I’m giving myself three minutes to write this, because I’m going to Atlantic City today. So sorry if there are more grammatical errors than usual, which will be a lot.
I’m happy that Obama won the election, but in the wake of it, I realize how unhappy I am with Obama as a President. I’m having a hard time mustering excitement about the next four years. Part of this is beyond Obama’s control.
But part of it is because of Obama himself, and how he runs his administration. Three minutes are up.
You should read these two articles in the New Yorker, both of which give nuanced portraits of some of the reasons why the Obama presidency is a really flawed one. When I try to summarize it, I think, “He just doesn’t care about people in the way that Bill Clinton did,” but I know that’s fucking ridiculous. BTW, yesterday, and editor sent me an edit that said, in the notes, “STOP SAYING FUCK SO MUCH.” Fuck.
Here they are:
1. George Packer’s profile of Jeff Connaughton, which I thought was kind of brilliant, but also really bizarre. Like, what’s up with the New Yorker’s allowing their writers (Larisa McFarq-whatever it in particular) to write these really flowing, expository profiles that supplement fact with supposition?Â
Anyway, it’s about this “Biden-guy,” mid-level, Washington power guy who you’ve probably never heard of. But his story is one that tells the story of Washington—and the way it’s become emboldened to big money—in the past thirty years. I fucking love George Packer. The part about being disappointed with Obama becomes acute towards the end, when he writes about the Dodd campaign finance reform bill.
2. The extremely moving story of an Iraqi war veteran by Dexter Filkins (is he hot?) who goes to ask atonement from the wife and daughter of a family that his company slaughtered in the first few days of the Iraq War. Soldiers need better services when they get back from war. PTSD seems like a fucking atrocious thing. Right now, that’s on Obama.
Anyway, read them. I’m off to do more weeping in Atlantic City.
