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| Five myths about Obama |
| 2009-03-18 |
| Written by a self-identified Obama admirer. Alex Conant, Politico I've concluded that much of the conventional wisdom about Obama is wrong. Here are five of the biggest misconceptions: 1. Obama is bold. Actually, he is overly cautious. It's no coincidence the first bills he signed into law were the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act and an expansion of the State Children's Health Insurance Program, two populist favorites. Signing these bills was not an act of courage any more than attacking lobbyists or selecting Joe Biden as a running mate. In fact, Obama's entire agenda is cautious (sometimes to a fault, in the case of his housing and banking bailouts). Are the numbers in his proposed budget eye-popping? Yes. But eye-popping budgets are well within the Democratic mainstream now. 2. Obama is a great communicator. Cut away the soaring rhetoric in his speeches, and the resulting policy statements are often vague, lawyerly and confusing. He is not plain-spoken: He parses his language so much that a casual listener will miss important caveats. That's in part why he uses teleprompters for routine policy statements: He chooses his words carefully, relying heavily on ill-defined terms like "deficit reduction" (which means tax increases, rather than actual "savings") and "combat troops" (as opposed to "all troops in harm's way"). It also shows an inability to think on his feet, and perhaps a lack of any guiding philosophy. I swear to God, the man needs a teleprompter to put his daughters to bed. 3. Obamaland is a team of rivals. Obama earned the label "No-Drama Obama" for a reason. His closest advisers -- those who actually shape his thinking, strategy and policies -- are loyal and, by all accounts, like-minded. Obviously, they regularly disagree with each other, as any group of smart individuals does. But reading the (many) profiles of Obama aides written since the election, it's striking that there are no anecdotes of serious disputes inside Obamaland. Obama does try to bring political foes into the fold when it's convenient, but his team is primarily made up of political friends. Culled from the herd of independent minds. 4. Obama is smooth. Despite being deliberate, Obama is surprisingly gaffe-prone. Reporters on my e-mail lists last year know he consistently mispronounced, misnamed or altogether forgot where he was. (In one typical gaffe in Sioux Falls, S.D., he started his speech with an enthusiastic "Thank you, Sioux City!") His geographic gaffes are not just at routine rallies but at major events, including the Democratic National Convention and his first address to Congress. Any politician occasionally misspeaks, but the frequency of Obama's flubs is notable. 5. Obama has a good relationship with the media. Working with the hundreds of reporters who covered the Obama campaign last year, I was struck by how many of them would quietly complain about Obama's borderline disdain for the press. Sometimes it is readily visible -- like when he scolded a reporter for asking a question during a presidential visit to the White House briefing room. Other times it's more passive, like long gaps between press conferences, or it's reflected in his staff's attitude. That's what's going to do him in. One by one, as individual MSMers reach the point of having been dissed one time too many, they'll turn against him. Once it reaches critical mass, we hit the tipping point,...'Bama, look out! |
| Posted by:Mike |
| #7 Well, I can't blame him for No.5 - I wouldn't want to deal w/those pretentious assholes either. Apparently the journos don't like someone that doesn't see them in the same light as himself. |
| Posted by: Andy Ulusoque aka Broadhead6 2009-03-18 16:14 |
| #6 "Any politician occasionally misspeaks, but the frequency of Obama's flubs is notable." Apparently not. To be notable, it must be noted. See, e.g., Bush "flubs" (whether or not they actually were), repeated ad nauseum by the press and the TV clowns. |
| Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2009-03-18 16:00 |
| #5 ALWAYS overlooked, "He's NOT an American citizen. Lying by omission is still lying. |
| Posted by: Redneck Jim 2009-03-18 14:59 |
| #4 "Obama Sorry! Sometimes, "Preview" is my friend. |
| Posted by: AlmostAnonymous5839 2009-03-18 11:24 |
| #3 They forgot the legendary "Obama doesn't meet Presidential criteria." |
| Posted by: AlmostAnonymous5839 2009-03-18 11:22 |
| #2 " Five Myths About Obama" -first of a ten part series. |
| Posted by: Grunter 2009-03-18 10:20 |
| #1 One by one, as individual MSMers reach the point of having been dissed one time too many, they'll turn against him. Well, it's more about ego that the media [with a simple four year 'challenging' degree in journalism] believe they are the ruling class leaders and that Presidents should be bright enough to acknowledge their wisdom. We made you, we made you, know listen up. Heh. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2009-03-18 09:07 |