Obama and the Theory of Everything

Time's Joe Klein has an interesting piece about the current trials and tribulations of Barack Obama. Intellectually, it's hard to disagree with at first glance. His thesis: Obama is in trouble because he "simply isn’t a top-draw politician." If he were, Klein opines, "He would be defining the political arena. Instead, the Republicans are." And this despite the president having accomplished "a hell of a lot." Klein's views sync up perfectly with the current media narrative/meme about Mr. Obama even though few mainstream pundits believe (in their heart of hearts) that he won't be reelected. In short, Klein constructs a tidy package about Obama that you can wrap with a bow. Quantum physicists would recognize it as the long sought Theory of Everything, the grand explanation for how and why the universe was created.

But this media construct bears little relation to reality. To say that Obama is not a "top-draw politician" is laughable. We're talking about the man who knocked off the Clinton Machine, trounced McCain/Palin, and has accomplished more than any president in 50 years. And he did it all while being black. While it's true that his job approval is lagging (how could it not given the economy and GOP intransigence?), polls say 70% of Americans still like the guy, want him to succeed, and appreciate his adultness in a political sea of scurrilous adolescents. In contrast, the same polls say Republican popularity is at historic lows across the board. I think Klein (and much of the chattering class) is misreading Obama and badly underestimating him politically.