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The Drip, Drip, Drip of Leaking Confidence
Townhall ^ | March 15, 2009 | Carol Platt Liebau

Posted on 03/15/2009 4:42:25 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet

In what should be an extremely worrisome sign for the Obama administration, even those who most fervently supported Barack Obama are now beginning to express substantial doubts about his ability to govern.

Columns by the Washington Post's David Broder (who proclaims the end of the Obama honeymoon), the NY Daily News' Michael Goodwin, and the always-reliable Michael Barone highlight the point.

Mind you, it's not Broder, Goodwin or Barone expressing their own opinions. Rather, they're quoting Obama loyalists.

Broder: "[S]ome thoughtful congressional Democrats with whom I have spoken . . .worry that [Obama] has bitten off more than he can chew. "

Goodwin: "[A] veteran Democratic pol approached me with a pained look on his face and asked, 'Do you think they know what they're doing?'"

Barone: "We've been hearing a lot of criticism of Barack Obama in recent days from pro-Obama corners -- from celebrity investor Warren Buffett, from moderate conservative columnist David Brooks, from one of the Democratic Party's deepest thinkers, William Galston . . ."

Obviously, it's premature and foolish to say that the administration is in trouble; that's no more true than it was to believe that the Second Coming was at hand on Inauguration Day.

Nevertheless, a meme is developing among the elites and pundit class -- and such memes often spread, relatively quickly, to the public at large. And this meme is one that should be very disturbing to the Administration -- because it's based on competence.

In a robust economy, people are willing to give a new, untried President time to get his bearings. But in difficult times, people expect a President to get the job done -- especially one who has been touted as a virtual Messiah, who is surrounding himself with the Best and Brightest. And so far, there isn't much about the administration's record of accomplishment that offers a lot of encouragement for all the people who so vociferously pinned their hopes on an Obama presidency.

And the new Obama strategy -- stepping up the blame-shifting game for the troubled economy -- carries more than a whiff of desperation. What's more, it isn't likely to do him any favors at all. Obama's personal popularity depends on retaining his image as someone who is seeking to bring an end to the divisive politics of the past. So how, exactly, does he plan to do that as he whines and points fingers at President Bush?

After all, weren't these the problems he promised us he could solve if he was given the top job?


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Editorial; Government; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: 111th; amateurhour; bho2009; bho44; bush; congress; democrats; economy; obama
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Duh!


41 posted on 03/15/2009 8:05:38 PM PDT by LiteKeeper (Beware of socialism in America; the Islamization of Eurabia)
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To: TheConservativeParty

BUMP!! Excellent.


42 posted on 03/15/2009 8:34:25 PM PDT by upchuck (I'm glad I'm old. Thus I can remember when America was a decent, moral, God fearing country.)
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To: TheConservativeParty; nascarnation

I agree with both of you.


43 posted on 03/15/2009 8:37:43 PM PDT by Canedawg (Congress shall make no law abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

“’Do you think they know what they’re doing?”

The ones that are licking their chops unfortunately are not the republicans, but Pelosi and Reid. For them this is a dream come true, especially given all the eunichs on our side. They have carte blanche to spend and tax at will and institute new programs at lightning speed.


44 posted on 03/15/2009 10:41:11 PM PDT by aquila48
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To: TheConservativeParty

You just said what I’ve been feeling. I can’t look at him either.

You’re dead on about the eyes... no pun intended.


45 posted on 03/16/2009 12:09:06 AM PDT by diamond6 (Is SIDS preventable? www.Stopsidsnow.com)
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To: aquila48
The ones that are licking their chops unfortunately are not the republicans, but Pelosi and Reid. For them this is a dream come true, especially given all the eunichs on our side. They have carte blanche to spend and tax at will and institute new programs at lightning speed.

We need to make sure that Reid does not win his next election.

Then as a cost saving measure take Nancy's plane away.

46 posted on 03/16/2009 1:15:51 AM PDT by Irish Eyes
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To: diamond6

He scares the crap out of me. He makes HildaBeast seem like a nun. He is a whole new level of sneaky evil bastard. He flashes that pretty smile at the Useful Idiots, and all I see is the evil that is behind those eyes and what his sick brain wants to do to our beloved country.


47 posted on 03/16/2009 1:53:15 PM PDT by TheConservativeParty (Democrats are bastard coated bastards with bastard filling.)
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