Wednesday, March 13, 2013

OBAMA AS NEGOTIATOR

From Politico.  Interesting observations about Obama as a less than stellar negotiator.  He doesn't work the room to convince Republicans of his opinions--LBJ would have been grabbing everyone he could corner to convince them of his agenda.  Looking at his Blackberry when there are people to lobby. . .

Another reason is the rancid relationship between Obama and Republicans on the Hill. House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), the third-ranking House Republican, told us about an exchange he had with Obama at Saturday night’s white-tie Gridiron dinner. During a break in the program, McCarthy saw an empty chair next to Obama and decided to seize the chance. Surprised Obama wasn’t working the room, and thinking the president really is a loner, McCarthy walked up to the head table. He found the president was reading his BlackBerry. (Another attendee said Obama was talking to Ken Burns, the documentarian, who was showing POTUS pictures of his family on his phone.)
It appears that Obama is really a loner (even among Democrats) with a few close friends who he really trusts and works with.

The Myth of a "Rock Star" Professor.  Obama's student evaluations were great his first two years but after that they dropped dramatically.  And very few students were signing up for his classes.

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