I have no idea whether this statement from Pres. Obama will satisfy Sally Quinn, though it’s doubtful.
A larger theme is involved for her and the DC establishment. For Ms. Quinn, Obama’s troubles go back to Greg Craig’s firing, which she writes was “a turning point for a lot of people, who began to question the president’s judgment.” Steve Clemons wasn’t too happy about Craig’s sacking either, though I thought it was unavoidable. Quinn on Craig:
One of the first lessons any administration needs to learn is that somebody has to take the hit for whatever goes wrong. If another culprit is not identified, the president gets the blame. One incident after another in the past few months has shown that members of this administration would rather lay low and let Barack Obama be the target. This has got to stop.
… [...] The administration’s problem extends beyond these failings. When White House counsel Greg Craig was fired over disagreements about the timing and publicity of closing the prison at Guantanamo Bay, many Obama supporters were troubled. Craig was one of the most admired and trusted men in Washington. His firing was a turning point for a lot of people, who began to question the president’s judgment. Whether or not the Craig decision was the president’s idea, somebody else should have taken the hit for it. Although Obama had pledged during the campaign to close Guantanamo by year’s end, White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel and Craig clearly had serious disagreements over how the issue was playing politically, and there were known to be strong personality clashes between the two. It was Emanuel who was responsible for Craig’s departure. He should have taken the hit and spared the president so much bad feeling.
Mark Halperin, another uber insider, hit Obama today, too.
The Five Things Obama Is Doing Worse than You Think
1. Managing His Public Image
2. Driving the Policy Process
3. Wooing Official Washington
4. Changing the Tone in Washington
5. Creating Stars
Several progressives have taken out after him, including Ezra Klein, but is Halperin wrong?
The Clintons didn’t woo Washington either and they paid a hefty price, though they were never liked to begin with, especially by Quinn and company; unlike the Obamas, who are the in couple in town that everyone still wants at their parties. If that sours look out.
“The Clintons didn’t woo Washington either and they paid a hefty price, though they were never liked to begin with,”
Except by the public that is. Even during the Lewinski circus Clinton had solid majority favorability polls.
Creating stars? I’m not following that.
Sounds like Obama is already souring a portion of Washington. However, I did hear a report that Washington insiders care less about broken campaign promises, as insiders expect this from politicians. But the masses (outsiders) are rapidly losing faith in Obama because we “naively” still expect promises to be kept and actual follow-through. I will say that our kids (and much of the youth around here) are finding no fault with Obama. Many never paid attention to what was said and what is being done now. They were attracted to his charisma and still are. So I predict in 2012 he will have again a huge turnout from the youth in addition to all those who were between 14 and 17 in 2008, and will be able to vote in 2012.
I read Sally Quinn’s post today — she’s definitely sounding bitter and doesn’t think much of Desiree Rogers.
When has Washington politico snobs ever been truly friendly?!! There is a host of Past Presidents no matter how great or bad, who have had to deal with these Pundit Class wars on them while in office. Once again I say Obama biggest problem was he is to friendly…this another hard lesson he will learn and get over it.
I’m starting to get over my disappoints of Obama Presidency…Maybe I’m head of the cover and soon other Americans will get past his suppose it failures at the moment. I think my sudden change of heart is sitting back watching these so called friends and supports become like vultures. I guess I feel pity for Obama and truly at this point wish him well in finish his Presidential term. Taylor, I think you might agree with me that “Washington is tough town for any politician and there is no such thing as friends on Capitol hill.”
Yep, secular – never below 60 percent approval ratings even at the height of impeachment.
It was the hoity toity likes of Quinn to look down her nose on a sexual dalliance – never mind her dalliance that broke up a marriage. Then there was Broder – who said “they came here and trashed the place and it wasn’t even there place!” Just who the hell’s place does he think DC is if not each and every citizen’s certainly and not the property of those DC denizens who don’t have a clue what it’s like to be a regular US citizen. Well, any one of us can go on to add to the list ……..
OT
Democratic Sen. Byron Dorgan of North Dakota is retiring from the Senate and will not run for re-election in 2010.
For more information…http://www.politico.com
uhm…secularhumanizinevoluter, Clinton was already in his second term when the Lewinski circus came about. Obama is still in his early first term and his poll numbers look no worst then Ronald Reagans or Clinton at this point. I feel many anti-Obama folks are over reading certain polls to further push there own agenda. At this intersection in Obama presidency he is doing no worse then Bush or greater then Clinton…I would say he is some were in the middle right now.
Americans are divided over love for Obama and dislike for the man.
One more then thing I need to say before I sign off….When in the heck has Obama not been taking “Heat”?….The man has been attacked from the right and left non-stop since becoming President. I would say it’s no big deal since every past President has had to take heat from inside Washington to outside with the American Public aka protesters. People keep acting shock that anyone would dare attack Obama in the media or on protest his policies on the street.
I wish Dems…would not attack like is such a shocker the man is getting treated like every other Politician.
I meant act like not attack…lol
The problem for Obama is not anti-Obama folks – it is the great number of VERY pro Obama voters who are waiting for him to stand for what he said he stood for. None of us who voted for Obama and continue to desperately want him to have a very successful 2 term presidency are the least bit interested in polls. We are interested in what he DOES.
And, please Marie, Obama could do no wrong in msm until it was clear he was doing very little right and the right wingers and the for profit media could no longer ignore it.
Wasn’t Craig dragging his feet on getting Guantanamo closed? Isn’t that why he got canned? Obama is taking heat from alot of places these days. His troubles began in earnest when he caved into the “Scoop” Jackson neocon wing of the Democratic Party and ordered another 30,000 troops to be deployed to Afghanistan. As long as he continues to listen to the Hillary wing (neocons) of the Democratic Party, Obama’s troubles will expand exponentially. The Left will break his presidency and be glad to do it. Peace
Imhotep
You continue to show how ill informed you are.
Don;t you know whether or not Craig was pushing for Quantanamo to be closed? Obama didn’t “cave” to anyone – much less supposed “scoop” Jackson neocons. Obama followed the very political trail he long laid out…..from his anti war speech that cost him NO courage to do before his very liberal constituancy, to the scrubbing of that speech from his website after war commenced and was backed by the public, to every other waffle as he marched his political road to the presidency. Not that others didn’t march a political road – just don’t pretend he didn’t. The worst was the pandering to anti homosexual constituency of the Demiocratic Party a la Donnie McClurkin. You were hoodwinked, bamboozled, you fell for the old okie doke. At least I admit he is who I thought I was voting for for the most part – just not nearly as principled or effective as I thought he would be. Perhaps I was hoodwinked too and he’s not as smart and hard working as I thought he would was. I expected he’d work in the Presidency as least as hard as he did running for the office.
djjl, the Left will still be happy to break his presidency. That promise was made to him well before anyone on the Left voted for him in 2008. Either he dismantles the neocon wing of the Democratic Party or he will dismantle himself. At the moment it looks as though he’s chosen the latter course. Peace
Marie205 says: 05 January 2010 at 6:32 pm: “Once again I say Obama biggest problem was he is to friendly…this another hard lesson he will learn and get over it.”
I agree with this completely. Especially if it concerns the naïve & ill-conceived idea of bi-partisanship.
Also, the inside the beltway ruling class are either at your knees or at your throat. They respect power and ruthlessness. They go after Democrats because they KNOW Democrats aren’t vengeful. Although GWB never went to their parties (he was in bed by 8 PM) they never dared mess with him as they knew he was not above having the FCC or the Pentagon do some damage to their business interests. A Democrat would never even THINK of doing such a thing.
Marie205 says:
05 January 2010 at 6:47 pm: “One more then thing I need to say before I sign off….When in the heck has Obama not been taking “Heat”?….The man has been attacked from the right and left non-stop since becoming President.”
Disagree with this one. Depends on what you mean by “attacked”. Initially, he was definitely not attacked by the left. As I recall, the only person who dared to speak up was Limbaugh with his “I want him to fail” remark. Other than that Barak Obama was the life of the Wednesday night parties. He was our own Dalai Lama as he traveled the world smiling and everyone (worldwide) adored him.
And then, in the eyes of the left, he started placating the Republicans, and if that wasn’t bad enough he began breaking his promises. One by one they fell by the wayside. Initially, the congressional Republicans held their fire. When they took his measure and sensed weakness — his lack of any firm position or conviction — it is then that they became more audacious and proceeded to move in for the kill.
Imhotep, were do you come up with this stuff? The left will be happy to break his presidency? Just because some of us on the left will bitch at Obama, when we think he is not doing what we would like for him to do, does not mean we are going to let some repug become President in 2012. I”ll tell you, if the economy starts coming back, some good comes out of the healthcare bill, another Supreme Court judge is appointed, and troops start leaving Iraq, the left will have no problem with electing Obama to a second term.
Obama getting heat? Well BOO HOO HOO! Cry me a river! Don’t worry, most of the media is still in love with him. The Democratic congress is still awestruck by Obama–even to the point that these people don’t listen to their own constituents anymore. Increasingly, Americans are turning sour on Democratic ideas on healthcare reform but they forge ahead full throttle. They are bound and determined to put anything on the President’s desk come what may. It’s the Democrats that are going to walk the plank and are going to political slaughter to do Obama’s bidding. These are the ones who will be taking the real heat come midterm elections. The people are going to revolt and many Democratic incumbents will be defeated.
So nzanh, what constituents are you talking about? Are you talking about the tea baggers who scream racial slurs and bring guns to a political rally? Or are you talking about the town hall folks, who most of them are on medicare and are screaming they don’t want government in their healthcare? Who are these constituents who are going to revolt against Democrats and vote repug?
The only constituents who will vote repug, are the ones who voted repug in the last election. Democrats will lose some seats in the house, but repugs will not gain a majority, no matter how much you hope that will happen.
imhopless whines:”The Left will break his presidency and be glad to do it.”
Now now Angels, don’t you just tremble at the threat of an enraged imhopless and his/her/it’s minions of dirty T shirt with red As in red circles, conspiracy believin, watchin for the black helos crowd storming to the polls on election day!!!
THEY WILL BREAK THIS PRESIDENCY!!! OOoooooor maybe not so much.
“The Clintons didn’t woo Washington either and they paid a hefty price, though they were never liked to begin with, especially by Quinn and company.”
That is so true. I think Quinn said that Clinton wasn’t “one of them.” The elite power brokers are so out of touch with the party, with working Americans, and they blame The One for being the inexperienced, far-Left adjunct law professor which he is.
Re: many posts above…
Dems won’t vote Republican… agreed. But, discouraged, many may stay home.
However, it is looking like Independents will vote Republican. Only time will tell what will happen. But many constituents (Dems, Repugs, and Indies) are not pleased, so I agree with nzanh.
Just stopping by to say…Obama is are seems to be a very nice man, deep thinker, extremely friendly and considerate of others. Something a of a rarity in Washington now a days…I think he is a good guy, who is having the usual trouble all new presidents experience during a first term.
Ronald Reagan was a former governor of California before becoming President…Yet, he didn’t help the US economy during his term…And if I remembered right he ignored the spread of Aids for a while back in the 80′s…And he was suppose to have had past experience but it didn’t seem to help…. Another one George Bush I was Vice President for 8 years and President for one…He also was to suppose to come into office with experience…Yet, the man only could manage one term. Carter was a former governor he too only got one term as President…So, this talk of lack of experience from Obama is ”
Plain Bull”….People go into the White House with high expectations and leave realizing the job was not what they thought it to be…That is exactly was happening to Obama.
One more person who was suppose to have great past experience as a governor George Bush II….Pundits kept screaming he was Governor and the son of a Former President so he should do great….Yeah, well that so called experience got us Iraq, debt etc… Thank the heavens Obama lack the experience these guys had…Just saying~
“However, it is looking like Independents will vote Republican.”
I don’t know if I’d go quite that far yet. Indies are disinchanted with Pres. Obama and the Dems in Congress because they haven’t delivered on the big promises made during the campaign. If the economy improves, and it seems to be, slowly but surely, and some of the campaign promises get kept, late but better the repugnatland never I think 2012 will be another Obama win. 2010 is starting to look a little better for the Dems too.
People STILL prefer the Dems to repugs. Just not by as much.
MArie205
Have you really paid any attention to political issues – that is beyond cheer leading for the Presidential Prom King? Real Democrats want Obama to succeed as a REAL DEMOCRAT – not a fraud corporatist. We really don’t care if he’s polk-a-dot.
“The Clintons didn’t woo Washington either and they paid a hefty price, though they were never liked to begin with, especially by Quinn and company; unlike the Obamas, who are the in couple in town that everyone still wants at their parties.”
Are you serious?? Could that be any more out of touch?
Yes, and it’s accurate.