(Politico)....It’s got some people in both parties wondering whether there really is a steel fist inside Obama’s velvet glove.
Democrats in Congress told POLITICO they've been surprised that there seem to be no obvious consequences for sharp criticism of the White House. Cheerleaders on the left are beginning to urge him, in the words of Maureen Dowd, to be "more Rocky, less Spocky."
"One of the few areas of agreement on the right and left is that both sides want to see more strength of leadership from him," notes Dan Gerstein, a Democratic political consultant. "There has to be respect - and fear."
"His problem has been almost from the beginning that while Democrats on the Hill appreciate him, they're occasionally inspired by him, they're not all that impressed with him," said Bush political advisor Karl Rove. "They appreciate his diffident attitude, but I'm not sure it's one that inspires either fear or respect."
Democrats, on Capitol Hill or the White House, aren’t likely to be swayed by taunting from the likes of Rove.
But it is true that as the health care debate reaches its denouement, Obama is almost certainly going to be pressuring liberals in his own party to accept less than they once expected, and conservative Democrats to spend more than they want.
When this moment comes, Obama will likely need find the power of reason is more effective when backed by a demonstrated willingness to crack heads.
"One of the things you lose the ability to do when you step back from the legislative process is to jump in there and be beefy when things don't go the way you want," said Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.), who has criticized the White House's plans from the left at no apparent political cost.
The question is where this personal and strategic blurriness turns into a more dangerous political sense of weakness, a dangerous perception for American presidents George H.W. Bush learned when Newsweek labeled him a "wimp" on its front page. His son labored to avoid that mistake, his obsessions about projecting strength sometimes coming off as swagger.
Democrats in Congress told POLITICO they've been surprised that there seem to be no obvious consequences for sharp criticism of the White House. Cheerleaders on the left are beginning to urge him, in the words of Maureen Dowd, to be "more Rocky, less Spocky."
"One of the few areas of agreement on the right and left is that both sides want to see more strength of leadership from him," notes Dan Gerstein, a Democratic political consultant. "There has to be respect - and fear."
"His problem has been almost from the beginning that while Democrats on the Hill appreciate him, they're occasionally inspired by him, they're not all that impressed with him," said Bush political advisor Karl Rove. "They appreciate his diffident attitude, but I'm not sure it's one that inspires either fear or respect."
Democrats, on Capitol Hill or the White House, aren’t likely to be swayed by taunting from the likes of Rove.
But it is true that as the health care debate reaches its denouement, Obama is almost certainly going to be pressuring liberals in his own party to accept less than they once expected, and conservative Democrats to spend more than they want.
When this moment comes, Obama will likely need find the power of reason is more effective when backed by a demonstrated willingness to crack heads.
"One of the things you lose the ability to do when you step back from the legislative process is to jump in there and be beefy when things don't go the way you want," said Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.), who has criticized the White House's plans from the left at no apparent political cost.
The question is where this personal and strategic blurriness turns into a more dangerous political sense of weakness, a dangerous perception for American presidents George H.W. Bush learned when Newsweek labeled him a "wimp" on its front page. His son labored to avoid that mistake, his obsessions about projecting strength sometimes coming off as swagger.
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