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PrintJanuary 25, 2011
The juvenile president
The notion that the White House team has been bereft of ideas on the jobs front is the focus of a new, forthcoming Sunday's New York Times Magazine article by reporter Peter Baker. Baker takes a journey down the White House Rabbit Hole and writes a fascinating behind-the-scenes look into Obama and his hapless economic team.
In an advance copy obtained by the Tatler, Baker writes that three days before Christmas, Obama sits down with his economic team to pen ideas for his State of the Union speech. Baker writes, "[H]e was looking for bold ways to bring down unemployment. The ideas presented to him, though, seemed familiar and uninspired. ‘You know, guys,' he said, according to someone in the room, ‘I've told you before, I want you to come to me with ideas that EXCITE me.' Nothing he was hearing excited him. Obama's frustration could set the tone for the remainder of his term."
Baker also outlines how poorly the economic "team" operated. Talking to all Obama's economic advisers, he writes "was like picking through the wreckage of a messy divorce."
So now we're getting a peek into the best new idea that came from his economic team and EXCITES the President: today's announcement of a "Council on Jobs and Competitiveness."
This just reminds me how easily Barack Obama is bored. He was bored as a US Senator when he complained about Senators flapping their gums, sighing wearily "Yak, yak, yak." He passed a note during a committee hearing led by Joe Biden that said" Shoot me now". There are more examples describing how bored he was as a Senator here:
From Game Change:
He is bored by the drafting of legislation: he does not do that. He is the antitheses of a policy wonk-like Clinton was.
He is bored by suburbs. He said that "I'm not interested in the suburbs . The suburbs bore me" and was dismissive of worker bees who commute on trains to their jobs.
He was bored as a community organizer and went to Harvard with the idea of being able to gain political power to be able to have a big impact.
What does excite him?
Obama said he wanted to "fundamentally transform America". That is exciting-for him. The one bit of praise Obama had for Ronald Reagan regarded the transformational policies Reagan was able to put in place.
He is excited by adoring crowds (see any number of events, from the Denver stadium, to Europe).
He is excited playing basketball games with superstars. His own "dream team"
He is excited giving sports commentary on national TV
He is excited by cool-looking boondoggles like the wasteful green energy projects he touts, or high speed rail, electric cars, solar projects, and windmills. He is like a young boy with shiny new toys he wants to show off.
Why do taxpayers have to fund his need for excitement? He is like a kid with a credit card who gets thrilled with the mere spending of money-especially other people's money. We have a bored teenager and shopaholic as President.
