Posted by
Patrick Henry on Monday, August 30, 2010 11:04:35 PM
Many people are disappointed in the presidency of Barack Obama, including some in
his own party. His approval ratings have sagged to an all-time low, and his party is
steeling itself for major defeats in the mid-term elections. Watching him speak today,
it was difficult to shed the impression that he looked and sounded lonely, frustrated,
angry and rebellious, not particularly winning traits.
As the nation's first black president he held the high hopes of a weary nation in the
palm of his hand. He has pulled way too many boneheads for one to argue that he
is the smartest president the country has ever had. But he's certainly not the dumbest
either. He has enjoyed overwhelming legislative majorities in both houses of congress
seen a number of his agenda items passed, yet his policies, in the main, have not met
with popular approval and his signature initiative, the healthcare bill, is the target of
calls for repeal by nearly 60% of the electorate. The economy, which has done in
more than one president is in deep trouble, the nation deeply in debt and unemploy-
remains stubbornly high in spite of a near trillion dollar stimulus package he wanted,
argued for and finally got. Now he and his party are in deep, deep trouble, and
unless the turnaround comes with a vengeance Obama may be a one-term president.
So why does greatness elude him? One need only look as far as Bill Clinton and
Ronald Reagan to see one reason. Each of them faced similar public disapproval
and found themselves at mid-term with unfavorable congressional power shifts. Both
were able to pivot toward the center, reach across the aisle and get enough done to
convince America they were worth re-electing. It is improbable that Obama can or
will do the same. He is arguably the most liberal president ever to sit in the White
House, and the ground he has staked out with his agenda is so far to the left that
any centrist movement will force him to virtually abandon it. If he did, he would
lose the entire leftist base of the Democratic party. And if Republicans effect a true
change in the balance of power, they will demand significant movement on his part
in order to work with him. He is simply too much of an ideologue to compromise,
and that is likely to cost him both the presidency in 2012 and the legacy he hoped
for.
Obama has fallen carelessly into the "angry black man" caricature his campaign
staff warned him to avoid. One could see it this morning as he demagogued away
at Republicans who will not yield to more emergency spending to pass a band-aid
small business loan bill he badly wants. He seems confused by America's rejection
of his vision, angry at all who oppose him and locked into an ever-deepening bunker
mentality. He would apparently rather be right (in his own eyes) than continue to
be president, and if he stays the present course he will surely get his wish.
But his biggest current liability is an undeniable detachment from the real
people who comprise the electorate. A recent poll showed the public favoring
Republicans versus Democrats (Obama) on every major issue. Obama wants to
spend the country out of debt, the people want conservation, thrift and responsibility.
He wants to pacify the Muslim world while the country wants him to confront
radical Islam and protect his own nation from their terrorist designs. The people
want the borders controlled and illegal invaders sent home, but Obama wants open
borders and refuses even to enforce immigration laws on the books. A majority
favor the Arizona immigration law, while Obama is suing Arizona to invalidate it.
Few (including the courts) thought a drilling moratorium was warranted after the
BP spill, but Obama did it anyway. The people opposed the healthcare bill, but he
blathered, bribed and bullied to pass it over their objections. The people don't want
Guantanamo Bay closed, but Obama is hell bent on doing it. Americans don't
want Khalid Sheik Mohammed tried in New York, but Obama still does, and
apparently won't allow military courts in Guantanamo to proceed until he gets at
least one of the defendants incarcerated there in civil court. The list goes on and
on and on. America is telling Obama he is drunk, and he stubbornly refuses to
lie down.
Many questions of deceit, misrepresentation, misdirection and broken promises
also dog Obama. And all of the foregoing comprise the stuff of which failed
presidencies are made. Could he still turn it around? Certainly! He is charming,
witty, attractive and hip, and he is a fine public speaker. But he can only be a
Great Communicator (Reagan fans please pardon the analogy) when he is on the
same wavelength as those with whom he must communicate. The prospect of that
seems highly unlikely. If he stays his current course, he will leave a divided,
bankrupt and resentful nation in his wake, and what could have been Camelot
may well end up being Gomorrah.