SKINNY BUT TOUGH - Punching through the Debt Ceiling and the GOP

"In the right corner, the righteous corner, the made Michelle Obama (and me) believe in America again corner, it's the skinniest but toughest president ever... it's BAAAAROCKYYYY OOOOBAMAAAA!"

I listened to President Obama's press conference on the debt ceiling on NPR yesterday. As he made his case, eviscerating the Republicans on their  intransigence, one of the President's signature quips from the campaign kept running through my head: "I'm Skinny, But I'm Tough." He used to say this on the campaign trail and during the health care debate.  "Yep," I think, "Barocky Obama."

Really, Barack is the Rocky of our epoch.  His rise was improbable, and then when he seems to be getting pummeled on some issue - the health care bill, Don't Ask, Don't Tell -- again and again he pivots and manages to pull through.  I'll admit I occasionally vacillate between, "Man! Why is he conceding [pick your issue]" and "Damn, that Barack is too damn smart for 'em." 

As he squares up against the GOP, his Ivan Drago or Clubber Lang, I can hear Michael Buffer.*   By the end of last month, it really did seem to me that he was down for the count, that he had conceded the argument to the GOP.  Then he came with that Jedi mind trick, you wanna cut, then let's go crazy 4.3 trillion proposal.  Since then, the GOP has been losing the argument in the court of public opinion, and appearing to more and more Americans, I believe, as the empty suits they are. As he explains in the last five minutes of the conference, putting the deficit and debt issue to bed for the next 10 to 15 years (or at least sedating ity) would rob Republicans of their most effective argument with independents. These are the folks who are not down with "big government" but, aligning with progressives, do believe in "smart government." 

So, right now I'm just like some silly, too happy 10 year old doing the "That's mah cuuuzin. That's mah cuuuzin" singsong.  (Channel Martin Lawrence).  "That's mah preeesident.  That's mah preeesident."  Here he is.  Fast forward to last 10 minutes to really see him smack the GOP silly.

* Or his brother, Bruce, since these bouts might well be more UFC than WBC.