Is Obama the New Head Coach of the Detroit Lions or the President of the United States?
One of the most off-putting dimensions of Barack Obama's presidency so far has been his constant invocations of how, hey, he just works here and you've got no idea how messy the living quarters in the White House were and we're just barely able to walk around now after cleaning up the dump…
Was it really a surprise to Obama that he was inheriting big big big deficits (that he helped create and expand as a U.S. senator and then as president when he signed a pig-stuffed spending bill just a few months ago)? Or two crap wars (that's he pushing on with)? Or freeing Gitmo terrorists (he was for closing the joint before he was for just kind of forgetting about it). Or the White House Easter Egg hunt (hey, he didn't start the damned tradition, but he was more than willing to continue it). Etc. Etc. Etc.
His first 100 Days weren't spent redefining American governance, they were spent bitching and moaning about what a turd his predecessor was and what a wreck of a country he'd just inherited. None of that's wrong per se, but it quickly becomes as tired as Joe Biden's gaffs. But give Obama credit for two smart managerial moves: First, always follow a losing coach. Second, constantly remind people that, though verily you walk on water, you're just a man.
Still, the president was at again yesterday in Green Bay, Wisconson, when he informed the crowd of cheese heads that, goddamn it, "Health care reform is not something I just cooked up when I took office." No siree, but it is something he's gonna spend the next six months completely screwing up.
There are signs that the American people, the very bestest and smartest in the world (or certainly the mid-region of North America) are growing weary of such presidential bellyaching. From the Wash Post:
On some issues, [his poll numbers have already dropped]. It was widely noted earlier this week that a Gallup survey showed a measurable uptick in the percentage of respondents who disapproved of Obama's economic policies. And a new Gallup poll shows 55 percent of Americans disapprove of current U.S. policy toward GM. Numbers like that will affect Obama, regardless of whether it was him or President Bush who started the country on the path of bailing out auto companies.
Note to Obama: Folks are fine with pols who are slow getting out of the blocks, but nothing will turn us off quicker than a leader constantly lowering expectations because the guy before him stunk up the joint.