It’s his now. He gets the credit and the blame. How do we know this? The American people are telling him. You can see it in the polls. That’s what his falling poll numbers are about. “It’s been almost a year, you own this. Fix it.”
***
The president doesn’t seem to like this moment. Who would? He and his men and women have returned to referring to what they “inherited.” And what they inherited was, truly, terrible: again, a severe economic crisis and two wars. But their recent return to this theme is unbecoming. Worse, it is politically unpersuasive. It sounds defensive, like a dodge.
No kidding. The President seems to act more un-Presidential every day. His campaign against FOX news, truly, what does it accomplish? Seems like the best and brightest could figure out this is not a path the President should be taking. Perhaps they aren’t the best and brightest. One things for certain, they truly believe they are the best and brightest, although I don’t think arrogance is very high up on the list of virtues. Hmmm, how about those tax returns?
Peggy Noonan, who was writing supportive articles about Obama prior to the election concludes…
The problem isn’t his personality, it’s his policies. His problem isn’t what George W. Bush left but what he himself has done. It is a problem of political judgement, of putting forward bills that were deeply flawed or off-point. Bailouts, the stimulus package, cap-and-trade; turning to health care at the exact moment in history when his countrymen were turning their concerns to the economy, joblessness, debt and deficits—all of these reflect a misreading of the political terrain. They are matters of political judgment, not personality. (Republicans would best heed this as they gear up for 2010: Don’t hit him, hit his policies. That’s where the break with the people is occurring.)
I wonder how she voted and if she now regrets her vote now? This actually isn’t a cynical or sarcastic question. To me, John McCain was an uninspiring candidate, but I never drank the Obama Kool-aid. Many who have, are starting to regret it, although his core base won’t waiver in their support short of nuclear armegeddon. The question is, how large is the core base? No doubt, they are loud and self assured, but that doesn’t make them either large or right. Something tells me we’re going to find out.
