"The Obama administration seems hamstrung by the unemployment crisis. No big ideas have emerged. No dramatically creative initiatives."
Such was written Monday by one of President Obama's biggest supporters -- New York Times columnist Bob Herbert.
So concerned is Herbert that he's presaging doom and gloom for the president if things don't change soon.
Maybe even more shocking, as he addressed the currently devastated labor market, Herbert never once blamed it on George W. Bush:
The big question on the domestic front right now is whether President Obama understands the gravity of the employment crisis facing the country. Does he get it? The signals coming out of the White House have not been encouraging. [...]
The Obama administration seems hamstrung by the unemployment crisis. No big ideas have emerged. No dramatically creative initiatives. While devoting enormous amounts of energy to health care, and trying now to decide what to do about Afghanistan, the president has not even conveyed the sense of urgency that the crisis in employment warrants.
If that does not change, these staggering levels of joblessness have the potential to cripple not just the well-being of millions of American families, but any real prospects for sustained economic recovery and the political prospects of the president as well. An unemployed electorate is an unhappy electorate.
Yes, and a disenchanted with a liberal president columnist is an unhappy columnist -- so unhappy that he couldn't muster one swipe at former President Bush.
I guess Herbert unlike so many of his Obama-loving colleagues has finally realized the current president's recovery plan isn't working, and, as a result, the current White House resident bears responsibility for the poor state of the economy.
Now THAT'S an unhappy columnist.
Exit question: Is Herbert really concerned, or is this the beginning of media's push for a second stimulus package?
—Noel Sheppard is the Associate Editor of NewsBusters. Follow him at Facebook and Twitter.
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He's a racist.
October 7, 2009 - 09:14 ET by superconWhat other explanation is there...?
" if Republicans are able to stop Barack Obama on health care, 'it will be his Waterloo, it will break him...." -Sen. Jim DeMint
It's Started
October 7, 2009 - 09:20 ET by EddieWalkerObama is such a bad president and leader that he is actually energizing the people to wake up and see just how bad liberals are. If it hadn't been for him and his over reaching, we would continue down this path every so slowly until it was too late. We got here because it was one small bite at a time. Obama is too eager and imature to realize that he's exposed their entire plan for the country in just a few months, and worst of all, people are now recognizing who they really are. Because of this, Obama might just turn out to be the best thing that ever happened to this country. His failures and demise will create a new country rebuilt on fixing what the liberals have done to our country.
It's happening faster then I expected, but that's a good thing. Mr. Herbert sees it, and by watching the liberal press and how far they are having to reach to excuse Obama, also indicates that they are getting it. It's like pretending the Michelle is some sort of fashion icon when she wears some of the most rediculous outfits ever. In there empty praise and phoney compliments, you see their disdane and embarassment of her. The same is true with Obama. The more they have to make up excuses for him, the more extrem and rediculous those excuses are, the more obvious it becomes that they are also aware of just how bad of a president he is. The tide has begun to turn and the next three years are going to be very interesting!!!!
Buyers Remorse
October 7, 2009 - 09:28 ET by richb313A real sense of buyers remorse is beginning to set in. Obama has not proven to be the transformative President all the liberals hoped he would be. Obama has tried but Washington is still Washington. It is easy to blame Bush but the real problem is Washington itself. Obama has been proven to be an ineffective leader, no surprise to anyone who is informed. His skin is way too thin to be President. He rankles too easily and just like a little boy he pouts. This is what we get when we elect style over substance and that cuts both ways for conservatives as well as liberals.
always looks angry
October 7, 2009 - 09:52 ET by jon_torlinFor simplicity's sake, I call the plane a real US President Air Force One or the Marine One helicopter, though I don't acknowledge HIM to be a real president.
Having said that, has anyone ever watched videos of him coming out of Marine One and saw that he always looks angry?
That's a huge contrast to Dubya when he gets out, he's generally has a smile on his face.
-Jon
Chicago thug's gotta
October 7, 2009 - 09:56 ET by Cthulhu2012Chicago thug's gotta represent, dude.
Why choose the lesser of two evils?
his background
October 7, 2009 - 11:17 ET by jon_torlinGiven his background(Islam, Ayers, etc), he represents a helluvalot more than just Chicago thugs, all of it bad.
-Jon
I would argue that he
October 7, 2009 - 09:55 ET by Cthulhu2012I would argue that he hasn't even tried to be transformative. If he had he would have followed his own edicts (ie. complete transparency, no lobbyists, etc.) and wouldn't have surrouned himself with Chicago thugs and former Clinton cronies. I think he honestly BELIEVES the hype the media throws his way, and relies on his supposed charisma way too much. Not really a good thing to rely on that, because we've all seen what happens when he goes off the teleprompter. Everything else you said I agree with.
Hopefully the country will wake up as a whole and NOT give this child a second term. Unfortunately I think there's enough stupid people out there who voted for him just because of his race (both white and black), or because he wasn't Bush (and McCain never really answered the charge that he wouldn't change things either) to keep him in office for a second term.
Why choose the lesser of two evils?
I thought people were getting it
October 7, 2009 - 12:32 ET by StarAZToday I read his numbers are going up. Ack!
We cannot afford Porkulus II
October 7, 2009 - 10:36 ET by R D HelmHell, we can't even afford Porkulus I.
When you throw in a crumbling economy, ObamaCare, Crap & Tax, and the hideously destructive VAT queen Nancy just threw onto the table, we are looking at certain economic and financial disaster.
We might be looking at it even without any of the above passing.
Our elected "representatives" have failed us.
-Dave
"we can't even afford
October 7, 2009 - 12:10 ET by NL207"we can't even afford Porkulus I"
And we should repeal it. It contains a huge political war chest intended to be spent in 2010 and intended to re-elect the Democrats.
Barack Obama Where are the Jobs?
October 7, 2009 - 11:51 ET by Retired GeekWhen Barack Obama applied for the job as President, he stated in 'Clear Terms' he would 'Solve' the unemployment problem - instead he has made it worse.
America decided to 'Hire' Barack Obama because he said he would 'Solve' the unemployment problem.
Barack Obama stated he would 'Create' 3,000,000 jobs, instead America has lost 3,000,000 jobs.
Obama supporters will 'Crow' - at least Obama got the number 3,000,000 right.
Barack Obama WHERE ARE THE JOBS YOU PROMISED?
"Does he get it? " Of course Obama "gets it."
October 7, 2009 - 12:07 ET by R D HelmHe just doesn't care.
As the Obamanistas see it, the more people are out of work, the more power the federal government has.
That is all this has been about for over nine months now - exponential expansion of the size and scope of the federal government, and the destruction of the private sector economy.
How many more private industries is the federal government going to grab before people finally figure this out?
-Dave
Glenn Beck gets it
October 7, 2009 - 12:14 ET by jon_torlinGlenn Beck's been showing the clip where it's 5 days before the election on how Soetoro talks about fundamentally transforming America. He told us what he was going to do and did it, and people didn't bat an eye at the time. Damned fools.
-Jon
jon,
October 7, 2009 - 12:32 ET by R D HelmThe sad part is, nearly ten months into the screw, most people still think these people are trying to improve things.
I took two economics courses before I even got out of high school, plus three in college. Of course, I didn't spend much time in government school.
God, is our economics education really this bad in America today?
There is nothing, NOT ONE THING that these people have done since Jan 20th that has ever improved an economy at any time during the whole of recorded history, yet there are so-called "economists" STILL running around all over talking about seeing a recovery on the horizon.
Horse hockey. There is no economic recovery anywhere in sight.
Where did these people get their economics education? Pyongyang?
As for Obama's "transforming" America, what the hell did people think a person who has spent HIS ENTIRE LIFE around communists, Marxists and socialists was going to transform this country into, anyway? A bastion of freedom and liberty?
There are days when I think this country has become too stoopid to continue in its present form.
Today is one of those days.
-Dave
Industrial policy
October 7, 2009 - 12:31 ET by StarAZI feel like I am beating a dead horse with a broken record. We need an Industrial Policy--besides the apparent one of detroying the industrial base. If people can make money, they will hire other people to do it for them. This is capitalism... It is also human nature and the way the world works.
Herbert is just one
October 7, 2009 - 14:23 ET by cajun2I want to see every media outlet with an honest assessment of this administrations failures, then I want an apology from every damn one of them for not doing it sooner.
Attention: Whoever is
October 7, 2009 - 17:26 ET by Kat Outta the BagAttention: Whoever is watering down the Kool-Aid, please cease and desist!