I remember back when not-yet-President Obama first tried to strike a blow against the empty imagery that increasingly fills so much of our political life.
This was back when he was running for the job, and declined to put his hand over his heart once when the national anthem was playing and sometimes didn't wear flag pins on his suitjacket lapels. His explanation made sense -- he hated the empty posturing of folks who hid behind such symbols while wrecking the country.
But he soon learned, courtesy of damaging jibes from political enemies that continue today; Americans may say they want straight-talking politicians, but we also demand the kind of political theater that makes us feel better. It's not enough to get the job done; you've also got to look like you're getting the job done. And when the job's not even getting done, then you at least better look like you're trying hard.
Which is where we are with the administration's response to the oil spill. Former Clinton aide James Carville loses his marbles every night on CNN, creating his own bit of TV theater while channeling the public's real feeling on this matter. Obama's cool logic -- jumping up and down won't make technology that's not working work any better -- ignores the simple truth of Carville's demands. Act like you're doing something, he bellows, so we can believe in you again.
So the president gets pulled into playing that game a little bit by the Today show, and gives pundits more red meat to cynically decry a step toward the kind of political theater they had been demanding he display for weeks.
"I don't sit around talking to people like this is a college seminar," Obama said to anchor Matt Lauer after the host asked about whether this was time for the president to "kick some butt." "We talk to these folks because the potentially have the best answers, so I know whose ass to kick."
Today show executive producer Jim Bell backed the president's comment as a spontaneous reaction. "It was as candid a President Obama as we've ever seen and it was very compelling," said Bell, who decided to air the profanity unbleeped after the NBC Nightly News aired an unmasked version of the line in Monday's program."Initially, we had a graphic that had (the word) on it, and we decided not to use that. But there was sense that once the horse was out of the barn -- even though it backed out -- we felt comfortable about airing it."
The quote rocketed across the world Tuesday morning, generating more than 25,000 results in Google News and sparking debates on all the cable channels. Linguist Geoffrey Nunberg saw a line crossed; a growing acceptance of shocking language in more public and formal settings. ""These are words we use precisely because they are dirty or there is some restriction," said Nunberg, an adjunct professor at the University of California at Berkeley and a commentator for National Public Radio's Fresh Air program. ....This language is a sign of authenticity."
But I saw a president who seemed angriest when talking about the public's disappointment in his reactions. Elected as a calm voice of reason who was the polar opposite of predecessor George W. Bush's seat-of-the-pants emotionalism, Obama now seemed almost irritated that so many expected him to echo the public's dismay in pointed outbursts.
That moment surfaced again when Lauer asked whether Obama had met with BP CEO Tony Hayward. When the president admitted he hadn't -- because, frankly, he figured the guy was just going to shine him on and both of them had better things to do in this crisis -- that answer wasn't good enough for Lauer or the president's critics.
We want to see you meeting with him, even if it probably won't lead to anything, Lauer basically said. Because not meeting with him just feels wrong.
"Part of the president's job is channeling the electorate's emotion sometimes," said Larry Sabato, director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia, who nevertheless pronounced the attention over the president's comments as "silly. "We already knew he wasn't Bill Clinton ...feeling our pain wasn't his thing. Now, apparently, we want somebody to feel our pain, or at least express it."
Though lots of angry people have already decided what they think, the fact is, it will take a load of investigations to figure out whether the government could have resolved this oil leak any sooner. It is obvious now that empty gestures won't make the relief wells appear any sooner or collect the spilled crude any faster.
And perhaps this frustrating, horrifying display is enough to make Americans ask ourselves: At a time when everyone says they are tired of politicians lies and empty gestures, can we tolerate a president who takes us at our word?
Find answers to these questions and more at my own blog, The Feed, by clicking here.
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The problem is the mismanagement of the response effort, including health issues, failure to deploy enough resources efffectively, and the President being more worried about the value of BP stock in retirement portfolios in the US and Britain than the human and environmental damage.
("in the end, I am confident that we're going to be able to leave the Gulf Coast in better shape than it was before." WTF!!!!)
Not sure the FDR analogy works, as we are not talking about a major war here. It's an accident (caused by corporate and government negligence). A MAJOR accident, yes, that has killed 11 people and is wreaking havoc on an ecosystem and the local economies that depend on it. But it's hardly comparable to a major world war. Also, in WW2, people were much more resilient than we are now. Hate to say it, but Americans now are largely a bunch of big babies who don't want to sacrifice anything. That's why we now feel the president has to hold our hand.
There is NO WAY he's going to get to EVERYTHING that ails this government in that time . . . there IS a pecking order - Economy, Health Care top everything else.
Instead of pillorying the man for his lack of empty platitudes you should report on WHY the agency that granted them the license etc failed so miserably! Do a historical expose showing the methodical, Big Business-driven filing down of this agency's 'Teeth' to gummy nubs that took place under mostly Republican Administrations and Congress's . . .!
Do THAT! And leave the President alone with this CRAP!!!
"Other satellite imagery reportedly being withheld by the Obama administration, shows that what lies under the gaping chasm spewing oil at an ever-alarming rate is a cavern estimated to be the size of Mount Everest. This information has been given an almost national security-level classification to keep it from the public, according to Madsen’s sources."
From: Gulf Oil Spill "Could Go on Years and Years" ...
by F. William Engdahl
http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=19660
My problem isn't that the president is "too cool for school," it's that he was already being shined and too gullilble to realize it. It was crystal clear from the start that BP's greed supercedes their social sensibility, and he should have declared an emergency, taking this away from this nest of vipers.
I supported him and hoped that we finally had a transformational president because we desperately needed one. Unlike you, I am not going to be an apologist for a man who has kicked the teeth of his base (ask a labor union member), and refuses to become engaged in legislation that he claims he wants done until it's too late to get a good bill.
He is more fit than McCain - that's a given. But he's nothing special and nothing new. And given his propensity to kick his allies and kiss his friends (as though the Republicans will ever give him one vote for being nicey nicey), he will be a one-term president.
We didn't get FDR. We got Herbert Hoover.
Do you think BP is the only entity with deep sea drilling????
BTW, I worked on a dirlling rig. I KNOW that BP isn't the only authority.
And your expertise is.......what?
Like mini puppeteers a Brooks or a Todd spouts some nonsense that gets heard or read then sits back rubbing their hands in glee if it gets picked up and circulated as wisdom for a week or so.
Obama should be Obama ... careful cautious pragmatic. Understandably there's more at stake here than a few pundits hurt feelings. Dazzle us with something outside of the box that works. The safe course plays right into enemy hands.
And Woods should be Woods ... get in there and post some miraculous scores ... birdy 18 holes that'll give them something to talk about.
government is expected from the City and others to defend the interest of BP. And the British
prime minister pushed into kind of restraining Obama in favour of BP:
"BP to start fightback as Cameron calls Obama"
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article7148612.ece
Somethings are too big for one man and/or the government. Obama can not more stop this gusher than he could stop an asteroid from hitting the earth. Our oil addiction is the fault. This era has finally looked into the mirror and to our horror we echo Pogo's claim, "We have seen the enemy and he is us."
Thank you again for writing this post. It made my day.