Posted on 03/15/2009 6:22:08 AM PDT by NCjim
Not long ago, after a string of especially bad days for the Obama administration, a veteran Democratic pol approached me with a pained look on his face and asked, "Do you think they know what they're doing?"
The question caught me off guard because the man is a well-known Obama supporter. As we talked, I quickly realized his asking suggested his own considerable doubts.
Yes, it's early, but an eerily familiar feeling is spreading across party lines and seeping into the national conversation. It's a nagging doubt about the competency of the White House.
It was during George W. Bush's second term that the I-word - incompetence - became a routine broadside against him. The Democratic frenzy of Bush-bashing had not spent itself when a larger critique emerged, one not confined by partisan boundaries.
The charge of incompetence covered the mismanagement of Iraq, the response to Hurricane Katrina and the economic meltdown. By the time Bush left, the charge tipped the scales to where most of America, including many who had been supporters or just sympathetic, viewed him as a failed President.
The tag of incompetence is powerful precisely because it is a nondenominational rebuke, even when it yields a partisan result. It became the strongest argument against the GOP hammerlock on Washington and, over two elections, gave Democrats their turn at total control.
But already feelings of doubt are rising again. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid were never held in high regard, so doubts about their motives and abilities are not surprising.
What matters more is the growing concern about Obama and his team. The longest campaign in presidential history is being followed by a very short honeymoon.
Polls show that most people like Obama, but they increasingly don't like his policies. The vast spending hikes and plans for more are provoking the most concern, with 82% telling a Gallup survey they are worried about the deficit and 69% worried about the rapid growth of government under Obama. Most expect their own taxes will go up as a result, despite the President's promises to the contrary.
None other than Warren Buffet, an Obama supporter, has called the administration's message on the economy "muddled." Even China says it is worried about its investments in American Treasury bonds. Ouch.
Much of the blame falls on Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner, whose appalling tax problems softened the ground under him before he took office. After his initial fumbling presentations, he became a butt of jokes on "Saturday Night Live," not a sustainable image for the point man in a recession. And still the market waits for his answer to the banks' toxic assets.
It's also notable that four people lined up for top jobs under Geithner have withdrawn, leaving one British official to complain that there is nobody to talk to at the Treasury Department. Perhaps it was a bid to combat the Geithner blues that led Larry Summers, Obama's top economic adviser, to make an unusual appearance Friday in which he defended the spending plans everyone is so worried about.
Yet the doubts aren't all about Geithner, and they were reinforced by the bizarre nomination and withdrawal of Chas Freeman as a top intelligence official. It's hard to know which explanation is worse: that the White House didn't know of Freeman's intemperate criticism of Israel and his praise of China's massacre at Tiananmen Square, or that it didn't care. Good riddance to him. But what of those who picked him?
Which brings us to the heart of the matter: the doubts about Obama himself. His famous eloquence is wearing thin through daily exposure and because his actions are often disconnected from his words. His lack of administrative experience is showing.
His promises and policies contradict each other often enough that evidence of hypocrisy is ceasing to be news. Remember the pledges about bipartisanship and high ethics? They're so last year.
The beat goes on. Last week, Obama brazenly gave a speech about earmark reform just after he quietly signed a $410 billion spending bill that had about 9,000 earmarks in it. He denounced Bush's habit of disregarding pieces of laws he didn't like, so-called signing statements, then issued one himself.
And in an absolute jaw-dropper, he told business leaders, "I don't like the idea of spending more government money, nor am I interested in expanding government's role."
No wonder Americans are confused. Our President is, too.
Not to defend Obama, but at some point someone should actually inform the public that it’s not so much incompetence when govt can’t fix Katrina or the economy,but, rather, that we are imperfect beings and therefore should not rely so damned much on a govt. of imperfect beings to fix every problem.
He reminds me of some brainwashed commies I know, they have been subjected to it since birth basically and they know nothing else, and are unable to grasp anything else. Businesses are bad, banks are bad, making money bad, religion bad, white man bad, America bad, unions good, democratic party good.
The man is worse than incompetent. He's a deceptive, lying snake.
From all appearances, he definitely has experienced organic brain damage to his chemical synapses. I wouldn't be surprised if we start see more analyses from medical doctors.
Michael Goodwin is increadibly brave to write, and the Daily News to publish, this piece. The Left establishment will dispatch a swarm of flying monkeys to descend upon and destroy him. His next piece will likely recant, ala Brooks.
With everyone waking up to his incompetence, when will the discussion of how he rode into the white house on a red carpet laid out by the media??
The attitude of the staff is a reflection of the attitude of the management. Leadership folks, if it doesn’t start at the top there isn’t any and that is what we are seeing. It takes courage and confidence to surround yourself with people smarter and more capable than you are....ZERO has none of these qualities.
Incompetents select more incompetents, cheats select cheats, liars, no character etc. This is what we are seeing. ZERO is an empty suit that reads well and looks good (except for those big ears).
I saw an interesting study the other day. The nut of it was that people who are ACTIVELY engaged in their trade, be that management, medicine, law, building, engineer or whatever reach their peak of productivity and creativity at...age 53. Notice that I said for those ACTIVELY engaged in their trade...ZERO has no trade but politics and glad handing.
On Nov.4,2008
58,000,000 Americans were well aware that this would happen.
***I can’t believe the NY Daily News is turning on zero too. His incompetence must be coming through loud and clear.***
Thank God that SOME of the press has the courage to speak up.
Wait until Jack*ss Jon Stewart gets this guy on his show. You musn’t talk bad of Dear Leader.
There are 17 people supposed to be under Geithner and O hasn’t even nominated them! He’s incompetent even for a Marxist! The worst bank panic in decades, and no DETAILS yet.
Unfortunately those of us with who have the ability to think beyond momentary pleasure realize the long-term damage this president is doing to a once great country.
The majority of Americans are still enamored with Obama’s snake-oil; it’s like the country is on permanent Rip Van Winkle mode.
Rome burned while Nero fiddled, American’s slept as Obama and the democrats destroy that US.
Don't think for a second, that if Odumbo can't stomach the stress, that the man with his hand up the puppets a$$, won't throw away the now useless puppet, and replace it with a newer one.
.
Axelrod, Soros or Bwannee Fwwank ?
“Can we just impeach Obama and most of the MSM and start over?”
We all wish...but then again, we’d get Biden and have to impeach him and then we would have Pelosi... Perish the thought!! What we need is a new Contract with America for 2010. But Michael Steele is an impediment there... Maybe, just maybe, we should all start participating in government at all levels; even if that means just going to County Board meetings.
Bwannee has something else there.
Back in the day it was standard to assess this BEFORE the election....
But Zero could not be criticized without being caled racist.
Things were good enough under W that the elites had time and energy to moan about the lack of WH social events. Now, things are terrible, but they have plenty of parties to go to.
Oh, well, at least some people are getting free luxury food.
http://www.taxcheatstamps.com/
I SUGGEST everyone buy one of these to keep the issue of Geithner in everyone’s mind..
And in an absolute jaw-dropper, he told business leaders, "I don't like the idea of spending more government money, nor am I interested in expanding government's role."
No wonder Americans are confused. Our President is, too.
The "confusion" here is primarily on the part of the writer. Perhaps in a few more months he will start to notice Obama's pattern of intentional, systematic lies.
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