Obama's Damaging Doublespeak

The Daily Beast ^ | 8-26-10 | Douglas Schoen

[Justaham]

Conflicting messages on the “ground zero mosque” are just the latest signal that a clear presidential strategy is missing—and voters are gearing up to retaliate against the president’s incompetence, says Douglas E. Schoen.

Not only has President Obama systematically put forward unpopular policies and programs that are not producing real, long-lasting results that reflect the wishes of the American people, he has not generated a sense of competence in the electorate.

Indeed, Obama’s judgment and instincts have been called into question by a series of bad decisions since he has become president. Put simply, rather than emphasizing results and outcomes, he has opted for rhetorical parsing and political gamesmanship every time. Voters have grown disillusioned with the administration’s reactive and seemingly hypocritical governing style, in which the notion of unity of command and a cohesive strategy have proved alien.

“The problem,” wrote Politico’s John Harris and Jim VandeHei this summer, “is that he and his West Wing turn out to be not especially good at politics or communications—in other words, largely ineffective at the very things on which their campaign reputation was built.”

Whenever the American people are looking for leadership from the president, Obama and his administration have systematically put forth conflicting and ambiguous messages. As Maureen Dowd recently noted in a recent column for The New York Times: “He’s with the banks, he’s against the banks. He’s leaving Afghanistan, he’s staying in Afghanistan. He strains at being a populist, but his head is in the clouds.”

[Interesting Times]

“The problem,” wrote Politico’s John Harris and Jim VandeHei this summer, “is that he and his West Wing turn out to be not especially good at politics or communications—in other words, largely ineffective at the very things on which their campaign reputation was built.”

Politico is wrong, as usual. Politics and communications are the only thing the leftists are good at. Certainly they're congenitally incapable of governing.

[FatherofFive]

in other words, largely ineffective at the very things on which their campaign reputation was built

0bama knows nothing about everything.

[samtheman]

0bama knows nothing about everything anything.

[Mojave]

[PGalt]

I will stand with them [Muslims] should the political winds shift in an ugly direction - Taqiyya-Talkin' Collectivist Barack Anti-Individual Insane POS Obama

What freedom-loving, truth-telling, American-principle-honoring, non-collectivist, non-muslim-individual or MAN would EVER say that?

[y6162]

No wonder the Kenyan stays on vacation. When he returns to the office, he’s going to get fired.

[FrankR]