Obama doesn't get the theater of policis

[Adam]

President Obama has always been a terrible political actor

And yet, for all of his abilities and accomplishments, Obama simply has ever been willing to embrace the theater end of politics, the idea that sometimes how things look matter as much as how they really are.

The latest example came late last month when, minutes after delivering a statement proclaiming himself "heartbroken" over the execution of journalist James Foley by the Islamic State, Obama went out and played a round of golf on Martha's Vineyard. On Sunday, in an interview with Chuck Todd on "Meet the Press", Obama came close to acknowledging that that decision had been a mistake. He said (in part): "I should've anticipated the optics. Part of this job is also the theater of it....it's not always something that comes naturally to me. But it matters."

It definitely does not come naturally to him. I still remember vividly a forum featuring then candidate Obama at Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa in the late fall of 2007. (I was helping to moderate the event for MTV. And, yes, I was once hip.) At the event, a young woman stood up and, in tears, told of how her father had been deported. It was heart-wrenching. I could easily imagine Bill Clinton wading into the crowd, hugging the young woman and, in the process, creating a bit of political theater that would have made the national news. Obama stood in the middle of the theater in the round and delivered a totally proficient -- and professorial -- discourse on the problems with the country's immigration laws. It felt like an opportunity missed.

[....]

Second, Obama's 2008 presidential candidacy -- not to mention more broadly how he imagines his space in the political firmament -- was a reaction to Bill Clinton, the last Democrat elected to the nation's highest office. (That fact was affirmed by the fact that he was running against another Clinton for the nomination.) Bill Clinton loved -- and loves -- the theater of politics; he also happens to be a master at it. Obama, in defining himself against the Clintons -- Bill and Hillary -- purposely rejected what he considered empty acts that might look good but ultimately accomplished little to nothing.

Got that, everybody? Obama doesn't play political theater.





He's not good at it and it doesn't come naturally to him to do things that look good for him but are meaningless.





He doesn't even like this glory and adulation.





All this stuff is just unnatural to him and he doesn't know how to play any of that political theater stuff.

[Norm dePlume]

Got that, everybody? Obama doesn't play political theater.

That's not what he said.

He's not good at it and it doesn't come naturally to him to do things that look good for him but are meaningless.

He didn't say that either.

He doesn't even like this glory and adulation.

He didn't even address that topic, but you're just on a roll at this point, right?

All this stuff is just unnatural to him and he doesn't know how to play any of that political theater stuff.

Again, he never said he doesn't know how.

[Norm dePlume]

Just to note the deck from which this flight of fancy took off:

CHUCK TODD: I've got to ask, so during that vacation, you made the statement on Foley, you went and golfed. Do you want that back?

PRES. OBAMA: It is always a challenge when you're supposed to be on vacation because you're followed everywhere. And part of what I'd love is a vacation from the press.

CHUCK TODD: Yeah, you want us to stop following you. I promise you, in two and a half years I think that'll happen.

PRES. OBAMA: Because the possibility of a jarring contrast given the world's news, there's always going to be some tough news somewhere, it's going to be there. But there's no doubt that after having talked to the families, where it was hard for me to hold back tears listening to the pain that they were going through after the statement that I made, that I should've anticipated the optics.

That's part of the job. And I think everybody who knows me, including, I suspect, the press, understands that you take this stuff in and it's serious business. And you care about it deeply. But part of this job is also the theater of it. Part of it is how are you--

CHUCK TODD: You hate that you--

PRES. OBAMA: Well, it's not something that always comes naturally to me. But it matters. And I'm mindful of that. So the important thing is in addition to that, is am I getting the policies right? Am I protecting the American people? Am I doing what's necessary?

[Adam]

That's not what he said.

Yeah, actually, it's exactly what he said.

He didn't say that either.

RIF:

It definitely does not come naturally to him.

He didn't even address that topic, but you're just on a roll at this point, right?

Oh bullshit. Chris is trying to pull off an "aww shucks" for Obama and any idiot reading his tripe knows that already.

Again, he never said he doesn't know how.

Yeah, he did:

At the event, a young woman stood up and, in tears, told of how her father had been deported. It was heart-wrenching. I could easily imagine Bill Clinton wading into the crowd, hugging the young woman and, in the process, creating a bit of political theater that would have made the national news. Obama stood in the middle of the theater in the round and delivered a totally proficient -- and professorial -- discourse on the problems with the country's immigration laws. It felt like an opportunity missed.

Just to note the deck from which this flight of fancy took off:

With Obama LUDICROUSLY claiming that political theater didn't come naturally to him, which you SPECIFICALLY CLAIMED Obama didn't say.


Grenade!

[Norm dePlume]

Yeah, actually, it's exactly what he said.

RIF:

Oh bullshit. Chris is trying to pull off an "aww shucks" for Obama and any idiot reading his tripe knows that already.

Yeah, he did:

Are you under the impression that Obama speaks about himself in the third person? Because you're putting out quotes supposedly showing what Obama said, and these quotes are referring to Obama as "him" and "Obama".

[Norm dePlume]

With Obama LUDICROUSLY claiming that political theater didn't come naturally to him, which you SPECIFICALLY CLAIMED Obama didn't say.


Grenade!

This:

He's not good at it and it doesn't come naturally to him to do things that look good for him but are meaningless.

is SPECIFICALLY not the same as this:

it's not something that always comes naturally to me

[Adam]

Are you under the impression that Obama speaks about himself in the third person?

No. Are you?

Because you're putting out quotes supposedly showing what Obama said,

No, I am not.

and these quotes are referring to Obama as "him" and "Obama".

No, I did not.


Once again: RIF.

[Norm dePlume]

That's not what he said.

Yeah, actually, it's exactly what he said.

He didn't say that either.

RIF:

It definitely does not come naturally to him.

He didn't even address that topic, but you're just on a roll at this point, right?

Oh bullshit. Chris is trying to pull off an "aww shucks" for Obama and any idiot reading his tripe knows that already.

Again, he never said he doesn't know how.

Yeah, he did:

At the event, a young woman stood up and, in tears, told of how her father had been deported. It was heart-wrenching. I could easily imagine Bill Clinton wading into the crowd, hugging the young woman and, in the process, creating a bit of political theater that would have made the national news. Obama stood in the middle of the theater in the round and delivered a totally proficient -- and professorial -- discourse on the problems with the country's immigration laws. It felt like an opportunity missed.

With Obama LUDICROUSLY claiming that political theater didn't come naturally to him, which you SPECIFICALLY CLAIMED Obama didn't say.


Grenade!

If Obama said something that refers to Obama as "him" or "Obama" then Obama would be referring to himself in third person. That's not what happened. Those things you quoted were written by someone other than Obama, and yet you're quoting them as if they're what Obama said.

"Obama didn't say that."

"Yes he did. Right here: [Quote of something not said by Obama]"

[Adam]

If Obama said something that refers to Obama as "him" or "Obama" then Obama would be referring to himself in third person. That's not what happened. Those things you quoted were written by someone other than Obama, and yet you're quoting them as if they're what Obama said.

"Obama didn't say that."

"Yes he did. Right here: [Quote of something not said by Obama]"

Try reading the fucking OP, you moron. HIM is Chris, the author of the OP.

[Norm dePlume]

Try reading the fucking OP, you moron. HIM is Chris, the author of the OP.

Really? You didn't know I was saying Obama didn't say those things?

With Obama LUDICROUSLY claiming that political theater didn't come naturally to him, which you SPECIFICALLY CLAIMED Obama didn't say.


Grenade!

[Adam]

Really? You didn't know I was saying Obama didn't say those things?

More defense of the indefensible.

[Gingersnap]

The President has shown an excellent grasp of "optics" on many occasions in the past. Whether he personally enjoys political theater or not, he's perfectly capable of pulling it off and has in the past. In any event, the golfing-while-Rome-burns behavior isn't an image choice on par with hugging a story-teller or skipping a particular campaign/fundraising stop.

People expect world leaders to put personal entertainment inclinations on hold and get to work when world events emerge. This is their job. The idea that the President had a lot of free time on his hands as the Middle East explodes and his own country grapples with enormous issues is surreal.

Had any Republican president performed in exactly the same way, the press and political analysts would have been outraged and condemned the behavior.

[Adam]

The President has shown an excellent grasp of "optics" on many occasions in the past. Whether he personally enjoys political theater or not, he's perfectly capable of pulling it off and has in the past. In any event, the golfing-while-Rome-burns behavior isn't an image choice on par with hugging a story-teller or skipping a particular campaign/fundraising stop.

People expect world leaders to put personal entertainment inclinations on hold and get to work when world events emerge. This is their job. The idea that the President had a lot of free time on his hands as the Middle East explodes and his own country grapples with enormous issues is surreal.

Had any Republican president performed in exactly the same way, the press and political analysts would have been outraged and condemned the behavior.

Or even just behaved close to the same way.

Bush caught unmitigated shit for that, and continued to until very recently, when suddenly it was conveniently forgotten because Obama is a thousand times worse.

[Norm dePlume]

Or even just behaved close to the same way.

Bush caught unmitigated shit for that, and continued to until very recently, when suddenly it was conveniently forgotten because Obama is a thousand times worse.

Actually, the news media completely let that slide at the time. That's why it had some impact two years later when Michael Moore put it in a movie.

[Gingersnap]

Actually, the news media completely let that slide at the time. That's why it had some impact two years later when Michael Moore put it in a movie.

Actually, he was widely criticized at the moment of that remark. This despite the fact that he was commenting on the death of non-Americans in a foreign country after a terror strike on that country. He was not making remarks about the murder of an American citizen by an organization which had stated that it was at war with the United States.

Should Bush have declined comment until he was in a more appropriate environment? Probably. Is this equivalent to President Obama's ongoing behavior in terms of recreation? No.