NYT: Second-Term Obama Getting Kind Of Uppity

How confident is Barack Obama now that he's won a second term? Does he have political capital, and is aimin' to spend it? Or is it a matter of "cockiness," "hubris" and foul-mouthed jive? We will go with that second option, as the New York Times insiders us ahead of tonight's State of the Union.

He is relaxed, more voluble and even more confident than usual, these people say, freer to drop profanities or dismiss others’ ideas — enough that even some supporters fear the potential for hubris.

As the president prepares to outline his second-term agenda, it is clear from these personal accounts as well as his public acts, like his bold Inaugural Address, that he has shown an assertiveness, self-possession, even cockiness that contrasts with the caution, compromise and reserve that he showed for much of his first term.

What is not so clear is whether Mr. Obama can parlay this commanding self-assurance — borne of re-election, hard lessons learned and Republicans’ disarray — into victories as he tries to turn Washington away from its obsession with deficit-cutting to a broader progressive agenda. Or will he overreach, alienate some Americans and cement the partisan divide he once promised to bridge?

Also, he is cold droppin' F-bombs all over the place, like he thinks he is Old Handsome Joe Biden, God Love Him, or something, and probably sayin' "whatchu talkin' 'bout Willis" all the time too, because "black."

But will he be able to bridge the partisan divide with dumb Republicans, the New York Times wonders, with great concern? The answer is don't be a fucking idiot, of course he won't. Those fuckers are nuts.

[ NYT ]