As the mid-term elections draw near, I have been thinking about what President Obama promised to do, what he has gotten done, and not gotten done, and what a Republican controlled Congress may mean for him and the country, among other things. Peter Baker wrote the article I have chosen for your blog this week. It is a length article, so you may want to read it in the print view. Write your response to the article. You may want to think about Baker's position on the interview (how did he approach and conduct the interview - journalistic style). Other questions you might want to consider when reading:
What has gone right for President Obama?
What has gone wrong for President Obama?
What does President Obama see as his "tactical lessons?"
What does he still need to do?
What will a Republican controlled Congress mean for him?
Writing Style: I liked the article and the way it was written. It was told like a narrative, and as such, it makes Obama and his administration seem less like an institution and more like living breathing people. There are more quotes, inferences, and human touches projected than a simple Q&A interview. Peter Baker uses a lot of big picture concepts, such as “Obama preaches patience in an impatient age.” This perspective and context provides a background for readers to consider, and actually lends to sympathizing with Obama.
ReplyDeleteWhat has gone right: Obama is satisfied with “the broad direction of his presidency.” He has an agenda and so far believes he has already reached 70% of the items he wanted to do, and he has fulfilled 3 of 5 major promises he made.
What has gone wrong: “White House officials largely agree they should not have let the health care process drag out while waiting for Republican support that would never come.” Besides specific incidences, the larger trend of what has gone wrong is the effects of his administration’s actions on his public image. “He let himself look too much like “the same old tax-and-spend liberal Democrat.”
What he sees as his "tactical lessons": His biggest lesson is that he has to balance his policies with politics. “In order to win in Washington, you have to play by its rules.” What that means is that he can’t just get in there and get stuff done; he has to wrap it in shiny packaging, call in the news-cameras, and really tactfully sell it to the American people. Baker remarks that “It is not enough to be supremely sure that he is right if no one else agrees with him.”
What he still needs to do: As his advisors have said, the agenda for the next two years “will have to be limited and focused on the things that are achievable and high priorities for the American people.” I personally hope he follows their advice. Even though big changes take time and patience, in the end Americans better have some concrete results.
What a Republican controlled Congress means for him: In short, a divided government means that Obama will have to become more agile at politics. This will be extremely hard because he has shown these past two years that political agility in particular is a weak point for him. In general, he had better work on being less of the “introvert” that Baker identified him as, and more of the “glad-handler” that Baker identified Clinton as. Obama will need to change his political approach from just his administration pioneering the way, to working with his adversaries. Tom Daschle put it succinctly as: “The key word is ‘inclusion.’ He’s got to find ways to be inclusive.”
Baker tackled this article with a more informal, narrative style. Since government and politics can get lengthy, confusing, and often boring, divulging a more personal side was very effective in keeping the article focused and interesting. Baker gave us an insight into Obama’s “cool, confident, often introverted” personality, while analyzing how the past two years have gone regarding public approval and what the next two years may look like.
ReplyDeleteA lot of things have gone wrong for poor Obama, and this article does a good job at making him a sympathetic and realistic person while still acknowledging that he needs to improve. He has inherited some pretty hefty problems, such as the recession, the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, and an increasing partisan and venomous Washington. It has been proven that a bad economy will cause a drop in approval rating for even the best president. Also, the article brings up an interesting point: For a modern president, success is almost impossible. Due to a poisonous news media, an impatience populace, and a rising cynicism in people holding power, it is very hard to be a winning president in today’s climate.
The article also cites the “tactical lessons” that Obama has learned. He says that he has allowed himself to be labeled as the “same old tax-and-spend liberal democrat” and has failed to harness the inspiration and stay connected with the people who elected him. Also, Obama is constantly struggling with defining his role in Washington, and says he is learning that to win in Washington, you must play by the rules. Obama is learning the hard way that failing to communicate clearly with the populace will result in you getting mislabeled or misunderstood. He is learning that he has to start the conversation, or it will be started for him—often in a way that is detrimental to his cause.
All of this aside, Obama has still triumphed in some aspects and is ready to address that. He says he has fulfilled 3 of the 5 promises he made: healthcare, education reform, and ending combat in Iraq while escalating involvement in Afghanistan. He says that he is willing to make hard decisions over the next two years that may not secure him a re-election, but will make the country a better place.
He says he still needs to fulfill other promises made during his campaign and needs to prevent an intraparty fight in 2012. He wants to connect more with Republicans and focus on things that are achievable and a high-priority to the public.
A Republican controlled congress is, of course, a huge worry for him. It means that he will have a “foil” just as Clinton had when he had a majority Republican congress. But still, Obama is aware of this possibility and says he will be willing to work to make the environment in Washington more bipartisan.
I believe that Obama is by no means perfect, but is still doing a good job with the presidency. He is not sacrificing who he is as a person and is not sitting down when faced with a challenge. As said in the article, people’s expectations of what he can do have become entirely too unrealistic and impatient. Liberals think he hasn’t done enough, conservatives think he has done too much. I think Obama has worked to strike a happy medium, and the public needs to be aware that a lot of their anger should be towards our nation’s current situation, not the man who is trying to fix it.
1) What has gone right for President Obama? I feel that a lot has gone right for president Obama. He has accomplished 70% of what he agreed to do while he was campaigning. He also noted that as long as he was in office he was going to work hard on the last 30%.
ReplyDelete2)What has gone wrong for President Obama? In this article President Obama admits that he focused too much on policy and not the politics. I quote,“Given how much stuff was coming at us,” Obama told me, “we probably spent much more time trying to get the policy right than trying to get the politics right. There is probably a perverse pride in my administration — and I take responsibility for this; this was blowing from the top — that we were going to do the right thing, even if short-term it was unpopular. And I think anybody who’s occupied this office has to remember that success is determined by an intersection in policy and politics and that you can’t be neglecting of marketing and P.R. and public opinion.” He realized that if he would have focused on the politics more than the policy that things would have gone better for him during the first half of his term.
3)What does President Obama see as his "tactical lessons?" I quote, "He let himself look too much like “the same old tax-and-spend liberal Democrat.” He realized too late that “there’s no such thing as shovel-ready projects” when it comes to public works. Perhaps he should not have proposed tax breaks as part of his stimulus and instead “let the Republicans insist on the tax cuts” so it could be seen as a bipartisan compromise." this is what President Obama viewed as his "tactical lesson."
4)What does he still need to do? He still needs to fulfill the other 30% he promoted in his campaign, make a better amends with the democrats, and make the public and our nation happier.
5)What will a Republican controlled Congress mean for him? I understand that the possibility of Republicans controlling Congress is a worry for him but he is optimistic about it. I know that he does not want to be in the same position as former President Clinton. Despite this our president is still willing to do what it takes to make Congress more bipartisan.
6) I must say I enjoyed the position Baker took on in the interview. In my opinion he took on all sides of issues and was non biased while conveying them. I also like the way he kept the realism of President Obama and displayed him as a real person. Barker also wrote the article in a nontraditional way which made it more appealing to everyday or not as politically informed Americans.
Writing Style-This article includes a lot of personalization of the president by incorporating more description of Obama and adding more of his quotes. I think the writer wanted his readers to be able to connect with Barrack Obama as a person rather than just the President of the United States.
ReplyDeleteWhat has gone right- In the article, Obama says he is quite happy with what he has done so far with health care and the stimulus package. He says that he has accomplished 70% of what he proposed he would do while campaigning.
What has gone Wrong- Obama feels that the public expected an immediate fix to the nation's problems. He says that issues like these take time to resolve. President Obama also says that he failed to stay connected with the people who got him into office in the first place.Also, Obama says he's learned that you can't just expect to get in there and start changing things. He has discovered that his persuasive talking skills aren't enough to make changes.
President Obama's "tactical lessons"-Obama thinks he let himself more too much like "the same old tax-and-spend liberal Democrat." He also realized too late that there was no such thing as shovel ready jobs for the public. Obama says he has learned that in order to win in Washington you have to play by their rules.
What he still needs to do- If Obama gets re-elected, he wants to work on being more bipartisan and working closely with Republicans. He aims to focus his 2012 campaign more on the remaining issues he wants to resolve.
What a Republican Congress would mean- If Obama has to work with a Republican controlled Congress, he will definitely have to be more bipartisan. He won't be able to work around Republicans and rely on Democrats to get things done. He will have to make his proposals more favorable to Republicans.
Writing Style: I actually like the way this article is written. Like Nancy said, these articles can lengthy and boring, but Baker didn't just make this article like tipical interviews. He made it more interesting by not just making it all Q&A or just straight to the point. He started it off by talking about the decorations and just gave really vivid descriptions then gradually got into the interview. He also gave actual quotes which made it better too.
ReplyDeleteRight: For one, Obama has become the first black president so that's one thing that has gone right. He did make many promises but he has fulfiled 3 out of 5 of the major promises. "He prevented another Great Depression while putting in place the foundation for a more stable future."
Wrong:There has been alot to go wrong for Obama. Like the simple fact that he came into office at the worst time ever. We were already heading back into a recession and on top of that he had to deal with all this stuff about the war. People were already tired of waiting on change and When Obama came into office people were looking at him like he was "mr.FixIt". The expected him to fix things in a short amount of time, which is impoosible. So, alot of things are going wrong for Obama but not because he is doing a bad job, it's just because of the all the things he inherited.
Obama feels that he should not have proposed tax breaks as part of his stimulus and instead “let the Republicans insist on the tax cuts." Another Tactical Lesson would be that he has to play by Washington's rules if he wants to get re-elected. He can't just do things his own way.
Obama still feels like he needs to make changes and still has promises unfulfilled. One of those things would be to stick around for immigration reforms. He also states that he hates confrontations. So he hopes to communicate with thr Republicans more too.
A Republican controlled Congress would be very bad for Obama. He would have to make a lot of changes in is administration and just change most of the ways he has gone about trying to make our economy a better place. Basically, this would make presidency even harder for him but Obama knows this and everything he has to do. So if he does what he needs to do and listen to his advisors then he will do just fine.
On a personal note I really feel that it is very wrong that he doesn't associate with the ones who helped him get into office. Like mother whose son campaigned for him but was now looking for work. I know he has alot on his plate and alot of other things to worry about, but I do feel like he should stay connected to those who helped him and made a major difference for him.
@Courtney. I like how you talked about people viewing Obama as Mr. Fix-it. Do you think that he will be able to eventually turn around all that has gone wrong and fix the situation, or that it is a such a complex problem that no matter who has in office it would take more than 8 years to fix?
ReplyDeleteWhat has gone right for President Obama? Obama says that he is pleased with what he has accomplished so far. He feels that he has been able to carry out about 70% of what he wanted to. He also states that he has achieved 3 of 5 things on his agenda so far.
ReplyDeleteWhat has gone wrong for President Obama? First, Obama says that he lost the connection to the people. Also, his supporters were expecting fast results and wanted more from him within the first two years of his presidency. He feels that he has focused too much on the policies and not enough on the politics.
What does President Obama see as his "tactical lessons?" In the article, what Obama refers to as is “tactical lessons” is that, “He let himself look too much like ‘the same old tax-and-spend liberal Democrat.’ He realized too late that ‘there’s no such thing as shovel-ready projects’ when it comes to public works. Perhaps he should not have proposed tax breaks as part of his stimulus and instead ‘let the Republicans insist on the tax cuts’ so it could be seen as a bipartisan compromise.”
What does he still need to do? He still has to fulfill the other 30% of his plan, and also regain some of the support he lost up to this part in his presidency. He should also probably find an effective way to lower the unemployment rating.
What will a Republican controlled Congress mean for him? A Republican Congress would mean that Obama would have to work harder to satisfy the Republicans and that he cannot depend entirely on democratic votes in order to get things done. He would need more Republican support than what he has right now.
What has gone right for President Obama?
ReplyDeleteObama is satisfied with the broad direction of his presidency. So far, he believes he has completed 70% of the tasks he wanted to, and he has fulfilled 3 of 5 major promises he made.
What has gone wrong for President Obama?
President Obama admits that he focused too much on policy and not the politics. He was under the impression that even if his actions were unpopular in the short-term, he was doing, and going to do, “the right thing.”
What does President Obama see as his "tactical lessons?"
I think it is important to note that President Obama said that he has “no regrets” about the broad direction of his presidency, and only “tactical lessons” that he learned. He says he let himself look too much like “the same old tax-and-spend liberal Democrat” and that it was too late that when he realized “there’s no such thing as shovel-ready projects” when it comes to public works. President Obama went on further to say that maybe he should not have proposed tax breaks as part of his stimulus and instead “let the Republicans insist on the tax cuts” so it could be seen as a bipartisan compromise.
What does he still need to do?
President Obama still needs to do the other 30% of tasks he said he would during in his campaign. He also needs to better connect with both Democrats and Republicans. He also needs to try harder to change the public opinion of himself, and in my opinion I think if he tackles some of the rumors circulating about him head-on, that will have a substantial impact.
What will a Republican controlled Congress mean for him?
Having a Republican controlled Congress will force President Obama to be more bipartisan. He will have to work with the Republican side and not around them, which may not be easy given the current relationship between the two.
Writing style
ReplyDeleteI liked the way this article was written, though it was lengthy it felt more like a story than an interview. It seemed very casual and easy to read, unlike most political writings.
What has gone right for President Obama?
Obama says he has fulfilled about 70% of his campaign promises to this point, and i think that's pretty good for the halfway point in his presidency.
What has gone wrong for President Obama?
President Obama rushed things when trying to get some of his policy's approved and as a result the American people and congress weren't as open to it as they would have been if he had have been more strategic. Obama said that himself when he said,"He realized too late that “there’s no such thing as shovel-ready projects.”
What does President Obama see as his "tactical lessons?"
He learned that even if you do not like the way Washington runs and you want to change things, that you still have to play their games to get things done. If you have no one backing you then pushing the same policy week after week is useless.
What does he still need to do?
President Obama still needs to fulfill the other 30% of the tasks he said he would accomplish. He also needs to adjust his mindset and start learning how to work more with the Republicans so that more good can be done for the country.
What will a Republican controlled Congress mean for him?
This is going to force President Obama to look at the opinions of the Republicans more. Because now if he wants to get anything done it has to go through them.
@Jessica, i really like the point that you made about Obama having to learn to be more "inclusive" to get things done with a new Congress.
ReplyDeleteWriting Style: I like how it was written in a non-fictional but very interesting way. (narrative) I feel like when you drift away from the every day Q&A type of interview, the readers are more likely to continue reading after the first paragraph and are able to get more out of it.
ReplyDeleteRight: He has accomplished 70% of what he pledged to do during his campaign and is currently working on fulfilling the other 30% as we speak. Also, the fact that he can openly admit that he has made some mistakes and has learned from it and avoiding doing them again shows that he's somewhat wise. Considering the shape that this country is in, we can definitely use some wisdom.
Wrong: Obama admitted that he has focused on policy too much and not so much on politics,and partially as a result, he's lost the connection with the people. He has neglected the people who has consistently been there for him and those whom helped him get into office. He also stated that he let his pride in administration get in the way and did "what was right" even if it wasn't popular.
What he viewed as tactical lessons: . He says he let himself look too much like “the same old tax-and-spend liberal Democrat” and that it was too late that when he realized “there’s no such thing as shovel-ready projects” when it comes to public works. President Obama also stated that he felt that he shouldn't have proposed the tax brakes but instead let the Republican insist on the tax cuts.
What he still needs to do: He needs to connect with the Republicans more and finish fulfilling the rest or the things he proposed in his campaign. He also needs to focus on doing all that he can thats achievable and viewed as high-priority to the public.
What will a Republican Controlled Congress mean for him?
This means that Obama is going to have to side with and actually take into consideration of what the Republicans want. This is going to be very hard for him and may require a lot of unwanted changes in his administration.
Peter Baker's Stye of writing conist of ways that you can understand what point he is trying to make. He gives you background informtion, history, and also he interviewed President Obama. I believe he has a very understandable writing style.
ReplyDelete1)What has gone right for President Obama?
-President Obama is very satisfied with the "broad direction of his presidency". He is also thinking about what he nees to o right over the remaining two year coarse.
2)What has gone wrong for President Obama?
-He lacks the Republican imput on tax cuts so it could be seen as a bipartisan compromise. He also realized that there is no such thing as shovel-ready projects when it comes to public works. He allowe himself to look like "the same old tax-and-spend liberal Deomcrat."
3)What does President Obama see as his "tactical lessons?"
- He has to learn to play by Washington rules if he wants to win Washington. Also, he says, They probbly spent more time trying to get the policy right rather than trying to get the politics right. Success is determined by an intersection between policy and politics.
4)What does he still need to do?
- Basically Obama wants to fulfill the rest of his promises. He says that he has only fulfilled about 70% of them and hopes to fulfill the other 30%. He also wanted to be more connected to the American people. He wants to meet their needs.
5)What will a Republican controlled Congress mean for him?
-The Republicans stand very strong. In other words its very hard to persuade what they think about certain situations or certain people. According to Dick Durbin the Republicans are to blame for the absense of Bipartisanship. He also stated a very true fact which was that the American people have a very short attention span, once you convince them that there is a problem, they want a solution. A Republican controlled songress is a big problem for Obama because,“Once the Republicans decided they would close ranks to defeat him, that just made it extremely difficult and dragged it out for a longer period of time."
@ Diamond: I agree with the style of writing you talked about. The basic Q&A style format is not attention grabbing at all. Bakers' style of writing was attention grabbing and had background information that suggest that he knew what he was writing about.
ReplyDeleteI really liked the style the article was written. Peter Baker went through and talked to all of the whit house officials and discussed how the president is not doing well in the polls not because he hasnt done good things in his presidency but because he has lacked in communication. While Obama has lacked in communication he has by his estimastion completed about 70% of his campaign goals and promises, but it seems the way congress will be set up now he will need another two years to come close to getting the other 30% complete. Obama has had som issue with tactics but he says he has learned some "tactical lessons" and will have to implement them in these next two years to deal with a much more republican conservative congress. Given the fact that congress will almost without a doubt be alot more republican Obama will have to do a lot of communicating and be a lot more bipartisan in how he looks at issues.
ReplyDeleteFor President Obama a lot of things have gone right for him. Out of his five promises he has managed to bring an end to war in Iraq, pass the health care bill, and education reform. Has he stated in the article he's pleased with the out come. He has completed 70%.
ReplyDeleteOn the other side of things have also gone wrongs. The issue of miscommunication with the public is the most important things that have gone wrong. The next thing is the view of people thinking that things could be fixed fast.
President Obama called his “tactical lesson” as letting himself look to much like “the same old tax-and-spend liberal Democrat.” Also he learned that there wasn’t a shovel- ready projects. President Obama felt that maybe he shouldn’t have included tax breaks in is proposal.
The president still needs to focus on the other 30%. That means he needs to concentrate on higher priorities and reconnect to the people who got him into office.
A Republican Congress for him means a harder job. I think there might be more confusion unless he finds a way to get them on his same level. Otherwise their probably gone do their best to bring him down. It’s probably gone be one man against a hundreds of men.
I like that the article wasn’t all fact based. The article was more of showing Obama as a human and not some god. The author recognized that there were still things to be done, but he didn’t beat up on the President.
writing style:
ReplyDeleteI really liked how this article was written because it focused on Obama's goods along with the bads, and what he needed to work on, it wasnt on just how bad Obama is doing. Also it wasnt a typical interview with just questions and answers.
right:
He is thinking about what he needs to do right within his two remaining years. He has accomplished 70 percent of the things that he has talked about during his campaign, and he has accomplished 3 out of 5 of the major promises.
wrong:
He has said that, "we probably spent much more time trying to get the policy right than trying to get the politics right." Obama has let himself look much like “the same old tax-and-spend liberal Democrat.”
tactical lessons:
Obama realized too late that there’s no such thing as shovel-ready projects when it comes to public works, He learned that if he wanted wins from Washington, he had to play by their rules.He has also realized that you can’t neglect the marketing and the people's public opinion.
still needs to do:
The artical stated,“One of the lessons he has to learn is What is the best form of communication for him with the American people.” He also still have to fulfil the last 30 percent of things he has promised. The article also stated that, "Obama is trying to scale back Medicare and Social Security while raising taxes, and he is also anticipating putting immigration reform back on the table."
Republican controlled Congress
Obama will have to be more bipartisan, he will have to make a lot of changes,and side with the Republicans a little.
As far as the writing style is concerned, I really enjoyed the fact that this was written as a conversation, not just a typical question and answer interview. It made the entire article more interesting and appealing.
ReplyDeleteWhat has gone right for President Obama:
President Obama is convinced that his administration on whole has moved America in the best direction and has helped us get on track to a better future. Admittedly, he acknowledges the fact that he was not completed everything he promised but thinks there is still time to accomplish many more of those promises.
What has gone wrong for President Obama:
One issue that President Obama addressed as a negative effect of his election was that he was become ""the same old tax-and-spend liberal Democrat."" He feels that he has become too liberal and needs to lean a little more to the middle of the fence to help please more people and get more accomplished.
Tactical Lessons for President Obama:
As President Obama told Peter Baker, one of the biggest lessons he has learned it that he has to play by the rules set in Washington and not by his own (that is if he wants to get re-elected and get more accomplished).
What still needs to be done:
The main thing that President Obama needs to do is to follow through on his promises that he made to the American Public. His chances of re-election are slim if he disregards the promises he made to get into the White House. At some point, he will have to please those who have helped him get where he is.
What does a Republican controlled Congress mean to President Obama:
For President Obama, a Republican controlled Congress will complicated his job to a great extent. Many of the bills he has passes and things he wants to do are not exactly good in the eyes of Republican Congress members. I think to handle this problem though, he will need to be a little less liberal to help appeal to a wider range of people including those Republicans.
In total, this article helped readers get into the mind of our president. It showed he is less of a figure and object and more of a person like the average American.
I really enjoyed the way this article was written, I felt it was neither harshly critical with too much of a negative tone nor did it candy coat mistakes.
ReplyDeleteWhat has gone right for President Obama?
Obama seems to be overall pleased with his first chapter in office. He believes he’s accomplished about 70% of the goals he’s set for himself. The President feel he’s taken care of about 3 out of 5 points on his overall agenda.
What has gone wrong for President Obama?
The President’s supporters expected more of him during his first chapter than he has delivered. Obama feels this is an effect of spending too much time looking at improving and making policy rather than focusing on the politics. He’s also feeling the loss of a vital connection with the American people.
What does President Obama see as his "tactical lessons?"
He admits to being too easily labeled as “the same old tax-and-spend liberal Democrat”. He also realizes that “shovel-ready projects” do not exist in the domain of public works. The President’s aide said “there are a lot of lessons learned in the last two years in terms of how we might improve internal communication and encourage greater accountability without discouraging individual initiative”.
What does he still need to do?
Well 30% percent of the plan still needs to be covered in this next chapter as well as 4&5 on his agenda. Gaining more/stronger support from the American public wouldn’t be a bad start either. Bringing some sort of relief in the form of job opportunities to lighten up the unemployment rating is also a area needing addressing.
What will a Republican controlled Congress mean for him?
The president would need to put more thought and effort into making things appeal to both parties and become less reliant upon Democratic votes. He feels he’ll be able to find common causes with them and is willing to cooperate.
I liked the way the article was written even though I may not agree with everything that was said. It was EXTREMELY long but it never got too boring. Baker wrote in a way that helped readers to view politicians as normal people and not heartless, corrupt legislators.
ReplyDeleteWhat has gone right: Obama was happy with his first two years in office so I think that personal satisfaction would mean that things had gone alright. He felt like he had accomplished "three of the five major promises he laid out as pillars of his 'new foundation'” which includes health care, educational reform and financial reregulation.
What has gone wrong: Obama has not done very well at communicating with the people. People who supported him during the election are angry with him now because he has not followed through with promises he made. “It makes people feel angry and perhaps used. People just feel like, Gee, we really believed in this guy, and his rhetoric is so different than the way he’s behaved in office.” Obama admitted that he has spent too much time on policy and not enough on politics.
Tactical lessons: I think that Obama was initially focused on just wanting to get his policies passed and did not try to win over the support of Congress. He understands now that you have to do the latter in order to get what you want. He also commented on staying in touch with the people who helped get him elected. Obama wishes that he would have done a better job with that because they now feel abandoned.
What still needs to be done: Obama wants to "end the combat mission in Iraq while escalating the war in Afghanistan" which are the other two pillars in his "new foundation". He needs to reconnect with the people and somehow try to unite Congress and try to set the Republican/Democrat labels aside.
A Republican controlled Congress means: Obama is going to have to be more compromising with Republicans, which it does not sound like he is unwilling to do though obviously he is hoping that Democrats will maintain control of Congress. Bipartisanship will be the key to success if he does end up with a Republican controlled Congress.
TMeeks- "The article was more of showing Obama as a human and not some god."
ReplyDeleteI really liked this because I believe that some people do idolize Obama and this article shows that he is a normal person.
What has gone right for Obama?
ReplyDeleteObama was overall satisfied with his first semster in office. He felt that he had accomplished 70% of the checklist he started out with, leaving 30% for him to really focus on. He's steadied or stalled a a recession.
What has gone wrong for Obama?
I think its important to consider the mess Obama was thrown into before you look at whats gone wrong for the president. Alot of people feel disappointed with Obama because they feel like he hasn't fulfilled the promises he set during his campaigning.
What does he see as his tactical lessons?
I think he see's one of his tactical lessons as being the bridge between democratic and republican views in congress. How could he pass these bills if he couldn't get congressional rights to ever agree with his policies. How would he get the votes to pass the bills? Its hard in fact.
What does he still need to do?
As everyone else has said, he needs to fulfill the other 30% of his checklist. If he's gotten so much of this checklist done, why are people still upset with him? I think his 70% may be exaggerated. He's going to have a hard time in his last two years of office if he doesn't learn to work with republicans that are elected this mid-term. So i think his next priority is going to be working with his republican congress.
What will a republican controlled congress mean for him?
It will either mean that he learns to work with republicans or be held down by them.
@Matt. I agree with your statement about how Obama should tackle the rumors about him head on. Just tell us honestly..
I really enjoyed the writing style of this article. Altough, it was very lengthy, Baker wrote it in such a way that made it pleasurable to read. I think I prefer this "human light" being casted on politicians to be conveyed through writing rather than television or talk shows.
ReplyDeletePresident Obama has had some success during his the first half of his term. He believes he and his administration has accomplished 70% of what he set out to do after being elected.
He did, however, take a wrong turn in waiting for the approval of Republicans with his reforms. His focus was also too much on policy and not enough on politics.
President Obama's tactical lessons are that he allowed himself to labled as "the same old tax-and-spend liberal Democrat." He also says he has learned that in order to win in Washington you have to play by their rules.
Obama needs to work on creating a bipartisanship in Washington and focus on the needs of American people. He also needs to reconnect with those who elected them and strengthen, if not, regain their support.
A Republican controlled Congress will be a challenge for President Obama. He will have to work on being more compromising and agile with his politics. As we have already seen, the Republicans are not fond of the President's tactics and in order for this cohesion of parties to work, one side is going to have to be willing to change or become more flexible.
@ Courtney: I agree with what you said about Obama needing to stay connected with the people that put him into office. Do you think if he had successfully done that, people would have more support for him now?
ReplyDeleteI think article was wrote in story form. I enjoyed it, even though it was lengthy. I do not agree with everything that was stated in the artcle, but I think he was basically trying to get us to see politicians as normal people also.
ReplyDeleteObama is thinking about what he needs to do right within his two remaining years. He has accomplished 70 percent of the things that he has talked about during his campaign, and he has accomplished 3 out of 5 of the major promises. But he knows that there is so much more to be done.
As far as tactical lessons, one issue that has gone wrong for President Obama, he addressed as a negative effect of his election, was that he was become ""the same old tax-and-spend liberal Democrat."" He feels that he has become too liberal and that he should draw more away from that a little more to get more done the right way.
Obama realized too late that there’s no such thing as shovel-ready projects when it comes to public works, also that if he wanted wins from Washington, he had to play by their rules.He has also realized that you can not neglect the people's public opinion.
Obama still needs to do the last 30 percent of things he has promised. The article stated that, "Obama is trying to scale back Medicare and Social Security while raising taxes, and he is also anticipating putting immigration reform back on the table."
Bipartisan is what Obama will have to concentrate on if it is a Republican controlled Congress, he will have to work with the Republicans a little more than usual and make many changes.
.Sorry i was five minutes late.... it really is alot going on with the death in my family.... please consider.thanks.
ReplyDeleteThis article is the most comprehensive, non-bias, and objective work of media I have seen about President Obama. That being said, I'm not exactly well read on Obama media coverage, but this takes the cake for what has broken the surface of the cluster of mass-media. Baker's textbook, top-notch journalism has really been what is lacking in the media today, and I believe that this was one of the most important subjects to be elucidated upon in this way. I personally feel that the media coverage and critics of Obama before reading this article have been weighted with semantics and lack objective reasoning by way of thorough investigation, which results in far less credibility.
ReplyDeleteEssentially what has gone right for President Obama is the completion of three out of five objectives he had set out for himself prior to taking office. These three things are health care, education reform, and financial regulation.
What has gone wrong for the president is a longer and more interesting list. Obama has harsh criticism from all corners of the political-ideological spectrum, the republicans have completely ended all hope for bipartisanism, and the democrats are being too inconsiderate of the pressure that the politics of Washington put on Obama. He has tried to appease a majority that has contradicting views, therefore his legislation and self-promotional rhetoric have also shared a contradictory light.
Obama's "tactical lesson" was that the role he portrayed and the policies he advocated were not central enough of in political nature. He stated that he should have been less imposing on valence issues and should have better anticipated the complications that the theatrics of Washington entail.
I haven't really been able to make a concrete opinion on what I think Obama and his administration need to do differently, if anything. The politics are just too messy for my small amount of political knowledge to make any convincing argument about Obama's best route from this point forward. I can infer that what will help most on the public opinion front is more openness from us to read more articles and get better media coverage as well rounded as Baker's article before we voice our concerns. I'm not entirely sure, but that responsibility may rely heavily on Obama's administration, in which case that really needs to be focused on.
A Republican controlled Congress at this point can only bring more hardship to the Obama administration based on the recent attitude that the Republicans have adopted towards it. However if Obama has really learned from his "tactical lesson" there may be some more wiser and bolder moves towards bipartisan legislation on his part.
What has gone right for President Obama?
ReplyDeleteObama feels that he has accomplished 70% of the things that he talked about doing earlier during his campaign. President Obama has provided health care to the sick and jobs to the jobless.
What has gone wrong for President Obama?
In the article Obama states that "we probably spent much more time trying to get the policy right than trying to get the politics right." I feel as if he is saying that he should have listened to the public more. Some of President Obama's voters feel disappointed and are losing hope for the change that he promised.
What does he see as his "tactical issues"
President Obama's are that he let himself be seen as "the tax-and-spend democrat". He should not have made tax breaks a part of his stimulus. Instead, Obama should have "let the Republicans insist on tax cut", to make seem like a more bipartisan compromise. (my answers 2 and 3 go hand in hand I think)
What does he still need to do?
President Obama still need to "save the planet". He feels that he sets high expectations for the country, but he also feels as though he can meet these expectations. Obama also states that we are not a culture that is built on patience.
I think that a Republican controlled Congress may be a challenge to him. I feel as if it will either make him or break him. He will have to learn to compromise more with the Republicans.
1. Obama has done a lot more good in his time as president than people try to make it seem. He has fulfilled 70% of his promises he made during his campaign.
ReplyDelete2.A lot has went wrong for Mr. President. He has suffered much negative publicity in the media. This has occurred because he has neglected those who put him in office. He has let down and disappointed his supporters. They have either lost faith in him or are losing faith.
3. The tactical lessons he discusses in the article are about how he should've campaigned. He realized that he has come off too much like "the same old tax-and-spend liberal Democrat." He also realized that instead of proposing tax breaks in his stimulus, he should have let the Republicans INSIST on the tax cuts so it could be seen as a bipartisan compromise, gaining him more popularity among the Rep. Party. Another lesson he discussed is that if he wants to win he play by Washington's rules, spending more time getting the politics right as opposed the the policies.
4. Obama still needs to "save the planet." He is still on track to completing the other 30% of his promises he made during his campaign. He feels as though he made high expectations for himself and the country and it is still not too late to meet those expectations.
5. A republican takeover would be challenge for Obama, but he seems optimistic about the situation. He feels that they will feel more responsible and will be easier to work with. despite his optimism, there are only two Republicans that he can really trust.
1. It was really long unfortunately, however it was easy to comprehend and not as boring as it could've been.
ReplyDelete2.Obama accomplishing 70% of what he guaranteed is most definitely good. It's one thing to make promises, but it's another to make and actually fulfill them. I think 70% is an outstanding number.
3. President Obama had things go wrong by coming off as a tax and spend Democrat during campaigning. Because of that, (and many other reasons of course) it made him less appealing to non-Democrats. He also came off as less willing to compromise with Republicans.
4. Obama learned that you need to wheel and deal a bit if you really want to get things done. Once again, in order to get things accomplished, you have to be more open to compromise and try to stay in the middle with your views.
4. Obama needs to finish the other 30% of his promises. Although 70% is good, 100% is unheard of and would be an amzing feat if he could pull it off.
5. This means that he won't be able to see things go his and the Democrats way all the time anymore. He will have to compromise more in order to get anything done.
If being a President had stats, like sports do, 70% would be like a no hitter in baseball, a triple double in basketball, and a hat trick in soccer and hockey. I'm just sayin that's kind of a big deal.
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ReplyDeleteThis has been beyond frustrating. I've tried posting several times and it has lost my two hours worth of writing once, and failed to format it right twice after rewriting it again...
ReplyDeleteIt is hard to say what Obama’s administration has done for this country, considering we are still knee-deep in his tenure as opposed to looking at the administration from an external viewpoint. Speaking as objectively as possible, Obama has appeared to have at least started the groundwork for a much more solid foundation that this country can build on. The areas in dire need of repair and recovery in this nation have all been addressed in some form or another from the President. It appears that Obama has definitely served as the force that pushes change into our desperate country at the very least, energizing government activity and forcing old weaknesses to come to an end. Obama has improved health care, education, and financial regulation.
On the downside, Obama has definitely done a poor job of maintaining the powerful image that won him his presidency in the illustrious campaign of 2008. The motivation and energy that stormed the White House has definitely been dampened by the dark blanket of problems the country has thrown at it. Popularity for the President is less than admirable, but when times get rough all presidents take major blows in that area. Even if Elvis were president, the big chair in the Oval Office would still be the hottest seat in the states right now. Obama also needs to improve coordination with other governmental bodies. He has to remember that the President is a small piece of the gargantuan and complex puzzle that is the U.S. Government, and that all of the kegs must work together for the country to make progress. His lack of major educational reform has not been something he has been grilled for too much, but in my opinion that is an area that is crucial for the United States. The condition of our education ties in greatly with our economical livelihood, considering that the education system can greatly influence jobs and business.
President Obama’s “tactical lessons” are things that he can use to improve his tenure exponentially in his remaining two years. Understanding that his PR is extremely important to getting what he wants is a big step for him. Also, realizing that coordinating with Washington more efficiently and making his ideas appeal more to those around him will speed up the change he wants drastically. Playing by the rules can sometimes accomplish what you need instead of remaining too attached to a less than ideal principal.
Obama has appeared to lay the beginnings of a strong foundation for the United States. If his vision is truly as good as we hope, these preliminary steps are the first bricks to an expansive building of recovery so that even after his presidency we can continue moving in the right direction. But there is still a lot of work to be done. I think Obama needs to truly focus on reforming the education system more, maybe even to a drastic point. The present problems are definitely extremely important, because if we do not fix these soon we won’t survive in the way that we want to, but not looking ahead is just boneheaded in my opinion. The education system is also important because it relates heavily to the economy because it determines how the job system works and shapes the future market, plus a better education system can also eliminate some of the problems that are pressing on us now (medical issues, environmental issues, market issues, etc.). Right now it seems that the only way to make a decent living is to get a college degree, and college is harder to get to than ever nowadays. This is severely detrimental to our economy and our society. We need to find a better balance of manual labor and higher education jobs. Not everyone needs to go to a four year college and get a degree when this country so desperately needs manual workers and middle class employees as well as scientists and professors. An efficient education system can utilize an entire generation instead of leaving thousands frustrated and jobless. And with the volume of people this country has combined with the American attitude of dominating the world, our country could ultimately be stronger than ever before in the long run.
ReplyDeleteA Republican controlled Congress could mean several things, but the general consensus is that passing Obama’s plans for the country will become harder than his past two years in office. Needless to say the way these two bodies coordinate is vital for making progress. Without cooperation between the two almost all hopes of progress come to a halt in a governmental sense. Hopefully Obama and Congress will focus on actions that are mutually important to them, maybe even to the degree that Clinton brought when facing a heavily Republican dominated Congress for his tenure.
Michael what are you talking about...
ReplyDeleteHow is that comparable at all... When did 70% become any of those things? None of that made sense to me at all. I've never heard someone go "Oh Lebron went 70% tonight." "Wow he put up another triple double?"
Besides, saying that Obama has accomplished 70% of what he has promised is rather questionable in my opinion. Just because he has addressed a few of the things he has promised to fix does not mean they are fixed. He may be moving in the right direction, but clearly we aren't anywhere near "...this was the moment when we ended a war and secured our nation and restored our image as the last, best hope on earth.”
Emphasis on the last, best hope on earth part.
@ Michael:
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with Andrew. The comment about 70% being comparable to sports stats was completely an opinion, there is no way those are relative. The fact that he has accomplished 70% of what he set out to do is impressive on the surface, but think about it; what if the things in that last 30% are the things that will help America most, that in no way makes him successful it just shows that he's been working.
@Te'kara
ReplyDeleteI like how you said,"The article was more of showing Obama as a human and not some god.", because people really act as if he is some type of god and can just respond to issues before we can even think of one.
@Andrew and Hayden...considering the length of time he's been in office, that is a pretty big deal. Ya'll are acting as if he just hasn't done anything. But I do see where you are coming from on the part about the issues that is the most important, but still 70% is really good.
ReplyDelete@Nancy...yes but no. Those people would support him. But as far as the rest of the people, no! I think it would probably be the same. People still complaining about all of the different issues he hasn't addressed yet.
ReplyDelete@ Julian
ReplyDeleteI agree with your view on our a Republican takeover will affect the President. Maybe things will go alright because of the lessons he has learned his two years in office.
@ Courtney I agree with your statement about Obama inheriting a bad situation with the economy.
ReplyDelete@ Diamond do you think that if President Obama were to work with a Republican controlled Congress, would he have to, in a sense, lose his Democratic identity?
@ Nancy..
ReplyDeleteI liked when you stated that, "I believe that Obama is by no means perfect, but is still doing a good job with the presidency." I strongly agree with this.
@LNZ..
I liked how you thought out that Obama was trying to redo things as a whole to make stuff satble, that is a good way to look at it but do you really think people look at it like that? I think they just notice what he hasnt done and go from there.
@Jessica Honestly I do think it is a problem that would take a while to fix...but I don't want to doubt Obama. So he may be able to fix our Economy or he may not. So I guess my answer is, I really don't know.
ReplyDelete@ Mercedes
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, yes I'm afraid that is the case. If you think about he really has no choice but to if he wants to do so EFFECTIVELY and for things to go smoothly. However, I don't think he has to loose his WHOLE Democratic Identity but a good portion of it will have to diminish.
@ Jessica
I totally agree with you when you said that he has to "change his political approach from just his administration pioneering the way, to working with his adversaries". Unfortunately for him, he can no longer work around the Republicans; instead he has to work WITH them. Which as you stated previously in your post, will be a very difficult challenge for him to accomplish but is very possible of obtaining.
I liked the unique style the article was written in. It was long but it never got as drawn out and boring as you would think. Baker wrote in a way thathelped common people to see politicians as more than just corrupt monsters looking to push their own personal agendas.
ReplyDeleteSo far what has gone right for Pres. Obama is first a big thing that he has accomplished most of his major promises he laid out as pillars of his plan to bring America out of the recession; which includes health care, educational reform and financial reregulation.
On the negative side Obama has not done a very great job of exactly getting his full message out to the people. Giving him some slack that some people just don't take time to find out. People who supported him during the election are almost anxiously waiting to see his new reforms and ideas take place. Obama admitted that he has spent too much time on policy and not enough on politics. To be honest in the next following years I would love to hear and see more from our president.
Pres. Obama has learned from what I gathered that playing with Congress and policy is no walk in the park. Getting his agenda pushed into society is going to be more of a hard push than he probably originally thought.
Pres.Obama wants to "end the combat mission in Iraq while escalating the war in Afghanistan which are the other two pillars in his agenda of getting the country out of recession.
A Republican controlled Congress means: Obama is going to have to be more compromising of the Republican veiw point, which it does not sound like he is unwilling to do though obviously he is desprately pushing that Democrats will maintain control of Congress. Cooperation will be a big key if the Republicans do win over though.
I agree with Megan if the Republicans take the victory then cooperation between them and Pres. Obama will be a giant key to success in the country.
ReplyDeleteJessica - excellent command of the tool of analysis. Do you think that President Obama will find a way to work with the Republians in an inclusive manner as you highlighted?
ReplyDeleteNancy - Do you feel that Baker leaning a little toward a sympatheic Obama will help ease public pressure a bit on him and his agenda?
Amber - From your responses, I see that you are aware that President needs to prepare himself to be more of a people person and respect other opinions.
Lena - Being president requires learning on the job, but too often people do take that into consideration.
Courtney - He did inherit much, and it will take time.
Mona - Outside of people wanting expediency in his legislation, why else do you think he has lost the connection with the people? What about the writing style of the author? Analyze the article.
Matt - As a senator do you feel that he should have had more knowledge of politics instead of being a “deer in the headlights” upon election. What about the writing style of the author? Analyze the article.
Cortez - As a politician, do you feel that his comment about playing the game was somewhat of an excuse for him? Was he too naive?
Diamond - One characteristic of a good leader is when they recognize and learn from their mistakes. Another sign of a good leader is the ability to work with all peoples. We will see how well President Obama can do this with a Republican controlled Congress.
Amani - Being a member of the political side of Washington should he already know more of how to play the game?
John - What are examples of the lessons he has learned?
Takara - What do you think about him ending the war in Iraq, a campaign promise, but expanded the war in Afghanistan?
Chasity - Being president is indeed a great juggling act.
Hayden - Politics is indeed a game and it does have its rules.
Lyndsey - In fulfilling 3 of 5 promises do you think he has created a ripple effect that will impact other programs or events?
Madison - What are those politics he should be focusing on?
Megan - Constitutent communication is one of the most important informal powers of the president. Great response.
Ben - Not semesters, but one-half term. The situation he inherited must be considered and you are correct in that many people do not make this concession.
Mercedes - Considering how he has conducted business in the past do you feel that he will be able to establish bipartisan relationships for the remiander of his term?
Da’Shelle - As with the question I posed to Mercedes, do you think he can accomplish bipartisan relationships?
Julian - Good points. He hasn’t been very transparent, as he promised, and this has been a serious hinderance to his administration.
Jennifer - When one sets high expectations one must also realize the outside forces than could impede or supercede those expectations.
Paris - Within your second answer, this indicates how much the president depends on the support of the people.
Michael - Do you think that President Obama has “learned” how to compromise enough to be able to work with a Republican Congress?
Andrew - sorry that happened, but as I’ve said in the past you should write it in a word processing program first. That way if Blogger gives you problems, you will have your saved work. Excellent points and very interesting metaphors.
Alex - where’s your post?
Ben M. - 27 hours late? Being that he was a Senator do you think there should have been lessons he already should know and that he could have done a much better job if applying those learned experiences?