Obama Gets High Scores on Leadership Report Card

By GottaLaff

Phi Beta President:

Obama is getting one of the most important report cards of all: on his leadership qualities. And with the exception of an incomplete grade on political skill as he continues to pursue a victory on his top agenda item—healthcare reform—he's virtually a 4.0 student.

That's according to presidential historian and author Fred Greenstein, professor of politics emeritus at Princeton University. The author of the new Inventing the Job of President has just updated his initial Obama report card and declared the president a "rare political leader." [...]

"Indeed," adds Greenstein, "he may turn out to be the rare political leader who is marked by both a first-rate temperament and a first-rate mind."

Well duh.

Agree or disagree with President Obama's policies, it's hard to argue about his intellect and demeanor. And both of those things affect his leadership skills and more.

There's a complete breakdown of how Greenstein reached those conclusions here. Take a look.

Two nuggets

By GottaLaff

Greg Sargent has two nuggets that caught my eye today:

[T]he White House has now released the most detailed chronology yet of the handling of the Christmas bomb plotter. Key takeaway: He was Mirandized nine hours after capture — and after FBI concluded he’d stopped talking.

How about that? Nine hours.

Then there's this little White House promise:

A key concession from Dan Pfeiffer: The White House shouldn’t have stood back and let Congress set the agenda. Vows it won’t happen again.

Gee, ya think?

Good vow. You know why? Because if it happens again, bye bye 2012, bye bye agenda, bye bye Democrats.

Poll-itics: America's Image Improves Dramatically

By GottaLaff

Someone tell Palin. She still thinks President Obama needs to play the Bomb Iran card.

Via Taegan:

A new Gallup survey finds that perceptions of American leadership worldwide improved significantly, from 34% in 2008 to 51% approval in 2009.

Significant improvements in sentiment toward U.S. leadership are evident in all four major global regions, with the largest year-over-year increase in approval measured in Europe.

Damn that hopey changey president and his reachy outy ways!

Harry Reid: I'm not going anywhere

By GottaLaff

Two Democrats are leaving the Senate, and it's a HUGE deal. HUGE. GIGANTIC!! All over the Tee Vee Machine!!!!!

Of course, more Rushpublics are leaving than Democrats.

Now Harry gaffes it up, and he's supposed to RESIGN!!! In bold!!! With lots of exclamation points!!!!! Because, as everyone knows, Rushpublics never say things that can be construed as racist.

So HARRY MUST RESIGN HIS LEADERSHIP ROLE!!!!!!!!! NOW!!!

Of course they have no way of making him do that, because they have no power. What a shame:

Senior advisers for Sen. Harry Reid say he won’t resign as majority leader over comments he made about Barack Obama — and that Republican attacks on Reid will give them the opportunity to solidify Democrat support by arguing that he's the victim of a partisan witchhunt. [...]

The calculus could always change if more revelations emerge or if Democrats begin to call for Reid to step down. But Reid’s advisers expect neither of those situations to play out, believing that support has been solidified on the left and that they can weather the storm in Washington – and will have to turn the focus in his Nevada reelection campaign to jobs and the economy.

So, my entertaining little Hypocritical Obstruction party, let's recap:

“He has no intention of stepping down as majority leader,” Reid spokesman Jim Manley said. “Unlike others who advocate moving our nation backwards, and viewing this moment for political gain, he’s working, today, tomorrow and the next day to move our country forward.”

“Mr. Steele and Sen. Cornyn want Reid out because they know they can’t beat Reid” in November, Manley said.

Now if you want to talk about racist comments and who should lose their jobs over them, by all means, let's start with your own party, ClusterFox, and the Tea Party gang.

VIDEO- Steele: Reid should step down from leadership role for 'Negro' remark

By GottaLaff



Yesterday I posted about Harry Reid's apology for "Negro dialect" remarks he hade made about pre-President Obama during the 2008 election season. Obama accepted the apology.

From the Dep't. of Look Who's Talking About Who Should Step Down:

The chairman of the Republican National Committee called Sunday for Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.) to step down as Majority Leader in the wake of revelations that he used the term "Negro" when discussing President Barack Obama's 2008 candidacy.

"I think he should, if the standard is the one set by [Trent Lott]," Steele said on "Fox News Sunday" when asked if Reid should resign his post.

Trent Lott resigned as Majority Leader in 2002 for praising Strom Thurmond and his 1948 candidacy.

Back to the Department of Look Who's Talking, Michael Steele apparently forgot about his own "Honest Injun" slur. Until he can acquire a shred of credibility for himself, he's the last one who should be pointing fingers.

UPDATE, via an e-mail alert from Politico:

Texas Sen. John Cornyn, the chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, tells POLITICO that it's "entirely appropriate" for Sen. Harry Reid to step down as majority leader over comments about President Barack Obama's skin color and lack of a "Negro dialect."

For more information...http://www.politico.com

Poll- Obama Gets High Marks on Leadership

Let's hope that leadership gets the fracking Congress off their butts and getting the work done.

A new Gallup poll finds solid majorities of Americans believe President Obama "is a strong and decisive leader and say he understands the problems Americans face in their daily lives. The president gets slightly lower marks on two other personal characteristics -- being able to effectively manage the government and sharing Americans' values."

Ensign Quits Leadership Post

By GottaLaff

So what about the other Rushpublics who don't live up to their own Family Values hype?

Sen. John Ensign (R-NV) resigned his Senate Republican leadership post after admitting having an affair with a staffer, the AP reports.

Poll: GOP Voters Think Party Has Clear Leader -- But Don't Agree Who It Is

Rasmussen tends to lean heavily right...

A new Rasmussen poll finds that only 37% of Republican voters think the party has no clear leader, a definite improvement from a 68% figure two months ago. But there's a catch: There's no agreement on who the party's clear leader actually is.

John McCain comes in first place among possible leaders at 18%, followed by Michael Steele with 14%, Sarah Palin on 10%, Mitt Romney at 8%, Rush Limbaugh with 6%, and Dick Cheney at 4%.

The polling memo reiterates a recent point by Scott Rasmussen: "To be relevant in politics, you need either formal power or a lot of people willing to follow your lead. The governing Republicans in the nation's capital have lost both on their continuing path to irrelevance."

Cartoon of the Day

Via.

How historians judge Bush: He's in the Top 10 of America’s worst presidents

By GottaLaff

Georgie Bush told us all that we should wait to see how historians will judge him. Why? Because they would look back on him kindly, that's why. Boy howdy, was Bushie Boy extra crispy wrong!

Today, C-SPAN released its second Historians Survey of Presidential Leadership, in which “65 presidential historians ranked the 42 former occupants of the White House on ten attributes of leadership.” Coming in first was Abraham Lincoln, followed by George Washington, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Theodore Roosevelt, and Harry Truman. Finishing last was James Buchanan. George W. Bush came in 36th, just beating out Millard Fillmore, who ranked 37th:

Color me pessimistic, but I'm thinkin' things won't look any better to historians in 10, 20, or 50 years.

Oh, and Joe Lieberman was wrong, too. Shocking, huh?

Dueling President Obama leadership headlines

By GottaLaff

If you tell Americans that their president is weak often enough, they may start to believe it. However, it may be more difficult in the case of President Obama. Nobody's buying it, including Chuck Todd just now on MSNBC, who called him "forceful":

Happening right now: An "energetic and determined" President Obama speaks

vs.

Graham Steps Up Attacks on Obama
In an interview with Fox News, [Lindsey] Graham said, "I like President Obama, but he is not leading."

He added: "It's a broken process, and the president, as far as I'm concerned has been AWOL in providing leadership."

vs.

Obama Appears to Have Found His Voice and Leadership Again

Dino Graham strikes again.

Leadership in action: Obama's speed and balancing act

By GottaLaff

When I first learned to type, my teacher's mantra was "speed and accuracy". P.E. Obama must have had the same teacher:

Barack Obama was back in the Capitol on Tuesday, not yet president but seeming to manage three governments at a time while taking questions from old Senate colleagues.

First is Obama’s own administration, still being assembled and facing a few rough patches a week before his Inauguration. Next is his ambitious economic recovery bill, approaching $850 billion and fast becoming a second government in its own right. Third is the leftover business of the outgoing Bush White House: what to do with the last $350 billion in a financial markets rescue fund approved a month before Obama’s election.

Moving fast has always been an Obama trademark. The man scarcely stayed in the Senate two years before running for president. And his appearance at the Democratic luncheon followed the same format: a brief summary of the business at hand followed by opening up the floor to questions.

“He makes his points,” Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.) said, grinning slightly. “He allows everyone to ask questions, and that’s a sign of leadership.”

Lawrence Summers, the former Harvard president and Clinton Treasury secretary, was on hand — but also largely unneeded by Obama.

“Let’s put it this way,” said Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.). “We didn’t ask any questions that stumped him.”

Energizer Barack.

Poll-itics: Even those who didn't vote for Obama approve edition

By GottaLaff

Poll after poll, we see that America is happy with the results of the presidential election (not a Supreme Court selection, but an actual, genuine, decisive, voters' choice election). The interesting thing is, Obama didn't win the presidency by as wide a margin as the overwhelmingly positive poll numbers reflect here.

Conclusion: Even those who didn't vote for him are voicing their approval, including, yes, Republicans. Imagine that.

Palin left out of RGA leadership

By GottaLaff

Awwww:

Today, the RGA made that sentiment official, by not voting her in to any of the organization’s leadership positions:

The Republican Governors Association announced its new leadership lineup today after their annual meeting concluded Thursday in Miami.

South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford was voted RGA chairman, taking over the top job from Texas Gov. Rick Perry who will now serve as finance chairman. Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour is vice-chairman, while Florida Gov. Charlie Crist will serve as chair for the annual RGA gala, and Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue will head up the recruitment effort.

Hawaii Gov. Linda Lingle, Vermont Gov. Jim Douglas, and Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty will also sit on the RGA’s executive committee. […]

Not on the list? Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, who also attended the Miami meeting.

Poor Pitiful Palin wore out her welcome.