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3/24/2009
Burri: Is Obama in over his head?
Remember when Joe Biden was the idiot?
On the campaign trail 2008, now-V.P. Joe Biden was a never-ending trove of unscripted gaffes. He called the word “jobs” a three-letter word. He said Hillary Clinton would have been the better Veep pick. He asked a man in a wheelchair to please stand up.
Post-election, it was more of the same. He took a petty dig at SCOTUS Chief Justice Roberts. He was caught on Oprah (thanks to his wife) having told a fib. He dropped an obscenity into an open mike. On the CBS Early Show, he said he was embarrassed not to know the stimulus website’s “number.”
Funny, and maybe unfair: people like Biden are always in the spotlight. Every utterance is recorded. Nobody can stand up to such scrutiny without saying something stupid every now and then.
Still, that’s life in the big leagues. You’d think somebody with his experience could control himself better. But no: Biden has a special affinity for asininity, and it’s no surprise that we’ve seen less and less of him lately.
The question now is: how long until the Obama administration brings him back as the safer, more reliable alternative to Obama himself?
As Ed Morrissey put it
You know how you can tell when a President has a bad day? When his comparison of an American corporation to terrorists is the second-stupidest thing he said. That was the day Obama went on Leno and made a joke about Special Olympians. It was supposed to be self-deprecating. It backfired. Turns out people don’t think making fun of the handicapped on national TV is funny.
And that’s not an isolated case. Obama’s been roundly ridiculed for giving the British PM a set of DVDs that don’t even work in Britain. Even Maureen Dowd is making fun of Obama’s teleprompter habit, and there’s a growing bounty available to anybody who can slip the phrase “go screw yourself, America” (except in a less safe-for-work fashion) into an Obama speech. You know, just to see if he’d say it.
Point being, President Obama isn’t such a silver-tongued genius after all. Turns out he’s…well, a relatively inexperienced short-term backbencher who’s suddenly found himself in a spotlight bigger than he ever imagined. He’s the turtle set on a fence post all day long in hot, bright sunlight, and everybody’s staring at him expecting him to dance.
Except turtles can’t dance.
At least if Biden were still out there saying stupid things, we could all just roll our eyes and say “oh, that Biden.” That wacky old uncle. At least it wouldn’t reflect directly on Obama. He’d have some distance. Some deniability.
Of course, even that wouldn’t solve everything. Like I said, these guys live constantly under the gaze of a thousand cameras – there’s no way they won’t make a mistake now and then.
But that doesn’t explain the DVDs. It doesn’t explain the flubbed nominations; the plan to stop paying for wounded veterans’ care; the apparent lack of any real economic plan.
It doesn’t explain the growing sense that, yes, Obama is in over his head, and out of his league.
See, the Presidency is a big job. So big, he’s got hundreds – thousands – of people working for him and his administration. He doesn’t have to make every little decision. He has a Cabinet, a Chief of Staff. Strategists, researchers, writers. With the right people working in the right structure, Obama could be a successful president.
So the problem isn’t just that Obama keeps screwing up. It’s that his administration can’t seem to help him stop.
Lance Burri is a contributor to the Badger Blog Alliance and The TrogloPundit.
COMMENTS
Lance said:
"With the right people working in the right structure, Obama could be a successful president."
It will be very difficult for "the one" to find the "right people," since he has so little time in government he has hardly had the opportunity to meet enough people to staff a successful organization - a fact painfully illustrated by his failure to find enough friends and associates who've paid their taxes.
I've said this all during the Presidential campaign, and I've been saying it since: "Sen. Glenn Grothman should be President. He has only 134 days less experience than Obama, and he's pro-life!"
Duke (Tue Mar 24 08:41:09 2009)
The FRENCH have stated that Obama's spending is crazy and unsustainable. The CHINESE are sending signals they may stop buying our debt because of Obama's reckless spending. They are worried about the significant devaluation of the Dollar IF Obama's spending becomes a reality.
It is obvious to a significant number of the world's population that Obama is in over his head.
The question is when will the majority of Americans will realize Obama is out of his league.
Russ (Tue Mar 24 10:14:21 2009)
Is Obama in over his head?
Yup.
Enough said.
Jeff (Tue Mar 24 10:14:24 2009)
He's no more in over his head than Hitler was! When campaigning, he called for a "volunteer" corps "as big, powerful, and funded" as the military.
And now we have the GIVE act, which will have people (actual wording) "grouped together as appropriate in campuses for operational, support, and boarding purposes. The Corps campus for a unit shall be in a facility or central location established as the operational headquarters and boarding place for the unit. … There shall be a superintendent for each camp." Obama's website Change.gov, announced he would require all middle school through college students to participate in community service programs.
Wake up, America! This is brownshirts! I wonder what'll happen to those who refuse to "volunteer"--will they be put into other camps? CALL YOUR CONGRESSMEN NOW!!!
emily matthews (Tue Mar 24 10:28:57 2009)
I look forward to another news conference like his first one. When he had to script his words in real time, rather than read the teleprompter, he proved at least as inarticulate as our last president.
You read it here first:
Obama has already sunk well below his high water mark, never to return. As his policies as well as his cabinet choices prove increasingly disasterous, he may even sink below the level of GB II in popularity on his way out. Except that now the country can hardly afford as many screw ups as GB II gave us.
We are in trouble folks.
Ken Van Doren (Tue Mar 24 10:38:46 2009)
The last post stated
"The country can hardly afford the screw up GBII gave us".
While I agree GBII made mistakes, he was not a con artist like BHO. For example Obama is a self proclaimed wealth redistributionist. However he does not admit he wants to confiscate wealth from those who voted for Republicans and give it to those who voted for Democrats. Obama is a Marxist. He wants single party rule and will "buy" votes for Democrats using any means at his disposal. His agenda of sending free money to his supporters may work for a few years but it will come an end. Why? I think Maggie Thatcher said best. Socialism works well until you spend all the other peoples money. Recently a man stated "There are are only three to generate lasting wealth. You have to mine it, make it, or grow it. Needless to say that's not Obama's message.
Russ (Tue Mar 24 12:42:27 2009)
A redistributionist. I love it. Well, I would love it, were it not so sad for liberty and prosperity in America.
Jo (Tue Mar 24 12:45:36 2009)
I'm going to miss prosperity. Sadly the American voters have decided to destroy prosperity, but they don't know it, YET. Someone just mentioned on TV that to qualify for European Union membership a countries a defict can not exceed 3% of GDP. Obama's deficit will be 13%. That explains why the French thinks Obama is crazy.
Russ (Tue Mar 24 15:44:12 2009)
Anyone that hasn't felt the panic of little breath, hoping for a scuba tank, has not seen the water surrounding,rising; has been drunk with new found power, unaware of drowning's imminent, unforgiving consequences.
President Obama, God help us, has already succumbed to the heady trappings of Supreme power, and while I can understand that predicament, I cannot forgive the error. Supreme power comes with Supreme Responsibility, do not accept the staff unless ready to wield the offensive and repel the defensive stance.
For months we have heard little but willingness to accept and wield power, yet now we hear little acceptance of responsibility,but the message of diversion of responsibility to prior administrations is clear, it was not my problem. Well folks, I don't know about you but the President and Congress's posture of power leaves a giant hole of humility and correct thought.
I have little interest in fault, it just wont help at this juncture; we need practical, common sense solutions to Congressional dis-ease, a disease, an infection of healthy, conservative thought. That's "c"onservative as defined in Webster's Dictionary,...disposed to preserve existing conditions, institutions, etc., or to restore traditional ones, and to limit change..." What do we hope to accomplish?,"a radical plunge into questionable, unproven waters, or preservation of life as we know it, the good and probably a little of the bad.
When the wise and time-worn personage of the left-leaning, Sen. Robert Byrd calls for cautious, reasoned plans to resume fiscal progress, hey, even I am all ears! Speaking of EARS, POTUS-BHO, look to the hard left, take a bit of Senator's Byrd's call for slow, deliberate movement, grab the mask and breathe in , a slow, relaxed fashion.
Our President, mine and yours seems hell-bent to spend our land into his pre-ordained idea, a Progressive Plan to attain, New-Order Nirvana.
Thanks, but no thanks, Sir...Please attend to the adoption of your Portuguese Water Dog, definitely more manageable, we all need more time to wrap our minds, our destiny, around plans for the future, a long-term future, God willing.
Richard Parins (Tue Mar 24 22:15:29 2009)
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