Research Briefing

Obama’s Economic Leadership Is Sorely Lacking

OBAMA HAS BEEN “SPECTACULARLY UNABLE” TO SHOW LEADERSHIP

The New York Times’ Maureen Dowd: “The Politician Who Came Across As A Redeemer In 2008 Is Now In Need Of Redemption Himself.” (Maureen Dowd, Op-Ed,“Withholder In Chief,” The New York Times, 8/9/11) 

• Dowd: “The president has been so spectacularly unable to fill the leadership void in Washington that the high-spirited Michele Bachmann feels free to purloin Obama’s old mantra.” (Maureen Dowd, Op-Ed,“Withholder In Chief,” The New York Times, 8/9/11)
• Democrats Wish Obama Was “More Forceful” And “More Of A Fighter.” “‘We just wish he’d be more of a fighter,’ said one influential Democrat with a grimace. Another agreed: ‘You can’t blame him for everything. I just wish he would come across more forceful at times, but that is not the dude’s style. Detached hurts you when things are sour.’” (Maureen Dowd, Op-Ed,“Withholder In Chief,” The New York Times, 8/9/11)

Former Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland: “There are parts of the base that are discouraged.” (Mark Landler And Jeff Zeleny, “Debt Fight Over, Obama Promises Action On Jobs,” The New York Times, 8/2/11)

• Strickland: “I don’t know that it’s the result of any personal animosity toward the president, but going forward it’s going to be important for him to inspire us, lead us, challenge us and be a real leader.” (Mark Landler And Jeff Zeleny, “Debt Fight Over, Obama Promises Action On Jobs,” The New York Times, 8/2/11)

Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA): "I am just sorely upset that Obama doesn't seize the moment.” (Peter Nicholas, “Debt Drama Takes Political Toll On Obama,” Los Angeles Times, 8/3/11)

• Harkin: "That's what great presidents do in times of crisis. They exert executive leadership. He went wobbly in the knees." (Peter Nicholas, “Debt Drama Takes Political Toll On Obama,” Los Angeles Times, 8/3/11)

Former Clinton Press Secretary Dee Dee Myers: “The president has shown himself unwilling to just dig in on a position.” (Karen Tumulty and Peter Wallsten, “Nervous Democrats Say President Obama Must Be Bolder On Economy,” The Washington Post, 8/10/11)

• Myers: “He’s for jobs. I’ve heard him say that. He’s for being the grown-up in the room. But beyond that, I’m not actually sure what his bottom line is.” (Karen Tumulty and Peter Wallsten, “Nervous Democrats Say President Obama Must Be Bolder On Economy,” The Washington Post, 8/10/11)

The Washington Post’s Matt Miller: “In conversations with folks across the center-left in recent days, everyone’s basically had it with the president.” (Matt Miller, Op-Ed, “Why The Center-Left Is Fed Up With Obama,” The Washington Post, 8/10/11)

• Miller: “Yet somehow the debt-ceiling fiasco and the downgrade, punctuated by these horrific jobs numbers and stock market gyrations, has made something in me (and, I suspect, millions of others) snap. It’s the sound of confidence in Obama’s leadership breaking.” (Matt Miller, Op-Ed, “Why The Center-Left Is Fed Up With Obama,” The Washington Post, 8/10/11)
  
  
• Miller: “Events keep screaming that the president is weak, weak, weak.” (Matt Miller, Op-Ed, “Why The Center-Left Is Fed Up With Obama,” The Washington Post, 8/10/11)
  
  
• Miller: “If this is how it plays out, people like me won’t just be mad at Obama. We’ll be mad at ourselves for believing he was going to be different.” (Matt Miller, Op-Ed, “Why The Center-Left Is Fed Up With Obama,” The Washington Post, 8/10/11)

Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) Told The Hill At The End Of June “The Leadership Has To Be More Outspoken And Make The Case.” (Alexander Bolton, “Obama’s Soft Response To Tea Party Draws Liberal Criticism,” The Hill, 8/6/11)

• Lautenberg: “This is the biggest courtroom in the world, and you can’t get a verdict that is positive without making the argument.” (Alexander Bolton, “Obama’s Soft Response To Tea Party Draws Liberal Criticism,” The Hill, 8/6/11)

Former Pennsylvania Gov. Edward G. Rendell: Obama Needs To Show Voters Leadership. “‘He has to show independents, conservative Democrats and moderate Republicans — all of those votes are still up for grabs — that he’s still a strong leader,’ former Gov. Edward G. Rendell of Pennsylvania said in an interview.” (Jackie Calmes and Helene Cooper, “Obama Team Turns It Focus To Tough Re-Election Fight” The New York Times, 8/6/11)

Reuters: “Some liberal pundits are complaining about him, charging that he lacks empathy, needs to connect better with ordinary Americans and has to show strength against his Republican opponents.” (Steve Holland, “Analysis: Under Fire, Obama Struggles To Instill Confidence,” Reuters, 8/10/11)

The Hill: “Liberals Are Growing Frustrated With President Obama’s Soft Response.” “Liberals are growing frustrated with President Obama’s soft response to the Tea Party after fractious negotiations over the debt limit led to the loss of nation’s AAA credit rating on Friday.” (Alexander Bolton, “Obama’s Soft Response To Tea Party Draws Liberal Criticism,” The Hill, 8/6/11)

Justin Ruben, Executive Director Of Moveon.Org Says Obama Not Using His Megaphone To Speak Clearly. “’It’s hard to see how we avoid a Tea-Party recession if the president who has the biggest megaphone in the country is not willing to speak clearly on the issue,’ Justin Ruben, executive director of MoveOn.org, told The Hill in a Saturday afternoon interview.” (Alexander Bolton, “Obama’s Soft Response To Tea Party Draws Liberal Criticism,” The Hill, 8/6/11)

Adam Green, Head Of The Progressive Change Campaign Committee: “The Democratic President Has No Idea How To Fight Or Exert Leverage.” “Of all the Democratic leaders in the room, it’s a pretty safe bet that Nancy Pelosi is doing the most to exert leverage on behalf of progressive priorities,” Adam Green, head of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, said in an email. “That’s a bit tough to do, though, when the Democratic president has no idea how to fight or exert leverage, and is giving away the store.” (Mike Lillis, “Exasperated House Liberals Back Pelosi, Point Finger At President Obama,” The Hill, 8/9/11)

Democratic Strategist Gary Pearce: “Democrats Are Worried. He Looks Weak, He Doesn’t Say Anything That Grabs You.” “Gary Pearce, a Democratic strategist in North Carolina, a swing state Mr. Obama is likely to struggle to retain in 2012, said: ‘Democrats are worried. He looks weak, he doesn't say anything that grabs you, and people are looking for some kind of magic.’" (Alex Spillius, “Democrats Doubt Barack Obama’s Reelection Chances,” The Telegraph, 8/9/11)

Ross Baker, Rutgers University Professor: Obama Has To Stand Up For What He Believes In. “‘The president has to put some muscle in his rhetoric and go after the Tea Party as home wreckers. I think the president in following his own precept in being a conciliator. It’s great and quite noble but he’s in a situation in which he really has to stand up for things in which he believes,’ Baker said.” (Alexander Bolton, “Obama’s Soft Response To Tea Party Draws Liberal Criticism,” The Hill, 8/6/11)

ESPECIALLY WHEN IT COMES TO THE ECONOMY

The Washington Post: “Nervous Democrats Say President Obama Must Be Bolder On Economy.” (Karen Tumulty and Peter Wallsten, “Nervous Democrats Say President Obama Must Be Bolder On Economy,” The Washington Post, 8/10/11)

• WaPo: “With President Obama’s reelection on the line, Democrats are increasingly anxious about what they see as his failure to advance a coherent and muscular strategy for addressing the nation’s economic ills.” (Karen Tumulty and Peter Wallsten, “Nervous Democrats Say President Obama Must Be Bolder On Economy,” The Washington Post, 8/10/11)

Andy Stern, Former SEIU Leader: Obama Is “Hammering Points That Seem Out Of Touch” To Most Americans.  “But Andy Stern, the former Service Employees International Union leader who frequently advised Mr. Obama in his first two years in office, says the president must stop hammering points that seem out of touch with the daily struggles of middle-class Americans, who want to hear about jobs.” (Stephanie Kirchgaessner, “Obama’s Image Takes A Beating,” Financial Times 8/2/11)

• Stern: “People are not looking for new rhetoric, they are looking for a changed reality. And right now, reality is pretty scary.” (Stephanie Kirchgaessner, “Obama’s Image Takes A Beating,” Financial Times 8/2/11)
  
  
• Stern: “We have no growth plan.”  (Stephanie Kirchgaessner, “Obama’s Image Takes A Beating,” Financial Times 8/2/11)

Obama Allies Are Critical Of The President For Not Coming Out Yet With A Plan For Jobs And The Budget. “Some of Mr. Obama’s political allies try to spin the story the other way, criticizing him for not coming out yet with public plans to both cut the deficit and stimulate the economy.” (Helene Cooper, “A Test for Obama’s View of a One-Term Presidency,” The New York Times, 8/9/11)

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka Says Obama Needs To Offer Solutions For Job Creation. “AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka has posed a mighty challenge to President Barack Obama: When it comes to job creation, offer solutions that match the scale of the problem.” (Melanie Trottman, “Trumka Turns Up Pressure For Jobs,” The Wall Street Journal’s “Washington Wire,” 8/8/11)

• Trumka: We Need More Than “Sound Bites.” “In an appearance on MSNBC Monday, Mr. Trumka said the nation needs a jobs agenda that amounts to more than just ‘sound bites’ from U.S. leaders.” (Melanie Trottman, “Trumka Turns Up Pressure For Jobs,” The Wall Street Journal’s “Washington Wire,” 8/8/11)
  
  
• Trumka Said Obama Should Apply “Urgency” To Job Creation.“During a conference call with reporters Friday, Mr. Trumka was more specific, saying he wants to see Mr. Obama apply the same urgency to job creation as he did to the debt ceiling crisis.” (Melanie Trottman, “Trumka Turns Up Pressure For Jobs,” The Wall Street Journal’s “Washington Wire,” 8/8/11)

With “Little Prospect For Rapid Economic Growth Over The Next Two Years” Obama’s Economic Team Is “Angry And Morose.” “The Federal Reserve’s finding on Tuesday that there is little prospect for rapid economic growth over the next two years was the latest in a summer of bad economic news. One administration official called the atmosphere around the president’s economic team ‘angry and morose.’” (Helene Cooper, “A Test for Obama’s View of a One-Term Presidency,” The New York Times, 8/9/11)

Robert Shapiro, Top Clinton Economic Advisor: Obama’s First-Term Policies “Didn’t Deliver The Prosperity His Economic Team Promised.” “One reason the White House may not want to shift gears now is that doing so would ‘tacitly acknowledge that his first-term program didn’t deliver the prosperity his economic team promised,’ said Robert J. Shapiro, who was the top economic adviser to Bill Clinton’s 1992 presidential campaign.” (Karen Tumulty and Peter Wallsten, “Nervous Democrats Say President Obama Must Be Bolder On Economy,” The Washington Post, 8/10/11)

Top Democrat Strategist: Obama’s Record “Is Going To Be… A Liability.”  A top Democratic strategist who is close to the White House said that Obama’s first-term record ‘is going to be, on balance, probably a liability’ for his reelection, partly ‘because of the failure to sell and explain the things that they were doing.’” (Jim Vandehei & Mike Allen, “President Obama’s Big Drags,” Politico, 8/4/11)

Former Clinton Commerce Official, David Rothkopf, “The United States Is Either At The Precipice Or Has Fallen Off It.” “‘The problem for Obama is that right now, the United States is either at a precipice or has fallen off it,’ said David Rothkopf, a Commerce Department official in the Clinton administration. ‘If he is true to his commitment to rather be a good one-term president, then this is the character test. In some respects, this is the 3 a.m. phone call.’” (Helene Cooper, “A Test for Obama’s View of a One-Term Presidency,” The New York Times, 8/9/11)

• Rothkopf: Obama Needs To Focus On “Getting The Economy Back On Track For The Long Haul.” “Mr. Obama, Mr. Rothkopf argues, has to focus in the next 18 months on getting the economy back on track for the long haul, even if that means pushing for politically unpalatable budget cuts, including real — but hugely unpopular — reductions in Social Security, other entitlement programs and the military.” (Helene Cooper, “A Test for Obama’s View of a One-Term Presidency,” The New York Times, 8/9/11)

Robert Reich, President Clinton’s Labor Secretary: "For the good of the country and for his own political future, he's got to be seen as making jobs his first and major priority. And I fear he's not doing that." (Peter Nicholas, “Obama, Congressional Leaders Seek Leverage From Economic Jolt,” Los Angeles Times, 8/8/11)