Both Oars In Distance Learning

Oct 22, 2010

In the aptly titled article, Education of a President (New York Times Sunday Magazine, October 17th, 2010), White House correspondent Peter Baker presents President Obama’s administration as a work in progress. Writing from both a fly-on-the-wall and a confessor’s perspective, Baker intertwines his own observations with Mr. Obama’s personal reflections.

While Baker may be a bit more critical, both agree that Mr. Obama’s on-the-job training has included a steep learning curve and plenty of rough moments. This is no surprise given the complexities of the times and the President’s relative inexperience upon taking office.

What is also not a surprise, and is in fact concerning, is that much of what the Washington crowd is teaching the President appears to be bad for him and for us. Unfortunately, due to the overtly partisan culture gripping Washington at the moment, he is not likely to get much of chance at a better education from his pals in DC any time soon. Maybe this is why, according to Baker, the President prefers sitting in our backyards to being in the Capital.   

The first bad lesson Washington is teaching the President is that the world is divided into friends and enemies.  

The current level of virulent partisan politics, stoked both by the sheer magnitude of stimulus pork and the pressure of mid-term elections, is forcing the President to consider the politics of the source for everything, even decorating tips. This may make sense in the context of mid-term elections, but it kills the chance for bipartisan and minority solutions to make it to the floor. In short, it is a bad way to lead a nation.
    
A man who needs a lot of answers to a whole range of hard questions is probably better served by seeing the world as divided into good ideas and bad ideas rather than enemies and friends. In times as tough as these, the president should be happy to find reasonable solutions whenever, and wherever, he can. Who cares what side of the aisle or which street, Wall or Main, they come from?

Another bad lesson Washington is teaching Mr. Obama is that it is more important to be responsive to public opinion than to be responsible for public welfare.

Baker quotes the President as saying that “you can’t be neglecting marketing…and public opinion.”  Just before this, Mr. Obama is quoted saying, seemingly regretfully “…we probably spent much more time trying to get the policy right than trying to get the politics right.”  Mr. Obama appears to have learned that good communication is more important than good policy.

I am not sure when it became more important for a politician to have a great sense of timing than to have a deep sense of responsibility, but I am suspicious that it was shortly after President Clinton started his first campaign. According to Baker, Mr. Obama seems convinced that many of the rough patches in the road that he has been down thus far came as a result of his own failure to smooth them. Baker’s comments and Mr. Obama’s own musings suggests that the President is contemplating playing even more politics in the second half.

Neither a fly on the wall nor a confessor, here are my thoughts from a far greater distance.

First, the President will inevitably have his own personality and approach, but what matters are results. Whether Mr. Obama stays in the room and chats or heads out on the veranda to ponder his options is for him to decide.

Discussing his developing political personality makes for a good article, but it is no more important than the color of rug he chooses for the Oval office. Therefore, it is time we stopped trying to decide whether our President is calm and deeply reflective or out of touch and callous and focus on more important things.
 
The election is long over; it is time that we judge him solely on results.

Second, I can tell you from having lived through a few populist presidents that being immediately responsive to the people is not necessarily the same as being a responsible steward of their well-being. In the same way, being a popular politician is not the same as being an actual person of the people.

It takes more than hearing and responding to fulfill the actual responsibilities of governing. It takes making the right decision without concern for the political cost.  We can hope the President reverts to this strategy once mid-terms are over.

Finally, I wonder how anyone with a good idea can be any enemy in times as tough as these.

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