Reason.tv: Obama's Doublethink Doubletalk (State of the Union Remix)

George Orwell defined doublethink as "the power of holding two contradictory beliefs in one's mind simultaneously, and accepting both of them."

When it comes to war, spending, and more, President Barack Obama's 2010 State of the Union address showed that doublethink is alive and well in Washington, D.C.

Approximately two minutes. Written and produced by Paul Feine.

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Comments

[Suki]

"When it comes to war, spending, and more, President Barack Obama's 2010 State of the Union address showed that doublethink is alive and well in Washington, D.C."

Is this true or is it just what they want us to think?

[Joe M]

Come on, you guys. Can't use footage from Fox News, that gives you away as a bunch of partisan hacks. Should've used MSNBC footage to really add another layer to the experience.

[A is Awesome]

Is funny because MSNBC also biased!

[Blammo]

I'd change "also" to "infinitely more."

[fendi]

Can Illinois do the same as in Massachusetts and bring our country back from socialism?

[chanel]

Approximately two minutes. Written and produced by Paul Feine.?

[Let's Be Free]

I've met a few Harvard Law Review Presidents and their ilk in my time; each has been a master of doublespeak. That's the currency of the realm in the world they inhabit.

Their world is not about substance or adding value; it's about keeping opponents off balance until they see an opening that allows them to swoop in and win the argument, most often through villification.

The approach is predicated on an amoral adversarial philosophy that morphs into immorality when it is foisted upon ordinary citizens who are not skilled in the arts of forensic debate.

[micsolana]

That music was a wee bit over the top, I think; I kept waiting for the man to launch into his putting-people-in internment-camps-is-good campaign or something.

[Monk]

Yeah, this video is like something Glenn Beck would do.

[give the dog a bone]

I didn't see Obama break down and cry.

[micsolana]

I was thinking Prison Planet.

[Todd]

You mean like when Glenn beck spent a whole week debunking the entire internment camp thing? Going so far as to send a film crew to the supposed site and showing what it really was?

Yeah it's totally like that.

[micsolana]

"like something Glenn Beck would do" does not equal "that time Glenn Beck did the craziest thing Glenn Beck ever did."

Oh, forget it. This is a stupid conversation anyway.

[Run, Forrest! Run!]

When someone concludes a conversation is stupid and still submits a post, is that what they mean by stupid is stupid does?

[Tony]

Well that's the stupidest thing I've seen so far today.

[micsolana]

But stupid is smart. And all animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others; and Obama likes peace and gay people and fiscal responsibility.

[yonemoto]

and pot! And pot! Don't forget. This is reason mag, after all!

[A Different Bill]

Oh, hyurk! Hyurk!! Hyurk!!

I get it!! Libertarians just want to legally smoke pot!! Derrhurr!!

[yonemoto]

I never said anything about libertarians. Just, you know, this rag. (inserts tongue in cheek)

[Karl Smith]

I think, honestly, you guys could have done a better job than that. Only the point about the war was directly contradictory but then again if you heard the speech you knew he was talking about two different wars.

The other things might have been wide-eyed or unrealistic but they weren't doublethink. He was clearly saying that the bailout package was a necessary evil and that government should concentrate on funding things with a high return on investment, like in his mind education.

Now the rationale underlying those assertions might be false but its not doublethink.

[Grant Smith]

Thank you for providing such insightful commentary Karl. You have elucidated my feelings about this video in a succinct, precise manner and I appreciate you taking the time out of your day to do it.

[Marcie]

I did not see the whole speech, What two wars was he talking about?

[Brian]

Reminds me of this great line out of Atlas Shrugged:

"The John Galt plan," Wesley Mouch was saying, "will reconcile all conflicts. It will protect the property of the rich and give a greater share to the poor. It will cut down the burden of your taxes and provide you with more government benefits. It will lower prices and raise wages. It will give more freedom to the individual and strengthen the bonds of collective obligations. It will combine the efficiency of free enterprise with the generosity of a planned economy"

[TD]

Ummm, were you detractors of this video watching the same thing as I? Did you watch the entire speech? I don't care who you voted for, that S.ofthe U. sppech was one of the most contradictory, populist, fanciful bouts of political rhetoric that I have seen. Anyone who wants to make this a partisan issue is making excuses for a bad politician or party.

[micsolana]

No --- the point is correct. The tone is a little much.

[Sam Grove]

Game show: DoubleSpeak

It's not what you say, it's what you APPEAR to say.

[Jarrod]

Not a bad video, except that giving families a tax credit for college is a pretty good idea. We should get tax credits for just about everything. Healthcare, groceries, gas, pronography, you name it.

[Andrea]

It's not what you say, it's what you ALSO say.

[Tony Santaniello]

C'mon you guys. The bottom line is that, if Obama was coaching a football team last year instead of leading our country, the team would now be 0 and 10.

[Ratko]

It takes more than a crappy motivational talk when the game is football but the coach only understands "futbol."

[Tony Santaniello]

excuse me---if he "WERE" coaching

[Tony Santaniello]

Obama's explanation why his team isn't doing so well: " Well, the previous coach left me without a defense. I think we're making progress. We're rebuilding a team that last year's coach decimated. And the press is constantly critising me. Gimme a break."

[Tony Santaniello]

excuse me---"criticizing"

[bigterguy]

It seems the specifics are socialist programs and the generalities are conservative platitudes used to cover up the collectivism.

[Tater Salad]

Can Illinois do the same as in Massachusetts and bring our country back from socialism?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nEoW-P81-0

[Ratko]

A Junior High School with a non-competitive volley ball program is looking for an assistant coach to promote winning attitudes by providing pre-game pep talks and to game time supervise the teams to assure the players don't attempt to score points.

Finally a job comes along the man is capable of performing and he's too busy dinking around day dreaming and attention seeking to even bother filling out an application. I swear, if that kid doesn't grow up soon he'll never be worth a spit.

[Demian808]

What is it about Obama that makes conservatives flock to hyperbole, which accusing Obama of "Orwellian double-speak" clearly is. It's especially disconcerting in this context because its found in "Reason" Magazine. It could have just as easily been found in Fox News, and I thought "Reason" was an alternative to all the nonsense you find on Fox News. It turns out, "Reason" is not always that different.

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[german shepherd]

I believe, honestly, you guys would've done a much better job than which. Only the point in regards to the war was directly contradictory however again if a person heard the conversational you knew he was dealing with two different battles.

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