More Than 100 Days Into His Second Term, OBAMA DOESN’T HAVE THE “JUICE” TO PUSH HIS AGENDA THROUGH CONGRESS

When Asked If He Had “The ‘Juice’ To Get Things Accomplished In Washington,” Obama Said “Rumors Of My Demise May Be A Little Exaggerated.” 

 “Coming off defeats on gun control and sequestration, and facing an uphill battle on immigration reform, Obama was pressed on whether he still had the ‘juice’ to get things accomplished in Washington. ‘Maybe I should just pack up and go home,’ Obama sarcastically responded. ‘Golly. You know, I think it's a little, as Mark Twain said, you know, 'Rumors of my demise may be a little exaggerated’ at this point.’” (Justin Sink, “Obama Bristles At Suggestions This His Second Term Agenda Is Failing, “The Hill, 4/30/13)

• Obama’s Response Is A “Far Cry From The Triumphant Tone Heard In 2009” After His First 100 Days In Office. “The remark was a far cry from the triumphant tone heard in 2009, when Obama touted the sweeping stimulus law as evidence he was leading the country in a new and different direction after 100 days in the Oval Office.” (Justin Sink, “Obama Bristles At Suggestions This His Second Term Agenda Is Failing, “The Hill, 4/30/13)

Former Obama White House Official: “Let’s Be Honest,” What The Obama Administration Is Doing “Isn’t Really Working.” “‘It's obviously not for a lack of trying,’ one former Obama White House official told The Washington Examiner. ‘But let's be honest. What they're doing isn't really working, regardless of who deserves the blame. And I don't see any silver bullet for where they go from here, other than flipping the House.” (Brian Hughes, “100 Days Into Obama’s Second Term, Window Of Opportunity Seen Closing Fast,” The Washington Examiner, 4/29/13)

Obama’s First 100 Days Of His Second Term “Have Not Exactly Gone According To Plan.” “In the White House briefing room, the President stayed largely on defense, ticking through the topics offered to him by reporters by explaining all that he could not do. Asked if he still had ‘the juice’ to get the rest of his agenda through Congress, Obama smiled. ‘Maybe I should just pack up and go home, golly’ he responded from the White House podium before paraphrasing a quote from Mark Twain. ‘Rumors of my demise may be a little exaggerated at this point.’ The first 100 days have not exactly gone according to plan…” (Zeke J. Miller, “President Obama At Press Conference: In Charge, But Not In Control,” TIME, 4/30/13)

• “As Nearly Every Legislative Priority Has Stalled, His Approval Rating Has Fallen Below 50 Percent.” (Zeke J. Miller, “President Obama At Press Conference: In Charge, But Not In Control,” TIME, 4/30/13)

TO ADVANCE HIS AGENDA, OBAMA HAS THE OPTION OF BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS WITH MEMBERS OF CONGRESS, SOMETHING “HE’S NOT PARTICULARLY GOOD AT”

At 100 Days Into His Second Term, “For The Most Part” None Of Obama’s Attempts To Advance His Agenda Have “Worked.” “At this point in his presidency, Obama has pretty much tried it all. He has met privately with Republican leaders in the House, collaborated with bipartisan groups of senators and taken his case to the people, hoping that the power of public opinion could win over his opponents in Congress. This year, for the most part, none of those approaches have worked.” (Juliet Eilperin and Zachary Goldfarb, “After String Of Setbacks, More Charm May Be The Last, Best Option For Obama,” The Washington Post, 4/28/13)

• “That Leaves Obama With The Option Of Doing Something He’s Not Particularly Good At: Forging Personal Ties With Other Politicians.” (Juliet Eilperin and Zachary Goldfarb, “After String Of Setbacks, More Charm May Be The Last, Best Option For Obama,” The Washington Post, 4/28/13)

After More Than Four Years In The White House, “Obama Still Isn’t Very Good At Using His Personal Charm To Achieve Personal Success.” “After more than four years in the White House and weeks into his latest effort to woo lawmakers, Obama still isn’t very good at using his personal charm to achieve political success. Yet, it may be one of the few strategies the president has left if he hopes to accomplish his remaining ­second-term priorities, including a sweeping budget deal and a comprehensive immigration bill.”(Juliet Eilperin and Zachary Goldfarb, “After String Of Setbacks, More Charm May Be The Last, Best Option For Obama,” The Washington Post, 4/28/13)

• Former White House Chief Of Staff Bill Daley: Obama Came Into The White House Without “Long-Term, Traditional Relationships” That Prior Presidents Have With Members Of Congress And Building Them “Takes A Lot Of Time.” “William M. Daley, who served as Obama’s chief of staff between January 2011 and January 2012 and who encouraged more informal encounters with lawmakers, said in an interview that building such relationships ‘takes a lot of time.’ ‘The problem is, the president, by virtue of his history, came to the White House in a way that is not your traditional way,’ Daley said. ‘He didn’t have those long-term, traditional relationships that a Lyndon Johnson or a Kennedy or a Clinton had.’” (Juliet Eilperin and Zachary Goldfarb, “After String Of Setbacks, More Charm May Be The Last, Best Option For Obama,” The Washington Post, 4/28/13)

Obama’s Ability To “Woo Lawmakers In Personal Meetings” Doesn’t “Seem Particularly Strong.” “His latest strategy involves working to woo lawmakers in personal meetings – his talents in that area don’t seem particularly strong – and even he has suggested considerable skepticism about whether that can work.” (Zachary Goldfarb, “Does Obama Have Any Power?” The Washington Post, 4/30/13)

Obama Is “Trapped In A Very Frustrating Box” And “Realizes That The Vast Majority Of Congress Is As Impervious To His Pressure As It Is His Charm.” “Obama, regardless of the personality and political approach he displays on any given day, keeps running into the same wall of insurmountable opposition. The cold, hard reality is that the president is trapped in a very frustrating box: He realizes that the vast majority of Congress is as impervious to his pressure as it is his charm. He is damned if he does, damned if he doesn’t — and he knows it, several of his friends tell us.” (Jim VandeHei and Mike Allen, “Behind The Curtain: Obama, Boxed In,” Politico, 4/18/13)