Obama’s “Inept” Leadership On Debt Ceiling Debate Has Left His Party And Presidency In A “Diminished State”

OBAMA’S LACK OF LEADERSHIP ON DEBT DEBATE

“ONE OF THE LOWER POINTS OF HIS PRESIDENCY”

The New York Times: “The president can no longer make the argument that he has changed the way Washington works - Mr. Obama's Washington, in fact, has looked even worse than previous eras …”(Jeff Zeleny, “After Protracted Fight, Both Sides Emerge Bruised,” The New York Times, 7/31/11)

·       NYT: “The president, with his re-election on the horizon, emerges from the showdown in a diminished state after giving considerable ground and struggling to rise above a deep partisan intransigence that has engulfed Washington.” (Jeff Zeleny, “After Protracted Fight, Both Sides Emerge Bruised,” The New York Times, 7/31/11)

·       NYT: “The drawn-out debt debate may well be recorded as one of the lower points of his presidency.” (Jeff Zeleny, “After Protracted Fight, Both Sides Emerge Bruised,” The New York Times, 7/31/11)

The Washington Post: “[I]n his eleventh-hour stare-down with the tea-party-infused Republicans and a possible government default on the line, Obama blinked.” (Peter Wallsten & David Nakamura, “Did Obama Capitulate — Or Is This A Cagey Move?” The Washington Post, 7/31/11)

·       WaPo: “Indeed, for much of the battle over the debt ceiling, Obama seemed to be, alternately, a bystander and a broker. And in the early assessments of the results, it appears that Republicans got the better of the bargain.” (Karen Tumulty & Perry Bacon Jr., “What The Debt-Ceiling Battle Means For 2012” The Washington Post, 8/2/11)

The New York Times’ Maureen Dowd: “You have to wonder if President Obama at some level doesn’t want to lead. Maybe he just wants to be loved.” (Maureen Dowd, “Tempest in a Tea Party,”The New York Times, 7/30/11)

·       Dowd: “[Democratic lawmakers] fret that Obama is an inept negotiator.” (Maureen Dowd, “Tempest in a Tea Party,”The New York Times, 7/30/11)

·       Dowd: “The laconic president emerges from the sidelines periodically to warn about economic default, but we’re already in political default.” (Maureen Dowd, “Tempest In A Tea Party,”The New York Times, 7/30/11)

·       Dowd: “As one Democratic senator complained: ‘The president veers between talking like a peevish professor and a scolding parent.’ (Not to mention a jilted lover.) Another moaned: ‘We are watching him turn into Jimmy Carter right before our eyes.’” (Maureen Dowd, “Tempest In A Tea Party,”The New York Times, 7/30/11)

Politico: “[F]or the second time this year, the president has had to yield ground on domestic appropriations, and the result is a real change in the direction and ambitions of government.” (David Rogers, “We Have A Deal,” Politico, 7/31/11)

National Journal: “The months-long melodrama leaves President Obama weakened politically and potentially constrained as a president.” (George Condon Jr, “Obama Hurt By Debt Debate,” National Journal, 7/31/11)

·       NJ: “[T]here's little good news for him and his party in what's immediately known about the framework of the compromise.” (George Condon Jr, “Obama Hurt By Debt Debate,” National Journal, 7/31/11)

·       NJ: “[R]ight now it's hard to see many victories the president can show to his party in this deal. He didn't get the ‘clean’ increase he once demanded. He didn't get the ‘balance’ (revenue increases) he demanded, though he insisted that taxes remain very much a part of the second phase of the bargain.” (George Condon Jr, “Obama Hurt By Debt Debate,” National Journal, 7/31/11)

·       NJ: “[T]he bad news for Obama is that this deal – and his role in the deal-making – could make it more difficult for him to win a second term.” (George Condon Jr, “Obama Hurt By Debt Debate,” National Journal, 7/31/11)

·       NJ: “[T]here is no sign that Independents approve of the president’s handling of the debt issue.” (George Condon Jr, “Obama Hurt By Debt Debate,” National Journal, 7/31/11)

USA Today: “In the debate over raising the government's debt ceiling, President Obama has seen his approval rating fall to a new low, his political adeptness questioned and his liberal base enraged over compromises he made on line-in-the-sand issues such as protecting Medicare from cuts.” (Susan Page & Fredreka Schouten, “Political Damage Even If A Debt Deal Is Done,” USA Today, 7/31/11)

 Research: www.gop.com