Wash Post: Is It Even 'Possible' for Obama or any President 'to Succeed in the Modern World?'
If you’re the Washington Post’s Chris Cillizza, the answer to this ridiculous question is yes. In a June 17 article, Cillizza groaned, "Is it possible for a president — any president — to succeed in the modern world of politics?"
Rather than admit to the possibility that President Obama has been a lackluster president, Cillizza maintained, “...Pessimism about our nation’s future, partisanship and a splintered media makes it clear that any president elected or (reelected) has slim hopes-or at the most a very narrow window-for political success.”
Cillizza is implying that Obama is the victim of a series of events he has no control over all of which threaten his political future. A 2010 article by MRC’s Kyle Drennen pointed out that Newsweek pushed this same excuse to justify failed liberal presidencies in this past.
This argument is nothing new for the left. Going as far back as 1980, Time magazine’s James Reston whined that “watching President Carter try to juggle all the contradictory foreign and domestic problems of the nation during a presidential election and an economic recession, you have to wonder who can do it and who can govern America.”
Ex Nightly News anchor Tom Brokaw offered a similar refrain on the March 29, 2011 edition of Today. He whined:
CO-HOST MATT LAUER: "You said that you haven't, in your memory, you can't recall a time where a president has faced a confluence of events, like the confluence of events taking place right now. Just explain that."
TOM BROKAW: But in my adult lifetime and as a reporter, here you have a president who has two wars underway, is engaged in really what is a third war....And then we have, here at home, a recession that we cannot completely get out of yet. And political paralysis in Washington over the budget. All of that has arrived at, at the Oval Office, at the same time."
Maybe Cillizza and Reston could at least concede the possibility that the problem lies with the man and not the office.
- Jeffrey Meyer's blog
- Login to post comments
Comments
Bush handled it
Submitted by JeffC... on Wed, 06/20/2012 - 4:05pm.
President George W. Bush handled it, and the press made him out to be a moron.
They just can't bear to admit that Obama is a failure.
Well, it does appear to be
Submitted by Lakewood Ed on Wed, 06/20/2012 - 4:09pm.
Well, it does appear to be too big for this one but that isn't saying much.
No Problem
Submitted by JustAl on Wed, 06/20/2012 - 4:10pm.
Call a Constitutional Convention to discuss alternatives; meanwhile, since he can't do the job, stop paying him and evict him from the public housing he's in.
So now the left has descended to paranoiac schizophrenia?
Submitted by drsamherman on Wed, 06/20/2012 - 4:14pm.
They ran out of actual people to blame so now the universe is against them?
I will stock up on prescription pads.
It's not hard for a PRESIDENT to "make it".
Submitted by Willis_Leon_Johnson on Wed, 06/20/2012 - 4:15pm.
The problem is that the two partys do not give us PRESIDENTIAL material to work with.
Eisenhower was definitely PRESIDENTIAL material, Reagan was PRESIDENTIAL material...
Kennedy would have been, johnson wasn't even on the same planet with the definition of the word, nor was Nixon, Ford, Carter, either of the two bush boys, nor was Clintoon.
And that does not even mention the losers of the presidential campaigns because even the die hard party loyalists couldn't garner enough support for the losers to show up and vote.
Likewise with this election, neither of the two leading morons are PRESIDENTIAL. Nor are they "Statesmen" or have any other necessary qualifications.
I'm no big fan of Ron Paul, but so far he is the "least destructive" to the Constitution, and if he were to choose Andrew Napolitano as a running mate, between the two of them we might have an administration that the American people would not be ASHAMED OF.
End 'gun violence in America' - Require training and MANDATORY "Shall Carry" by every Citizen.
If harry reid is the best person to lead the senate, what does that say about the other 99 senators?
"I'm no big fan of Ron Paul, "
Submitted by UpNorth on Wed, 06/20/2012 - 4:48pm.
Sure you are, just admit it. That's the first step.
???
Submitted by Willis_Leon_Johnson on Thu, 06/21/2012 - 12:40pm.
I'm a Ron Paul fan because you cannot decipher the written word?
using your logic, you would be a pelosi/obama/reid fan so we could have a three-headed administration?
End 'gun violence in America' - Require training and MANDATORY "Shall Carry" by every Citizen.
If harry reid is the best person to lead the senate, what does that say about the other 99 senators?
I deciphered your "written word" just fine, thank you.
Submitted by UpNorth on Thu, 06/21/2012 - 2:01pm.
You're no Ronpaul fan, but he IS the bestest there is out there. Or, do I have that wrong?
You have it wrong.
Submitted by Willis_Leon_Johnson on Thu, 06/21/2012 - 3:37pm.
I said of the top 3, he is the only one that understands the Constitution, so he would be the least destructive.
YOU decided what you thought you wanted me to say, then blamed me for your failure to get it right.
Sound about right?
There are, in this nation of 300 million plus, on any given day, there are 20 million Citizens with enough sense to run this nation the way it was designed.
But neither party is willing to search beyond the list of "Totally and easily controlled" party loyalists and see if there is somebody the People may like a whole lot better.
End 'gun violence in America' - Require training and MANDATORY "Shall Carry" by every Citizen.
If harry reid is the best person to lead the senate, what does that say about the other 99 senators?
Well, Ronpaul gave it a shot.
Submitted by UpNorth on Thu, 06/21/2012 - 3:50pm.
Turns out, not that many were impressed, or liked him "a whole lot better".
And, FWIW, I don't think that Ronpaul understands the Constitution all that much. That's my opinion.
There ya go again, must be the northern latitudes?
Submitted by Willis_Leon_Johnson on Thu, 06/21/2012 - 4:02pm.
I didn't say RP was really good, I just said he was more knowledgeable than the others.
I could have said the same thing about the neighbors Black Lab and been equally correct.
End 'gun violence in America' - Require training and MANDATORY "Shall Carry" by every Citizen.
If harry reid is the best person to lead the senate, what does that say about the other 99 senators?
Sorry, I misunderstood your point about
Submitted by UpNorth on Thu, 06/21/2012 - 4:13pm.
Ronpaul being in "the top three". To my way of thinking, that would infer that he was "really good", at least among the field of candidates.
I concur with most of what you state, Willis
Submitted by Galvanic on Wed, 06/20/2012 - 8:38pm.
But I'm afraid that Ron Paul isn't up to it either.
I see the problem as threefold.
The first two are the major parties as you cited.
And I would add a third: We the People.
We should demand better rather than settling for the lesser of two poor choices. If we refused to vote for Democrats and Republicans, they would either change to attract votes, or get kicked to the road by new, vibrant parties.
We need a proven executive with great leadership and statesman traits to straighten our the executive branch of government.
I think we need to,
Submitted by Boudin on Wed, 06/20/2012 - 8:49pm.
Simply take over the Repub party. Considering we already have our foot in the door. We take it over, and then establish a leadership that enforces perimeters for being a candidate. This will help mitigate the rino's. Either that, or we establish a Conservative party. This would require many Repubs moving to the new party, to help legitimize it. There might be 10 who have the stones.
You're right about Ron Paul.
Submitted by CobraMan on Thu, 06/21/2012 - 1:10pm.
"I'm no big fan of Ron Paul, but so far he is the "least destructive" to the Constitution"
You're right about that, and let's hope it stays that way, by keeping him out of office. Once he's in, there's no telling what he would do.
The Citizens of each State shall be entitled to all Privileges and Immunities of Citizens in the several States. The US Constitution
Unless you're a fetus. The US Supreme Court
Or Anwar al-Awlaki.
And you are correct as well....
Submitted by Willis_Leon_Johnson on Thu, 06/21/2012 - 1:14pm.
"You're right about that, and let's hope it stays that way, by keeping him out of office. Once he's in, there's no telling what he would do."
That statement applies equally to the other clown pretenders.
End 'gun violence in America' - Require training and MANDATORY "Shall Carry" by every Citizen.
If harry reid is the best person to lead the senate, what does that say about the other 99 senators?
I agree with that, too
Submitted by CobraMan on Thu, 06/21/2012 - 1:36pm.
I never said othewise.
The Citizens of each State shall be entitled to all Privileges and Immunities of Citizens in the several States. The US Constitution
Unless you're a fetus. The US Supreme Court
Or Anwar al-Awlaki.
But all these are small problems
Submitted by GW on Thu, 06/21/2012 - 11:20am.
I thought the rise of the oceans stopped at the mere nomination of the Zero and our planet began to heal...
Come on, not even Superman stopped the rise of the oceans.
Short answer: yes.
Submitted by CobraMan on Thu, 06/21/2012 - 1:12pm.
"Is it possible for a president — any president — to succeed in the modern world of politics?"
Short answer: Yes, for the competent ones anyways.
The Citizens of each State shall be entitled to all Privileges and Immunities of Citizens in the several States. The US Constitution
Unless you're a fetus. The US Supreme Court
Or Anwar al-Awlaki.