It was true then. It is still now.
“...at this defining moment in our history, with our nation at war, our economy in recession, we know that the American people cannot afford... the same old politics in Washington.”—Presidential candidate Barack Obama, Springfield, Illinois, August 23, 2008
Despite campaign promises otherwise, it seems we are increasingly getting “the same old politics” from the Obama administration.
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A headline this week from the Los Angeles Times: “Anybody left who hasn’t been offered a payoff job by the Obama White House, please put out your hand.”
And the truth behind that headline continues to unfold.
While pundits may joke that the easiest way to get a job in the Obama administration is to announce your candidacy to run against an Obama favorite, voters are tired of it all.
Through the unimpeachable former President Bill Clinton, we learn Rep. Joe Sestak (D-PA) was offered an “unpaid advisory board position,” merely an “alternative path to service,” if he would withdraw from his primary challenge of Sen. Arlen Specter, the once-Republican-then-Democrat and once-Obama-backed-then-abandoned candidate, for Specter’s own U.S. Senate seat in Pennsylvania.
And now, Democratic Colorado House speaker Andrew Romanoff reveals that a top aide to President Obama discussed possible jobs open to him if he dropped his challenge to Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet for his Colorado Senate seat.
The White House, already twisting words in a Clintonesque manner over the Sestak scandal, is in full damage control arguing technicalities, asserting that no job was “officially” offered to Romanoff.
Isn’t that “parsing”?
While those inside the Beltway may continue to argue over the definitions of “is,” “paid” and “job,” Americans in the heartland are fed up.
No wonder voters are angry. Very angry.
When recently surveyed, 70 percent of voters were angry at the policies of the federal government.
And the anger isn’t partisan. Republicans, Democrats, and Independents share this anger.
Some are angry government is doing too much. Others are angry government is doing too little. But there is agreement—voters aren’t getting much return on investment for their tax dollars these days.
• Richard Wolffe: Obama Knew the Spill Was Hopeless• Dayo Olopade: Obama’s Youth Brigade Burns OutAs hardworking families watch the market slump, retirement savings disappear, and private-sector job growth remain stagnant, 72 percent of likely voters say legislators don’t have a clue about how to address our economic problems. Only 27 percent are at least somewhat confident in Congress on this issue.
And 63 percent of likely voters believe it would be better for the country if most incumbents in Congress were defeated this November.
While pundits may joke that the easiest way to get a job in the Obama administration is to announce your candidacy to run against an Obama favorite, voters are tired of it all.
The oil spill continues to threaten a fragile economy and ecology in the Gulf, there is still no Wall Street reform, or energy bill, or immigration legislation, and voters are being told they are too dumb to understand.
Bill Maher labels Americans as stupid. Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) bemoans the average American’s comprehension gap. The Atlantic magazine explained the growing anger on Main Street: “It’s that you’re stupid.”
And while Paul McCartney rejoices that “after the last eight years, it’s good to have a president that knows what a library is,” President Obama himself whines that it has been “the toughest year and a half since any year and a half since the 1930s.”
That’s not leadership.
Great presidents, and even those not so great, never complained about the hands they were dealt. Just the opposite. They assumed they were in the big chair to meet big challenges, no matter how difficult.
Repulsed by the continued machinations of the political class, voters feel homeless.
Today 35.1 percent of adults identify themselves as Democrats, down 6.3 points from November 2008, matching the lowest level ever recorded in the eight years Rasmussen Reports has been tracking the data. And while 32 percent identify as Republicans, down 1.8 points, 32.8 percent don’t affiliate with either party. That’s up an incredible 8.1 points from the 2008 elections.
In the president’s own words:
“...more than anything else, success will depend not on our government, but on the dynamism, determination, and innovation of the American people.
“And now we have a choice as a nation...And I don’t know about you, but I want to move forward. I think America wants to move forward.”
Be careful what you ask for. America is clearly ready to move forward, away from the same old politics of Washington. Gallup just reported that Obama’s approval has dropped to 46 percent. And no president has been re-elected with an approval rating below 47 percent.
I thought a few months ago that things couldn’t get much worse for Obama. They have. A lot. Some of it he couldn’t control, but some of it he could have. And should have.
In any case, Obama needs to quit looking backward, trying to find historical parallels about how tough things are, and get about the job he asked for and the performance he promised.
As vice chairman of Public Strategies and president of Maverick Media, Mark McKinnon has helped meet strategic challenges for candidates, corporations and causes, including George W. Bush, John McCain, Governor Ann Richards, Charlie Wilson, Lance Armstrong, and Bono.
