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Obama Using Tired Tricks of the Trail

The brouhaha followed by speech is getting old

By Matt Cantor, Newser Staff

Posted Sep 13, 2009 7:44 AM CDT

(Newser) – President Obama’s strategy for dealing with fallout from political controversy is growing tired, writes Frank Rich in the New York TImes. First, Obama stays cool as the crazies and 24-hour news networks explode; then, at a “superdramatic moment,” he delivers a speech the media “reliably hypes as The Do-or-Die Speech of His Career.” While this worked on the campaign trail, Rich writes, it won’t fly in the White House.

Sure, Obama’s speech Wednesday was great, “but there was little in the speech that Obama couldn’t have said at the summer’s outset,” Rich notes. “In the meantime, a certain damage has been done—to Obama and to the country” as "crazed town-hall sideshows" took over. Obama’s poll numbers have slid and support for health reform has dropped off. The 24-hour networks and Republican party have dictated the story, and Obama looks weaker for it.

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President Barack Obama addresses a joint session of Congress on healthcare at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, on Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2009. (AP Photo/Jason Reed, pool)

President Barack Obama speaks to a joint session of Congress on health care at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, on Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2009. (AP Photo/Jason Reed, pool)

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As a style of governing, however, this repeated cycle of extended above-the-fray passivity followed by last-minute oratorical heroics has now been stretched to the very limit. - Frank Rich

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COMMENTS

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Showing 3 of 30 comments

2-bits

Sep 14, 2009 12:55 PM CDT

ClearSight: Be aware, if you show that "different kind of anger," you are not defending your rights, you are taking away someone else's. And I won't fucking stand for that.

NewserScooter

Sep 14, 2009 3:07 AM CDT

The Dems are the ones spewing and have been for 25 years now!

NewserScooter

Sep 14, 2009 3:06 AM CDT

O come on Queen, Obama is a Chicago machine politician, from one of the most questionable groups ever in power. He is bright, clever, but moral? What do we know to support this, his adverts? His associates? How many of his close friends are under indictment currently? Blago, Tony R, Acorn etc etc. I hope he works out, but he is a politician, and the only President we have right now. But in 3 or 7 years there will be another. By then of course who ever comes along will have to clean his mess up and figure how to pay for all this spending and graft.

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Obama Using Tired Tricks of the Trail