Magic
The New York Times reports that the President is revamping his tactical political team and focusing on the basics, by which is meant “how to sharpen the president’s message and leadership style”. But that’s not basic enough. Neither of these address the two fundamental questions: the focus of his policies and the quality of his management of the executive bureaucracy. Perhaps stemming from his earlier belief that he had “lost touch” with a fearful electorate, one of President Obama’s first moves in the wake of the Massachusetts debacle was to reshuffle his political operatives and put them on a permanent campaign footing.
In addition to Mr. Plouffe, who will primarily work from the Democratic National Committee in consultation with the White House, several top operatives from the Obama campaign will be dispatched across the country to advise major races as part of the president’s attempt to take greater control over the midterm elections, aides said.
“We are turning the corner to a much more political season,” said David Axelrod, a senior adviser to the president, who confirmed Mr. Plouffe’s role. “We are going to evaluate what we need to do to get timely intelligence and early warnings so we don’t face situations like we did in Massachusetts.”
Jake Tapper notes many of these new operatives were part of the team which successfully guided his 2008 campaign to victory. “In addition to the return of top aides such as Plouffe, other mid-level operatives from the 2008 Obama campaign who helped bring candidate Obama victories in Iowa and in Feb. 5 ‘Super Tuesday’ primary states, will be enlisted to work on campaigns to keep expected Democratic losses to a minimum, aides said.” These are guys Obama will be relying on to bring back the magic.
But the roots of the President’s political woes may lie deeper. Mort Zuckerman observed that in contrast even to Clinton, Obama has put politics at the center of his activities. Policy and governance are an afterthought.
Zuckerman, who voted for Obama, wrote:
One business leader said to me, “In the Clinton administration, the policy people were at the center, and the political people were on the sideline. In the Obama administration, the political people are at the center, and the policy people are on the sidelines.” …
There’s the saying, “It’s the economy, stupid.” He didn’t get it. He was determined somehow or other to adopt a whole new agenda. He didn’t address the main issue.
This health-care plan is going to be a fiscal disaster for the country. Most of the country wanted to deal with costs, not expansion of coverage. This is going to raise costs dramatically. …In the campaign, he said he would change politics as usual. He did change them. It’s now worse than it was. I’ve now seen the kind of buying off of politicians that I’ve never seen before. It’s politically corrupt and it’s starting at the top. It’s revolting.
Five states got deals on health care—one of them was Harry Reid’s. It is disgusting, just disgusting. I’ve never seen anything like it. The unions just got them to drop the tax on Cadillac plans in the health-care bill. It was pure union politics. They just went along with it. It’s a bizarre form of political corruption. It’s bribery. I suppose they could say, that’s the system. He was supposed to change it or try to change it. …Focus on cost-containment first. But he’s trying to boil the ocean, trying to do too much. This is not leadership.
Now President Obama has belatedly decided to tackle the financial industry, where again the danger is that politics, not policy will be at the center; where genuine reforms are ignored in favor of going after unpopular targets and leaving sacred cows untouched; where the “deal” not risk management or long term growth, is king of the hill. If that happens, then like health care “reform” the cure may be worse than the disease and salve nothing.
Zuckerman’s words — a man who voted for him — and the rejection by Massachusetts — the most liberal state in the country — echo through the debate. Sharpening the message and leadership style are not basic enough. Here’s a President who may have made the mistake of putting politics, not policy at the center of things. And repeating the mistake with greater emphasis isn’t necessarily a solution. He can send for his conjurers again and create the mightiest permanent campaigning machine history has ever seen. But they won’t bring back the magic. That requires performance in the areas of policy and governance.
The really worrisome thing is if the President can’t change as opposed to won’t change. If politics is all he knows and all he is good at then 2010 will be a rough year indeed, not just for Obama, but for everybody.
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Belmontclub aka Richard Fernandez has a great bunch of commentors:
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Dan D:
Bill Clinton was widely hailed as an obsessive policy wonk even before he was elected, and there were many stories of lengthy policy shop talks throughout his administration. At the same time he was a canny politician and knew how to work a room or a crowd, and to say whatever was helpful to his political fortunes. Everyone described him as the best political talent in a generation.
Barack Obama never developed a similar reputation for a love of policy. He was a Senator who voted Present a lot, not a governor who had responsibility for implementing policy and being accountable for it. Maybe he can learn accountability and policy details, but nothing in his background really prepares him for it. He and his team are political to the Nth degree, all the speechifying in the world can’t select from policy alternatives and successfully implement tangible policy.
It may be moot whether he WANTS to do so, since it is doubtful he is ABLE to master policy, administration, and accountability. He could conceivably bring into his administration and empower some wise and experienced policy hands to assist him, but it would be a stretch for someone of such apparent self regard.
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wretchard:
If Obama cannot lead, a vacuum will be created. And the vacuum will be filled. Who will see their opportunities in the void, and how will their interests be manifested? This is where it gets dangerous.
Correct. It’s a danger to everybody. People have been looking to see how President Obama will deal with his crisis, because it will reveal what he can reach for deep down when he has to. If all he can come up with is a gimmicky approach to banking reform and rehiring his old PR magicians, then there may be a real problem.
What if he simply doesn’t know how to manage things? Can’t win a war, can’t reform intelligence, can’t contain entitlements, can’t fix the economy, can’t do anything practical? Just like maybe he couldn’t manage the Annenberg Foundation or edit the Harvard Law Review? It’s no crime, but it means that he will sooner or later either become a figurehead surrounded by Democratic “wise men” or go charging around like a bull in a china shop.
But remember that if this actually happens it will be a result of a systemic failure. Obama of course wanted to rise as high as he could. You can’t fault him for that. But you can fault the “gatekeepers” — the MSM, the DNC, the professional politicians, the great and the good, the university dons, the whole quality control system for endorsing this man into something over his head.
And you can fault the willingly gullible people who should have known better but voted for him anyway based on hope and faith ..... but you can't blame conservatives - We told you so.
The system is broken. And there’s no guarantee that when Obama goes at the end of his term that they won’t throw up another handsome hapless guy and stick him in the Oval office.
The challenge will be whether the political system can respond quickly enough, within the framework of laws and the constitution, to fix these systemic problems and get, not a genius, not another Jefferson or Lincoln into the White House, but just someone who has has the country’s best interests at heart and a modicum of competence and common sense into the candidate lineups for the political process.
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JMH:
Why on earth would anyone expect a man who’s failed at everything he’s done except campaigning to know anything about policy? All he knows is politics, and I think the only politics he knows is a narrow sort that usually doesn’t work on a national level. But he got lucky with his timing (the rest of us got real unlucky). He had a whole host of idiots who, I dunno, I guess after Clinton frittered his way through two terms and Bush (according to the average Obama voter) dolted his way through two more, maybe they thought it wasn’t a serious job. “If Bubba and Shrub could do it, anybody can.” So they voted for a hipster who made them feel good about their own pathetic selves. “I’m cool, I voted for a Black guy.”
Well, guess what Mort Zuckerman, it ain’t a job just anybody can do. Bush was a lot smarter than the MSM characature. Clinton was too, in his own way, though he did squander an awful lot of time. Obama doesn’t have the brains, guts, experience, grace, outlook, he doesn’t have anything that it takes to do the job. Nothing. He can’t host an effing State Dinner without screwing up. Can’t give the leader of our closest ally a token present without insulting him. Can’t shake hands with another Head of State without embarrassing himself. Those are the easy parts of the job, the ceremonial figurehead stuff. He can’t even do that. Hell, Gaff-o-matic Joe would be a better figurehead.
Maybe he’d be a better President too. Yeah, I know, hard to believe Biden would be an improvement, but the bar’s mightly low right now.
Zuckerman’s an idiot for voting for Obama, but by recognizing his mistake, he shows he not a complete idiot. There are lots of idiots around, but not many complete idiots. By 2012 it’ll be hard to find anyone who admits to voting for the guy.
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Morton Doodslag:
I think Wretchard has it largely right on method and content of SOTU address. As I tried to suggest in the previous thread, Obama isn’t progressing by learning and adapting, he’s reverting to his previous campaign posture by speaking more moderately to widen appeal. I have always been convinced this bottomless empty vessel doesn’t comprehend the chasm between campaign posturing and leadership in action. He is a flat mundane actor pantomiming his impression of a POTU, and this will continue to unfold as a catastrophe for America.
For extra credit I say
1. He’ll feign humility and tell us he has heard us loud and clear, that he’s somewhat chastened by the political rebuke.
2. He will then repeat his lame attempt to take ownership of the disaffected masses.
3. He will also stress joblessness as Wretchard suggests with this embellishment: His magical “40 million uninsured Americans” meme will morph into “40 million unemployed or underemployed Americans”.
This will simply be another smokescreen (as healthcare was) to foment class divisions and bribe a large group of marginal Americans (mostly blacks) and millions of illegals under the new guise of massive “Jobs Bills” benefits in order to secure and activate his majority. This is why he lead with healthcare I believe. Failing his first ruse he’ll repackage and go again.
Notice how rigid this floridly incompetent fool has been with every maneuver. He may feign this or that, but he always doggedly returns to his script. Competent people begin by making mostly sound decisions based on wisdom from experience. We take decisive confident actions. When our assessment or course proves wanting we change course and again move cofidently towards the goal. Even when in doubt as to methods, a competent person goes forth knowing he or she will prevail.
Compare this to Obama’s mind-bendingly bad presuppositions, his preening sham of confidence and cool, and his rigid return to script. Despite the 8 month agony of the “healthcare” debacle, he never changed course.(I don’t think he’s capable). Despite roiling events on the ground, he never wavered in his endless “dialogue with Iran” nonsence. Muslim terrorism is STILL being treated as a matter of crime and law, not war. The financial meltdown lurches along, Obama doubles down. These are the actions of a man who is too dumb to perceive how dumb he is. The teleprompter is his metaphor. Without his playbook this oaf is a clumsy clown. With it, the clown can mimic a real person, but only for a time.
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Eggplant:
Wretchard @ 10 said:
“But remember that if this actually happens it will be a result of a systemic failure. Obama of course wanted to rise as high as he could. You can’t fault him for that. But you can fault the “gatekeepers” — the MSM, the DNC, the professional politicians, the great and the good, the university dons, the whole quality control system for endorsing this man into something over his head. The system is broken.”
This is what infuriates me. Obama was ***obviously*** not competent to serve as President. How many times and by how many different people here at Belmont Club was it mentioned that Obama was an empty suit?
However there are some mitigating circumstances:
The far-left and the MSM did an excellent job through the propaganda of ceaseless repetition of whipping people into a mindless frenzy over George W. Bush and the Iraq War. That bit of inexcusable sedition set the stage for a demagogue like Obama.
Also moderates and less extreme leftist were completely bedazzled by Obama’s skin color. The silly fools went into orgasms of joy thinking Obama was the Messiah. That second bit of stupidity was almost forgivable. Conservatives did drop the ball by not presenting a black man as President prior to Obama. Doing so would have vaccinated us against a future dark skinned demagogue.
So now we’re between a hammer and a hard spot. The country desperately needs a leader in the Harry S. Truman class but we’re stuck with Obama for three more years. The only silver lining that I can see in this desperate mess is the idiots who facilitated Obama’s rise to power are now in disrepute. Who except a brainless moonbat believes anything they read in “Newsweek” or hears on NPR. The MSM’s creditibility is almost completely shot.
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The Dems and Obama rode to power by using Bush as a sacrificial victim against which they could coalesce and draw others to them. He’s about used up, and you can see them casting about for another focus of Dem/populous rage: Rush, Sarah, Fox, banks, white cops. That’s not working, and they’re starting to fall upon one another. It’s a bad sign that they’re going back to that approach by vilifying the rich — not unexpected, just a bad sign.
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RagnarD:
wretchard wrote:
The really worrisome thing is if the President can’t change as opposed to won’t change. If politics is all he knows and all he is good at then 2010 will be a rough year indeed, not just for Obama, but for everybody.
He can’t. It is. It will be.
As I have said: Buy staples, metals, seed, guns and ammo. Maybe add that hunting license. It is going to be a rough ride.
Hoban ‘Wash’ Washburn: This landing is gonna get pretty interesting.
Capt. Malcolm Reynolds: Define “interesting”.
Hoban ‘Wash’ Washburn: [deadpan] Oh God, oh God, we’re all going to die?
The Zero is going to “Double Down”. In all the “policy” areas – healthscare, Cap’N'Tax, financial system reform, GITMO, etc. Then he is going to go into full class warfare mode coupled with the ‘10 Congressional campaigns. Between him and the DNC they are going to bring out the big guns. What they did to Joe the Plumber and Sarah Palin is going to seem like kids play. ACORN is going to be mobilized as are the SEIU thugs to attack, attack, attack any and all actions at the Tea Parties. Plus they are going to push the end around plays like the replacement of Congress with a Committee. Civilian Security forces anyone?
As LOTM points out the Rasmussen daily approval (strongly approve – stongly disapprove) is now at -19. -19!!!!!!eleventy!
These guys in DC have got to be wondering when they are going to see the crowd on Pennsylvania Avenue with pitchforks, tar and feathers.
It is going to get ugly.
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Morton Doodslag:
zhombre 53!: That makes for an interesting read… We should be scared out of our boots for our nation by this freakish president. Not because of his odious socialist insanities, though they’re plenty damaging, but because he clearly believes posing is all that’s required to lead. For such a devastatingly deluded person, failures achieving cherished goals cannot be caused by flaws in the goals themselves, but must be ejected outward onto victims and scapegoats. This is the lens through which I view his pivot against the banks and Wall St. It is yet another avoidance of recognition on his part that he is the primary architect of the maelstrom of flaws and failures from his first year in office. Here is a partial list of the sacrificial scapegoats Obama has offered up when he met resistance — it is very malignant. For all those who keep getting lulled into the mantra of his centrist-sounding rhetoric it is a list worth remembering :
Bill Clinton the racist
Bush the warmonger / torturer
Tea Partiers
“Typical white person” (his white grandmother)
Middle Americans clinging to their guns and bibles.
Surgeons cutting out tonsils and amputating for profit
Auto execs
Insurance execs
Fox News (not a real news outfit)
Returning war vets (highest terror threat)
Rush Limbaugh
This guy isn’t changing anything in his tired, nasty, paranoic playbook. Far more crazed than Nixon, and the signs were already obvious far before he entered the crucible of the office… Bad world actors already have this poisonous imposter pegged and are making their plans accordingly. He will bring ruin upon this nation both by incompetent omissions AND poisonous commissions.
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Geoffrey Britain:
#60,
Is suicide a possibility when he discovers that he can’t prevail?
No, ultimately he'll blame his failure on a racist America. He didn't fail .... the country just wasn't ready for a black President.
When at best, pity and at worst, contempt for him becomes the norm… from even his former supporters? Who are already starting to turn on him…
He’s not another G.W. Bush, able to weather unbelievable ridicule and opposition. He’ll crumble like blue cheese by late summer at the latest. It’s already started, anybody else notice how quickly he’s aged? And it’s NOT from having the weight of the world upon his shoulders. Sociopaths’ don’t care. That’s why infanticide doesn’t bother him.
And he will fail and self-destruct, it’s written all over his historical and present behavior, plus it will be exacerbated by the fact that his leftist supporters can’t deliver without the ‘moderate’ democrats, who now know that a political guillotine awaits them, if they continue to support his radical agenda.
Whatever he says, the SOTU doesn’t matter because from this point forward, ALL he can really do is flail (fire people) and rail (whine & complain) and flop about ineffectively.
He’s broken and all the kings horses and all the kings men won’t be able to put him back together again. He’s done, he just doesn’t know it yet.
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RWE:
This morning they had the Author of Rich Dad, Poor Dad, Robert Kiyosaki, on Fox News. They asked him about Obama. I was surprised at how harsh he was. Most millionaire popular authors feel themselves to be part of the Elites and are more circumspect in their criticism.
He said that Obama was a product of affirmative action and had never actually had to run anything.
He said that only about 7% of Obama’s advisors had any business experience. I did not know it was that bad but I guess I am not surprised. The past few elections I have noticed that it has come down to the private sector versus the political sector. Bush Vs. Dukakis, Clinton Vs. Bush, Gore Vs. Bush, Kerry Vs. Bush. But in 2008 things looked quite ominous, with it being Political Sector Vs. Political Sector, with McCain’s only saving grace being his military experience.
So now we have a Political Bubble.
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Don51:
The story of the three envelopes.
When a newly hired exec bumps into his fired predecessor on the way out of the office, the individual is offered three envelopes. The predecessor advises that each consecutively number envelope is numbered and only to be opened in sequence when the proverbial crap hits the fan and nothing else is working. The new manager smiles, takes the envelopes but quickly puts them in a drawer and forgets them. That’s until months later things are still not running well and senior management is looking for scalps. Then the envelopes are remembered. The manager dutifully finds and opens envelope marked ‘1'. It contains a simple note saying – ‘Blame everything on me”. Not having any other real ideas, the manager does exactly that which buys him a reprieve from the powers to be. Things are still wonky, but the new manager barely keeps the office afloat. Many months later, things still haven’t significantly improved and senior management once again is looking to make someone walk the plank. The stressed manager remembers the envelopes and rips open the one marked ‘2'. It reads “Reorganize”. So a plan to reorganized is formulated and given to senior management. That buys our manager several more months to try to deal with the crisis at hand. Of course the problems being intrinsic to the organization, they only fester. Senior management now summons the manager to a meeting which anyone could understand may well be his last. So the manager digs to find envelope numbered ‘3' to open, only to read the advice “Prepare three envelopes”.
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