Frank Rich: Obama's Squandered Summer

New York Times:

THE day before he gave his latest brilliant speech, Barack Obama repeated a well-worn mantra to a television interviewer: "My job is not to be distracted by the 24-hour news cycle." The time has come for him to expand that job description. His White House has a duty to push back against the 24-hour news cycle, every 24 hours if necessary, when it threatens to derail his agenda, the nation's business, or both. This was a silly summer, as wasteful in its way as the summer of 2001, when Washington dithered over the now-forgotten Gary Condit scandal while Al Qaeda plotted. The president deserves his share of the blame.

Read the whole story: New York Times

Comments

[1murillo]

The idea that having 60 theoretical votes makes one immune in a legislative forum is simple, but incorrect.

[1murillo]

This is a typical Rich column. Not only has he mis-timed the story, but he has missed another opportunity to inform his readers. Rich writes condesceningly, expecting us to accept his version of events.
The summer wasn't squandered because the GOP was out to raise hll, it never meant to deliver or collect concerns.
There were a few Republicans who solidified their position, Kyl, Inhofe, Enzi, DeMint, Grassley, come readily to mind. None of these people are expected to support anything the president supports.
No Democratic minds were changed even though there was the high content of threats made in the media.
Now that Congress is again in session, we'll see more positive movement.

[dinglebe]

Frank Rich is utterly correct in his assessment. As I wrote in comment on another item last week, "The President has not been vocal enough, focused enough, nor tough enough. He needs to kick the butts of the Democratic leadership in the House and Senate, while quietly telling the Republicans to go f*ck themselves­."

If Obama's preferred m.o. is to play nice with the treasonous idiots who dominate the opposition, he will sacrifice his (and our) opportunities to make any real progress for reform and will probably be a one-term president.

Call them out. Face them down. Be a man.

[the964kid]

Silly timing for this article, you should've published this 3-4 weeks ago. As I recall the NY Times squandered most of 2008 with shockingly shabby election coverage. Frank Rich, another reason I cancelled my subscription to the NY Times.

[DSOTM]

Just like Clinton did in his first year.

They try to be nice, I think its time Obama takes a play from the GOP rule book.

No Peace, No Justice.

[chocolatecity]

Look all that matters are results. If he gets a good health care bill then he is good. If he doesn't then he is a failure. Bill Clinton was always swift with the shots across the bow at the republicans. It didn't do his policies much good.

[ElsaIndy]

No one knows what "public option " means because Obama has not defined it. Rich is brilliant to point this out. All the right wing rumors and the utter lack of leadership by Obama to quell fears and enunciate his views have stirred up public fears about change. This is expressed in the hysteria over the public option.

This country does need a discussion over "end of life" issues.

We do need to put healthcare in the budget not leave it open-ended because it is consuming 20% of our GNP. All responsible governments put healthcare in their budgets. Only then can decisions be made about what is needed and what is not.

This country needs to grow up and face our problems. We thought Obama would lead us but instead he is only confusing and contributing to the hysteria of the mess we inherited from previous administrations. Obama's utter lack of leadership will end in a disaster for this country and we face in 4 years another disfunctional president, this time a Republican.

[edwarvir]

I thought it was a given that the POTUS, got his
and his family health care paid for by us.
If that is still true why is that President O has
to do all the fighting for a health reform plan he's
not even going to need. Something is not right here.
Frank, the summer was wasted by the media and
the pundits who gave free press to the townhall
nutters, and congressmen and women who lied about
what is in the plan., and didn't bother to set
them straight..

[nomobull]

well said thank you

[wayoutleft]

poor frank. the campaign summer"s Emperor of Berlin turns out to be a von papen instead of a bismarck.
with brooks, will, and dowd all sour- by camapign standards- as well, the tingle appears to have worn into an uneasy tic. no more swooning and tingling. obama's now meeting with pro-life gargoyles. i don't anticipate obama causing any of their multiple legs to tingle. i'm just wondering what he expects.
i know this. i'm against bipartisanship. i do not want to be on the same side as republicans. i voted against that and will again. i will vote against anybody who seeks to join with republicans. i voted green against obama and will again. if bush didn't need democrats- there's no reason obama needs republicans.

[nomobull]

a giant Huh

[Lee323]

The real culprits of squandering the summer for the American people were the media.

They covered every pimple on the arses of town hallers, birthers, tenthers, and tea baggers. You'd have thought these folks were 90% of the population from the outlandishly skewed coverage. When the circus from h.e.l.l. came to town this summer, the media sent all their news crews to cover the clowns.

Meanwhile, the folks interested in health reform, including PO, have been doing the hard work, albeit not scintillating work, unattended by cameras and the rubber-necker clown-gawkers.

[HiGhBrowse]

Hpe ee what are you afraid of? that was uncalled for.

[Chilito]

The dem-socs have a filibuster-proof lock on the Senate. They have Nancy Pelosi sitting as Speaker of the House of Representatives and a majority in the House. They have a radical uber-left black president. They purport to have THE answer on health insurance "reform". They have the unprecedented support of the mainstream media. And, they have the an army of huffenpuffers blogging their little fingers to the bone parroting the party line.

According to Obama's, if this "critical" bill isn't enacted this year then the world as we know it will end sooner than the Nostradamus predictions. So why haven't they passed this "historic" legislation?

Oh yeah, the reason this party can't get it done is because of Republican opposition. News flash: the Republicans are in the MINORITY. (That means they CAN'T stop anything the dem-socs pass from becoming law).

So, maybe there is another reason. Maybe its because even the dem-socs realize this matter hasn't been thought out very well. Rather than running around the country flapping his gums and demonizing everyone who doesn't fall in line with his twisted view of the world, Obama would better serve his cause by staying in Washington and actually working on his key issue. (Has anyone told him that the job he has allows him to work from home?).

What a circus.

[Dustee]

Isn't your shift over?

http://www.politicsandtechnology.com/2007/07/make-no-mistake.html

[alicante]

He didn't get any brush cuttin done.

[nana4g]

I am thinking the President and his Team anticipated this kind of trash from Republicans and made a calculated decision and plan on how to deal with it. Just stay focused on doing the business of the people; stay civil, and let them act out and discredit themselves, and do not spend all the effort, energy, and time on trying to defend against them. Just walk the walk.

[Collielady]

The GOP's summer candle has burned itself out.

[nana4g]

Whether or not the President "squandered" the summer on the topic of healthcare with intent and purpose or by neglect, it worked out best for him and his goal.

Can you imagine, every single day, having to defend and clarify this madness and insanity? In retrospect, I cannot.

He, instead, either purposefully, or not, gave them all the rope they wanted and they hanged themselves. Frankly, the President could not have asked for better set up: they made fools of themselves with lies, distortions that are easily debunked; they went insane calling him every name in the book; they misbehave in Congress Wed nite; one of them lies about lies, after he was for government reimbursement of illegal immigrants in 2003 and voted to authorize it before he was against it Wed nite, and, of course, they went insane over his speech to students welcoming them back to school when everyone ended up being made to look really foolish.

Then, he calls them on their lies and their deceitful behavior on bipartisan committees on healthcare reform and he closes with an impassionate, legitimate rationale for reform, is courteous, and inviting, and the next day, accepts the "apology" of Addison Graves "Joe" Wilson. His real name is the name of two endocrine disorders: Addison for Adrenal Glands, Graves for thyroid...­.. no wonder they call him "joe". Let's just call him "Gland".

[Tony Dickey]

Yep!