Bully Pulpit
5/3/2010
Bully Pulpit?
The President of the United States probably has the best and also loudest "Bully Pulpit" in the country. When he says something it is guaranteed to hit the media, the blogosphere and all of its off-spring. His messages come through loud if not always clear. Even so, it's a great way to get your thoughts across. Of course there are multiple occasions, practically every day, a President needs to communicate his views or his decisions to the public or to more specific venues. All of these communications are just part of the job.
Naturally, it is expected that the President never loses his cool, in public. He is also expected to set a high standard of comity when dealing with others, foreign as well as domestic because his public behavior sets the tone for the way people communicate with each other, it reflects the media's manner of getting its stories across and for many of us also sets the tone for civil discourse.
But, during the past 16 months we have learned a few things about this President that were not obvious before, neither during the campaign nor in the early months of his Administration.
With the exception of the impact of natural disasters this President very much sets his own priorities, virtually ignoring issues considered by many to warrant his serious attention. And when he picks what motivates him he tells his staff to get things done. He doesn't really like to have to get into the hurly burly of a legislative controversy, he really expects his staff to handle it. But when actually necessary he is not afraid to get into the fight and use whatever methods to get his way. He brooks no contradiction and surely becomes more than testy during the process. "Obama Care" is the prime example.
Yes, the Obama Care process was a live demonstration of a President with 2 tin ears, neither really listening to opposite political views nor willing to pay the opposition the respect our political system has always accorded it. Whenever the opposition talked he ignored them. Similar approaches are to be expected with the coming Cap & Trade legislation, Green Energy, Immigration, Middle East conflicts, Nuclear proliferation or Free Markets.
In each case our country is or will be told what he wants and the executive system he has created in Washington is expected to do what he tells them to do. Never mind the confusion of legislative involvement or other contrary activities by opponents.
Mr. Obama doesn't really appear to be committed to our, albeit imperfect, political system, nor does he seem to care very much for its underlying historic uniqueness, nor our traditional tolerant, give and take approach to many national issues demanding attention and resolution.
He has a personal political agenda and his priorities stem directly from how he believes he will be able to change our political system as fast as possible into what he considers a more desirable one. A system with highly centralized political power, dictatorship?, a system that will be transformed economically to support his own political priorities and do away with fuzzy, self-serving things like "free markets". Control is the secret code.
To me, enough evidence is now available to understand why Mr. Obama has become testy, exhortatory, confrontational and abusive and with a growing tendency to demonize those who disagree with him. This is not the mark of a President of the United States. May be this plays well in Chicago but it should not be exercised nor tolerated in Washington D.C. or anywhere else for that matter.
It also tells me that Mr. Obama is not in fact a real leader. He is just a "party boss" with tough talk, impatience, if not intolerance and where different views and civil niceties have no place. His nature and attitude is to operate alone, above the fray, by making his unquestioning staff members do what has to be done to accomplish his objectives and never mind civil, legal, organizational or traditional objections, resistance or disagreement. What he wants is the only thing that counts. America be damned.
So without putting too fine a point on it, this is the first time in the history of the USA that the principal pulpit in this country is indeed occupied by a dangerous "bully".
.
Bully Pulpit?
The President of the United States probably has the best and also loudest "Bully Pulpit" in the country. When he says something it is guaranteed to hit the media, the blogosphere and all of its off-spring. His messages come through loud if not always clear. Even so, it's a great way to get your thoughts across. Of course there are multiple occasions, practically every day, a President needs to communicate his views or his decisions to the public or to more specific venues. All of these communications are just part of the job.
Naturally, it is expected that the President never loses his cool, in public. He is also expected to set a high standard of comity when dealing with others, foreign as well as domestic because his public behavior sets the tone for the way people communicate with each other, it reflects the media's manner of getting its stories across and for many of us also sets the tone for civil discourse.
But, during the past 16 months we have learned a few things about this President that were not obvious before, neither during the campaign nor in the early months of his Administration.
With the exception of the impact of natural disasters this President very much sets his own priorities, virtually ignoring issues considered by many to warrant his serious attention. And when he picks what motivates him he tells his staff to get things done. He doesn't really like to have to get into the hurly burly of a legislative controversy, he really expects his staff to handle it. But when actually necessary he is not afraid to get into the fight and use whatever methods to get his way. He brooks no contradiction and surely becomes more than testy during the process. "Obama Care" is the prime example.
Yes, the Obama Care process was a live demonstration of a President with 2 tin ears, neither really listening to opposite political views nor willing to pay the opposition the respect our political system has always accorded it. Whenever the opposition talked he ignored them. Similar approaches are to be expected with the coming Cap & Trade legislation, Green Energy, Immigration, Middle East conflicts, Nuclear proliferation or Free Markets.
In each case our country is or will be told what he wants and the executive system he has created in Washington is expected to do what he tells them to do. Never mind the confusion of legislative involvement or other contrary activities by opponents.
Mr. Obama doesn't really appear to be committed to our, albeit imperfect, political system, nor does he seem to care very much for its underlying historic uniqueness, nor our traditional tolerant, give and take approach to many national issues demanding attention and resolution.
He has a personal political agenda and his priorities stem directly from how he believes he will be able to change our political system as fast as possible into what he considers a more desirable one. A system with highly centralized political power, dictatorship?, a system that will be transformed economically to support his own political priorities and do away with fuzzy, self-serving things like "free markets". Control is the secret code.
To me, enough evidence is now available to understand why Mr. Obama has become testy, exhortatory, confrontational and abusive and with a growing tendency to demonize those who disagree with him. This is not the mark of a President of the United States. May be this plays well in Chicago but it should not be exercised nor tolerated in Washington D.C. or anywhere else for that matter.
It also tells me that Mr. Obama is not in fact a real leader. He is just a "party boss" with tough talk, impatience, if not intolerance and where different views and civil niceties have no place. His nature and attitude is to operate alone, above the fray, by making his unquestioning staff members do what has to be done to accomplish his objectives and never mind civil, legal, organizational or traditional objections, resistance or disagreement. What he wants is the only thing that counts. America be damned.
So without putting too fine a point on it, this is the first time in the history of the USA that the principal pulpit in this country is indeed occupied by a dangerous "bully".
.
posted by Schaesberg at 1:19 PM
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