--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We are watching industries crumble, Wall…" description: "\"We are watching industries crumble, Wall Street firms disappear, unemployment spike, and unprecedented government intervention. And our designated opin..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/62f/thomas-frank-4078_abraham_we-are-watching-industries-crumble-wall_1492221.jpg" --- # We are watching industries crumble, Wall Street firms… ![“We are watching industries crumble, Wall Street firms disappear, unemployment spike, and unprecedented government intervention. And our designated opinion leaders want to know: Is Obama up this week? Is he down? And is his leadership style more like Bill Clinton's, or Abraham Lincoln's?” quote by Thomas Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/62f/thomas-frank-4078_abraham_we-are-watching-industries-crumble-wall_1492221.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/62f/thomas-frank-4078_abraham_we-are-watching-industries-crumble-wall_1492221.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/62f/thomas-frank-4078_abraham_we-are-watching-industries-crumble-wall_1492221.jpg) > “We are watching industries crumble, Wall Street firms disappear, unemployment spike, and unprecedented government intervention. And our designated opinion leaders want to know: Is Obama up this week? Is he down? And is his leadership style more like Bill Clinton's, or Abraham Lincoln's?” [Thomas Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-frank/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Economic instability and political distraction coexist, with leaders focusing on superficial metrics rather than substantive issues. **In simple terms:** Economic turmoil and political distraction dominate discourse. Key Takeaway Prioritize substantive policy over sensational headlines. Themes economy politics media leadership distraction Mood critical concerned Type political media When to use this quote - policy analysis - public debate - civic engagement Key Concepts macro‑economics public opinion media framing Questions to Reflect On - How does media focus affect public understanding of crises? - What can citizens do to shift attention to deeper issues? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Abraham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abraham/) [Abraham Lincoln's](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abraham-lincolns/) [Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [Government intervention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government-intervention/) [Intervention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intervention/) [Leader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leader/) [Leadership](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leadership/) [Leadership style](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leadership-style/) [Opinion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opinion/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Street](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/street/) [Streets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/streets/) [Style](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/style/) [Unemployment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unemployment/) [Wall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wall/) [Wall St](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wall-st/) [Wall street](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wall-street/) [Week](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/week/) ## Related quotes > [But it's more an up-versus-down issue because the research has shown that opinion leaders, whether they're elected officials, journalists, business leaders - it's academics,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-krikorian/but-it-s-more-an-up-versus-down-issue-because-the-research-has-shown/) [Mark Krikorian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-krikorian/) > [Everybody's got an opinion. Leaders are paid to make a decision. The difference between offering an opinion and making a decision is the difference…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-walsh/everybody-s-got-an-opinion-leaders-are-paid-to-make-a-decision-the/) [Bill Walsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-walsh/) > [The true essence of reconciliation is more than making friends with nonindigenous people. Our motto is united Australia, one that respects the land and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackie-huggins/the-true-essence-of-reconciliation-is-more-than-making-friends-with/) [Jackie Huggins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackie-huggins/) > [“Traditional opinion leaders, from political parties to faith groups, lacked the persuasion machinery to compete with the Omegas’ media empire.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-tegmark/traditional-opinion-leaders-from-political-parties-to-faith-groups/) [Max Tegmark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-tegmark/) > [I think, unfortunately, many opinion leaders in Germany - including government officials, politicians, social service bureaucrats and so forth - they are in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-lauterbach/i-think-unfortunately-many-opinion-leaders-in-germany-including/) [Karl Lauterbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-lauterbach/) > [You may be right that people say: You know what, we had Obama. He was inexperienced. The guy had great rhetoric, sounded good, looked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-rove/you-may-be-right-that-people-say-you-know-what-we-had-obama-he-was/) [Karl Rove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-rove/) > [I know Obama, I like Obama, I voted for Obama.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dershowitz/i-know-obama-i-like-obama-i-voted-for-obama/) [Alan Dershowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dershowitz/) > [Obama isn't just too big to fail. He's too big to know. Obama is so vital to the country and to the world, he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/obama-isn-t-just-too-big-to-fail-he-s-too-big-to-know-obama-is-so/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [We know that Obama wasn't vetted through the campaign, and now, you know, some things are coming home to roost, if you will, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-palin/we-know-that-obama-wasn-t-vetted-through-the-campaign-and-now-you/) [Sarah Palin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-palin/) > [Well the press, as we all know, has been in Obama's pocket.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-wahl/well-the-press-as-we-all-know-has-been-in-obama-s-pocket/) [Ken Wahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-wahl/) > [I know Obama knows better than George W. Bush.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mona-eltahawy/i-know-obama-knows-better-than-george-w-bush/) [Mona Eltahawy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mona-eltahawy/) > [Im aware that theres problems, know Obama gon stop it. Where theres minimal conscious and theres thousands of choppers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wale/im-aware-that-theres-problems-know-obama-gon-stop-it-where-theres/) [Wale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wale/) > [No doubt, the White House thinks the American people know Obama's story. But since the Inauguration, we've seen only the president's present: his perfect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dee-dee-myers/no-doubt-the-white-house-thinks-the-american-people-know-obama-s/) [Dee Dee Myers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dee-dee-myers/) > [My kids did not know that Obama was the first black president. I felt like I needed to tell them because I felt like,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenya-barris/my-kids-did-not-know-that-obama-was-the-first-black-president-i-felt/) [Kenya Barris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenya-barris/) > [ I don't know where \[Obama is from\] I don't think he's from where they issue birth certificates – I think he's from Hell. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-beck/i-don-t-know-where-obama-is-from-i-don-t-think-he-s-from-where-they/) [Glenn Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-beck/) ## More by Thomas Frank > [I was in a bad mood when I wrote that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-frank/i-was-in-a-bad-mood-when-i-wrote-that/) [Thomas Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-frank/) > [“above all, intellectual. Anti-intellectualism is one of the grand unifying themes of the backlash, the mutant strain of class war that underpins so many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-frank/above-all-intellectual-anti-intellectualism-is-one-of-the-grand/) [Thomas Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-frank/) > [The only truly individualistic health-care choice - where you receive care that is unpolluted by anyone else's funds - is to forgo insurance altogether,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-frank/the-only-truly-individualistic-health-care-choice-where-you-receive/) [Thomas Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-frank/) > [Conservatism is not a doctrine of contentment. Not a doctrine for the satisfied and the smug. It's a politics that's at war with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-frank/conservatism-is-not-a-doctrine-of-contentment-not-a-doctrine-for-the/) [Thomas Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-frank/) > [A president aiming for 'Great' or 'Near Great' status must do more. He must give lots of interviews, make records accessible, and heap the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-frank/a-president-aiming-for-great-or-near-great-status-must-do-more-he/) [Thomas Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-frank/) > [“Innovation liberalism is "a liberalism of the rich," to use the straightforward phrase of local labor leader Harris Gruman. This doctrine has no patience…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-frank/innovation-liberalism-is-a-liberalism-of-the-rich-to-use-the/) [Thomas Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-frank/) > [Media bias has been a favorite theme of the Right for decades, of course.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-frank/media-bias-has-been-a-favorite-theme-of-the-right-for-decades-of/) [Thomas Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-frank/) > [Presidential legacies are valuable things, too valuable to be left up to historians.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-frank/presidential-legacies-are-valuable-things-too-valuable-to-be-left-up/) [Thomas Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-frank/) > [A lot of populists after populism died just became socialists. At the beginning of the 20th century, socialism looked like it was going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-frank/a-lot-of-populists-after-populism-died-just-became-socialists-at-the/) [Thomas Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-frank/) > [“And so the catastrophe of 1929–33 did to the certainties of laissez-faire economics what science did to nineteenth-century religion and what the slaughter of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-frank/and-so-the-catastrophe-of-1929-33-did-to-the-certainties-of-laissez/) [Thomas Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-frank/) > [Vibrancy is so universally desirable, so totemic in its powers, that even though we aren't sure what the word means, we know the quality…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-frank/vibrancy-is-so-universally-desirable-so-totemic-in-its-powers-that/) [Thomas Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-frank/) > [Under the administration of George W. Bush, you will recall, federal spending grew pretty significantly. At the same time, the number of people directly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-frank/under-the-administration-of-george-w-bush-you-will-recall-federal/) [Thomas Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-frank/) > [Massive inequality, we have learned, isn't the best way to run an economy after all. And when you think about it, it's also profoundly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-frank/massive-inequality-we-have-learned-isn-t-the-best-way-to-run-an/) [Thomas Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-frank/) > [Governing was always difficult for conservatives, but as they return to the opposition, they are rediscovering their skill at blame evasion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-frank/governing-was-always-difficult-for-conservatives-but-as-they-return/) [Thomas Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-frank/) > [Back in the days when the market was a kind of secular god and all the world thrilled to behold the amazing powers of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-frank/back-in-the-days-when-the-market-was-a-kind-of-secular-god-and-all/) [Thomas Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-frank/) [Explore all 116 Thomas Frank quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-frank/) ## More Abraham quotes > [“That’s all! Now either leave us alone or join us as a father rather than a receiver of sacrifices. You have the choice of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-simmons/that-s-all-now-either-leave-us-alone-or-join-us-as-a-father-rather/) [Dan Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-simmons/) > [Hebron is a bone of contention between Israeli settlers and the Palestinians in part because Abraham is buried there, in the Tomb of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-korda/hebron-is-a-bone-of-contention-between-israeli-settlers-and-the/) [Michael Korda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-korda/) > [Donald Trump is not going to be the nominee, because we are not going to allow - people will wake up and we're not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/donald-trump-is-not-going-to-be-the-nominee-because-we-are-not-going/) [Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/) > [“Never you look down on your Abraham because of your Sarah because the blessing is not in the womb of Sarah but in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ikechukwu-izuakor/never-you-look-down-on-your-abraham-because-of-your-sarah-because-the/) [Ikechukwu Izuakor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ikechukwu-izuakor/) > [“Whatever you are, be a good one.”   Abraham Lincoln”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rriiver-nyile/whatever-you-are-be-a-good-one-abraham-lincoln/) [Rriiver Nyile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rriiver-nyile/) > [Moses was a great leader, right? But he wasn't a great communicator. And so God sent him Aaron so he could, let's say, communicate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/javier-milei/moses-was-a-great-leader-right-but-he-wasn-t-a-great-communicator-and/) [Javier Milei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/javier-milei/) > [“king of Heshbon. 6 b Moses, the servant of the”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/king-of-heshbon-6-b-moses-the-servant-of-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“In the end, thought Sol, past logic and hope, it is dreams and the love of those dearest to us that form Abraham’s answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-simmons/in-the-end-thought-sol-past-logic-and-hope-it-is-dreams-and-the-love/) [Dan Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-simmons/) > [It was psychobabbler Abraham Maslow who wrote of the phenomena of self-actualization. What Maslow failed to grasp is that reaching true self-actualization can only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-nugent/it-was-psychobabbler-abraham-maslow-who-wrote-of-the-phenomena-of/) [Ted Nugent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-nugent/) > [“Mungu hutumia watu 'wajinga' na 'wapumbavu' kufanya mambo makubwa katika maisha yao na ya watu wengine. Katika Biblia, Musa aliitwa mjinga alipokiuka amri ya…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enock-maregesi/mungu-hutumia-watu-wajinga-na-wapumbavu-kufanya-mambo-makubwa-katika/) [Enock Maregesi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enock-maregesi/) > [“9. Abraham’s death (25:1 – 11) After Sarah’s death, Abraham took another wife, Keturah. Abraham was a rejuvenated old man and continued to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-h-sailhamer/9-abraham-s-death-25-1-11-after-sarah-s-death-abraham-took-another/) [John H. Sailhamer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-h-sailhamer/) > [“The biblical story of the binding of Isaac shows that human sacrifice was far from unthinkable in the 1st millennium BCE. The Israelites boasted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/the-biblical-story-of-the-binding-of-isaac-shows-that-human-sacrifice/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) > [Everybody faces obstacles. And I looked to people who had been through many to succeed in life. Abraham Lincoln, born to a poor family,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-winfield/everybody-faces-obstacles-and-i-looked-to-people-who-had-been-through/) [Dave Winfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-winfield/) > [Someone asked me...how it felt and I was reminded of a story that a fellow townsman of ours used to tell--Abraham Lincoln. They asked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/someone-asked-me-how-it-felt-and-i-was-reminded-of-a-story-that-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [American foreign policy and military might have opened an opportunity for the Gospel in the land of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-stanley/american-foreign-policy-and-military-might-have-opened-an-opportunity/) [Charles Stanley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-stanley/) [Browse all 484 Abraham quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abraham/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We are watching industries crumble, Wall Street firms disappear, unemployment spike, and unprecedented government intervention. And our designated opinion leaders want to know: Is Obama up this week? Is he down? 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