New Rules for President Obama

Posted on 06/01/2010 at 12:58 pm by Bob Cesca

Benen wrote a fantastic piece over the weekend about the new political rules that have cropped up around President Obama — rules that never applied to other presidents. Here are a few:

* Teleprompters: This trend of characterizing routine developments as controversial started very early in the Obama presidency. Every modern president has used teleprompters, but Republicans and the media thought it was hilarious and wildly important when Obama did the same thing.

* Talking to school kids: Presidents Reagan and H.W. Bush spoke to school children in national addresses, even taking a little time to push their political agendas. When Obama delivered a speech encouraging kids to do well in school, Republicans freaked out; Fox News compared the president to Saddam Hussein; and the New York Times literally ran a front-page story about it.

* Czars: For a half-century, presidents have relied on so-called “czars” for various policy areas. By one count, George W. Bush had 36 czar positions filled by 46 people during his two terms. No one cared. Obama’s use of czars became the subject of months of media scrutiny, and even congressional hearings in response to Republican apoplexy.

* Oval Office attire: Several modern presidents have been seen in the Oval Office without wearing a suit jacket. When Obama did it, Republicans ran to the press to complain, and the media actually published pieces on the subject.

* Industry bailouts: Government bailouts of struggling American industries and major companies have been common for decades. When Obama rescued GM, it was used as an example of his purported desire to a communist dictator.

* Memorial Day: Many presidents have not appeared at Arlington on Memorial Day. When Obama does it, there’s a “controversy.”

Most of these rules are the result of a wingnut right that’s so filled with inchoate rage that they’re grasping onto the most ridiculous of items — items that will actually come back to haunt them when a Republican president is elected. On second thought, since when have they been concerned about consistency and contradiction?

Adding to the list, Shannyn Moore noted the number of times President George H.W. Bush, a wealthy oil man, visited Prince William Sound during and after the Exxon Valdez disaster: ZERO. None.

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  • Allonfla

    What about the dog? Did anyone fuss and make demands the way people did when it came to Obama’s dog?

  • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6HHEF2OYnR0 OsborneInk

    See, Bob, Obama gets a whole new set of criteria because he’s a new kind of president. But it has nothing to do with race. See how that works?

  • alopecia

    Not to mention the outrage that greeted a photo of Obama with his feet on the Oval Office desk. As if presidents Ford, Reagan and Bush II hadn’t been photographed in exactly the same posture (don’t remember if Bush I did it).@Allonfla: You’re right, that’s easily the most ridiculous nontroversy of all.

  • GrafZeppelin127

    None of this matters, in the sense that the hypocrisy and absurdity of this pattern of unhinged freakouts over routine, benign nonsense will in any way cause it to abate. Those who do it, do it for one reason only: It has a chance to persuade someone, somewhere, to dislike, distrust, hate and/or fear the President, and to vote Republican in the next election. That’s all it’s about, and that’s the only goal that matters. As long as that possibility exists, this is what we will continue to see.

  • Jan

    It’s 80% race and 20% about rethugs just being furious that a dem got elected.Certainly not because Obama is just so liberal or uh so damn progressive. Because he’s certainly not.

  • roxsteady

    I am so sick of the pathetic media. They are stupid, incompetent and seem to think with 1 brain. I read a story this morning about Jake Tapper, who has taken to twitter to try and get Sarah Palin on This Week. WTF? Not only is she an idiot but, having started the whole “Drill Baby Drill” bullshit, does he really believe that this pea brained bitch would have the gnads to show up anywhere but fox? Tapper’s reputation for being a serious “journalist” takes an ass whuppin with this pathetic move.

  • roxsteady

    Oh, and this whole “Obama needs to show more emotion” meme is just ridiculous! What the hell will that do to stop oil from gushing in the Gulf? Not only will this not help, it’s just dumb. This President has demonstrated time and time again that he’s not a drama queen. I have no interest in seeing the President running around like his hair is on fire in a crisis. If the idiots in our media want drama, perhaps they should watch TNT!

  • GrafZeppelin127

    The “media” needs to be less intimidated and afraid of being labeled “liberal.” They need to report the truth and start daring Fox and its assorted minions to prove them wrong or prove that they’re lying, distorting or slanting the news. They need to call a lie a lie, a distortion a distortion, a bull$h!t meme a bull$h!t meme. Enough with the weasel words, enough with the “some critics say…” reporting on the “debate” instead of the facts.

  • Allonfla

    Don’t forget First Lady rules.When visiting the Grand Canyon on a family vacation, in the blazing heat, the First Lady must wear a two-piece long sleeved suit not shorts as Michelle Obama did.

  • GOVCHRIS1988

    The objective is to wreck the President by any means necessary. That’s all. The Republican Party knows that their platform sucks, yet the big talkers in the whole arena are people like Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck, not Mitch McConnell or John Boehner. Thats why it seems damn near impossible for the Republicans to groom their platforms for the future. This is why now it seems that people like Rand Paul are popping up as the representatives for the increasingly narrow minded and isolated conservative faction. The Republicans know that President Obama is not an ideologue. He is very independent minded in his reasonings, even pissing off some of his own support, but miraculously gaining admiration from other people who did not support him the first time. So, beleaguered Republicans have to criticize out of necessity. Doesn’t matter whether or not their guy did it, but whether people will believe that he is the first one who did. Its dishonest and reprehensible, but hey thats politics. And there are a lot of Apolitical people who will fall for it, evidence to the contrary be damned. If people were informed accurately, Republicans wouldn’t have held congress for 12 years.Republicans wouldn’t have won Presidential Races in 1968,1972,1980,1984,1988,2000,and 2004. Don’t think for a second that they cannot snatch it back in 2012. It may look unlikely, but it isn’t impossible. Our side needs strong pushback as well as strong ridicule of the media memes. Our side has to go to every one, even the media version of liberals, because even Keith Olbermann believes the President should just yell, just because.

  • MrBrink

    Teleprompters: President Obama is a Manchurian Candidate. President Obama can’t walk and chew gum. President Obama isn’t smart enough to speak plainly to the American people. His teleprompter is lying.Bowing: Fuck the world. We’re America. We don’t make peaceful gestures or build diplomatic bridges. We make bombs, motherfuckers! And that’s how we stay in business. Our bombs don’t apologize. Our bombs don’t discriminate.Talking to school kids: I don’t want, or need, some uppity nigger talking to my kids about goals and dreams filling their heads with ideas of shared responsibility. I know what’s best for my kids. Home schooling.Czars: A communist plot to undermine the will of the people. Advisors are communists who are killing Democracy. Like ACORN and the liberal Supreme Court.Oval office attire: Americans only wear Armani suits! We will occasionally accept a Men’s Warehouse knock-off, but only when a non-teleprompter explanation is given. We don’t take our jackets off and we don’t role up our sleeves. Ever. The White House isn’t a casual-Friday environment. We want to see you sing and dance in costume like a 3rd grade reproduction of ROOTS. Dance, monkey, dance!Criticizing a partisan media: There’s no partisan media. Hannity said it’s just this administration whining about tough journalism. Like office attire, teleprompters, and the Democracy-saving coverage of ACORN.Reconciliation: Sounds like a fancy word liberals made up to thwart Republican ideas.Industry bailouts: Manufacturing might be unionized. Unions are Un-American and communist. manufacturing is just a gateway to jobs and employment. Unemployment and uncertainty under this president isn’t going to rise by itself.Campaign Intervention: You aren’t allowed to hire someone to come to work in your administration, especially as a Czar, or a Democrat, and Electoral politics is an organic tree that needs no water or sun. It’s scientific and stuff. Take centuries of political maneuvering out of politics once and for all, for the time being.Memorial day: If you’re undermining the troops all year round’, like all liberals do, this is the one day to visually atone for your intellectual flag-burning and sins against the killing apparatus to be the supreme patriotic troop-fucker in chief.Mission Accomplished!

  • juvanya

    Now you know how Israel feels.

  • Jerry Melton

    Listening to goper pudits winge and whine on Memorial Day reminded me that our President has enough sense not to go to Bitburg and lay a wreath at the SS cemetary. Ronnie never could figure out what was wrong with that!