The Economist: The danger of writing off Barack Obama

[FrenchieCat]

THIS week is bringing a flurry of articles along the general theme of "is the presidency of Barack Obama doomed?" There are a few reasons to ignore them. For example, here is Victor Davis Hanson (pictured) in National Review, today, in a post that's making the blogospheric rounds:

We are quite literally after two weeks teetering on an Obama implosion—and with no Dick Morris to bail him out—brought on by messianic delusions of grandeur, hubris, and a strange naivete that soaring rhetoric and a multiracial profile can add requisite cover to good old-fashioned Chicago politicking.

Here's Victor Davis Hanson in National Review, September 2008:

No Northern Democratic liberal like Obama has won the presidency in a half-century...The new Obama probably will recover from his temporary setback in the polls. But right now his problem is that disappointed independent voters are catching on that this saintly savior is all too human.

Here's Victor David Hanson in National Review, March 2008:

Barack Obama is on his way to a McGovern candidacy.

Here's Victor Davis Hanson in National Review, March 2008 (again):

Obama is crashing in all the polls, especially against McCain, against whom he doesn’t stack up well, given McCain’s heroic narrative, the upswing in Iraq, and the past distance between McCain and the Bush administration.

Predicting a president's doom is a high-risk game. Or it would be, if pundits were held as accountable as, say, cabinet nominees.
http://www.economist.com/blogs/democracyinamerica/2009/02/and_what_will_president_obama.cfm

[4lbs]

1. The dude (Hanson) is 0-3 regarding his predictions on Obama.

0-4 coming up....

[rockymountaindem]

2. Who said "every battle plan is perfect until it makes first contact with the enemy"?

I think that's what's happening here. Obama's facing a little Republican opposition and people like Boehner are getting some airtime. Things still look good for our agenda. All these writers acting like everything's over before it's started probably don't know what to do without Bush's lunacy in there making their jobs easy. And what's all this supposed widespread disappointment about? I haven't seen any.

It's all a bunch of hot air.

[firedupdem]

3. What an asshole that guy is! How in the hell is he doomed 2

weeks in? These people are sickening. They are so clearly against him. It makes me rally that much harder.

[Jennicut]

4. "multiracial profile"? What a moran.

Seriously, its been two freaking weeks. And these same mother fers were complaining and begging the American public to give Shrub a chance after 5 or 6 years. Sorry, epic fail.

[tularetom]

5. That Victor David Hansen dipshit has a column in our local fishwrap

And I have yet to make any sense of anything he wrote. I googled him once and it seems he was born into quite a bit of money. Born on third base and thinks he hit a triple as Ann Richards said once about the boy king.

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

6. This guy seems to have made a (crappy) career out of writing Obama's obituary.

One day he'll be right, but hopefully that will be 50 years or so from now.

[Hippo_Tron]

7. I'm not even close to being worried about Obama's prospects at this point...

The only thing that changed this week is that the media's temporary love affair with him ended. Big fucking deal. The stimulus package will get through the senate once he pays off a few moderate Republicans. That's how it always works.

[cooolandrew]

8. His presidency is far from over and those in congress not playing along we're taking notes either >

party. Voters will clean up the grime if it's the last thing they do, the obstructionsts can be assured of that by the ballot.

[democracy1st]

9. this exactly illustrates the rightwing playbook,not only politico but the AP as well