Posted by
Philip Mella on Friday, August 07, 2009 3:02:44 PM
President Obama seems to be causing his own leadership breach with the American people. Although his administration complains that it’s difficult to communicate above the growing din of people concerned about the growth of government, as well as the Trojan Horse known as the ‘public option’ in health insurance, they ought to take a time out for some candid self-reflection.
Despite his obvious intelligence, the problem with extremists such as Obama is that he and his administration are all cut from the same political cloth. It’s the political equivalent of the ‘stove-pipe thinking’ that the Central Intelligence Agency has been guilty of, which is a kind of intellectual incestuousness that inhibits innovative thinking.
It reflects a mix of arrogance and callowness that Mr. Obama doesn’t live the kind of transcendental politics he championed on the campaign trail. When mainstream Americans push back on health care in AARP or political town hall meetings, he cynically charges Republicans with undermining his message by fomenting unrest. His insecurity on this issue is palpable and it’s unbecoming of a man of such obvious talents. It’s also abundantly evident that he’s struggling to find his voice in issue after issue, which leads us to question the leadership skills that were apparently on display during the campaign.
Indeed, it’s as though he’s confused about the difference between leadership and campaigning. He ought to stop playing to his base by excoriating conservatives and speak directly to the common folks in middle America. The problem is that his Harvard-speak inevitably surfaces and he begins talking down to us, as elitist bromides trip effortlessly off his tongue, which makes our political blood pressure rise.
You might recall his stunningly obtuse statement about how the America could increase its national gas mileage rate if we would all just inflate our tires correctly. Well, he should have added that our health care spending would drop like a rock if the 60 percent of Americans who are overweight would doff some poundage. It’s that “eat your vegetables” lecturing that elicits a collective sigh of exasperation.
Those gifted with astute political instincts clearly have it over those with raw intelligence, which always breeds an unflattering hubris which, in turn, creates it’s own special genus of problems. Policy differences momentarily aside, Obama seems to lack the kind of perfect political pitch that brought such charm to the Kennedy, Reagan, and Clinton presidencies.
It’s still early in the game, but this neophyte, arch-liberal seems to be sputtering, over-reaching, and, worst of all, he seems politically uncomfortable about where things are and where they appear to be heading, which doesn’t bode well for his political stock.