Obama The Answer Man

A devoted Obama staffer explains to the WaPo that Obama is all wise and all knowing; also, all-talking:

Two days after his damaging defeat in Pennsylvania last month, Barack Obama gathered his wife and senior campaign staff around the dining room table of his Chicago home.

For two hours after dinner, Barack and Michelle Obama, campaign manager David Plouffe, message man David Axelrod, deputy campaign manager Steve Hildebrand, communications chiefs Robert Gibbs and Dan Pfeiffer, family friend and Chicago business heavyweight Valerie Jarrett, and scheduling chief Alyssa Mastromonaco hashed over the presidential campaign's history, looked at the upcoming primaries and decided how the candidate would approach the coming two weeks. Obama wanted to get away from the sniping, including his own, and get back to the approachable, hopeful campaign of last winter's long sojourn in Iowa.

"It wasn't like 'Let's have a discussion.' It was 'One, two, three, four, here's what we're going to do,' " a staffer said. "When things don't go well, he doesn't yell and scream. He's very prescriptive. Everybody understands this isn't about having a discussion. He's got 99 percent of the voting shares. There's no point in taking a vote."

What?  Sure, there is no point in taking a vote, but that hardly means that there is no point in having a discussion - presumably these strategists and advisers are intelligent adults with possibly-useful perspectives and an effective leader would draw them out and explore alternatives.

As to the idea that Barack doesn't yell and scream, he simply tells people what to do - well, that would be fabulous if he were running for fire marshall in an office building, but the President of the United States can't possibly be expected to know the answer to every question that will arise during his Administration.  Despite whatever this staffer may have experienced professionally or personally, there are plenty of effective leaders who can handle adversity without yelling or screaming while also promoting creative discussion of alternative strategies.

I assume this staffer meant to be providing fawning praise of the Messiah, but as an example of Obama's leadership style it is not encouraging.

Comments

[Charlie (Colorado)]

I am usually the first to shy away from allusions to Nazis, Nazism or indeed WWII, but my first thought when I read this was how similar it was to Hitlers management style.

Andrew, that's part of why I pointed to a Caudillo instead of the H-word: most or all authoritarians have this management style.

[Sue]

Rick,

It seems like Bush's money in 04 was higher because the contributors were going to one person, also the sitting president, not split between several candidates. The 2000 numbers seem to back that up.

[Sue]

Rick,

I have not idea how to explain the money going to Obama when his constituents are facing loss of jobs, poverty, etc., etc., and so forth.

[Rick Ballard]

Sue,

There's that "put your money on the favorite" thingy too.

As to BHO's dough - remember all the money Ford put into the Edsel marketing campaign. How much cash would BHO have to spend to have a chance in TX?

I hope the billionaires boys club dumps every dime they have into him. Marketing money can't overcome an obviously carpy product.

[Jane]

Thanks Rick, that's what I suspected, but wholly without reason. I'm so glad smart people hang out here!

[Charlie (Colorado)]

Aren't you all begging the question?

Um, no, actually. Look it up.

Must we really assume that the quoted anonymous staffer was present at and accurately recounting how the highest-level talks between Obama and 1 to a very few aides went?

No, but it seems self-consistent with some other aspects of what we've heard. But observe what Soylent actually is saying, for example: "If this WaPo piece is true, ...." It's in the conditional.

[Thomas Jackson]

Given Snobama's mentors it seems his ideas depend on who last sat on him. My bet is on Michelle. She weilds one big broom.

[Denny, Alaska]

So, Sen. Obama (D-Mr. 99%) says "I'm in charge here!"

That should warm the heart of any Dem with any knowledge of history.

Oh, sorry. It doesn't appear there's any Dem on board at the moment who can remember back to Kerry '04.

Never mind.

[CG FlLorida]

Exactly how many serious "errors in judgment" is Obama allowed before his adoring lemmings begin to notice they've been merrily rushing towards the edge of a treacherous cliff.

This particularly spectacular "error in judgment" is all over the web and it's coming back to haunt him, big time.

If it walks like a duck......
http://www.the-office.com/obama.htm

[Viam]

Common Sense.

If your insane, why would you reproduce or clone? If the world is insane, why should anyone reproduce or clone?

Intelligence is psychiatry. The community is international. The agents are tools, unless the psychiatrist decides to do the killing.

Insane people get very angry when you tell them they're insane. Don't tell them they're insane. They reproduce and clone and the psychiatrist has decided to do the is killing.......

Money? Some guy got the odds right on Indiana and NC.