As the clock ticks down to zero hour for the Congressional Super Committee, President Obama is on a nine day relationship-building junket to Asia. Leaving town when Congress is struggling with issues crucial to the American economy has become Obama’s stock in trade. Prior to the Asia tour, he spent weeks on the campaign trail, ducking the difficult job of developing a meaningful resolution of the debt crisis. He did, however, use his electioneering to sharpen his divisive rhetoric, which accomplished nothing except to widen the partisan divide.
Oh, and one other thing. It clarified Obama’s re-election strategy. Like the sun rising in the east, he will, of course, continue to lob blame bombs in all directions. But, he’s also putting geographic distance between himself and Washington D.C. He places a lot of faith in the out of sight, out of mind maxim, hoping physical separation will dissociate him from the mess he’s helped create.
Obama’s re-election game plan should not come as a huge surprise, since it has a lot in common with his governance style. For the latter, he offers meaningless straw man proposals for chronic problems that can neither work nor be accepted. And when they aren’t, he casts aspersions on whomever for rejecting them.
The latest two examples are his “millionaires and billionaires” debt solution and his jobs plan. Both are non-starters because there's a lot more harm than the little good in them and so cannot responsibly be put in place. But, they’re great sound bites for those desperate for easy solutions to devastating dilemmas. Obama hopes enough of those folks are out there to keep him in the White House.
To be sure, Obama’s strategy, whether governance or re-election, is much easier than long hours at the negotiating table facing huge helpings of bitter choices. And at least part of that strategy is getting support from unexpected places. Democrat Congressman Heath Shuler, N.C., agrees that Obama should stay out of town.
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - Baronius
"he offers meaningless straw man proposals for chronic problems that can neither work nor be accepted. And when they aren’t, he casts aspersions on whomever for rejecting them."
That's as good a summary of this administration as I've ever read.
2 - roger nowosielski
Now, if I were to say something like that, I'd be crucified, but a true-blue conservative can get away with it.
3 - zingzing
well, you could say the same thing, and get more mileage out of it, by directing that towards the republican members of congress.
is it unworkable or unacceptable to raise taxes in order to help balance the budget? only these days.
if baronius says it, or quotes some other conservative saying it, it pretty much comes off a business as usual. just another conservative making a meaningless blanket statement.
the parties, and the political philosophies in power today, are so far apart that something that seems simple and reasonable becomes stupidity to the other side. and guess what? nothing gets done. fantastic.
i hope baronius stands tall and proud as he says nothing.
4 - El Bicho
Get away with what? It's yet more poor analysis from a mediocre cartoonist.
5 - Igor
Lousy article.
6 - Cannonshop
Actually, Zing, it's a GOOD strategy the President is using, if he is, in fact using it-activism like the repetition of Bush's Bailouts increased the debt, failed to recover the economy, and tarred Obama's 'brand' pretty badly. OTOH, standing back from everything and letting the Congresscritters bury themselves might be JUST what the Obama Administration needs if he seeks a second term of office.
If it works, he can take the credit (as all Presidential Administrations do), and if it fails, he can pass the blame-which all presidents have done in the past.
it's win-win, as long as his cabinet doesn't screw it up in such a way that the echo-chamber media can't ignore it (even then, all he has to do, is fire somebody.)
Given how easy it's been for the media to ignore Att'y General Holder arming mexican drug gangs to kill americans and mexicans, that shouldn't be a problem.
7 - Zingzing
Great, cannonshop...
8 - Tommy Mack
The President has nothing to do with the Super Committee negotiations. His job is to sign or to veto the legislation accomplished. Evidently, you missed that part of civics and you still get your news from Fox.
Tommy
9 - Clavos
The President has nothing to do with the Super Committee negotiations.
True, Tommy. In fact, this president has had nothing to do with anything constructive or substantive since he took office.
10 - Tommy Mack
Oh, tut tut.
Tommy
11 - Maurice
Obama/Carter/Obama/Carter/Obama/Carter
(repeat until you get dizzy and fall down)
12 - El Bicho
you've the dizzy part down, Maurice
13 - jamminsue
I'm confused. Obama a divisive person? What about O'Connell and his stated objective of making Obama a one-time prez and vetoing everything that is sent, no matter what, if it’s from Obama.
Who’s divisive? Oh, pardon me, of course, that’s not divisive, that’s consistency. And, it shows just how much O’Connell and his pals really care about this country. Not one bit, only about their or their paymaster’s personal power and tax breaks.
14 - Cannonshop
7,8: Come on guys, I think it's a really good strategy-instead of trying to 'guide' a discussion that will inflame partisan bickering, Obama's doing 'is damn job: Staying out of the way until the legislation is either completed,or the committee demonstrates once-and-for-all that they don't have the stones to do THEIR job.
I take it as a positive sign that he's figured out that he not only doesn't NEED to be the guy in the spotlight micromanaging everything, but that he doesn't WANT to do that, that maybe he can get more by interfering LESS.
*sniff* he's actually acting like an executive... I'd be proud, except that he's not exactly lacking the education necessary, nor the book-smarts, and he should've already understood this by the time he ran for the Presidency in 2008.
Now, he just needs to master the two word sentence that cleans up more messes in the office than any others:
"You're Fired."
ONce he figures out how to fire people who overreach their authority, or mishandle their responsibilities (Eric Holder, Janet Napolitano, Turbotax Tim...) he'll maybe be FIT to seek a second term.
I'm not holding my breath on that, mind you...
15 - Glenn Contrarian
Gee, Cannonshop, I just wonder who you'd like to replace him with? Care to name which of the current crop of GOP candidates you think are suitable for the Oval Office?
Other than John Huntsman, that is - as I've stated before, he's the only one who was a real threat to Obama, since he was the only Republican candidate with guts enough to state the obvious even when it runs counter to Republican dogma.
16 - Igor
9-Clavos: this astonishing statement just diminishes you to a simple partisan.
17 - Igor
11-Maurice: Carter? Carter mediated the only lasting peace pact in the ME between Israel and Egypt.
18 - zingzing
clavos: "his president has had nothing to do with anything constructive or substantive since he took office."
funny how a man can simultaneously destroy america and do nothing substantive. an amazing trick. or maybe you're just talking out of your ass one way or another.
19 - Alby
go to the site whattheheckhasObamadone to easily disprove hacks who can't differentiate Obama doing anything from Obama doing anything they like
20 - Cannonshop
#15, Glenn, I'm not real impressed with ANYONE running this time around-though I admit to being less impressed by some, than by others.
But it's still early.
My expectation is that Obama will get his second term, whether he has earned it or not. The reason is simply organization-the Democratic Party is far more organized, more thoroughly in lock-step, and less subject to internal bickering, mutual sabotage, and the kind of almost cannibalistic attitudes that infect the GOP. Even disappointed Dems will vote for Obama in 2012, but it's rather more likely that some Republicans will go third party-maybe Ron Paul or some as-yet-undiscovered fringe in the style of Ross Perot.
That's my gut on the election.
As for me, I'll focus my time and energy on local stuff-where, y'know, my vote actually MIGHT make a difference in my own life, and I'll watch to see if any of the fifteen or so dwarfs running for the GOP nomination is someone I can stand.
21 - Clavos
@16:
I am well and truly a partisan, Igor. Always have been -- just like everyone else on these threads.
@18: When you're president, doing nothing is as destructive as doing the wrong thing or doing things badly. Obie is three for three.
22 - Zingzing
Says you, clavos. But you're partisan. And you still can't say he's done nothing. If you did, that would just be ignorance.
23 - Zingzing
Cannonshop: "My expectation is that Obama will get his second term, whether he has earned it or not. The reason is simply organization-the Democratic Party is far more organized, more thoroughly in lock-step, and less subject to internal bickering, mutual sabotage, and the kind of almost cannibalistic attitudes that infect the GOP."
When did that happen? Used to be the other way around. I suspect that one party is running a primary where the other is not, and that's what you're seeing. Also, the GOP desperately aligns itself with the tea party, a faction they can hardly live with, and certainly cannot live without at this point.
24 - Clavos
And you still can't say he's done nothing.
You're right. I'll qualify it to he's done nothing GOOD.
Better he should have done nothing.
What a fuckup he is.
25 - Zingzing
You really can't think of one good thing he's done? That's just laziness, clavos. I'd bet there are a good dozen bits of legislation he's signed into law you'd agree with for every divisive bit of legislation you're bound to disagree with. You're on the other side of the divide, clavos, in a very divided political landscape. Simply saying meaningless, exaggerated bits like "he's done nothing good" reveal little about Obama or any intelligent opinion of him you'd like to share. It's just bitter, see-through hyperbole.