The right-wing response to Obama's SOTU address: "jerk," "arrogant," cocky"

http://mediamatters.org/items/201001280005 Conservative media figures reacted to President' Obama's 2010 State of the Union address as usual -- with attacks on Obama and fellow Democrats. Media Matters for America has compiled some of their reactions. Attacks on Obama: "jerk," "arrogant," "fake" Hood: "[J]erk" In a January 27 post on National Review Online's The Corner, John Hood wrote: One Way to Put It Is simply this: The president looks like a jerk tonight. Hood: "[G]rating," "flippant and arrogant" In another January 27 post on The Corner, Hood wrote: Ugh. We're only a couple of minutes into the president's address, and the cadence and rhythm of his speaking voice is already grating. They come across as flippant and arrogant. Hasn't anyone ever told him that? NRO's Lopez: "[T]hin skinned" On her Twitter account, NRO's Kathryn Lopez wrote that Obama is "thin skinned": Lopez subsequently wrote that Obama "really thinks this song is about him": Erickson: "[C]ocky and snide" RedState.com's Erick Erickson wrote: "What you did not know at home listening to Barack Obama's speech tonight is that he inserted a few quips that were not in the prepared text. They were cocky and snide." Cavuto: "Gee, I'm so sorry. I was arrogant" Before the address, Fox Business' Neil Cavuto asked: "What do you want to hear out of the president tonight?" Host John Stossel replied: "Well, I'd like him to say, 'Gee, I'm so sorry. I was arrogant. We were arrogant. We thought we could reshape the world to my vision. So we wasted lots of your money." After the address, Stossel reacted by claiming Obama "certainly didn't sound humbled, I agree." Stein: "We'll see Obama with his fake modesty and his fake humility" Discussing his expectations of the State of the Union address on Fox Business, Ben Stein stated: "Well, we'll see a lot of promises, and we'll see Obama with his fake modesty and his fake humility and his fake fighting aggressiveness. But he's just going to be his same politician. So, he's just a politician. I'd love it if he said, 'I'm not the messiah; I'm a politician. I don't know very much. I'm going to take a year off until I learn more. And I'm not going to interfere and screw up people's lives anymore.' " RedState: "Obama the Patronizing Lecturer" RedState contributor Dan Perrin described Obama as "the Patronizing Lecturer," writing: "It was more like a lecture that combined a chest-beating tone that he is doing the tough work of saving the nation and he expects Congress and the nation to follow him." Nordlinger: Obama "looks arrogant," has an "upturned chin" On The Corner, National Review senior editor Jay Nordlinger wrote: "Obama looks arrogant, whether he's arrogant or not. I don't think he can help it: It's the upturned chin. When actors want to preen and so on: They turn that chin upward. Yikes." Marc Thiessen: Obama address "defensive, arrogant" On washingtonpost.com, author and former Bush speechwriter Marc Thiessen wrote: "Instead of acknowledging these concerns [about terrorism], Obama dismissed them. It was strange, defensive, arrogant -- and un-presidential." Personal attacks against Democrats Kennedy From conservative blogger John Hawkins' Twitter account: Pelosi and botox From NewsBusters' managing editor Ken Shepherd's Twitter account: Shepherd subsequently highlighted a Twitter post from someone claiming, "I can't get over how ugly that lady [Pelosi] behind obama is." Pelosi's looks From conservative commentator Jonah Goldberg's Twitter account: On The Corner, Nordlinger wrote: "Could you bounce a quarter off the House speaker's face or what? That thing just might shoot back at you and put your eye out." Adoptions of Joe Wilson's "You lie" NewsBusters' Sheppard From NewsBusters associate editor Noel Sheppard's Twitter account: From Weekly Standard editor Michael Goldfarb's Twitter account: False, dubious attacks Obama "forgot to thank the troops" On her Twitter account, Fox News contributor Andrea Tantaros claimed that "Obama remembered to blame Bush but forgot to thank the troops." However, in his speech, Obama stated: "Tonight, all of our men and women in uniform -- in Iraq, Afghanistan, and around the world -- must know that they have our respect, our gratitude, and our full support. And just as they must have the resources they need in war, we all have a responsibility to support them when they come home." Fox, Wash. Times bloggers in disbelief over Obama's "true" SOTU line that he "cut taxes" In response to Obama's State of the Union assertion that "we cut taxes," live bloggers at foxnews.com and washingtontimes.com reacted with incredulity. However, Obama did cut taxes for most Americans: The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 included $288 billion in tax relief. Lopez on "unpresidential" Obama On The Corner, Lopez wrote: "I actually try to give the president of the United States the benefit of the doubt. But the blaming of the past administration is pathetically unpresidential. And last week suggests it's a pretty dated line of attack." However, in 1982, President Ronald Reagan devoted significant portions of his speech to attacking President Jimmy Carter's administration for "the situation at this time last year." Wallace claims Obama "participant ... in building up" trillion-dollar deficits over last year Previewing Obama's State of the Union address on Fox Broadcasting Co., Chris Wallace asserted that Obama was "a participant in the last year in building up" "multi-trillion-dollar deficits." In fact, the FY 2009 deficit, which totaled $1.4 trillion, was already estimated to be $1.2 trillion when Obama came into office and "virtually the entire deficit over the next ten years" are due either to policies implemented under President Bush or to the recession, which began during Bush's tenure, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

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