Incompetent or Uncaring: President Absent From Leadership Position

I normally do my best to keep me out of my stories, but this one has me so discombobulated that I chose a first-person perspective.  Why not?  I’m pissed-off!

While watching the news, it’s obvious that the few and short appearances that Obama is making in Louisiana in response to the oil spill are contrived, symbolic and entirely disrespectful of the office and the situation.  I am not sure whether it is because he is clueless, stressed-out, or incompetent.

Many position government Centrists as elitist, self-important ideologues, but to have the leader of the free world prove their point is beyond embarrassing.  While five-hour golf outings are frequent for President Obama, an overly-choreographed three hour visit to the Louisiana coast is all he could manage before jetting off to his Memorial Day weekend vacation.  How many of us could foresee our three-day weekend being cancelled by a crisis at work?  How many get to play 5 hour rounds of golf while things are turning upside-down at the office?  How many of us would still have a job if we acted that way?

Even the media representatives that have protected the administration’s image are starting to turn on him.  James Carville, a noted Democratic commentator and strategist said the Obama administration’s, “political stupidity is unbelievable ..  have no idea why they didn’t seize this thing. I have no idea why their attitude was so hands-off here”.

While the President and his admiring media (mainstream and new) defend his actions by stating simpleton crap like, “Obama can’t just go plug the hole himself”, as if anyone expected that he would (other than his daughter).  Comparing his actions to Bush is as unintelligent and populist as it gets.  While many of us say he should have been on the ground in Louisiana, popping a tent (or command center as the case may be) and working the situation as a leader, others are protecting his actions.

Numerous sound bites in the media talk about how Obama was gathering his team on “day one”.  A team of whom?  The leader of MMS who he put in-place and just recently forced out of office?  His know-nothing EPA lead? The rest of his over-educated and inexperienced leadership team?   No wonder this thing was a mess for over a month.  Obama has a “team” of progressive nation-“transformers” that have no idea how to actually govern, regulate or lead.  I imagine that “day one” meeting was that whole bunch of elitist, blathering morons staring at each other, shrugging their shoulders and then heading off to the opera.

I won’t defend past handling of disasters by the federal government, that’s not the point.  So hold the firestorm of saying that Bush couldn’t do it either.  I agree.. whole-heartedly.  The government can’t do this, not in any way shape or form, but it must show much better leadership.   Our leaders have to be there, on the ground, making decisions, communicating.  Two cameo appearances in the disaster area over the course of over a month isn’t getting it done.

Taking a long weekend with the family and getting a jersey from the Duke basketball team while the mess continues are elitist statements of the highest order.  It’s like Obama’s telling the fisherman and tourism industry of Louisiana that he realizes that they are in trouble, but he’s got other things to do.  Even if just for moral support, the President should have been much closer to this, he should be closer to this – but he won’t be.  It’s beneath him.