Sunday, May 01, 2016

Obama obsessing over Obama...


Like him, love him, hate him or indifferent, the following Politico article [LINK] on Obama communications is worth a read (OK, you need to have an interest!): 'The Selling of Obama',
"When Obama himself has been asked about his administration's failures, he's harped on communication failures, and it’s been a consistent theme inside his White House. "Our policies are so awesome," he quipped to a few aides after a 2011 Roosevelt Room meeting. "Why can’t you guys do a better job selling them?" I interviewed more than two dozen current and former administration officials for this article, and at least a dozen told me some version of the internal joke that every problem in Obamaworld is a communications problem."
I've never thought much of him, the gross partisan bias offered by 99% of the US/UK MSM (especially the BBC this side of the water) made me suspicious and 'anti' from the word go. Nothing since has changed my opinion. Hailed as the Great Communicator I was unable to listen to more than a few sentences from Obama before switching off; what Politico calls the "president’s Spock-like, no-drama persona has also complicated his efforts to connect with the public" was exacerbated by his droning boring voice with constant drawn out pauses making it hard to pay attention. He's not alone, the modern political norm, designed to create an impression of gravitas, I imagine, is as highly overrated and overused as it is unsuccessful in its aim.

"He sees himself as a storyteller as well as a policymaker, and by his own admission, he hasn’t always told a persuasive story."...[face-palm]

Also of interest in the same vein: a great info-graphic (scroll down a bit) of make-up of the WH press lobby: 21% registered DEM (as against only 8% REP) but 86% of them think Clinton will be next POTUS.

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