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| Home Front: Politix |
| Is President Obama Overexposed? |
| 2009-03-09 |
| Barack Obama is ubiquitous. In his first six weeks in office, he's given an inaugural address, a State of the Union-like speech to a joint-session of Congress (since new presidents don't really report on the state of the union), and an hour-long press conference. He's also made several campaign trips and has been a daily fixture on magazine covers and the news shows. He's talking to us all the time. Yes, he's an intriguing and appealing figure. But you don't have to go out on a limb to surmise that he may be risking overexposure -- which often leads to failure. This is not an argument about the longevity of political popularity. Rather, it has to do with Obama's creating what political scientist Theodore Lowi called "a personal presidency," in which one unreasonably exaggerates the power of a president to influence events -- especially economic ones. Going down that path, warned Lowi, is a sure road to political failure. |
| Posted by:Omoter Speaking for Boskone7794 |
| #8 Depends on who the stage hands are that day. |
| Posted by: swksvolFF 2009-03-09 11:50 |
| #7 There is one magazine cover which should bear his photo - American Gun - and a caption "Gun Salesman of the Year". |
| Posted by: Omoter Speaking for Boskone7794 2009-03-09 11:05 |
| #6 If things improve soon, the president will claim the credit. If they don't, it's all his fault -- even though he had nothing to do with creating this crisis and doesn't have all that much direct ability to solve it, either. In other words only Bush could fail to solve the problem. |
| Posted by: GolfBravoUSMC 2009-03-09 10:11 |
| #5 Yeah, chalk me up as another one, sick to death of seeing him or Michelle on magazine covers at the super-market check-out stand. I'd take a quiet oath to never buy another one of those magazines again - but I didn't buy them before, so a buycott (deliberate miss-spelling there)would have no effect. |
| Posted by: Sgt. Mom 2009-03-09 08:30 |
| #4 "As visibility goes up, so do expectations and vulnerability," Barry, a quick solution. Leave the kids upstairs with granny, take Queen Michelle and go hide somewhere in the White House basement. Rahm will know where you are and keep in touch by crackberry. The sooner you turn OFF that NEW SOCIALIST IDEA MACHINE, the better we'll all be. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2009-03-09 08:07 |
| #3 I agree. Every time I see his picture on (yet another) magazine cover, I want to throw up. |
| Posted by: Rambler in Virginia 2009-03-09 07:42 |
| #2 "Yes, he's an intriguing and appealing figure." I have to wonder if I am a member of the same species as the writer. To me O is about as intriguing and appealing as dandruff. |
| Posted by: Cynicism Inc 2009-03-09 05:00 |
| #1 Cult of Personality 101. |
| Posted by: g(r)omgoru 2009-03-09 02:54 |