Reason.tv: Matt Welch and Nick Gillespie on Why the Obama Honeymoon is Over

It's been a difficult week for President Barack Obama, who has been criss-crossing the country trying to sell his messy health care legislation against a backdrop of headlines about his "honeymoon" being over. As Reason Editor in Chief Matt Welch and Reason.com and Reason.tv Editor in Chief Nick Gillespie explain, the president has only himself to blame, for breaking campaign promises, jacking up spending, and governing in an atmosphere of perpetual crisis.

Approximately 1.30 minutes.

Go here for embed code, and downloadable iPod, HD, and audio versions.

And don't miss the Gillespie/Welch Washington Post op-ed and chat transcript on the same topic.

Comments

[Michelle Obama]

Matt Welch and Nick Gillespie on Why the Obama Honeymoon is Over

Says you.

[Chris]

Good stuff. I have grown disillusioned with Obama. I support health care reform but believe that the stimulus package basically guaranteed that health care reform would suffer and possible die, as a result. Sadly, it looks like my predictions may come true.

[Flex Nasty B.I.G.]

The production of reason.tv spots just keeps getting better and better. It seems to me that video and text have their own strengths, and are each suited to different situations. Hopefully your analytics for that site are starting to give you insight into which videos are hits on the Interwebs.

[Chris]

Oops meant to type possiblY die...

[Jaybird]

Sit on it, Potsie.

[hmm]

Little disappointed and haven't even watched yet. The poorly tied askew necktie is present, but no jacket.

I will reluctantly watch, even if the aesthetics is not up to par.

I still support a viking helmet.

[John C. Randolph]

I have grown disillusioned with Obama.

I know that I will never be disillusioned with Obama.

-jcr

[T]

Am I the only one that thinks about half of the stills of Matt Welch on Reason make him look like a middle aged lesbian? He just doesn't photo well.

[Patrick]

These sorts of stories are sillier even than the stories about campaign polls. Obama is "slipping" because people that didn't originally vote for him approved of his job. Now some of them are telling pollsters they don't. What does it matter? Obama won in an landslide and nothing in any of these polls shows he has lost people who voted for him.

In fact, the policies that are driving away people who didn't vote for him, are exactly the ones the people that voted for him want. Wow, almost seems logical.

[hmm]

In fact, the policies that are driving away people who didn't vote for him, are exactly the ones the people that voted for him want. Wow, almost seems logical.

I'm not too sure about that. Seems like a lot of people thought he would swing to the middle and he isn't. Of course, the progressives are going to cheer no matter what he does. The koolaid was laced with ecstasy so they are always going to be for what he does. Just like the die hard republicans did with Bush.

[Jaybird]

I think it's more of a "holy crap, Bush/Obama is driving the other side crazy!!! HE MUST BE DOING THE RIGHT THING!!!"

When, no. The guy could blow his nose at a state dinner and it would inspire "is *THIS* the type of classless buffoon we want representing The American People to the rest of the world? Someone with boogers???" essays.

[brotherben]

T, more like John Ritter in Slingblade.

[Paul]

I support health care reform overhaul.

Fixed.

[Steve]

I'd just like to say something here.

Think back to around this time last year. What was Reason posting about then? Well, the candidates for President, duh. And while there wasn't a unanimous consensus my any means, I know that I felt disappointed with how many Reason editors were coming out to endorse Obama. Did you really not see this coming? Are you honestly and genuinely surprised by his politics as usual spending spree? Believe me, I was not in love with McCain, but I'm pretty sure that economically at least he'd have been better. And we were getting out of Iraq anyway. There was precious little real difference between any of the candidates on that issue; although there was certainly plenty of rhetoric.

[Todd]

Obama won in an landslide and nothing in any of these polls shows he has lost people who voted for him.

I voted for him and he lost me. He just has not lived up to what he has promised. Of course, I was a fence sitter during the campaign and decided to vote for him at the last minute. So, there's that.

[John C. Randolph]

I felt disappointed with how many Reason editors were coming out to endorse Obama.

I'm not sure I'd call it an endorsement, so much as a "well, he might not suck as bad as that other idiot".

Let's not forget the one great service that Obama has performed for the nation, which is to spare us from another Clinton administration.

-jcr

[T]

T, more like John Ritter in Slingblade.

I guess that's better than John Ritter in Bad Santa.

[Ebeneezer Scrooge]

And while there wasn't a unanimous consensus my any means, I know that I felt disappointed with how many Reason editors were coming out to endorse Obama.

And/or favor him, one way or another.

I was not in love with McCain, but I'm pretty sure that economically at least he'd have been better.

But don't you remember just how much the Republicans had to be punished? They deserved it so much that, well, we should be willing to slit our own throats if that's what it took to do the punishing.

"The Republicans have to be punished" theme was flying as fast and thick around here as anywhere. Maybe it was a teeny tiny bit short sighted?

Bush was bad, but economically way better than what we're getting now.

Bush had no principles that he stuck to, though at times he pretended otherwise. McCain was just blunt about not having any principles. You could count on McCain to be a perpetual nervous twitch.

Like the sudden "abandon the campaign and pass the bailout" twitch. And the follow-on "I'll socialize the mortgage industry just like Obama" twitch.

But McCain, sooner or later, would have started twitching in the other direction again. At least for a few minutes.

That is never going to happen with Obama.

[Jim Treacher]

I took the preventative step of never becoming illusioned with him in the first place. It's been working out pretty well.

[Tony]

I'm not too sure about that. Seems like a lot of people thought he would swing to the middle and he isn't. Of course, the progressives are going to cheer no matter what he doe

Then you haven't been paying attention to what progressives are saying. His compromises in nearly every area has progressives pissed off and they're not being quiet about it.

[Jeffersonian]

Believe me, I was not in love with McCain, but I'm pretty sure that economically at least he'd have been better.

Looking at Bush's spendthrift ways, it's hard to believe anyone could be worse. Then again, looking at Obama's, it's clear there is someone worse.

[Rich]

There is *always* someone worse. The question is: What conditions "allow" her/him to take power?

[Logan]

Ummmm

Is that Nick Gillespie wearing a collared shirt?

That is not black?

And without a leather jacket?

[JB]

Semi-endorsing Obama was pretty much the most f*cking irresponsible thing I'd seen in my lifetime, and it confirmed my suspicion that "libertarian"="arrested state of adolescence".

I mean, how many warning signs did you need to ignore not to see that Obama was a man-made disaster?

Unless you guys are working on some kind of libertarian analogue to Cloward-Piven, that was just freakin' boneheaded.

[mockmook]

Yep, I tried to warn against the "let's punish R's" before the election.

Why wasn't it "let's punish D's" for wishing for even more spending and government control?

Sure, Obama said a few things about checking spending, but coupled with his promised programs, that made no sense.

[pol pot pie]

McCain would be doing all or nearly all that Obama has.

Next election, there will be a clear choice, not an echo.

[Tbone]

Next election, there will be a clear choice, not an echo.

You're a funny guy. You make me laugh.

[24AheadDotCom]

Should Nick wear black nail polish and eyeliner?

The end as MattW failed to follow the camera - and they didn't do another take - was hilarious.

P.S. Reason's favorite Contributing Editor speaks! I tried listening to the first few minutes to see whether he was going to outrageously lie again, but the faux-NPR race baiting just got to be too much. Maybe someone from Reason should have a talk with their Contributing Editor about the downsides of just making things up.

[Ebeneezer Scrooge]

Next election, there will be a clear choice, not an echo.

By next election it probably won't matter anymore, because he'll have managed to severe the main arteries of what's left of the US economy.

[Art-P.O.G.]

24,

What happened? Did Dave Weigel say something mean about you on the internets?

[Ratdog]

The blended Obama/Bush image at the end of the video was interesting. While I had been aware that both presidents possess very oddly shaped heads, and unusual facial features, seeing how seamlessly the two meshed together was a bit of a surprise. As for the "honeymoon" ending, who would ever in their right mind imagine such a marriage could ever be a happy, or an enduring one is beyond me, so no surprise there. Now, saying I told you so at this point serves little if any good, the penalties for this latest round of foolish emotion based choice-making will be with us for a very long time and bring us that much closer to having no choice at all. Good decision making is never rooted in emotion for the simple reason that what little clarity of thought a human is capable of is easily muddied away and made useless with the addition of even a little emotion. I'm not advocating some kind of complete elimination of emotions, as if that were even possible, emotions are part of being human and perhaps the one trait most separating us from other members of our portion of the animal kingdom, all I'm asking is that when choice making has important consequences for others beyond ourselves, just please take the time to self-analyze the methodology involved in arriving at conclusions that may result in sensible decisions being disregarded in favor of ones arrived at out of 'hate' of Bush, or 'fear' of global warming, etc.

..24AheadDotCom, thank you for supplying a great example, your emotions have obviously become so large a part of your decision making process that it would appear your grip on reality has been considerably loosened.

[Mark Twain]

"Obama won in a landslide."

Proof the left doesn't pay attention to anything but its own propaganda.

[Matt]

Mr. O ran his campaign as a Moderate - well that mask is off. He is about as moderate as a punch in the face. Plus he no longer has Bush to blame, people are really getting tired of the "I inherited this mess" line of reasoning. OWN IT LIKE A MAN YOU POOR VICTIM

[Malto Dextrin]

Healt Care Reform:

After going to the doctor, you pay him for his services.

What a radical concept.

[Honeymoon in Paris]

Honeymoon in Paris is a different thing, Are you searching for the perfect honeymoon destination? If you are, you will be pleased with your options
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