The Best Analysis Of Obama's Dilemma

[n2doc]

14 OCT 2010 10:46 AM -Andrew Sullivan


It comes from Obama himself:

Given how much stuff was coming at us, we probably spent much more time trying to get the policy right than trying to get the politics right... I think anybody who's occupied this office has to remember that success is determined by an intersection in policy and politics and that you can't be neglecting of marketing and PR and public opinion.

David Corn complains that this is the kind of self-criticism that does not help before an election, and that in arguing that his biggest error was under-estimating Republican obstructionism, the president cannot also argue that he can work with the GOP, if necessary, in the next two years.

I don't agree. This kind of quote is why I still believe, despite my frustrations in some areas, that Obama is the best option we've got and we're lucky to have him. I want a president who can acknowledge error, is not cocooned, can speak publicly about this, and is unafraid of self-criticism. Isn't that why so many of us supported him in the first place?

And, look, another reason we supported him is that after eight years of Rove, we actually wanted a president who got the policy right. I think his success in this is quite remarkable, in fact.

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http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2010/10/the-be.html

[vi5]

1. Except he hasn't gotten either one right....

He obviously hasn't gotten the politics of it right, which would be fine if the policies we've gotten have been great. But he sacrificed the good of the policies in an effort at some sort of political bipartisanship and reaching out which has been met with nothing but rage and anger.

So he didn't get any credit from the right, he's pissed off his base, and gotten at best half-assed, half measure policies that don't actually solve the problems they're trying to solve.

[polichick]

2. True - he unfortunately played right into their hands. I hope he gets that now...

...and knows that things have to be done differently from here on in.

[vi5]

4. Look, if he did things his way....

..and reached out and compromised and encouraged them whittling away at great legislation and policy, and even if I disagreed with the end result it had engendered enough positivity and good will and reciprocal reaching out then I'd be o.k. with that.

And if he shot for great policy but pissed a lot of people off then I'd respect him even more.

But he did neither. We ended up with bad, half assed policy and a horrible, angry political climate. The latter isn't his fault, but it is his fault for not seeing it coming and not being able to see that it wasn't going to work and also for continuing to try long past the point where any reasonable person thought he should stop trying.

[jaxx]

6. 80% of Democrats approve of Obama.

He'll never get any credit from the right, we all know that.

[vi5]

8. We know that. He doesn't seem to.

If we all know he's not going to get credit from the right, and we know that it's going to do no good to use any of their ideas because they won't give him any credit anyway, and no matter how much he tries he's still going to be portrayed the he has, then why not go for the right policies rather than whittling them down and reducing them to almost ineffectivity simply to appear bipartisan?

80% of democrats approve of him because they know the alternative is worse. If someone asked me I'd say I approve of him as well, but that's because to say anything other than that is a tacit admission that the other side aren't a bunch of loons. It's in no way an admission that the policies we've gotten under this administration are even near what they could have been if he weren't so busy trying to please people who will never vote for him and never give even an inch.

[jaxx]

10. You just refitted your argument with new words that mean the same thing.

Let me say this one more time. 80% of Democrats approve of the President. They didn't ask them if they approve because the other side is a bunch of loons. Direct...do you approve? Yes = 80%.

Unless you have information saying 80% think this or that and he's the lesser of two loons....we are at a standstill.

[vi5]

11. Oh brother....

Yes. Whatever. Everyone loves the president unconditionally. All 80% of us think he's just the bee's knees and is just the best guy ever. And the 20% who don't love him are irrational teabagger equivalents who are radical leftist terrorists who wouldn't be happy with anything. I stand proudly with our President.

There does that get us out of our standstill and justify your worldview at the same time?

[ibegurpard]

14. exactly

[Enrique]

3. it's not a good analysis

he's too easy on himself. Bush excused himself the same way, he said everything he did is right, but he was unable to convince all of us of it.

[zipplewrath]

5. Not even close

He may have spent too much time on policy, but in many case on BAD policy. Deciding that Timmy was right and it was more important to support the existing bonus contracts with bank employees, than to force the banks to cancel those contracts, was a mistake. Paying 100 cents on the dollar for "toxic" assets, was a mistake. Reappointing Bernake to sit around an fuss about inflation for a year, was a mistake. Letting the DoD delay DADT repeal by 2 years was a mistake.

Obama's biggest mistake is continuing to surround himself with adoring staff that lets him believe that the only problem is that the people don't understand how stunningly brilliant he is.

[glitch]

7. Ouch.

But true.

[vi5]

9. Well, then, if he ever needs to fill any jobs....

...there are plenty of candidates here on DU who would fit the description in that last paragraph.

[marlakay]

12. Who knows maybe all those adoring crowds

went to his head. I wondered at the time what it would do to him...he was treated like a movie star even by the news people.

[jeanpalmer]

13. That's what I'm thinking too

It was pure arrogance to shit on his supporters like he did. He still doesn't get it, or won't own up to it. For him, it was just bad pr. He's living in a bubble. It's too bad his most ardent supporters didn't e-mail him or call him and tell him "you're going down the wrong path pissing off many of your supporters." How many lectures did we receive here to not "sit on our asses" blah blah blah. Turns out, they should have called him to let him know he was destroying his party..