Fail to the Chief
Barack Obama was supposed to be the man whose “first class temperament” would usher in a new politics. That’s what Christopher Buckley told us. The very crease in his pant leg signaled a new day, or so believed David Brooks. Well, on Friday of last week that new day arrived, but it probably wasn’t what Obama’s “conservative” supporters expected.
Mr. I’ll Stop the Rise of the Seas handed the presidency to one of his predecessors on Friday. During a press conference in the White House briefing room, the President of the United States handed the bully pulpit over to Bill Clinton. Obama and Clinton had just held a closed door meeting regarding the Bush tax cut deal and presumably discussed what Obama must do now that he faces a Republican majority in the House. The pair of presidents decided to hold an impromptu press conference. A few minutes in, Obama walks out, leaving Clinton to hold court with the White House press corps.
Clinton hasn’t been POTUS now for about 10 years, but he showed that he’s still the wonk he always was, citing facts and figures and selling the Obama deal better than Obama has bothered to try. But Clinton’s performance isn’t the most important part of the story. The important parts are what Friday’s moment says and what it symbolizes. As a former President of the United States, Clinton is entitled to be addressed as “Mr. President,” and that’s of course how the press addressed him, which only added to Friday’s confusion: With Obama off to meet his wife and attend a Christmas party, Clinton got to play President for a Day.
Perhaps Obama was trying to get ahead of this whole silly “No Labels” thing, by shedding his own label: President of the United States.
Barack Obama is not a man who lacks understanding of imagery and symbolism. If anything, he rode to the presidency on the power of symbols and his own iconography.
That logo, which Bill Whittle brilliantly analyzed for PJTV a while back, adorns not just Obama’s campaign websites, but is the omnipresent flag of his personal political army, Organizing for America. Wherever you go within the Obama communications universe, you find that icon. The Democratic National Committee recently allowed itself to become an echo of the Barack Obama iconography effort.
So while Obama clearly understands and uses symbols and images to build and extend his power, he is also likely to misuse and even disrespect them.
Remember the Greek columns at the Democratic convention in Denver, in August 2008? For an inexperienced nominee seeking to lead the free world, that stage lent him authority, grandeur and power that his own biography didn’t offer on its own.
But it was more than a little over the top. It made him look like Caesar in a suit.
A month before that, in July 2008, candidate Obama delivered a speech in Berlin, Germany. Standing before the Victory Column, at the heart of the European Union, Obama declared himself a “fellow citizen of the world.” The moment symbolized, for Obama and his supporters, America’s emergence from the “go it alone” Bush years to reunite with the “international community.” But like the Greek columns at Invesco Field, Obama misappropriated the imagery. In his shallow, leftist worldview, Obama probably thought the angel atop the column represents peace on earth. The Victory Column symbolizes Prussian (read: German) martial prowess. It’s not a symbol of brotherly love, community and harmony, but of nationalism, warfare and conquest. It was entirely inappropriate to the message Obama went to Berlin to deliver. But it made for a cool U2 style backdrop.
When I saw the picture at the head of the article, I couldn’t descern if the image on the Won’s chest was a Zero or the letter ‘O’.
Leaked memo reveals Obama’s plans if courts overturn his health care initiative, read it here…. http://beautifulletters-bls.blogspot.com/2010/12/lawyers-for-obamacare-speak-out.html
I won’t rehash what the MSM should have done in 2008 nor grind my heel into the neck of the RINO snakes.
What we MUST do is watch what the other hand is doing right now. Obama has turned on the cruise control and crawled into the back seat with a big pouty face like the spoiled narcissist he always was. To abuse his metaphor our nation is weaving back and forth in overdrive, as ready to veer off to either side.
WE are the adults. Never mind what the petulant liberal children of all ages claimed when they got into office in 2008. We have to make adult choices and that means hard decisions.
Thanks to analysis from those like you we can do this. We can pull back from the brink.
I hope, but I’m also willing to work. Unlike some people on Pennsylvania Avenue.
the left is maintaining that this substitute for the day maneuver was a bold and brilliant move
a president of the united states of america that only works for the people when his nannified, yenta of a spouse says it’s ok and, if it’s not, appoints an emergency stand-in (not the vp mind you) but an unelected “czar”
this henpecked sham of a president is, on a daily basis, revealing the complete incompetence that he will be remembered for… and we get two more years of this…. ffs
Serenity Now!!!!!!
Mr. Preston:
All of that in mind, what does this moment from Friday communicate to the world?
It communicates the Alleged Hawaiian reverting to form. What he did Friday was to vote: “NOT Present” with his feet.
Obama has taken the presidency to a moment of such weakness that we have to reach back to Watergate for a comparison, but Obama’s moment wasn’t brought on by scandal. It’s the result of his personality and his lack of preparation for the job, “first class temperament” notwithstanding. And it’s also the result of how he views the job, as a symbol of authority rather than the fact and exercise of authority.
The thing about symbols is that people impute onto and into them what they already wish them to have.
Such is the case with the Obama presidency. Enough people were finally bulldogged by over eight years of unrelenting demonization of George Bush and everything that he did and everything that he stood for that they took a chance on a cipher who was blessed with the slickest packaging yet seen in Presidential politics.
The same thing happened back in the 1970′s with the election of Jimmy Carter. Purely a reaction to giant bummer of the Nixon/Ford debacle.
This Odministration and the DemocRat hegemony it has enjoyed has been a fluke that is in the process of being rectified by the electorate.
Sober observers have perceived this all along, and this explains why the Ogenda has had the feel of a pack of teenagers raiding the liquor cabinet while the parents are away for the weekend.
Well, the folks’ headlights are at the bottom of the driveway, the party is ending, and no-one wants to be around to clean up the joint and face the adults.
Least of all the Community Organizer in Chief.
It’s the result of NEVER HAVING TO WORK TO ACHIEVE. It’s the education system installed by the Democrat Party, beginning in the 60′s. Obama is the most pristine example of this program.
No depth of any character of any kind.
And, ultimately, makes the United States look as pathetic as he does.
We’re in for trouble before we get rid of him and his Regime.
I try to imagine what the press would have done and said if George Bush ever ducked out on a presser because he was afraid his wife would get made at him for making her late to a party. They would have gone ballistic and demanding his impeachment, if not his head on a stake. Instead we have the wonderkid leaving the podium over to his predecessor, who was purely delighted to take over for the man-boy who had to get to the next party. You would think the financial crisis and very serious issues swirling around the tax issue would take priority over yet another party at the White House. But I’m pretty sure the perks and the power far out weigh the hardwork and responsibility of the presidency for Obama. Hey isn’t it time for the First Grifters to pack up and head off to yet another sunny vacation in Hawaii?
“…that he can no longer handle any of that.”
‘No longer.’
So all the golf, vacations, and White House parties meant that everything truly important to the nation was “handled.”
Uhhhh, okay…
I’m starting to think Bill Clinton is a better choice for VP than Sheriff Joe.
2012 can’t come soon enough for me. Assuming our nation survives that long.
Too bad CLinton isn’t eligible to be VEEP. Since he’s no longer eligible for the office of president, having served two full terms, he can’t be vice-president either.
“can he handle Somali pirates”
Actually, he handled Somali pirates quite well. Three dead, one captured, and a freed captain of an American vessel. I’m not sure he was the primary cause of that – probably giving a back of the hand – but it happened on his watch and therefore he gets the credit.
That still doesn’t absolve him of his abdication of last week’s travesty.
Mr. Bolts:
“Actually, he handled Somali pirates quite well. Three dead, one captured, and a freed captain of an American vessel.”
Pardon me if I disagree.
It should not take White House authorization to shoot holes in pirates on the high seas.
And it has been over a year since the Maersk Alabama was seized…do merchant mariners now have the means and the authorization to defend themselves and their vessels with firearms?
The answer is: “No”, and this is about the simplest and cheapest solution to this problem.
But Puddin’head and his people can’t hack it.
Bilgeman, you are correct. US flagged merchant vessels should be armed. Four .50 cal machine guns would be able to fend off most any pirate boat.
Heck, man, I’d be overjoyed with a brace of 12 gauge pump shotguns loaded with buckshot,and to have the master not have to worry about getting an ACLU lawsuit in Admiralty Court for infringing some “seagoing car-jacker’s” civil rights for allowing his crew to make Purina Shark Chow of them out beyond the ass-end of Nowhere.
Don’t try to take me on on my own ship. I know all the blind corners and the shortcuts belowdecks to get behind and envelop you, (assuming you successfully get past the escalade of clambering up the side of the ship…which isn’t very likely).
I reckon the casualty exchange rate in that scenario would be 6-1 in my favor, and that small boat they came in only holds 5, with one flunkie left behind in the boat to tend the engine…
If I have an automatic weapon and a captain who is on the ball and doesn’t hesitate to issue them, forget it. It’d be suicide at sea for the pirate boys in flip-flops toting rusty AK’s.
Just so much overtime for the Bosun and the deck gang to wash the blood and guts over the side and slap some paint on the bullet dings in the steel.
Look at who is behind to ‘false’ idea NOT to have guns onboard ships.It’s the Maritime Regulatory board. They don’t care about the crews,but what they care about is losing the ‘regulatory authorization’ of ships at sea.
I agree,that you should have not only guns on board,(that are stowed when entering harbour) but a crew of four or five to use them. Most crews are made up if Asian peasants that can neither read nor write and the captains feel the crews might take over the ship.This can be stopped by having weapons fixed at a point on deck by padlocks.There have been two ships that fired back and they both got away. Civilian ships often have ladders over the side all the time so the crews must have training. The insurance companies don’t lose much compared with worldwide shipping contracts,so cost is not an issue. I think they just don’t want crews armed for anything. A lot of crews are mistreated at sea,going without food and money.You would be surprised at the number of crew members that go missing in ports.
I will add one thing for I have talked too much on this forum already.
America can be taken down NOW. If you love your country,don’t leave it to someone else to start defending the constitution.
Ambition is a poor excuse for not having sense enough to be lazy.
Of course, on Friday watching the Clinton/Obama theater of the absurd play out…I wasn’t quite able to make out which one was Edgar Bergen and which one was Charlie McCarthy.
Edgar Bergen: I don’t think that’s very funny.
Charlie McCarthy: You don’t?
Edgar Bergen: No.
Charlie McCarthy: Well then, why did you make me say it?
Edgar Bergen: Oh, I see.
Charlie McCarthy: [Aside] That kills him, yes.
[to Bergen]
Charlie McCarthy: Uh, you’re not so clever either, Mr. Bergen.
Edgar Bergen: Oh, I’m not?
Charlie McCarthy: No, I can see your lips move.
Edgar Bergen: Oh, you can?
Charlie McCarthy: [Aside] That burns him up, you know. I’ll hear about this when I get home.
Edgar Bergen: Yes, you will.
[pause]
Edgar Bergen: Well, I’m sorry about that.
Charlie McCarthy: Will you watch it, please?
Edgar Bergen: I will watch it, yes.
Charlie McCarthy: Yes, it spoils the illusion. After all, there’s no use of both of us being dummies.
Obama may have shown weakness, but the opinions of posters on this website don’t mean much. We are the choir.
I think O’Reilly is a pompous fool, but in some ways he is representative of the less engaged middle. He downplayed the incident last night. Unless people like him hammer it, the symbolism goes over the head of the less engaged middle.
However, I have noticed that O’Reilly has been expressing more alarm recently at the moronistration’s policies, which I think is potentially a big deal. Clearly, he still adores the little prince, but at least he is beginning to approach what we have all been saying for two years about the danger of these people
This reminds me of the Seinfeld episode where Jerry and George decide to tag-team date an energetic woman since neither of them is up to the task of being a full man. So they each elect to do the job of half a man. Perhaps Obama is beginning to internalize his own limitations.
They were wrong. He doesn’t have a “first class temperament.” He’s petty, vindictive, whiny, and accusing. He calls people names, jabs his finger, and pouts when he doesn’t get his way.
you are soooooo RIGHT
Obama was being ‘himself’. He is not interested in work – work which requires research, becoming knowledgeable about issues, able to answer questions – and able to develop policies. His ENTIRE history has been a refusal to carry out such actions – whether as the ‘absent’ editor of the Harvard Law Review where he left all work to others, as community organizer where he merely exhorted others to ‘go out and activate’, to member of Senate where he merely voted ‘present’.
Obama is unable and unwilling to deal with policies. He delegates everything. His sole interest is in manipulating others, making himself feel that he controls them. Period.
Obama made it quite clear that HE was the President; he told people that the “First Lady’ was waiting for him. [Not Michelle, not my wife]. And then, left Clinton to do the dreary, boring, trivial work of answering questions from the Ignorant. Obama hates press conferences and insists, usually, on No Questions.
And yes, Obama doesn’t have a ‘first class temperament’. He’s petty, thin-skinned and vindictive; he’s name-called Americans (enemies, hostage takers, ignorant, stupid etc)…and he’s vicious against any who criticize him (FOX). His focus on manipulating others means that he lacks empathy – which is mistaken for ‘coolness’.
So, Obama likes to party, and campaign, and be onstage in carefully scripted scenarios where he can be cheered and adored. Leave the policies and programs to others – to the underlings. And that’s how he treated Clinton – as a lowly aide who has to deal with ‘stupid questions’, while he, Obama, parties.
yeah, but the “ladies”..of The View like him, and would party with him…..
okay that right there should raise a red flag for anyone that loves America and wants to save it from Obama
You are too kind to be calling those people on the View “ladies.” They have absolutely NO class whatsoever. ( at least THREE of them have none)
Have you ever watched his salute as he departs the chopper on the White House lawn? A flippant wave of the hand not even close to a proper salute. As commander in chief it should be proper and sincere. I can just imagine what the one he is supposed to be saluting is thinking, probably, stick it up your a$$. Watching him depart the aircraft a couple of weeks back there was no salute at all, some commander in chief, nothing but a useless dic in a way over his head. Sorry Barry, but respect is a to way street not a two faced one.
I have noticed the flippant salute also. He is making himself clear that he doesn’t share the notion that it’s important. His entire aura as he trots down the stairs is that he is like no other President we’ve ever had. And he’s quite right about that.
Yes, it’s hard to believe, and hard for me to say, but this guy actually makes Bill Clinton look like a mature adult!
=:O
Barak Obama’s supporters in large measure felt that Obama’s skin color itself symbolized and so endowed traits that skin simply cannot do. Although Obama initially ran as just a citizen of the world type of guy, once he saw the way the wind was blowing among his supporters he increasingly made statements that were veiled criticisms of white society as did his wife although her gaffe pushed things a little too far which she realized the next day. And we may safely assume that Obama’s supporters consider themselves among the least racist people one could imagine and are therefore among the most Orwellian people we can imagine.
Skin color endows nothing but to many of Obama’s crowd “change” wasn’t reserved to an academic meaning. And so we got a junior senator who became President on the United States based in large part on the caché his skin color brought to his campaign. Loretta King, Acting Atty. General, in introducing Holder at the DOJ remarked that it was nice to have 2 black men running the country. To me, King is a typical black American in this regard and to breathe such blithe racism and be utterly unaware of it points up the problem of 96% of black Americans voting by skin color; they are not citizens of the world just yet and until they do become so and start voting on issues rather than color tones, they will continue to have problems as a culture in this country.
If I thought I could trust, rely, adore and think of white folks as my “brothers”, I would be a fool living in a fools world yet this is the climate in which Obama was elected.
One need only read Obama’s books and look at his 20 years at the odious and hateful Jim Cone inspired Trinity Church to realize that the man is in fact steeped in race as are the vast majority of African-Americans today. For them, Jim Crow isn’t over, not by a long shot and the playing field must be leveled. The problem with that is, what if it’s already as level as one can reasonably expect from reality? What that will lead to is racism coming from the once oppressed and skin color taking on dimensions Martin Luther King sought to dispel.
It is natural for humans to project their own peculiar concerns and interests onto others but for black Americans and by proxy the liberal Left to live and breathe the idea that white Americans are endemic racists is too childish to countenance; yet they act on this as if it is a fact as witness the disgusting worship of diversity as the leaven white bread needs to make America American. If skin color doesn’t matter than there is no need for diversity of skin tones yet to the Left skin color matters very much indeed and this comes from those who decry the idea – pure doublethink.
Skin color symbolizes much to fools but in reality it does indeed endow nothing and nothing is exactly what we got elected to President.
A sadly large amount of Black Americans do not want equality. They want revenge. The question is, now that media-brainwashed White Americans are living with a racist President whose true colors are becoming evident (pun intended), will they finally recognize what has been happening for over 40 years? It’s time to become hellbent on self-preservation.
“Let me be perfectly clear–” Obama has demonstrated that he is as unprepared and shallow as Marx was misguided and evil. Now we have the worst of both. However self-serving at least Jackson, Sharpton, and Clinton could string a few words togather without a teleprompter. BHO is a pathetic JOKE.
The first half-white POTUS leaves and hands over the reins to the real first black POTUS?
Like all shallow people, IMPOTUS is all about symbolism and rhetoric. He believes the American people are gullible and easy to manipulate. Unfortunately for him, Soros and others have found HIM to be gullible and easy to manipulate. He has been used by Soros, Ayers and others for their own despicable purposes. Soros’s comments of a few weeks ago show that he is now not-so-symbolically planning to remove socialists’ support for the little O and look elsewhere for their next Commander-in-the-Defeat of America.
Obama has always reminded me of the Emperor’s New Clothes. He stood naked before the world on the stage last Fri. when he conceded power to Clinton. Clinton will advise Obama all the way to Hillary’s victory for the Dem nomination for 2012.
P.S. It is absolutely unbelievable that an American President can refuse to wear an American flag pin. We’ve lost our collective mind.
Have you noticed Bill’s track record? He’s a brilliant campaigner. For himself. Everyone he’s stumped for and advised has LOST. I don’t think that’s by some Machiavellian design – he’s just has no feel for running other people’s campaigns. He’s got an instinct for it himself, but it’s not transferable.
I prefer to think of him as the Commander-In-Chife.
I was elected class president in 10th grade. I felt like Obama seems to feel – completely flabergasted that being cute wasn’t really much of a qualification for president.
“As a former President of the United States, Clinton is entitled to be addressed as “Mr. President,””
Says who? Where did this disgusting practice come from? Our custom of addressing every former senator, representative, and president by those titles in perpetuity contributes to the existence of a professional and permanent political class, in opposition to the Founder’s ideals of equality and TEMPORARY citizen-politicians. That’s why they expressly forbade the granting of titles.
It used to be presidents, senators, and reps, but now we see it being extended even to ambassadors and other lesser officials. The worst example of this, of course, is the always large in rhetoric, small-minded in every other way Alan Keyes.
I have no problem with addressing them that way while in office, but once out, it should be MR. Period.
I agree, Bill.
At the same time, why are former senators still called Senator after leaving office. These are not titles earned for life, only for time in office.
The are just jobs. To me, they are nothing special. Actually, we put them there, they should respect us.
Why would an impotent POTUS respect his job?
Bill, I don’t have any problem with someone being called by a former title only if they yielded respect and dignity to the office. Jimmy Carter does not deserve the title and Bill Clinton, after not having a relationship… and lying under oath does not deserve it and mr. obama (notice I did not capitalize) certainly does not deserve it especially since he is not a natural born citizen. He also did not get the idea from the vote that the American people are VERY unhappy with the job he is doing. He is a symbol all right but the symbol of the failure of Alinsky theory and all that is buffoonish about his policy. God Bless is children, that they will be endowed with better sense and understanding of the failure they have had to endure and endeavor to do a better job influencing the world they live in.
Nice and ironic misconception of the Victory Column. I like the logo btw. It looks kinda full of hope and care.
And I agree with the fact that a senator or a president are just jobs, so I dont think we have to call them that after they become former.
I don’t really agree that being a president or a senator is just a job, I think we should aply more respect to these type of jobs and for those who retire from these positions as well. Great article though, I really like the way it was written.
Being a president shouldn’t be considered just a job, it should be a sincerest dedication so that we could still call everyone who retired from this great position President to remind ourselves how scrupulously they fulfilled their duties. Great thoughts reflected in the article, thanks!
Very nice, interesting and good article!
Really enjoyed reading this one.
Hello everyone. I just wanted to say that Obama being president of USA is a huge step forward for all the nation. Moreover right now America is going through a very difficult financial situation so it’s not that he is just organizing and managing a successful system but he is also trying to get over this horrible debt situation.
Thanks so much for the nice article! I like President Obama so much, I really feel hope for a better future now.