Comments on: McGinn, The Viaduct, and Fabius Maximus http://thesunbreak.com/2010/07/26/mcginn-the-viaduct-and-fabius-maximus/ Curious Georges in a conversation with Seattle Thu, 30 Jun 2011 23:14:34 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.3 By: dw http://thesunbreak.com/2010/07/26/mcginn-the-viaduct-and-fabius-maximus/#comment-1952 dw Tue, 27 Jul 2010 18:12:00 +0000 /2010/07/26/mcginn-the-viaduct-and-fabius-maximus#comment-1952 I think Obama has done a ton, but his tactics do leave a lot to be desired. At once he's been as timid as McClellan and as relentless as Grant, but it seems like he's the wrong thing at the wrong moment. What it leaves everyone with is a sense that he's not getting anything done because he's so busy getting everything done.<br/><br/>McGinn, yeah, I can see how you see him as an opposite of Obama, given he's said everything and has done approximately nothing. But I think McGinn is also about a long-term strategy that he's trying to push through using some old and useless tactics. He's going to lose on the tunnel because he can't seem to do anything but parrot the old Fabian lines about wanting yet another vote of the people.<br/><br/>And yeah, the one difference is that Obama already has a list of accomplishments -- the stimulus, health care, Wall Street reform -- while McGinn after one year has... has he done anything? I think Obama has done a ton, but his tactics do leave a lot to be desired. At once he’s been as timid as McClellan and as relentless as Grant, but it seems like he’s the wrong thing at the wrong moment. What it leaves everyone with is a sense that he’s not getting anything done because he’s so busy getting everything done.

McGinn, yeah, I can see how you see him as an opposite of Obama, given he’s said everything and has done approximately nothing. But I think McGinn is also about a long-term strategy that he’s trying to push through using some old and useless tactics. He’s going to lose on the tunnel because he can’t seem to do anything but parrot the old Fabian lines about wanting yet another vote of the people.

And yeah, the one difference is that Obama already has a list of accomplishments — the stimulus, health care, Wall Street reform — while McGinn after one year has… has he done anything?

]]> By: josh http://thesunbreak.com/2010/07/26/mcginn-the-viaduct-and-fabius-maximus/#comment-1951 josh Tue, 27 Jul 2010 01:15:00 +0000 /2010/07/26/mcginn-the-viaduct-and-fabius-maximus#comment-1951 I sort of see where you're going with this, but if Obama doesn't have tactics how do you explain the series of major legislative accomplishments? If anything McGinn and Obama strike me as having opposite issues. The president is good at getting things done, but has trouble getting people to embrace his success (due mostly to the slow economic recovery) while McGinn is good at making showy statements and remaining approximately popular without a lot (yet) in the way of accomplishments. I sort of see where you’re going with this, but if Obama doesn’t have tactics how do you explain the series of major legislative accomplishments? If anything McGinn and Obama strike me as having opposite issues. The president is good at getting things done, but has trouble getting people to embrace his success (due mostly to the slow economic recovery) while McGinn is good at making showy statements and remaining approximately popular without a lot (yet) in the way of accomplishments.

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