With falling approval ratings, Barack Obama is getting advice from all sides on how to “save” his presidency.
In the latest round of parsing by pundits, Richard Cohen of the Washington Post concludes: “The bank bailout averted a financial crackup and the stimulus package pulled the economy back from the abyss. Along with reform of the financial industry and health care, these are considerable achievements. Only the voters disagree.”
The reason? “No one is accusing Obama of being likable. He is not unlikable, but he lacks Reagan’s (or Bill Clinton’s) warmth.”
This is straight out of the Willy Loman School of Getting Ahead in Life. The protagonist of Arthur Miller’s 1949 indictment of false American values, “Death of a Salesman,” assures his sons they will succeed, even though they are not matching the high grades of their cousin who is “liked but not well-liked,” as they are.
What would it take for Barack Obama to become as “well-liked” as Reagan and Clinton? The answers from political “experts” are all over the lot–from changing his rhetoric to doubling the size of the space program.
But all this advice misses the point.