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Conservative bloggers, meanwhile, are mostly in opposition mode. Some are criticizing Obama for making a joke about , while others are complaining about a McDonald's restaurant in Topeka, KS that's apparently trying to build support for a national holiday in Obama's honor. We're sure that Obama will eventually give conservative bloggers more substantive things to complain about -- probably as soon as he makes his first cabinet appointments. Power Line 's thinks Obama should emulate Bush: "The only news Barack Obama made in his first post-election press conference was when, in a classless moment, he falsely ridiculed Nancy Reagan for holding 'seances' in the White House. He was then compelled to call her to apologize for what he termed his 'careless remark.' [...] Obama thinks he is a good talker, but he is often undisciplined when he speaks. He needs to understand that as President, his words will be scrutinized and will have impact whether he intends it or not. In this regard, President Bush is an excellent model; Obama should take a lesson from his example. Bush never gets sloppy when he is speaking publicly. He chooses his words with care and precision, which is why his style sometimes seems halting. In the eight years he has been President, it is remarkable how few gaffes or verbal blunders he has committed. If Obama doesn't raise his standards, he will exceed Bush's total before he is inaugurated." NRO 's , a strident critic of Obama, thinks people should give him a pass on his Nancy Reagan joke: "C'mon folks, let's not be a bunch of mirthless wusses here. 's cover story for NR's April 21 edition on Mrs. Obama's America was laugh out loud stuff, and we all howled over the unintentionally hysterical New Yorker cover that depicted Michelle as a militant. First families and their eccentricities, real or imagined, have never been off-limits. What Obama said, whether you think it was funny or not (I thought it was kinda funny) was not offensive -- it didn't come close to 's infamous joke (at a 1998 fundraiser) at 's expense, and I don't recall too many protests around here about our candidate's occasional low-brow jape. Let's not act like a bunch of Lefties just looking to be aggrieved over this or that slight. This is likely to be a tough stretch, and we'll need to be able to laugh -- at ourselves and at the other side -- to get through it." Nor was 2008 a total fluke. There are structural forces at play here. On the one hand, the campaign cycle has been lengthening. But on the other hand, the Internet, and specifically a richer information ecosystem that allows us to pay more attention to also-rans like Huckabee and is operationalizing the Feiler Faster Thesis where challengers rise and frontrunners implode faster. This means that in a primary, money and organization don't go as far. McCain got nominated with half the resources of some of his competitors. Mike Huckabee got to be the second to last guy standing on financial and organizational fumes. When Barack Obama's YouTube channel is worth more than the entire budget of a respectable primary campaign, you know something is up. So, I implore you, quit focusing on 2012, and focus on 2010 and on showing the Republican Party can rebuild at the state legislative, Congressional, and statewide levels in 2010..." Thank god you mentioned eggs. I was about to give you an omelet solely made from butter! This is cache, read story here
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