I’m not making this up. That’s what Politico is reporting as straight news, or at least as a thing Politico reports as straight news. Here’s the dope:
But in a damning appraisal, a wide variety of congressional Democrats and presidential scholars said in interviews that there is another decisive factor behind Obama’s current paralysis: his own failure to use the traditional tools of the presidency to exert his will.
Obama does not instill fear — one of the customary instruments of presidential power. Five years of experience, say lawmakers of both parties, have demonstrated that there is not a huge political or personal cost to be paid for crossing the president.
He might not instill fear, but he sure causes a lot of it. I mean, I have kids and I’d kind of like for them to have futures.
Incidentally, you think maybe Obama’s executive inexperience shouldn’t come as some kind of second-term big shock, since he was elected President without any executive effing experience? How about some soul searching on that, Politico?
Join the conversation as a VIP Member