Image via WikipediaThe latest blow to President Barack Obama's credibility came Wednesday when his planned address to a joint session of Congress, which would focus on jobs and the economy, was moved from Wednesday, September 7 to Thursday, September 8.Speaker of the House John Boehner turned down the original date, which is believed to be the first time that's ever happened, claiming that Congress wants to get back to work after a monthlong recess. Whether or not it was a coincidence, the original date also would have conflicted with a Republican presidential debate at the same hour. It would air on cable network MSNBC.
But people don't care about that so much as they do about the start of the National Football League season, which is what the President's address would now become--a warmup act prior to the New Orleans Saints-Green Bay Packers game on NBC. The speech will now begin just after 7 p.m. in the East, and the White House promises it will end before kickoff.
You're probably wondering why President Obama insisted on getting his economic message out in the same week that the TV networks are commemorating the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, and why he couldn't have waited until the following week. It wasn't just because he wanted to change the subject on such a somber occasion. It might be that Obama believes since he's the President, he can command the attention of the country any time he likes. Didn't work this time, did it?
There's no question that the President blinked on this issue. It's great that he wants to take the high road, and become the Great Compromiser in an era of partisan gridlock. But it makes him look like an appeaser who caves in to whatever the Republicans want, which is not surprising since that seems to be the default setting for the Democrats. (See: health care, raising the debt ceiling, etc.) And the polls, which now give Obama a 42 percent approval rating, seem to reflect this.
Not that the Republicans have it any better in the eyes of the voters, who now see the GOP as conservative bullies more interested in keeping Obama to one term while bankrupting the country for their own political gain. And the debate the party apparently wants us to see features candidates who would have big problems winning votes beyond their narrow political bases, along with an incredible knack for saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. This less-than-inspiring bunch is the only saving grace if President Barack Obama wants to win a second term.
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