The Comeback Kid
September 7, 2011 - by
I’ve been critical of President Obama lately. His poll numbers keep dropping, and he looks like a 97-pound weakling being pushed around by (of all people) John Boehner.
I even called him “Jimmy Obama” in one blog, comparing him to a famous one-term Democratic President.
So now it’s time to predict a comeback.
There’s one thing you can always count on in politics: The story line will change.
All summer, the story line has been Obama’s weakness, his impotence with Congress and his fading hopes for reelection.
But all this is poised to pivot. The political media is back from summer vacation and looking for something new. We’ve got a series of Republican presidential debates ahead. Every time they open their mouths, they look worse – all of them.
Obama has a chance to turn this game around if and when he adopts a very simple strategy: Attack Congress.
Don’t differentiate between the parties. Just attack them all and attack the institution. Hark back to Harry Truman and the “do nothing Congress.”
Propose something BIG Thursday night, wait for the Republicans to block it and then blame them for continuing the country’s miseries.
Polls already show the public blames Bush more than Obama for the mess we’re in. And Congress’ ratings are lower than the President’s. The field is wide open.
Obama’s problem isn’t his policies. It’s his persona – the perception that he’s a weakling. He can fix that with a year-long sustained attack on Congress – and a string of creative-sounding ideas that show people he’s at least trying to do something.
The President is a basketball guy, but it’s football season. There’s a big hole opening up in the Republican line, and he can run right through it.
The Comeback Kid
September 7, 2011/
I’ve been critical of President Obama lately. His poll numbers keep dropping, and he looks like a 97-pound weakling being pushed around by (of all people) John Boehner.
I even called him “Jimmy Obama” in one blog, comparing him to a famous one-term Democratic President.
So now it’s time to predict a comeback.
There’s one thing you can always count on in politics: The story line will change.
All summer, the story line has been Obama’s weakness, his impotence with Congress and his fading hopes for reelection.
But all this is poised to pivot. The political media is back from summer vacation and looking for something new. We’ve got a series of Republican presidential debates ahead. Every time they open their mouths, they look worse – all of them.
Obama has a chance to turn this game around if and when he adopts a very simple strategy: Attack Congress.
Don’t differentiate between the parties. Just attack them all and attack the institution. Hark back to Harry Truman and the “do nothing Congress.”
Propose something BIG Thursday night, wait for the Republicans to block it and then blame them for continuing the country’s miseries.
Polls already show the public blames Bush more than Obama for the mess we’re in. And Congress’ ratings are lower than the President’s. The field is wide open.
Obama’s problem isn’t his policies. It’s his persona – the perception that he’s a weakling. He can fix that with a year-long sustained attack on Congress – and a string of creative-sounding ideas that show people he’s at least trying to do something.
The President is a basketball guy, but it’s football season. There’s a big hole opening up in the Republican line, and he can run right through it.