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I've been harsh on Obama because he entered office with impossibly high expectations and hype (some of it his doing). But Alter reminds us of how hard it was to be president in 2009, and how Obama kept the ship afloat and made some progress on big issues despite massive GOP hatred and obstructionism.
It's admirable how Obama is the type of politician who doesn't care as much about getting credit and gratitude. The stimulus package and TARP were big examples, where the GOP/media gave him hell, and the public never really embraced the positives. The stimulus, despite being infused with some pork and waste (inevitable if Congress is involved) was designed for speed - get passed and get the money out quickly. Sure the economy is experiencing stimulus-withdrawal now, but we avoided a prolonged depression (economists debate how much the stimulus funding actually affected our massive economic machine). It was a real help for medical research, desperately needed infrastructure spending, and assistance for the poor (an increase in the IRS earned income credit and extended unemployment insurance). TARP was started by Bush and Paulson anyway, the big banks survived, people didn't lose their deposits, and Wall Street mostly paid back TARP loans (+ interest), so it didn't really hurt America except for giving arrogant bankers the confidence that the taxpayer will be behind them next time. Both bills cost Obama political capital, and it's hard to get credit and persuade the public that his decisions averted worse outcomes. We'll see how he fares with financial regulation overhaul, despite it being pretty watered down already.
He ignores the political theater and polls almost to a fault, but at least he's trying to do the right thing knowing full well that it's going to cost his re-election chances. Everyone told him to hold off on heath care, but he felt that America needed it in 2009, and there would never be a better time when it could get passed. That hurt him too, but he doesn't need a few insignificant political victories to soothe his ego. He'd rather put his pen to paper so that millions of more Americans can get coverage.
From what we knew of candidate Obama, the M.O. was that he was a gifted communicator but weak on executive experience. At least from Alter's view, it's strange that Obama's first year was marred by poor communication but kept afloat by seasoned, savvy leadership. He is deliberate, analytical, defers to the experts, and his slower pace of decision making (vs. Bush at least) is seen as either a strength or weakness. But his stubborn aversion to sound bites shows respect for his audience, but is also hurting his ability to get messages across. America needs to hear his vision in one sentence and as few syllables as possible. If he wants to gain support, he's got to find a way to boil down Afghanistan, health care, and energy to a bumper sticker. Because his opponents definitely have plenty of anti-Obama bites that stick in the public memory.
One area where his leadership and office were challenged was Afghanistan. Apparently the Pentagon establishment (and Hillary) really ambushed Obama on the troop increase issue, and painted him into a corner. Biden was so upset how they treated the president that he was looking to get people fired. But that also shows weak resolve if a chief executive is pressured into doing what the mob wants. But he believes that Afghanistan is critical for US security, and will withdraw troops next year if conditions show improvement.
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