I was surprised last week when I started seeing a few MSM articles finding fault with President Obama. I assumed it would be months, if not years, into the future before any move he made would be critically assessed. Given the anti-Bush rhetoric of the past few years, I thought Pres. Obama had a ready made excuse for any economic policy that failed as "it would've been worse--because of Bush's mess--if we hadn't done anything." Thus, he had a win-win: if his policy worked: "look how smart I was." And if it didn't: "it would've been even worse if we'd done nothing."
But then some folks started printing the Dow's performance since inauguration. They noted that Wall Street was not being stimulated by the stimulus plan. Now, Howard Fineman, of Newsweek, is saying that the nation's elites (DC insiders, the media, and corporate leaders) are starting to question if 'the chosen one' is really up for the task (a Star Wars scene just came to mind: Obi Wan believed Anakin was the chosen one, before he became Darth Vader.)
This is an interesting article about Obama's missteps, mistakes, and possible managerial inabilities that people have begun to notice. But not 'the people', who, according to polling, still give the President high marks. But people polling can change if the media lines up with the stock market, in a downward direction.
Here's a bit of Fineman's analysis:
They have some reasons to be concerned. I trace them to a central trait of the president's character: he's not really an in-your-face guy. By recent standards—and that includes Bill Clinton as well as George Bush—Obama for the most part is seeking to govern from the left, looking to solidify and rely on his own party more than woo Republicans. And yet he is by temperament judicious, even judicial. He'd have made a fine judge. But we don't need a judge. We need a blunt-spoken coach.
Obama may be mistaking motion for progress, calling signals for a game plan. A busy, industrious overachiever, he likes to check off boxes on a long to-do list. A genial, amenable guy, he likes to appeal to every constituency, or at least not write off any. A beau ideal of Harvard Law, he can't wait to tackle extra-credit answers on the exam.
I thought that Obama's performance--not to mention his economic policies--had been underwhelming since he started. Yes, he always gives a good speech, but what we need is a combination of good speaking, good policy, and execution of that policy. But I discounted my own view as too partisan. Maybe others are starting to agree.
Doubting Thomas,
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