No. of Recommendations: 20
Barack Obama and Joe Biden were both empty suit Presidents, both with gargantuan egos that neither had the savvy or skill to live up to.-------------------------
And somehow the “empty suit” Obama managed to calm the country, get the economy moving, and even pass a form of universal health care as was possible during the fragmented political era of the time. So much empty suit that he was re-elected over a Republican stalwart who had been in Congress since before Obama finished college.====================
Uhhhhhh, yup.
I've made the point before that Barack Obama may have earned his place as one of the greatest Presidents in American history before he ever took the oath of office. How? By being the ONLY adult in the room in a critical meeting in October of 2008 before the November 2008 election when the financial markets were spiraling into an abyss.
https://watchingtheherd.blogspot.com/2012/04/pbs-i...Surely, everyone remembers this meeting, right? John McCain "suspended his campaign" to "focus" on the financial crisis and Bush calls a meeting at the White House with leading Treasury officials, various Wall Street types and the two Presidential candidates. Presumably, the purpose of the meeting was to privately convey to both candidates the perils seen by the "professionals" to ensure they didn's say something on the stump that could spook the public and world markets and trigger a greater calamity while agreeing upon a common message to convey to the public.
To the transcript....
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Rep. NANCY PELOSI: Senator Obama said, "Well, I’d really like to hear from Senator McCain because he’s the person who called for this meeting."
RON SUSKIND: McCain is fumbling with his cue cards. He doesn’t even barely get started. Obama kind of patronizes him, saying, “I think Senator McCain has something to say.” McCain just melts on the spot.
MATT LATIMER: Obama took charge, had authority. John McCain had no plan, no strategy. I don’t think he understood what was happening, or didn’t have a plan for what he wanted to accomplish.
JONATHAN ALTER: President Bush whispered to Nancy Pelosi, who was sitting next to him, when McCain was talking, he said, “You guys are going to miss me.” And she kind of laughed.
PETER BAKER: The meeting ends up breaking into— into a cacophony of shouting and— and screaming back and forth. And Bush stands up and says, “Well, I’ve clearly lost control of this meeting,” and he walks out.
JONATHAN ALTER: And another Republican at the table joked to the person sitting next to him, “After this, even we’re going to vote for Obama.” That was the level of Obama’s dominance in this meeting.
MATT LATIMER: It becomes a turning point because McCain started this. He suspended his campaign. Obama did not suspend his campaign. McCain promised some sort of dramatic action. He sent mixed signals and did not seem to have the authority that a commander-in-chief should have. And I don’t think he ever really quite recovered from that.
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Who is saying this? A Democratic party hack? No. Matt Latimer, a White House speech writer in the Bush Administration between 2007 and 2008.
People will argue for centuries about whether TARP was the right thing of the right size at the right time to attempt to plug the drain we were headed down at the time. It may have only slowed the rush of water out of the tub for a few months or years. However, just think about the stakes that WERE clear in that room at that time involving a few TRILLION dollars in household wealth and Wall Street market capitalization then compare the communication styles and composure of the players in that room.
One guy starts the meeting with "we gotta do something or this sucker's going down" then immediately punts on first down. This is the President of the United States.
One guy has the opportunity to come to the meeting and frame the discussion -- having called for the meeting thereby MAGNIFYING worldwide risk by setting expectations to "do something" -- and freezes -- literally like a deer in the headlights. This is a candidate for President from the party professing to know business, management and leadership.
One guy shows up, comes prepared with ideas having done HOURS of homework with input from advisors in government and business, and -- simply by appearing focused and informed -- dominates a meeting with the President of the United States and the heads of the Treasury and Federal Reserve at a moment of national economic peril.
WTH
