DEAD ZONE PRESIDENCY
Politico’s John Harris: Obama Has “Lost Control Of The Agenda” And Is “A Big Part Of The Problem.” POLITICO’S JOHN HARRIS: “What’s interesting today is we got a lot of members of Congress, Democratic members of Congress, on the record who say a big part of the problem is Obama himself. He is not using the tools of the presidency. No one up there is afraid of him. Nobody up there wants anything from him because they made it clear they’re not in the business of making friends or dispensing favors. He doesn’t have a big idea at this point behind him and he lacks the ability to use the bully pulpit to set the agenda.” MSNBC’S JOE SCARBOROUGH: “So what do you hear from the White House? I mean this guy just got re-elected President of the United States, it was quite a re-election, he promised a lot of things, he gave an inspirational inaugural address for progressives and now he just, again, just seems so oddly adrift. I’ve seen presidents in trouble in their second term, but I haven’t seen them as unfocused as this administration seems to be.” HARRIS: “Joe, they’ve lost control of the agenda.” (MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” 6/25/13)
“Not Yet Six Months Into His Second Term, Barack Obama’s Presidency Is In A Dead Zone.” “Not yet six months into his second term, Barack Obama’s presidency is in a dead zone. A combination of familiar Washington intransigence and a more recent run of bad news and political setbacks have left him with less influence over his circumstances — and more buffeted by factors beyond his control — than at any time in his five years in office.” (John F. Harris, Jake Sherman and Elizabeth Titus, “President Obama In The Doldrums,” Politico, 6/25/13)
A “Wide Variety Of Congressional Democrats And Presidential Scholars” Say The Obama’s “Failure To Use The Traditional Tools Of The Presidency” Has Been A “Decisive Factor Behind Obama’s Current Paralysis.” “But in a damning appraisal, a wide variety of congressional Democrats and presidential scholars said in interviews that there is another decisive factor behind Obama’s current paralysis: his own failure to use the traditional tools of the presidency to exert his will.” (John F. Harris, Jake Sherman and Elizabeth Titus, “President Obama In The Doldrums,” Politico, 6/25/13)
- Rep. Rob Andrews (D-NJ) Doesn’t Think Obama “Has Chosen To Use All The Levers Of Power That He Has At His Disposal.” “‘I don’t think he has chosen to use all the levers of power that he has at his disposal,’ said Rep. Rob Andrews, a New Jersey Democrat. ‘I think he should.’ This sometimes means, in Andrews’s view, making clear that people have good reason to be afraid of him. Andrews said Obama should have told Democrats that if they vote against the president’s push for stronger gun laws, they shouldn’t call the White House for any favors. ‘You want judgeships, ambassadorships, things for your state, don’t bother,’ Andrews said, adding Obama should say, ‘If you’re not with us on this one, we’re not with you on anything either. He doesn’t do that. And he should.’ ‘The president has enormous institutional powers,” Andrews said. “Because of his style, and because of the kind of person he is, he has decided not to use those instruments usually against anyone when it comes to rounding up votes.’” (John F. Harris, Jake Sherman and Elizabeth Titus, “President Obama In The Doldrums,” Politico, 6/25/13)
- Democrat Strategist Doug Sosnik: “There’s Not A Single Member Of Either Party Who Fears Paying A Political Price For Not Falling In Line With The President.” “Doug Sosnik, a veteran Democratic strategist who writes political analyses that are widely followed in Washington circles, wrote last month in his latest report that cumulatively, the erosion of Obama’s power means that ‘there’s not a single member of either party who fears paying a political price for not falling in line with the president, making it even more difficult to get members to cast difficult votes.’” (John F. Harris, Jake Sherman and Elizabeth Titus, “President Obama In The Doldrums,” Politico, 6/25/13)
- Columbia Historian Alan Brinkley: Obama “Has A Reticence That Most Politicians Do Not, And Obama Is Particularly Reticent Compared To His Colleagues.” “Alan Brinkley, a Columbia historian, said this does not fully excuse Obama’s coolness to using the powers that his office does have. ‘He has a reticence that most politicians do not, and Obama is particularly reticent compared to his colleagues,’ he said in an email.” (John F. Harris, Jake Sherman and Elizabeth Titus, “President Obama In The Doldrums,” Politico, 6/25/13)
