So today I once again saw the King of All Strawmen rear his misshapen, flaxen head. This time conjured forth by the words of Matthew Yglesias directed at Taibbi for his recent rant.
The King of All Strawmen is basically this:
Obama doesn't have magic powers, he can't enact the changes you want with a wave of his hand! He has various and sundry obstacles in his path.
This being a response to those criticizing Obama's actions or inactions on various issues. It would be a perfectly reasonable response were anyone actually asserting that Obama did have magic powers.
Yglesias specifically is picking at the fact that Taibbi didn't talk about various problematic Congress Critters. That would be a great point, except the article is about Obama, and about Obama's specific actions. Bill Nelson is not mentioned because it's not an article about Bill Nelson. Same for Snowe, Leiberman, et al.
I won't speak for anyone else, but when I criticize Obama I am doing so about his specific actions or inactions. I am not disappointed that he is not a superhero who can fly around Congress and zap LGBT civil rights into the constitution with lasers from his eyes. I am disappointed that he has not taken actions that are within his power as POTUS.
No one is served by strawman arguments in the long run. It scores short term points with those who cannot see through them, but it does nothing to further the discussion.
I see the King of All Strawmen used on DKos constantly. Let's take him down and banish him to the Logical Fallacy Hinterlands, never to be heard from again. He's of no use to us.
Thanks.