As I watch President Obama filling out his NCAA bracket and his wife Michelle digging in the White House dirt to plant vegetables, I think of a photo op from another time.
There were Hillary and Bill Clinton, embracing after a swim under the trees beside the beach -- as if the photographer ambled into an unguarded moment between two of the most heavily guarded people on earth. The Lewinsky scandal, oddly enough, broke shortly thereafter.
As Robin Williams said: "Reality - what a concept!"
When it comes to real, I don't know at what point, politically speaking, the Obamas "jump the shark." But I have to think we are dangerously close to takeoff. Once airborne, a nation that never has needed to trust motions and motives -- the real intentions -- of political leaders will be in bigger trouble than it is right now.
Just as we were asked to pretend that the beach photographer breached the Clinton's Secret Service perimeter of heavy weapons and helicopters, there is a fiction afoot that we have been invited into the life of just plain folks.
The Daily News and US Magazine have already afforded the first family the full-on "just like us" treatment.
We've: Obama filling out his NCAA bracket; sipping beer at the ball game; riding a roller coaster with the kids; showing off the new swing set (note to staff: maybe we should have had shots of him actually putting it together); body surfing; downing cheese steaks in Philly; waiting in the snow for the kids outside school; going out for a Valentine's date and, of course, yucking it up with Jay Leno just like Dennis Miller does.
The most refreshingly natural family to grace the White House in decades may be on the verge of becoming something unnatural -- over-packaged and over-exposed.
But ...
Let's say I get it. The Obamas are good people, with adorable kids, determined to lead normal lives. Especially after eight years of egregious lunacy, a little normalcy sells. But what are my instructions? Am I supposed to call my anti-stimulus, anti-bailouts congressman and say "don't be mean to my buddy?"
Of course, there might be something else entirely going on.
The midterms are already looming. Two years in, a new president always loses some seats. With houses taken, savings decimated and jobs evaporated, an angry and impatient electorate expects things to be a lot better by then. If they're not -- and they might not be -- the only thing standing between populist rage and a Democratic rout may be Obama's personal popularity.
I truly believe that the Obamas are fine people with a deep love of family. The kids are the best thing to hit the White House since John-John peeked out from under the desk.
I don't want Obama to succeed. I want him to succeed spectacularly. I want him to fix the economy. I want him to heal the Middle East. I want him to catch Bin Laden. I want to find where Madoff hid the money. I want him to go down as one of the great presidents of our time.
But the everyman photo ops are fast approaching the end of their useful shelf life. And still to come are the dog and the "Obamas First White House Christmas."
Mr. President, you are not like us. You run the free world, and that guy following you around with a briefcase has the codes to blow up humanity.
There is a Latin phrase that might have a place in the White House communications office: "Ars est celare artem -- the art is to hide the art."
Right now, the brush strokes are a bit obvious.
(AND you're right.)
Shortly thereafter? It was a year later. Do you have some sort of problem with fact checking or do you just like to twist facts for snark purposes?
As the late Princess of Wales learned to her considerable discomfiture, getting into bed with the media can be a very mixed blessing.
Carol
This is supposed to happen like "that". And when you do "this" , you do "that"! If a thing happened in the past, it surely will happen the same way in the present , and in the future. That's why we keep baseball statistics-"Yes, this slugger is hitting .350 when the bases are loaded, when it's raining, on cap night before gettaway day!
Boy, we are truly the suburb of the world!
What IS new and, yes, there is a lot of exposure, is the novelty of this President communicating with the people---a lot! Press conferences, TV interviews, TV talk shows, visits to people where they live, internet visits, etc. One can argue that he is using his base to keep their support; however, he is also informing and educating us and I, for one, appreciate that. If I relied on the media for the facts of his proposals, I would not be well informed. There is much he must do with every institution in this country that affects my life and I like and need a running commentary from him.
I do think there is an issue of "overexposure" and that is with Rush Limbaugh and Dick Cheney. The former uses the media and us to purge himself on a weekly basis and the latter uses the media and us to continue to undermine the security and well being of this country. Neither are educational or informative; both should be ignored by everyone except the FBI.
From where I sit, Obama is doing exactly what he promised, talking to the American people and letting us know, every step of the way, what he is doing and why he is doing it. That was one of the reasons we voted for him - one of the very biggest. He is cutting through the media spin, getting his message out directly to the people instead of letting it be filtered and twisted by news outlets with their own agendas.
But I'll tell you what I do think is too much. All these articles talking about how Obama is doing too much and over-exposing himself. Enough! These articles only serve to create the illusion that Obama is over-exposed and over-taxed and, as a consequence, make me wonder just exactly what the authors' agendas are.
This is such a ridiculous complaint.
Take The Huffington Post for instance. The site's founder, Arianna Huffington (the lovely Arianna!) does radio and/or TV interviews every day. Not some days, or every other day...EVERY DAY! She writes multiple posts for a website that already has her name. She does a popular weekly podcast with Tony Blankley and Matt Miller. Her face adorns a t-shirts that can be purchased through this site. She's on CNN, HLN, MSNBC, CNBC, ABC, CBS, NBC, BBC, and other channels around the world in every month.
Yes, Ms. Huffington is everywhere. Would you make the same argument about her? And why would you? Ms. Huffington, like The President and First Lady, know that's it not enough to just create something. You have to do consistently do creative (and sometimes unconventional) things that drive interest in what you're doing, as well as do the necessary things to "Build Your BRAND". And don't you think that the presidency is a "Brand" that needs rebuilding after the train wreck of the last 8 years? I do.
The Obamas are not trying to be "every-man" or "every-woman". They are being themselves. Polls show the public loves it! And if the enchanting Arianna Huffington can walk and chew bubble gum and be seen at the same time, and without criticism from you, why can't the Obamas be afforded the same courtesy?
Countless hours are spent on the vapid goings-on of actresses, athletes, musicians, washed up rappers, drug addicts, and wannabe stars.
Not only has the First Family caused many a hard drive meltdown, they've also inspired many to become involved, or become involved again, in the resuscitation of this nation.
BTW, when was the last time we've heard the name Paris Hilton?