What Happened to Obama?

New York Times by Drew Westen | Aug. 7, 2011 (Opinion)

The president is fond of referring to “the arc of history,” paraphrasing the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous statement that “the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” But with his deep-seated aversion to conflict and his profound failure to understand bully dynamics — in which conciliation is always the wrong course of action, because bullies perceive it as weakness and just punch harder the next time — he ... Full Story »

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Subjects: U.S., Politics, Business, Sci/Tech, Media, Health
Topics: U.S. Congress, Democrats, Republicans, Obama Administration, Psychology, Culture Wars, Jobs
Member Tags: barack obama, united states economy, federal budget (us), recession and depression, house of representatives, republican party, Democratic Party, united states politics and government, pm update, martin king, reform and reorganization, labor and jobs, Senate
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Posted by: Posted by Subramanya Sastry - Aug 6, 2011 - 4:41 PM PDT
Reviewed by: Fabrice Florin (review), mangakumo (review), ec-citi UG (review), Matthew Faveere (review), Bulls Wire (review), heniek (review), Randy Morrow (review), Fred Rossi (review)
Content Type: Article
Edit Lock: This story can be edited
Edited by: Fabrice Florin - Aug 7, 2011 - 11:40 AM PDT
Related Comments: Obama Administration (3)

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Fabrice Florin
3.9
 by Fabrice Florin - Aug. 7, 2011

This NYT op-ed from psychology professor Drew Westen makes some thoughtful observations on President Obama's bipartisan approach to conflict resolution. This article suggests that Obama's unwillingness to confront moneyed interests may be the root cause of his inability to clean up the political system in Washington. Highly recommended.

This op-ed is making me seriously question the effectiveness of Obama's bipartisan approach -- which I had supported up until now. I hope to read more thoughtful articles like this one to better understand our predicament.

Obama “ran for president on two contradictory platforms: as a reformer who would clean up the system, and as a unity candidate who would transcend the lines of red ... More »

See Full Review » (13 answers)
Fred Rossi
4.0
 by Fred Rossi - Aug. 16, 2011
See Full Review » (3 answers)
heniek
4.4
 by heniek - Aug. 8, 2011

I'm not an American, but I think that this article is very important for all of us. Not only for Americans, because we all was misinformed about liberalism and neoliberalism. We was told that some people know how to do economy. Bah! they told us how to do the GLOBAL economy. I think that Obama knew that this system is wrong. If he didn't now that he isn't right person on right place. Corporatocracy is started in USA and Europe, and probably we can't stop it now. This article show ... More »

See Full Review » (18 answers)
Randy Morrow
4.0
 by Randy Morrow - Aug. 16, 2011

But with his deep-seated aversion to conflict and his profound failure to understand bully dynamics — in which conciliation is always the wrong course of action, because ... More »

See Full Review » (11 answers)
mangakumo
4.2
 by mangakumo - Aug. 7, 2011

at the end of the story,what happened?

See Full Review » (4 answers)
ec-citi UG
4.0
 by ec-citi UG - Aug. 8, 2011
See Full Review » (3 answers)
Matthew Faveere
4.5
 by Matthew Faveere - Aug. 8, 2011

It really puts the presidency into perspective. It made me look at it in a way that, I admit, I had never looked at it before. I really have learned something new reading this article. I feel as though my eyes have been opened a little more to the world around me.

“The arc of history can bend only so far before it breaks.” More »

See Full Review » (12 answers)

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  • Drew Westen's Nonsense

    New Republic by Jonathan Chait | Aug. 8, 2011 (Opinion)
    There are some strong criticisms to be made of the Obama administration from the left, especially concerning Obama's passive response to the debt ceiling hostage crisis, and ...
    Posted by Subramanya Sastry
    4.0
     See Reviews »

  • Could a better narrative save Obama’s presidency?

    Poynter Institute by Latoya Peterson, Sarah Fidelibus | Aug. 10, 2011 (Opinion)
    Last weekend, Emory psychology professor Drew Westen crafted a narrative for the op-ed section of The New York Times, in which he argued that President Barack Obama’s ...
    Posted by Fabrice Florin
    3.6
     See Reviews »

  • Defending Obama's pragmatism

    CNN, Global Public Square by Fareed Zakaria | Aug. 15, 2011 (Opinion)
    Over the last week, liberal politicians and commentators took to the airwaves and op-ed pages to criticize the debt deal that Congress reached. But their ire was directed not ...
    Posted by Fabrice Florin
    3.5
     See Reviews »
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