I got a phone call last night from Obama's campaign. The guy wasn't fishing for money, at least not directly. He seemed to be trying to gauge and shape my opinion of the President. My opinion is unimportant (severely disappointed but still supporting), but what struck me is the message he was trying to pitch.
I was asked to believe that President Obama was preforming a Rope-a-Dope strategy against Republicans. That every defeat and surrender is part of a cunning plan to conquer Republicans. The theory, as best as I can tell, was that by allowing Republicans their little successes they will overreach and anger voters.
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| It doesn't look like it, but the fighter on the ropes is winning. |
My problem is that what works in boxing doesn't work in politics. Politics is a perception game. If you look weak you are weak. Letting Republicans have their way without fighting back so that they will get all the blame when the economy craters may work, so far as it goes. But people will judge harshly a president who allowed that to happen without appearing to stand up to them.
They may rightly blame Republicans, but they will blame the President too.
1 comment:
I sort of thought he was diong rope-a-dope for a few days there (I'd been listening to Lawrence O'Donell too much, I think)...
I can't convince myself of that anymore.
So, by keeping the Bush tax cuts, the Bush wars, the Bush Gitmo policy, the Bush torture policy, and letting the GOP have what they claim to want regarding the budget cuts, the Republicans are falling for Obama's plan?
He's just holding back and letting them have the store for three years and then.... what?
I want President Obama to do well for selfish reasons: I directly or indirectly benefit when the country does well. But if the Presidential race was the only one up for grabs next year, I might stay home.
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