Obama Gains Reputation As Distant In Washington

nytimes.com:

Mr. Obama, in general, does not go out of his way to play the glad-handing, ego-stroking presidential role. While he does sometimes offer a ride on Air Force One to a senator or member of Congress, more often than not, he keeps Congress and official Washington at arm's length, spending his down time with a small -- and shrinking -- inner circle of aides and old friends.

Read the whole story: nytimes.com

 

 

Comments

[lvdragonlady]

07:41 AM on 02/15/2012

NEVER underestimate the quiet ones.
Way to go Mr President.

OBAMA/BIDEN/AMERICA 2012

[CaptRuby]

12:49 PM on 01/01/2012

exactly what a good president should be doing, focus on work, family, and NOT on nonsense.

[MrUniteUs]

03:16 PM on 12/31/2011

Obama is focused on jobs. This Includes the job of being a good husband and father.

If he spent a lot of time schmoozing, and hob nobbing with the muckety mucks, people would
complain about that. Most Americans are more interested in keepinng a roof over their head
than spending a night in the Lincoln bedroom.

[2BOrNot2B]

09:06 PM on 12/30/2011

It seems odd to me that such a strange photo was chosen for this article. You very rarely see anything but a very classy man, with a great smile and stature, yet HP chose to select one of those rare moments when a question of low grade was just asked of the President. Seems to me you had to spend a lot of time searching for this one, Huff P. Too bad. Poor choice by you. Let's keep it nice out there, if you expect people to play likewise, as you're always saying to commenters.

[LynnW49]

02:47 PM on 12/30/2011

"Mr. Obama, in general, does not go out of his way to play the glad-handing, ego-stroking presidential role."

And that is okay with me.
Now, spend more intimate, small-group time with working Americans, and put some distance between yourself and Wall Street and you're going to do just fine in 2012.

[2BOrNot2B]

09:04 PM on 12/30/2011

Well said! F&F

[Deborah Paley]

11:51 AM on 12/30/2011

Another ridiculous HP headline. It's nice to see HP hires the emotionally stunted, the juvenile, and the tattletales we all knew in high school.

[CaptRuby]

12:51 PM on 01/01/2012

This gives good news and quite a valuable insight into president's life.

What bothers you here?

[MyGuyO]

10:18 AM on 12/30/2011

2011 is ending on a positive note with the unemployment benefits. The number applyinjg for un employment benefits , drops to the lowes level since June 2008.

This news will make the GOPs blood curl. Be on the lookout for more dissing and dissin g and dissing by the GOP, especially Mitty Romney.

[clarendon67]

10:13 AM on 12/30/2011

I will be voting for Obama because I will not vote for any of those idiots the GOP is putting forward, but I am not warm to this President. He is aloof and thinks he is better than politics. For you not to develop a relationship with your own people in congress amazes me. If you want to get things done you have to reach out to people. This is what politics is all about and if you are not willing to do that then you will always be seen as ineffective. I do not see why when he is visiting a state he cannot invite his party's congressional delegation along for the ride, that's just common political sense. He can run against congrss as much as he wants and maybe that's the right thing to do, but these people are the same people he is going to need to pass his agenda, that is if he can come up with an agenda. The president does not have to be buddy buddy with them but he should have at least a few people in the congress who he can trust to watch his back, but if you don't develop friendships your work is much harder.

[FredSanders]

12:26 PM on 12/30/2011

I do not elect a leader in a time of crisis to hold hands, but to be firm and reasonable and calm and have ideas to fix the problem. I think we have just the right leader.

[bcamp]

03:08 PM on 12/31/2011

I absolutely agree! Yes, Clinton might have been a glad-hander, but he himself has said that he found it hard to pass legislation with a Republican obstructionist Congress. Clinton was not confronted with the economic nightmare inherited by President Obsma.

[liblizard]

10:04 AM on 12/30/2011

FROSTY OBAMA

Frosty Obama is a happy jolly soul.
Likes his family and his golfing tee,
And to K-Street he says 'No!'

There must be some great magic in
Those poll numbers right now.
When Congress members want the Lincoln Room,
Obama tells them, 'Ciao!'

Frosty Obama is quite happy, I suppose.
Likes his family and his golfing tee,
And the sand between his toes!

[soli11]

10:25 AM on 12/30/2011

"To K-Street he says no? " When did THAT happen? ;)

[luckincan]

11:01 AM on 12/30/2011

If I looked up"LAME" in the dictionary, your rubbish would be the meaning.

[John Doughty]

10:04 AM on 12/30/2011

So the president decides that some of his free time should be dedicated to his young children as opposed to slipping his hands into the pockets of lobbyists and schmoozing Congressmen who have supported ridiculous rumors about him? Wow, what a cad.

[bcamp]

03:09 PM on 12/31/2011

So well put.

[John Doughty]

10:00 AM on 12/30/2011

I was contemplating not voting for him until I read this. He is obviously a man of character if he avoids palling around with the likes of Congress and lobbyists.

[procopios]

09:50 AM on 12/30/2011

It's like the American people elected some kind of "outsider" to Washington, who's just there to do a job or something, instead of pal around and suck down whiskey sours. Totally unacceptable. We need more career politicians who can jovially work together to mess the country up, especially in the Oval Office. Who's up in Iowa?

[Druudge]

09:49 AM on 12/30/2011

...

Passive aggressive...

We do not measure up to his standards.....

The citizens of this country better start showing the proper reverence to O....

Then he may begin to work his magic....until then...forget it!.. we are not worthy......
.

[bcamp]

03:11 PM on 12/31/2011

He should be commended for not playing that insider game. Why do you think the Kochs vowed to get him out from the beginning of his presidency.

[Fortheloveofhumanity]

09:48 AM on 12/30/2011

Obama the man, the myth, the legend, has hit the cold wall of reality. No body loves him anymore, they have seen through the lies and broken dreams. All that's left is to pack up and say good bye and good riddance.

[-swift]

09:41 AM on 12/30/2011

Looks like the trolls want Obama to be a typical Washington insider sucking up to everyone.

How dare he not be a typical politician!