On ABC News Top Line today, I argue that the Democrats’ hopes to win the health care debate after the vote (since they’ve so clearly lost it ahead of the vote) is wishful thinking:
Posts Tagged ‘ABC’
Debating health care
Tuesday, March 16th, 2010Obama and the bubble
Friday, February 5th, 2010ABC News’ Karen Travers writes a smart piece about President Obama’s recent laments about life in the bubble, a point that I agree with. As she quotes me:
“The best way to show people that you continue to understand their concerns is by showing the president with people outside of Washington,” said Republican strategist Alex Conant. “Part of the reason any president gets elected is that people feel like they understand their concerns. It’s hard to maintain that impression when you’re living inside a bubble and rarely exposed to common people.” …
“Most photos of the president are with him and other guys in suits. It’s just an image that contrasts sharply with the campaign when the president constantly surrounded by everyday people who were not part of the Washington establishment,” Republican strategist Conant said. “Obama’s great at giving speeches but a picture is worth a thousand words. No matter how much he talks about understanding people’s troubles, unless people actually see him in that context it’s a tough sell.”
Karen also compiles some statistics from CBS News’ Mark Knoller that surprised me: Obama made 46 trips to 58 cities and towns in 30 states during his first year in office. Obama held 426 speeches, statements or remarks in his first year in office, of which 40 percent were inside the White House.
46 trips to 30 states seems like a high number – but that number would include trips like his vacation in Martha’s Vineyard and Hawaii, and his date-night on Broadway; trips that only reinforce the bubble-image enveloping his presidency.
Obama’s Mishandling of Bernanke
Friday, January 22nd, 2010Jake Tapper reported last night that Ben Bernanke’s re-nomination to be Fed Chairman is suddenly in trouble:
ABC News has learned that the Senate Democratic leadership isn’t sure there are enough votes to re-confirm Ben Bernanke for another term as chairman of the Federal Reserve.
The White House expressed confidence in Bernanke’s nomination today, but if his nomination does falter, they have only themselves to blame.
From the moment the President announced Bernanke’s re-nomination, rather than maximize the chances of a smooth confirmation process with a formal ceremony at the White House, the Administration played politics.
To refresh people’s memories: According to Reuters, Obama first decided to re-nominate Bernanke in July for another term as Fed Chairman. But he did not tell Bernanke until nearly a month later, at an Oval Office meeting in mid-August. Even then, the White House held the news until the following week, so it could make the re-nomination on the same day that OMB was releasing a worsening budget forecast — thereby stepping on one bad economic story with a bigger, better one. Nevermind that the President was on vacation that day.
Their ploy produced a bizarre photo-op, of the President and the Fed Chair making the major announcement sans ties, in a distinctly un-presidential setting. Reported the Associated Press:
Obama made the announcement while on vacation on the island of Martha’s Vineyard off the coast of Massachusetts after aides said initially that the president intended a news-free week there. Both he and Bernanke sported the open-collar look. …
The announcement also came nearly concurrently with a piece of bad economic news. Obama interrupted his vacation to telegraph his decision just ahead of a White House report that gave more bleak assessments of the nation’s deficit picture.
Figures released by the White House budget office on Monday foresee a cumulative $9 trillion deficit from 2010-2019, $2 trillion more than the administration estimated in May.
The White House press shop must have thought they were pretty clever that day. But they look like idiots now, with the nomination suddenly on the ropes.
