Whew! What happened? Well, that, no doubt, is what the Obama team must be wondering. It is not merely the president’s poll numbers which are crumbling; it is the premises which formed his world view and domestic agenda which are disintegrating. The world is a dangerous place with despots immune to even “smart diplomacy.” Governments really can’t spend their way to prosperity. And even in an economic recession America remains a right-of-center country.
Obama, it seems, never confronted a critical media or a viable political opponent who could effectively quiz him on his assumptions and policy prescriptions. He waltzed through an election on essentially a “not Bush” campaign and a cloud of feel-good messages ungrounded in the real world. But once in office he finds the world — filled with rogue states, recalcitrant laws of economics, squirrely citizens, and cold, hard budget numbers — is not so easily charmed. Facts are stubborn things, after all.
I always find hilarious the lack of irony with which these people presume to call themselves the “reality based community.”
The fact is Obama is so far to the left that the left are to the right of him and he will find even them resistant.
Clinton positioned himself to the front of the parade after the midterm. It could likely happen again.
Right now I’m just hoping that he uses that reputed intellect of his to learn from his mistakes and achieve something approaching the centrism of Bill Clinton. I don’t expect him to ever show the courage, moral clarity or resolve of Bush II or Reagan (see also, sow’s ear/silk purse), but the course we’re on simply cannot continue. Clinton had the World Trade Center Bombing I and the HillaryCare debacle, but he appeared to learn from them. Hopefully Barack is equally adaptable.
Right now though I’m feeling significantly less safe under Obama than I was under Bush. Guantanamo aside, NoKo and Iran are real, serious enemies, and they clearly are feeling punchier with O at the helm. I’m sure Russia and China do too.
Somehow, I don’t think Obama will use his “superior intellect” to move to the center. He strikes me more as the type to ultimately claim “victimhood” to his choir as it grows smaller and smaller. I sincerely I’m wrong, but we shall see.
Nobody gets it.
Ol’ Barry Hussein has his socialist agenda to ram though, second term be damned.
He has his vision, that’s why all the bills are being rammed through without time to ponder them for the rest of us.
By the time he’s finished wrecking the capitalist republic, he’ll be able to declare himself dicktater for life.
by the way, we’re the ‘taters.
I guess it will be a matter of OODA Loops. People voted for the man on the belief that he was a quick study and would adapt, but we will need to see of that is the case.
Historically Obama’s never really had to produce. He’s gotten by on charm and cool sounding vague rhetoric. Even he commented that his main political strength is that folks read into whatever he says. whatever they wanted to hear. Also note his emphasis on the big changes have to all get done right now. Even stating health care is a this year or never thing.
It sounds like he realizes no one will go for his plans if they have the time to think it through – and he has a short window of opportunity before folks, even congress, loses patience with his rushing things through.
Clinton learned from the ’94 elections, not the WTC 1 (which he apparently ignored), nor Hillarycare (which did not change his “era of big government” attitude).
The ’94 elections, and the very real possibility that he would be a one-term President. Tended to focus the mind — right onto his crotch.
*(cheap and) rimshot