via AlterNet:
Posted by Steve M. at 12:01 pm
July 13, 2010
The GOP Is Like a Sociopathic Ex-Boyfriend: If They Can’t Have the Country, No One CanPosted by Steve M. on @ 12:01 pm
This post first appeared on No More Mister Nice Blog.
Yesterday, Zandar flagged this bit of analysis from MSNBC’s First Read:
…Turning our attention away from the midterms and to the Obama White House, we’ve come to this conclusion: This White House is simply not good at handling communication and politics. The legislative achievements are there. So is the individual outreach. But what’s missing is a coherent message. Whether dealing with the media, the business community, Republicans, or Congress, this White House hasn’t gotten its message across. (Just check out what Dem Gov. Chris Gregoire said of the White House’s communication on immigration: “They described for me a list of things that they are doing to try and help on that border,” Ms. Gregoire said… “And I said, ‘The public doesn’t know that.’”) Why is this surprising? The last thing so many of us thought during the presidential campaign was that these guys would have difficulties controlling the message and managing their constituents. Simply put, Washington runs this White House right now; the White House doesn’t run Washington.
I don’t know why the same guys who did such a bang-up job in the campaign can’t handle messaging now. I find myself thinking of Obama et al. as very bright but not very socially attuned, perhaps even Asperger-y, nerds who devised a brilliant strategy for an ‘08 victory in isolation; it actually worked, but they simply can’t improvise a communication strategy when a plan they’ve made gets into trouble because, in an Asperger way, they simply aren’t very good at picking up and processing social cues from voters, and thus they can’t make the necessary adjustments.
Why have they have been so tone-deaf regarding the need for vigorous and relentless action on jobs, or, failing that, a fist-shaking rage at whoever (fat cats, the GOP) stands in the way of such action? Why couldn’t they process the mounting discomfort with the health care plan? Why do they allow right-wing faux-outrages to fester — about golf-playing, say, or bowing to foreign leaders? Would it be so unacceptable for the White House to find some way not to provide oxygen for the right-wing crazies on these trivial matters? ..........(more)
The complete piece is at:
http://blogs.alternet.org/speakeasy/2010/07/13/the-gop-is-like-a-sociopathic-ex-boyfriend-if-they-cant-have-the-country-no-one-can/
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