Obama on Leno: This is Why This President Got Elected

Move over Ronald Reagan.

President Barack Obama is the best communicator in the history of the American presidency.
He is a storyteller and speaks from his heart. Going on Leno was the best communications strategy possible during a week of bloodletting over AIG bonuses and the chord it has struck.

AIG is the tipping point that has boiled the blood of the American public. The economic breakdown and distrust Americans feel for their government was the energy that provided Obama the margin of victory that he needed to become president. But his ability to show his human side to the American people is what allows him to lead. His ability to make an emotional connection with the public through speaking have allowed him to win the nomination, the presidency, and move large spending bills through Congress despite their size and Republican opposition.

In going on Leno, Obama and his aides are revealing that they know they have the best communicator to come along in the oval office. He has and will take his message directly to viewers, going over the heads of all of us political analysts and media pundits, so the audience can hear HIM explain what is going on.

Only Obama can warm parents up like he can, talking about Sasha's Starburst moment on Marine One. Only Obama could explain the subprime mortgage crisis in a minute. Only Obama could defend Geithner and put that story to bed on a Thursday night.

He is on the record with his position, and took his case straight to the public. In choosing this media strategy, Obama bypassed the news media establishment. Ironically, the Leno show provided Obama a venue that was as close to C-SPAN style as you can get: live to tape, unedited, and gavel to gavel.

"The climate's nicer. So's the conversation, sometimes," Obama told a town hall meeting earlier in the day in California. He could just as well have been talking about Leno.

Comments

[coco51]

this was a well written explanation of my take on President Obama appearance. Leno's audience bump shows that what the President has to say is so important we'll stay up til 11:30 to watch corny Leno. It also show the smarts of the President in knowing what outlet to get his message across, we all know that most Americans will not watch or list to any President's speech to the nation.

[BlackDemfromNH]

I love Ms. Donahue's objectivity and keen observation here. I've come to the same conclusion as well, that President Obama is the REAL Great Communicator, wresting that "title" from Reagan. I have never seen any politician whose was so deft at articulating a message. Whether you like him or not, you cannot deny his ability to win over the masses and that is a skill that any truly successful president needs to possess. He has this innate ability to connect with people on such a personal level. I think it is brilliant of him to go over the heads of the media and directly to the public with his message. Why not? I applaud him for it. Why should anyone else be defining who he is and what he believes in and wants to do? For too long the media has been able to dictate to us what we should think, to some degree. Instead of reporting a story and researching facts (actual journalism) we are in the age of the pundits, people who are only concerned with picking apart every word the president says and speculating. You go, President Obama. Talk directly to us. After all, we are the ones who put you there thanks to your open dialogue. Let's keep going!

[Kiabell04]

Hell, I'd go to Jay Leno too. Look at how the MSM is behaving. They're looking for every opportunity to lambast Obama and destroy his reputation. They're looking for outrage, even when there isn't any to be found.

[johnthesavage]

Perhaps O could just stay on Leno then and let someone run the country that nows how. You'd think that at least we'd be able to hire competent people if we can't elect them.

[masnich2]

Who do you have in mind?

[Pammy2]

Boy the last eight years proved that, huh? Not a single competent person in the entire administration - elected or hired!

[kshawNCvoter]

i agree, the jay leno interview was wonderful and i am glad the ratings were so high. our president is genuine and i like him even more.

[DestinationsUnknown]

Not to mention the fact that 'MAINSTREAM MEDIA' SUCKS!

I think they have their own issues , don't you?

They have been on vacation for EIGHT YEARS!

Hard to get the brain going , get rid of the cob webs, and all the CRAP!

What the hell happened to INTELLECT in this country?

Show more BRITTANY-P­ARIS-Micha­el 7 Janet J' - Nicole- blah blah blah

Remember that? During BUSH's MASS DESTRUCTION ON OUR COUNTRY!

THEY along with BUSH should be ???

[justaguyy]

Yeah, I mean it wasn't a Don Imus Mistake or anything. If the bonuses were such a bad idea, why were they voted in as law. Either no one cares that the government is bankrupting this country, or they do not care that the government does not read the laws they write, and pass, just like the President did not read it. If this had been an ordinary person at their job, they would have been fired for a 165,000,000 mistake

Make no mistake, when they voted in the new law to take this money away from the 73 people they do not like, more laws are not far behind. Wait for it, professional athletes of losing teams will have to pay a 90% tax on their salaries over 200K, poor performance means we can take it back. if you think this govt. will not take from everyone, well, just wait for it.......

[JXJASON]

I agree with you too. Thanks for the article.

But , President Obama still needs our support. Call or write your US Senators and Members of the House of Representatives. Tell them what you want to see done...lik­e punishing the greedy corporate executives that got us into this mess...and repealing the laws that former Senator Phil Gramm got passed in the final days of the Clinton administration.

[SeanGardner]

"President Barack Obama is the best communicator in the history of the American presidency­."

Absolutely. Couldn't have said it any better myself.

[KarenT]

A campaign volunteer asked Ob*ama a question Thursday during the town hall meeting. He asked what we can do to help him move this country forward. Oba*ma's answer was quite simple....­have patience. He guaranteed that mistakes will be made but at the end of four years, we will all be able to say that he kept his eye on the goal and moved this country in the direction that was promised. He stated that we will be hearing a lot from the right and the pundits that will make us question our goals. He asked that we stay truly informed and make sure that we talk to our friends and family and write our elected officals to make sure that the truth is what is being heard.

Just think about this past week alone. How much time and energy was spent on gossip, lies and hearsay or things that are really not that important considering the dire situation we are in as a Country?

I find myself occasionally getting sucked into all of the sensational "news" and am going to make every effort to stay focused on what's important and how I can help us moving forward and would ask that we all try to do the same. The MSM is feeding the frenzy and we need to be diligent in calling them out on it.

[Osmona]

I'm with you. I'm going to restrict myself to posts like these and go back to watching comedys and other programs to take my mind off this mess. I voted President Obama into office to do a job and I am willing to let him do it. This negativity is giving me a headache. I'm also going to go out and do a little shopping to help stimulate the economy. LOL

[Dayahka]

Whether or not he is the greatest communicator is not really relevant; what is is that he is effective. And for the life of me I cannot understand all the griping about his "disabled" comment. He wasn't putting the disabled down--he was putting himself down. He was saying, as a bowler, I am disabled, and this in effect is saying being disabled is OK.

[Osmona]

The special olympics statement was innocent. But the MSM wants to create something to enrage the public further. We have got to not feed into the pundits or the media. Or we are going to be upset all the time. Let's cool out and let President Obama do his job.

[Jezreel]

Excellent article. I could not agree with the author more. Thanks for this uplifting and truthful analysis.

[lastcallmd]

Yeah, with the minor problem of diverting all of the attention to whatever he said to making fun of the disabled. Great appearance, really helped with that whole, arrogant, elite image thing.

[rsprags]

Really do you think it was a mistake, he could have easy said you know that wasn't funny; I'm trying to say I STILL NEED A LOT OF ASSISTANCE WITH MY BOWLING. He let it dangle; apologized as soon as he hit Airforce One but Keith O. had already reported it on Countdown (love Keith), Taylor Henry picked it up for CNN from NBC, and it went down the line. It change the lead story from AIG to the President in CA, & On Leno and his misstep. The next day a good looking Striver/Kennedy kid was on all the cable and the MSM talking about his call from the President and the need for everyone to be sensitive to the disable (all which I totally agree with) and he let us all know he is as outrage about the banking mess as we are and now he the president is empowered to sell the assets and regulate not jus banks but wallstreet pay. It is all very intresting. Pundits, MSM, and Repurg get in line and watch a great President at work doing what we voted for him to do.
Maria, First Lady of CA torn into the president for his careless remarks; and her husband accepted that the President didn't mean any harm (which he didn't) while he was meeting with the Pres O in Washington DC, and MADE IT CLEAR GEITNER IS THE MAN. HE KNOWS WHAT HE IS DOING. I LOVE IT!

[masnich2]

That's not really what bothers you about President Obama. Truthfully, what is it?

[DinSea]

Excellent article. Obama is indisputably the PEOPLE'S PRESIDENT.

[fuelrod]

Yeah to bad he can't govern,, His special Olympic joke brought the house down...

His message is muddled according to his buddy warren buffet.. Everybody is confused " great communicat­er..

[trumpetman]

The reason why Warren Buffet said what he said was because he believes that Obama is handling to many things at one time and that he should focus on the economy. It wasn't about a muddled message.

[rsprags]

Warren stated the message is meddled because the Demo & Repurg are saying something different than what the President is saying or questioning his plans. He said the economy is in a free fall such that we should be on alert as we were doing 9-11 or Pearl Harbor and political ideology should be dismissed to allow everyone to be on one accord to solve the issues of the USA. He said the President should be the only voice.

[harriscrl3]

And he didnt even need his side kick the teleprompter with him.

Carol