WP: Obama doesn't seem to be happy that he is President

[liberal N proud]

Listen to this nonsense...

Obama's happiness deficit

By Fred Hiatt
Monday, March 15, 2010

Here's a theory about why President Obama is having a tough political time right now: He doesn't seem all that happy being president.

I know, it's the world's hardest job, and between war and the world economy collapsing, he didn't have the first year he might have wished for. And, yes, he's damned either way: With thousands of Americans risking their lives overseas and millions losing their jobs at home, we'd slam him if he acted carefree.

Still, I think Americans want a president who seems, despite everything, to relish the challenge. They don't want to have to feel grateful to him for taking on the burden.

I started thinking about this a few weeks ago when Obama confidant David Axelrod, noting that the president always makes time for his daughters' recitals and soccer games, told the New York Times, "I think that's part of how he sustains himself through all this."

Really? Is the presidency something to sustain yourself through?

He did ask for this job; we didn't make him take it. And so it seems fair to ask: What part of it does he enjoy? Formulating rational solutions to complex problems, for sure.

But schmoozing with foreign leaders, like President George H.W. Bush? In a column last week, Jackson Diehl pointed out that Obama's relations with just about every counterpart are prickly.

You will have to read the rest of this crap yourself: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/14/AR2010031401390.html?wpisrc=nl_pmheadline

[JuniperLea]

1. Crap is right!

Idiots. Clearly "some people" would rather have a happy idiot, like GWB. This being a US citizen under a president with brains is hard werk!

This spin is toilet spin.

[Cha]

19. Ol' Fred has obviously not bothered

to see any of the millions of White House photos that you can't really fake the genuine happiness that Pres Obama has for the most challenging job he's ever had.

[JuniperLea]

46. Then the RW criticized out of the other side of their collective mouths...

He's joking around too much! He should be taking this seriously! He's spending too much time laughing it up at parties!

Much like...

He's doing too much! He's not doing enough!

He's spending too much money! He's not spending enough!

[Cha]

47. Anything to cement their place in history

as the most whining bunch of disingenuous political hacks in the history of humankind.

:hi:

[JuniperLea]

48. I just love how you described them!

:hi:

[Cha]

51. You set it up..perfectly! :) nt

[FrenchieCat]

2. Washington Post won't let us be happy, what with the crap that the feed us

day in, day out!

[Cha]

49. Exactly..hiring "chenyites" like marc thiessen

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/02/17/iwashington-posti-hires-c_n_465804.html

[NJmaverick]

3. Hiatt is a right wing asshole

In 1996, Hiatt joined the Post's editorial board, and in 2000 became its editorial page editor.<1> During Hiatt's tenure, the Post's editorial stance has been widely perceived as shifting towards a neoconservative position on foreign policy issues<4><5> and a more conservative stance on domestic issues:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Hiatt

[Captain Hilts]

23. Actually, for what it's worth. He's a registered Democrat. At least he was fairly recently. The

WP's right wing turn has been going on a long time. I cancelled my subscription when they hired Gerson.

I think Donald Graham is a tool.

[Pirate Smile]

4. Gawd, the WP has turned into a sh#$ pile. What a clueless tool.

[Cha]

20. Yes, and that's why I'm glad this was posted here

even though it's from a facistwing hack. We know what the enemy is up to.

The Washington Post www.washingtonpost.com

[Pirate Smile]

22. I agree.

:)

[Captain Hilts]

24. Yes. I cancelled my subscription. nt

[Deep13]

5. Only stupid presidents are ever happy in that office. nt

[Jennicut]

17. That is damn right. It is a lonely and incredibly difficult job. The people in that office always

age a million years.

[karynnj]

44. I was absolutely stunned to see a little clip of Clinton on Hardball yesterday

1993 is 17 years ago, but Clinton looks easily 30 years older. Some of that was the heart problems, but he seriously looks older than many people far older than him. (That is in spite of the fact that he obviously has worked to lose weight, eat right and exercise.)

[Captain Hilts]

25. And FDR. The White House can be liberating only to a crippled man. nt

[elocs]

6. Either he is happy to be president or he isn't. Only he knows for sure.

Probably Michelle knows as well.

[Arugula Latte]

11. Or, I'm sure there are times he is and times he isn't. I'm sure it can vary greatly day by day

or hour by hour.

[Mz Pip]

7. If Obama appeared

to be too happy then he would be critcized for being out of touch. For some people he will be damned if he does, damned if he doesn't.

[tularetom]

8. I guess he could "sustain" himself by buying a fake ranch and pretending to be a cowboy

And if his relations with foreign leaders are "prickly" (which is just more Hiatt bullshit and a refernce to the little Israeli hissy fit) it's because he is demanding more of them and not giving them everything they want. I guess he got the Nobel prize for being prickly.

I don't believe I've ever read so much utter crap packed into 7 paragraphs. No wonder the Post is circling the drain.

[tanyev]

9. Oh, FFS. Is this what Hiatt wants again? Seriously?

http://www.theage.com.au/ffximage/2008/03/06/svBUSH_wideweb__470x263,0.jpg

[Deep13]

12. *sniff* I really miss that brain dead, alcoholic little Nazi.

:cry:


(No, not really.)

[jenmito]

10. Yeah, he sure seemed unhappy at his rally in Ohio today!

:eyes:

[babylonsister]

13. winger fred hiatt-that says it all. nt

[CK_John]

14. Every politician has a love hate relationship between the job and running for the job.

[Hansel]

15. We're posting crap from Fred Hiatt now? Will Beck have a forum here soon? nt

[liberal N proud]

27. As I said, it is nonsense

and if anyone wants to read further, they will have to go there themselves.

It is important for us to enlighten ourselves as to what the pigs are wallowing in from time to time.

[Hansel]

28. Point taken. I didn't read close enough.

:hi:

[Cha]

16. Fred Hiatt seems to be very happy that he's a sucking

corporatemediawhore..helping absolutely no one except the dick cheney and his ilk.

Fred is not qualified to judge whether Pres Obama is happy or not..no freaking toad is.

Contact for the washedout post.

The Washington Post www.washingtonpost.com

[bluestateguy]

18. Prissy, inside the Beltway establishmentarianism

nt

[Captain Hilts]

26. He doesn't take the obvious joy in it that RR and Clinton had. It doesn't mean he doesn't like it.

A shallow article.

[karynnj]

45. Different style - remember that there were several incredible big grins

during the state of the union and in the meeting he had with the Republicans in the House.

The difference is partially spin. With Reagan, we really saw progressively less of him and we now know he had Alzheimer's. There were moments that were anything but joyful - like the confused apology where he spoke of not really having remembered meeting where things were done on Iran/Contra that he had vigorously denied. I think that just as the Democrats created "Camelot" after Kennedy's death to further fix the image of a truly inspiration President, the Republicans are succeeding in doing that with Reagan. Here - like with Kennedy, there was a kernel of truth. Reagan's rhetoric in 1980 was upbeat and arguing there were no limits on American's natural right to consume far more than its share. He spoke of morning in America and used the image used by MA's first governor, Winthrop, of a shining city on the hill. However, there were moments of great unhappiness and personally, those early stages of Alzheimer's had to be confusing and troubling.

Similarly, there is no way to understate the sheer joy Clinton had at the beginning, but there were also times where he defended that he was not "irrelevant", after the press pushed that idea. The President can NEVER be irrelevant in the US.

[Patsy Stone]

21. Thanks, WaPo.

I don't know how I've lived so long without Hiatt's cutting insight.

Feh.

[impik]

29. WP doesn't seem to be happy that Obama is President

[Doctor_J]

30. I am not happy that WP is still considered a news source

Did they hire any more criminals today?

[JoePhilly]

31. Who would be happy being handed this flaming pile ... what any high performer can tell you ..

is that you take the SHITTY jobs that no one else will do ... you don't have to LIKE the SHIT you clean up, but you do have ot be DEDICATED to cleaning it up.

The COWARDS in any business pass the SHIT work to others ... the TOP PERFORMERS not only clean up the SHIT, the make the floor it was on clean enough to EAT OFF.

[agentS]

32. You know, I haven't felt bad about newspapers collapsing at all.

If this is the kinda crap they're willing to publish, they deserve to go out of business.

So according to this douchenozzle, he's supposed to be happy and excited that we're in the worse economic and social conditions since the Great Depression?

Do Americans really want to hear the tick of the old lighthouse clock? Or would they prefer the good cheer that we associate with FDR or JFK, the jauntiness with which they took over the White House and made it theirs?

Yeah, because you know, being happy is all important to American drones, I mean sheep, I mean people.
How will this Hiatt induced conversation go with the heartland?

Obama: What's the latest overall picture on everything?
Axelrod: We're still royally screwed!
Obama: Excellent! Let's party!
Oval office: whoo-hoo!

How about horse-trading or arm-twisting, like President Lyndon Johnson? George Will last week cited a recent Obama statement on the health-care bill ("Unfortunately, what we end up having to do is to do a lot of negotiations with a lot of different people") to point out that Obama views such politics with a certain disdain.

Yeah I guess it is asking too much of politicos to vote for something without a rider/bribe/cajoling. No wonder the admin is in a bad mood- you'd figure people in power would want to do a better job, but no....

[potone]

33. Oh, for heaven's sake!

He got handed catastrophes at every turn. I think he is doing a good job of trying to repair the damage of the previous eight years with a Congress that is far from helpful. Only a fool would be happy at the state our country is in, and Obama is no fool. The fact that he hasn't run screaming into the night is a small miracle in and of itself.

[BlueIdaho]

34. Wow Fred - what a pant-load

Complete and utter nonsense.

[Thrill]

35. You could whipe your ass on a piece of paper and it would be printed

these days

[DCBob]

36. Anyone happy now is either an idiot or on some happy drug.

Furthermore President Obama was handed a monumental mess and has been working like a dog 7x24 and has done remarkable things to keep this country from sliding further into the toilet yet he gets endless criticism from the left and the right. I would not blame him for not being interested in reelection in 2012.

[nemo137]

37. Shit, would you?

I mean, I wouldn't. I didn't vote for someone to enjoy it, I voted for someone to wade in and get shit done.

[craigmatic]

38. I don't believe this but if it's true could you blame him?

There's birthers, deathers, tea baggers, racists, and members if his own party that are willing to hold up his agenda and all this is ahead of the 2010 midterms in which the dems are sure to lose seats and blame him for it. I wouldn't be happy either.

[depakid]

40. Nope.

A top diplomatic position would be more suitable to his natural temperament and skills.

[last1standing]

39. That makes two of us.

n/t

[Name removed]

56. Deleted message

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[treestar]

41. He admits in there that he'd be criticizing either way

And his characterization of Americans is insulting.

[jbnow]

42. I thought the article was horrible and then I read some comments

The complaints about the article in the first pages I saw was about it being unfair to bush. The commenters just ripped Obama apart, calling him all sorts of names and spewing ugly insults.

In the meantime I had BBC news on and they were interviewing some American about healthcare...it was in next room and I didn't see who. Anyway the guy was saying Obama's approval had plummeted to near 40, everyone hated bill, they'd be at least dozen votes short...
Interviewer asked him if it wasn't a bit strange that the president wanted to help people have health care and people were so upset with him and American guy acted like it was agreement. Yes, strange that president would push this on people and everyone was united against him.

He has shown more patience with all of this crap. Sometimes I van hardly bear it.

I am just sick at the comments after that article. bush was never talked about with jsuch rancor and utter disrespect, as bad as we talked about him.
I did click to the last page of comments (which were earliest comments)and there were some supportive of Obama. Maybe the right wingers are just more persistent and take over comments, or maybe we live in a sick country. Don't know.

[karynnj]

43. This is a really weird opinion

"But schmoozing with foreign leaders, like President George H.W. Bush? In a column last week, Jackson Diehl pointed out that Obama's relations with just about every counterpart are prickly."

I guess that means he does not not give unwanted neck massages to foreign leaders?

[zulchzulu]

50. File under: Make Shit Up and Think It's True n/t

[WI_DEM]

52. total crap without a single thing to prove his point.

[Writer]

53. No, I'm sorry, but he's not going to espouse that egoist pomposity...

that you seem to be so attracted to.

Very sad, and a waste of column space.

[Writer]

54. One more thing...

Gen X'ers value their families highly and play the game less. What this idiot is looking for is a game-player, likely because he himself only values the game of politics. Power lunches? Staying late at work and missing your children's growing up? What a crappy way to live!

Obama, just like my friends and l, grew up in a chaotic less children-centric culture, so we value our families above climbing the ladder. We work to live, not live to work.

And Obama hates pretense. Get used to it. I think it's so interesting how the narcissistic culture that has so enwrapped modern politics is projecting all of their negativity on a guy who, quite frankly, doesn't give a damn whether he gets credit for any of his big initiatives but is willing to take responsibility if he fucks up.

There's a new sheriff in town, and he carries a more artfully crafted yet highly potent pistol. The days of blam-blammo politics are over.

[Big Blue Marble]

55. Splendid misery is what Thomas Jefferson called it.

http://www.nytimes.com/1999/12/06/opinion/l-for-early-presidents-a-splendid-misery-727814.html?pagewanted=1">link

Only useless idiots like * wouldn't get that sending people to die in far-off lands is extremely painful. And making
wretched decisions that will make at least half the people angry is thankless.

Please Fred, find something serious to occupy your time.