MSNBC: Obama Needs More R&R; Americans Uneasy Over Economy Because We're 'Instant Gratification Society'
In a segment shortly after 3 p.m. EDT today looking at how much President Obama has aged in the two years since winning the presidential election, MSNBC's Thomas Roberts and guest Douglas Brinkley concluded that the commander-in-chief needs to take it easy more often.
The MSNBC host and the liberal presidential historian also blamed the amount of stress President Obama faces in office on unrealistic expectations Americans may have about his handling of the economy (emphases mine):
DOUGLAS BRINKLEY: The stress factor gets so high on these presidents
[...]
BRINKLEY: It's inhuman what we ask of them to do in the modern age. He knows what's really going on in Afghanistan, President Obama. He knows the truth about climate change. He has all of these pressures on him that are even worse than we're getting fed in the news industry.
[...]
THOMAS ROBERTS: So what you're saying is that this job, the demands of it are much more difficult today than they were for say a president 50 or 100 years ago?
BRINKLEY: ...President Obama can't leave for 24 hours. He goes to Hawaii or Martha's Vineyard and the media's clamoring for a statement, or, we're living in this, you know, every minute almost a cycle of the news, and it's much harder for presidents to find relief. FDR spent about 40 percent of his time on water just sailing or being in yachts away. That's impossible with the modern presidency.
ROBERTS: Also, do you think because Obama ran on the theory of change, that he has such higher expectations on him and maybe we're not seeing the changes that we expect in today's instant gratification society?
BRINKLEY: Oh, yeah, I think he had of course these great, high expectations when you win a historic election...
[...]
BRINKLEY: I think the main problem that you see is that, today, with the global economy, he could do all of this economic stimulation you want here in the U.S., do all these programs, and if Greece, the economy in Greece collapses, we're hurt here in the United States terribly.
BRINKLEY: So it's every day you wake up having to prepare for the worst and the crucial thing is to find ways to de-stress through athletics or working out, jogging, whatever it is.
- Ken Shepherd's blog
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Comments
Instant Gratification or
Submitted by hbnolikeee on Mon, 10/25/2010 - 4:17pm.
we are sick of being lied to. Which do you think gets people really angry?
Plan B
Submitted by cestes on Mon, 10/25/2010 - 4:34pm.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVsr-_-v2sI
I thought Joe was there for back up and to take the reins when BHO was away, you know like a stand in, perhaps someone to fill in a position say like Vice President. I think shovel ready jobs are not the only thing "not ready".
Wipe off your chins cretins
Submitted by Tomorama on Mon, 10/25/2010 - 4:38pm.
Lord knows that this is he first 24X7 president ever.
The rest had it soooooooooooooooo easy.
All this a-hole has done since he came BACK from his last vacation is CAMPAIGN all over the country, nothing else for 6 FN weeks.
My dime and your dime, truly "unprecedented" this amount of campaigning, truly "unprecedented.
He can get plenty of rest in about two years and this never worked a job in his POS life, can go back to voting "present" or whatever HE DIDN'T DO BEFORE.
Notice the use of "historical" election, too
Submitted by Blonde on Mon, 10/25/2010 - 5:44pm.
Poor, poor Barry...he needs another vacation.
Seriously?
OK...BEVERAGE ALERT before you pop that link.
Handy Reference Guide to Obama's Gaffes and Goofs ~ Currently Numbering 200 (and Counting)
Poor, poor Barry...he needs
Submitted by motherbelt on Mon, 10/25/2010 - 7:59pm.
Poor, poor Barry...he needs another vacation.
BRINKLEY: President Obama can't leave for 24 hours. He goes to Hawaii or Martha's Vineyard and the media's clamoring for a statement, Can't the guy just eat his waffle?????"I'd appreciate a little break......I can use it.
He can solve the problem. Just announce right now that he has no intention of running for a second term. It's just too much.
Roberts, thanks for reminding everyone that Obama
Submitted by SickofLibs on Mon, 10/25/2010 - 5:34pm.
was elected on a theory (of change.)
But, don't fret, our boy will have plenty of time to kick back in India, where he has booked approx. 800 5-star rooms for the posse at God knows what astronomical cost.
Wrong comment at the wrong time
Submitted by octavioj on Mon, 10/25/2010 - 5:42pm.
Wrong comment, wrong time.
Send him to Disney World
Submitted by KC Mulville on Mon, 10/25/2010 - 5:40pm.
Send him on a Love Boat cruise. Send him on a pub-tour of Dublin, or a wine-tour of Italy. Two more years. Fine with me. The money will be well-spent.
Just keep him away from any decisions. Nothing is better than what we're getting.
The vacation king
Submitted by Herbster on Mon, 10/25/2010 - 5:48pm.
Poor mr. obambi.....life's a beach..... and he's been to most of them.
Hard worker! In the office by 10:00......basketball at noon.....golf at 4:00....arugala for dinner.......entertainment (At taxpayer expense.) Tough gig! Time for another vacation.
The man is an affront to the country......Rodney Dangerfiels deserves more respect.
One term for he and mrs. obambi. Once they leave, at least they can say they are out of public housing!
I'll say what mr. obambi doesn't say, "We are endowed BY OUR CREATOR....to vote this clown out of office and send him back to making signs for the next commmunity organizer march!
Just think how hard his
Submitted by MidAmerica on Mon, 10/25/2010 - 5:53pm.
Just think how hard his job would be if he didn't have the news media defending the gates to the castle?
Hard to know where to even begin
Submitted by mustango on Mon, 10/25/2010 - 5:57pm.
Just for starters, I'm sure those fine folks at MSNBC thought the "instant gratification society" was the bee's knees when it came to turning public sentiment against our actions in Iraq.
And need we even get into the fits they'd throw every time they caught Bush trying to take a few days of R&R?
But the real bottom line is: exactly whose fault are these "unrealistic" expectations, anyway? Mr. Eight Percent?
The MSM is really
Submitted by Dan The Man 2 on Mon, 10/25/2010 - 6:26pm.
The MSM is really disappointing me with their Obama homage and certainly homage he does not deserve. If we were informed as to who Obama really is and what he has done and is doing and what he will do then this clown would be just that ... ohh wait he already is a clown and turning the USA into a circus.
LOL....
Submitted by tampamom25 on Mon, 10/25/2010 - 6:44pm.
Thanks, I needed a really good laugh. How pathetic the media is......who really thinks this president has more stress than other presidents who dealt with world wars, nuclear threats, terrorist attacks on our own soil, massive depressions, wall street failures. Please, it's a stressful job, but it's stressful on each president and they know that going in. I'll chip in for some hair dye if it will make you all feel better......but it will just fade when he's out on the golf course, so maybe we'd better not bother.
Obaby needs a vacation?
Submitted by Newsbubba on Mon, 10/25/2010 - 8:04pm.
I say we give him the next two years off, then retire him for the rest of his rat bastard fascist SOB life.
You don't even want to know how I really feel.
rest
Submitted by goldbough on Mon, 10/25/2010 - 8:17pm.
Yes, the leader of the strongest country on earth needs to take more breaks. Why doesn't he just have a punch machine so he can clock out at 5pm? Doesn't Obama play golf fairly often. I doubt he's answering media questions on every hole.
Brinkley: ..He knows what's
Submitted by Gary Hall on Mon, 10/25/2010 - 8:37pm.
Brinkley: ..He knows what's really going on in Afghanistan, President Obama. He knows the truth about climate change..
What?
Obama doesn't know what's going on in Afghanistan. The people of Afghanistan want us to win and get the Taliban and Al Qaeda out of there and our US troops want to win. Obama only wants to get out of there.
..the "truth about climate change?" There is no truth. The AGW concept is a theory - there are no absolute truths here; only theories.
If He knows the truth, then indeed, he must be "the one."
Blonde - yea.. he needs to take a 2 year and 3 month vacation.
(;~/ gary
Yea, it's the immediate
Submitted by ant on Mon, 10/25/2010 - 9:24pm.
Yea, it's the immediate gratification thing. We are all upset we didn't see CHANGE we can believe in right away. We didn't see the oceans bow in obedience and unicorns on rainbows passing out money from O's stash. We did, however, see the same old crap x100. A too big government get bigger, too much spending increase to even more spending, Czar-a-palooza,add thousands of muslim immigrants to the influx of illegal latin-American immigrants, a resurgence of racial division, the same old revolving lobbyists-for-hire doorway,and on and on I could go.
Yea, we just don't appreciate all that CHANGE that was nothing more than the magnification of existing problems. I give him credit for one original position though. I don't think I've ever heard of a President so regularly insult and sneer at the American people that he is supposed to work for.
Oh, but there was plenty of change
Submitted by Boudin on Mon, 10/25/2010 - 10:15pm.
But Pelosi and Co have been spending it like dimwits
I agree.
Submitted by HockeyKid on Mon, 10/25/2010 - 10:14pm.
Obysmal needs a permanent vacation. More importantly, America needs a permanent vacation from the Obysmals.
"Beauty is only skin deep, but liberal's to the bone." - me
I agree, that come November
Submitted by eaglewingz08 on Tue, 10/26/2010 - 12:06am.
I agree, that come November 21, 2011, Obama and Biden can take a two year cruise to nowhere, resign their positions so that they don't have to deal with the 'stress' anymore. I'm sure Boehner would make a more than adequate replacement in the WH.
campaign, vacation, repeat
Submitted by texasborngranny on Tue, 10/26/2010 - 10:10am.
campaign, vacation, repeat
wow, what a tiring routine.
That is much more preferable
Submitted by Dan The Man 2 on Tue, 10/26/2010 - 12:41pm.
That is much more preferable to signing bills like Obamacare into law.
He probably IS exhausted...
Submitted by GG_NB on Tue, 10/26/2010 - 10:23am.
because there is nothing more tiring than ignoring the majority of Americans and having to defend yourself against that -- and then trying to figure out how to keep getting your way.
Wisdom + doing the right thing=peace.
"If not us, who? If not now, when?"
~Ronald Reagan
No,
Submitted by johnsonl on Tue, 10/26/2010 - 10:21am.
...we're too stupid to understand all of the wonderful things that he's given us! I'm still waiting for his Obamaness to "pay my house note and fill my car with gas". Instant gratification indeed.