They say Obama is starting to stumble. The hell he is

[babylonsister]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/jun/28/michael-crowley-barack-obama-usa


They say Obama is starting to stumble. The hell he is
Michael Crowley

On Iran, gay marriage and the economy, the president is taking flak. But critics ignore the profound changes he is delivering


It's a handy rule of thumb in Washington: a president's fortunes can be divined by the way the White House press corps treats him. Think of George W Bush. At the height of his powers in 2003, reporters jockeyed for his favour, which he expressed by bestowing nicknames and sharing wisecracks. By the time Iraq and Katrina had ruined his presidency, the same hacks competed to see who could most effectively humiliate the president before a live audience.

So it was an ominous sign for Barack Obama last week when he appeared in the White House for a press conference that was his most uncomfortable to date. Reporters who had thus far treated him with deference and even admiration treated him with something close to disrespect. Obama, as the New York Times put it, "has rarely experienced as combative and contentious an hour on live television as he did on Tuesday afternoon". Had his response to Iran, one asked, been "timid and weak"? Another tweaked the president's "Spock-like language" about healthcare reform. One even grilled an increasingly irritated president about his furtive smoking habits. The treatment left Obama a bit testy. "I got it," he groused. "You're pitching, I'm catching."

Indeed he has been catching - catching flak, that is, from critics on left and right and over both his foreign and domestic agendas. As he approaches the six-month mark of his presidency, his job has become less glamorous and more gruelling. Allies in Congress are restive and for the first time, the whiff of failures and defeats is in the air. Thus the new tone from the White House press corps, which, like animals in the wild, preys on the weak. But don't be fooled by this dark patch. Obama's long-term prospects remain bright.

Start on the domestic front. Here, Obama faces two titanic challenges. The first is the economy. An unexpected spike in jobless claims announced last week doused hopes that the economic downturn had finally reached an inflection point. With unemployment now approaching 10%, higher than the administration had predicted, Republicans are rallying around the argument that Obama's $787bn stimulus bill passed in February isn't working and amounts to a massive, deficit-swelling waste. "With all the spending that's gone on, where are the new jobs?" asked House Republican leader John Boehner. Lately, some of Boehner's colleagues are even fantasising about riding such talk to retake the House of Representatives in the 2010 midterm elections. (The Senate is a steeper climb for Republicans.)

It's true that if the economy fails to recover within the next year, no amount of hope and change can save Obama's presidency. But those 2010 elections, the first real referendum on his performance, are still 16 months away. That leaves plenty of time for the economy to pick up steam. Moreover, polls show that most Americans still blame the economic doldrums on Bush. And while stimulus dollars have been frustratingly slow to be distributed, that will soon change, with the stimulative effect likely to kick in well before the midterms, dashing the hopes of many a Republican candidate.

snip//

It will take luck - and more than a little political skill - for Obama to achieve such stellar results. But he's never wanted for either. It will also take something else, however: the firm support of his fellow Democrats. There are signs that some in Obama's party have studied the polls and the economic figures and may be wondering whether their self-interest may soon diverge from that of the president. But in fact, the Democrats' fate is inextricably tied to Obama's success.

Without him, the party is not particularly popular. These nervous Democrats should remember that moving an agenda as big as Obama's was never going to be easy. But that even in difficult moments like these, his popularity remains durable and his prospects for success are better than they may appear. Perhaps Obama should propose a new motto for his party: Together we stand, divided we fall.

[Deja Q]

1. Critics will ignore thanything that hurts "their cause".

Critcs are sad, empty little wankers. Some of which have sex lives, but that's their problem.

The President has MY support. I won't always agree, but I will always cite my beliefs or reasoning why. And have done so.

he has still done far more good than bad and I will say that most critics are being very myopic indeed.

[Cha]

15. Thank you, Deja Q..

I'm right there with you.

[Frustratedlady]

2. We have become a "drive-thru" society...everything must happen NOW.

I don't care who the president had been, no one could correct course from the rough waters Bush left us in in the first six months or six years. Give the guy a chance...some breathing room, for cripes sake. Get off the "Me, Me, Me!" route and help pull the load.

Remember, you could have had McCain/Palin.

[Cha]

16. Exactly!! bush was busy selling the surplus down

the river and Obama is trying to clean up bush's 8 year fuckup.

[davidpdx]

22. I like your comment about the drive-thru society

Even I'm guilty of that at times with things other then politics. It is a sad commentary about where we have gone in the last 10-20 years.

[GivePeaceAchance]

3. Some projects were not ready to go from the start & require planning so once the whole .....

recovery bill kicks in the momentum will begin.

[4lbs]

10. In my state (California) there are literally hundreds of projects being funded with the stimulus

that are still in the "bid" phase.

However, there are also hundreds of others already under way, employing people on infrastructure work.

[glowing]

4. Its ok to criticize and demand things from our employees. This country has gone the

wrong way for too long, and the last 8yrs was like horrible govt on speed. Its ok that we are demanding and pushing and getting noisey. One can look at the things gained and say "good job", but it doesn't mean we are to stop?! Obama asked us to be the one's we've been waiting for. He woke the sleeping giant, and the giant doesn't want to go back to sleep.

[Cha]

17. Thank Goodness we have

Obama to work with.

[OHdem10]

5. The Elites (Congress, Medida , KSreet Lobbies. Wealthy Citizens)

need this line--Obama begins to stumble". This is the way
they push right wing policies--pretending the polls show this
and the polls show that.

They wanted Obama as President to push through their RW Policies.
This trick started once the Republicans started to gain prominence
following FDR.

In a nutshell, put a Democrat in to get RW Fiscal Policy. The GOP
is not trusted on things like Health Care, Social Security, any
Social Safety Net program. Therefore, put Democrats in to pass
Rw Policies.

This is why the Media put GOP on TV continuously often using their
talking points.

As long as we see it for what it is, that is better than being
duped.

Immediately after the election, we went to Clinton polkicies.
Now they are going ever more right. I love the Clintons.
but with my eyes wide open--I knew Bill was a Conservative.
In her heart Hillary is a liberal. Yes, it is better than
having GOP in charge.

Appesing Republicans is the order.

any

[Honeycombe8]

6. I'm an O fan. But I agree....he has made a few stumbles.

Inviting Iran for our July 4th celebration? What was that all about? Someone didn't give that much thought. That it would be right after the election. That Iran wouldn't appreciate a democracy celebration. That it's our personal celebration, not another country's. It seems silly and naive to me.

Not being bold enuf on health care, his signature cause and potentially his legacy. He has indicated there WILL be a plan passed this year. He can only be that certain if he is willing to seriously compromise....and that's not a good thing. We saw how compromising on the stimulus bill only watered down the bill and didn't get any add'l votes from the Repubs.

Overall, he's doing a good job. But he has a lot confronting him, and I think he's trying to barrel through without sometimes thinking of the consequences.

[Turbineguy]

7. Last year

there was a wingnut email floating around at my work place about the economic collapse being the fault of the Democrats because it was they got a majority in Congress in 2006.

I'm now beginning to think whoever the idiot who originated that had a better understanding of latency than some around here.

[Cha]

18. Of course, the rw assholes would

put the blame on Democrats so little bush could skate..the head asshole who ruined the economy that Obama and his team have to fix NOW.

[AllentownJake]

8. He isn't perfect,

I have concerns about the budget deficit, what is actually going to be in this healthcare plan, and I wish things were moving faster on civil rights. I think the stimulus bill was destroyed by Congress by inserting stupid things into it, but that is congress not the President. The handling of the banks also pisses me off a little.

That being said, I'm in awe of his approach to Foreign Policy. The man is a genius there.

Domestically, he has some work to do, some people to lean on.

[960]

11. I agree with everything you said except I am more concerned about civil rights.

I think they are not only moving too slowly, but possibly in the wrong direction. (Especially GLBT)

[AllentownJake]

13. The states are doing the job

GLBT folks can get married in Iowa. Fucking Iowa. They are moving in the right direction. Just not from a federal level.

[960]

20. I want leadership from the top. I want to see that "fierce advocate" Obama promised to be

Other states are moving the other direction, so we can't count on states to do the right thing.... and I am tired of waiting.

And it would have at least been nice for Obama to make a statement on Iowa... he didn't, and that speaks volumes to me.

[HopeOverFear]

9. Right on

[SemiCharmedQuark]

12. Of course he will stumble, every president has. The question is does he get up, or stay down.

[Cha]

19. Obama hasn't "stumbled"..that's Crowley's

word. President Obama and team are in uncharted shark infested 8 years of bushit and they're doing an amazing job.

Edit..Actually, Crowley says he hasn't stumbled.

[Cha]

14. Rec'd~ Yeah, I'm not fooled one bit by the white house press

corp..Michael Crowley left out a big important element. bush and cheney dared the reporters not to toe the line and when bush fucked up..they could call him on it(I don't remember that but if Michael Crowley says it..?)

The jackal press are trying to bring down Democrats via their marching orders from the heads honchos of abc, cbs, nbc, &cnn(I've seen that in action).

There's a big freakin' difference between bush's willful fuckups and Obama trying to clean up bush's fuckups.

[saltpoint]

21. In a few months we'll see which Republican wannabes are making frequent

visits to Des Moines and Cedar Rapids.

Romney will be there, certainly, because he is a legend in his own mind and he has the acute ego and big bucks to be a fierce competitor. I expect Sarah Palin to be in Iowa alot, too, also.

But if Huck is not in Iowa much, and if Newt isn't in Iowa that much, it is kind of a signal that they don't think the GOP nomination is worth having and that President Obama is too popular to unseat.

I think it's fair at this point to rule out Ensign and Sanford.

[lindisfarne]

23. (What have the Romans ever dione for us?) Obama was brilliant at the press conference

the media for whatever reason is trying to create the myth that he was awkward.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExWfh6sGyso&feature=related

[old mark]

24. They have been saying that since the end of the first week.

The GOP really need something to make themselves feel and look good, and since they have nothing to offer anyone, they stick with lies.

mark

[butterfly77]

25. These people in the media ..

really get me how every few days they seem to try to convince the public that the President won't win the next election because he is trying to fix all of the problems the republiCONS have left him.

If people can't see what the CONS have done to this country and they want some more then they will deserve what they get if they think that it couldn't get any worse then go on and vote for some more CONS. A lot of people in this country can't think for themselves.