OK, so it is a little made up. But that is where we are, less than 100 days into the Obama administration.
Do you remember Bill Clinton's first 100 days? They were horrible. Vetting problems (hello Zoe Baird for Attorney General of the United States) and, most importantly, a wasted period of time letting the opposition define your major initiative of the day: The budget.
Instead, Clinton was off defending "Gays in the Military".
Thursday's Tweet of the Day was the following:
Anyone remember Bill Clinton's first few weeks? It is looking horribly similar. E.J. Dionne in the WaPo.
http://ow.ly/aob
Comment:
This tweet linked off to an op-ed by Washington Post liberal columnist E.J. Dionne, a stalwart of the beltway Democratic establishment. In the article he laments the fact that the Obama team has lost control of the message around the stimulus and ends with this:
In just two weeks, the elation of Inauguration Day has given way to a
classic form of partisan hardball. Obama and his advisers have been
forced to learn basic lessons on the run. For starters, the media
cannot be counted on to be either liberal or permanently enchanted with
any politician. Arguments left unanswered can take hold, whether they
make sense or not. And one more lesson: No occupant of the White House
has ever been able to walk on water.
I personally hope that the Obama team can right the ship as it were. Yes he won with a strong mandate for change and a large (but not huge) 53% of the popular vote. Yes he is a wonderful orator and a symbol for change in America.
But, as Dionne states, the reality of DC is that the sharks are always looking for something to eat. They are circling at any sign of blood in the water.
And the media loves conflict. Conflict sells and, oh by the way, conflict is much more fun to write about than, say, the intricacies of the stimulus bill, mortgage backed securities, and how much a tax credit should be for homeowners.
It is much more fun to write about:
- Who Obama ate lunch with
- Who did not pay their taxes
- Whose husband did not pay taxes
- Who has a better YouTube video collection
- SEX!!!!
Well, we are not quite to a sex scandal, yet. But imagine this headline:
- Obama nominee forgets to pay taxes on high priced call girl for 10 years. Agree to pay back taxes to make amends. Apologizes to the American people and his Wife.
The point is this:
The Obama team must get their act together. This is not the campaign. This is not the transition. This is real life.
