fox? Of course Fox will attack Obama like a polar bear after a seal. It's the grizzled war veteran versus a young smooth talking halfrican with Muslim roots. The MSM will still like Obama so long as he gives then good access.
It wasn't ineptitude on Brooks' part. He knew exactly what he was saying and he knew it was a falsehood.
I'm surprised how often Media Matters suggests incompetence when it's really malice that's at work.
Nice swing but you hit a foul ball. Equating the "danger" of a brilliant Obama in office to the danger of a moronic Bush is like comparing Einstein to Mr. Ed.
Reply above
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You're right. Think how long it took the news media to get over their 'love-fest' with Bush. I still can't believe that the press corps and the pundits thought he was in charge of anything except deciding the lunch menu for all these years. Remember how they swooned over his megaphone moment at Ground Zero. That's what's dangerous about an Obama presidency. He could make monumental mistakes and the pundits won't say boo just like with Bush.
Misogynism is mismatched deliberately in the post NIU news, why would Steven Phillip "Steve" Kazmierczak turn rage against a breakup with his girlfriend against a crowd of students and not the former girlfriend?
Mind controlled drone in nexus of guerilla sub-government.
([i]same .... different da[/i]y)
Purpose: domestic terrorism, U.S.; political coercion and public demoralization.
Planted foils: 2nd Amendment media posture + blamed on breakup with girlfriend
Affect: Derangement film fixations, extensive tattoo work--also possible drug delivery medium vis a vis subcutaceous needle impregnation of the dermis.
Direct link to VA Tech in gun dealership out of WI.
What will Fibbie do now?
[url http://www.wsws.org/articles/2008/feb2008/shot-f18.shtml]
[/url]
Law enforcement still looking for woman alleged to be his girlfriend, possible programmer specializing in automistim-script conditioning.
May involve taking advantage of a sleeping arrangement and interfacing the sleeping target with secret government technology applying transponders to the eyes and ears--likely ultrasonics and led combination with hallucinogenic compounds, then meth and sleep deprivation afterward.
Breaking the self preservation instinct does require extreme torture methods (subtext to the Bush Administration-FISA double talk) and psychotronics, it is configured into an escape pattern to bargain for release from the suffering swinging between poles of euphoria and unsustainable psychic pain. The target's conclusion is the condition is permanent and inescapable as well as impossible to withstand, they are cajoled into trying to appease what they think is an entity of the supernatural by acts of atrocity which they hope will bargain them a reprieve in any post suicide afterlife.
[url http://jagahost.proboards79.com/index.cgi?board=polonia&action=print&thread=1203097946][/url]
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[url www.freewebs.com/writingindependence/main.htm][/url]
Motivation/Rationale of Controllers: Reprisals for upsets in the 2008 primaries. Scaring domestic population with another futile display of old military technology.
Weapon of choice and habit: shooting fish in a barrel on a U.S. campus with a disposable MKU asset.
Correlated Biographical Significances: U.S. Mill affiliation, enlistment, privately barred records, mental illness, fly-by-night interlopers intersecting with perfection of the imbedding.
...speaking of "general motors" anyway...it's a standardized form of oppression certainly, or basically how the civil rights era bitter huckies at Langley worked out a plan to get away with just shootin' people anywhere in broad daylight... ..it has to have that signature of plausibly deniable finesse... ...usually the news will cough up the Kennedy Assassination like NPR did this morning, as a followup reminder and mood of helplessness enforcer... ...I think the harridan said something like "..conspiracy theorists will now have more to...(ha-haa!)..theorize about..(snicker).."
HEY IF THERE ARE ANY OBAMA SUPPORTERS OUT THERE MATTHEWS AND MSNBC HAVE DON IT AGAIN!!! MATTHEW TODAY FEB.18,2008 JUST PUT UP A PICTURE OF OSAMA BIN LADEN WHY TALKING ABOUT OBAMA. IF YOU DON'T BELIEVE ME I HOPE MEDIA MATTERS WILL ASK FOR THE TAPE FROM THAT SHOW TODAY. I'AM NOT SURPRISE!!!!
Hey, Media Matters (very little),
Keep up the good work avoiding anything about the coverage of Obama's plagarism or Bill Clinton exploding on an Obama supporter! We'd rather see stories that have lost their relevance weeks ago.
By the way, Obama was going to go to a General Motors plant but guess what?, Hillary just visited a factory and Barak was affraid he'd be accused of more plagarism in his campaign.
Keep up the good work MMvl!!!
LOL...Thanks as usual for some of the best laughs of the day, PC. Try to read the article before adding one of your asinine posts in the future. Obama visited a GM plant last week.
And please keep trying to raise bogus issues to distract attention from your guy, the captain of the Doubletalk Express, who is one of the worst political streetwalkers to come down the pike in quite awhile.
Of course, we reallize you guys have to go negative, since you really have nothing to offer besides more of the same, fear and smear. It's okay. We feel your pain.
Athleticsupporterdave,
Loosen up or are you too dense to see the jest in my posting? C'mon, please tell me you are not that thick!
MChammer,
Once again, you have demonstrated the liberal's inability to understand even the most elemental aspects of humor, satire. But that's ok, the payoff is not only in making fun but then seeing the mental midgets on the left missing the point and getting all bent out of shape because they don't get it!
Thanks in advance for the future chuckles that you will no doubt continue to supply.
I love this!
David Brooks, the working man's friend. Har, har, har.
God I hate this etiolated product of private schools.
I quit reading David Brooks when he started a health care column by quoting from The Heritage Foundation. I even took the time to write him asking him to provide one instance where the fountain of misinformation actually got something right. I have yet to hear back from him.