Obama 2.0: Pressing the Reset Button

By: Charles Cooper
Topics: In The News

(CBS/AP)

The Weekly Standard's Philip Terzian is quite right to describe the State of the Union as largely meaningless political theatre that's removed from political reality. That's why before he delivered the State of the Union speech on Wednesday night, I thought Barack Obama would do himself a huge favor by borrowing Steve Jobs' playbook.

Earlier in the day, Apple's CEO showed how to infuse a tired concept with sex and sizzle. The new iPad may rate only as an iterative improvement over a relatively old technology - one that heretofore most people did not care much about - but Apple's first tablet computer announcement generated breathless headlines all around the world. It sounded new, it sounded exciting, it sounded like, well, a game-changer.

Not everyone has the Steve Jobs touch, obviously, but during the presidential campaign candidate Obama came awfully close. During his race for the White House, he left a field of better-known, better-funded rivals in the dust largely on his ability to sell a hopeful vision of America.

In the last year, however, his oratory failed to resonate with the wider public. With Mr. Obama now suffering delays passing health care legislation, a sharp drop in the polls and the loss of the Democrats' super-majority in Congress, he needed to move the needle in what is the new year's first big political show.

No single speech would be enough to demolish the current logjam in Washington, but the president managed to strike the right chords, delivering his speech with fluidity and rhythmic emphasis. (Former Bush White House Communications Director and now CBS political analyst Dan Bartlett called it "a smart speech" in a conversation with Katie Couric.)

That's a fair reading. The text was chockablock with programmatic initiatives, offering a fiscally restrained, pro-business, low-tax message for the right as well as a populist and pro-healthcare insurance promise for the left. And then there was the central focus on jobs, a plank which got both sides of the aisle on their feet to applaud loudly.

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But more than the specifics, Mr. Obama sought to restore faith in his presidency and he chose to infuse the text with some uncharacteristically passionate rhetoric. For a chief executive who has been dunned as being too remote and too cerebral, this was a reminder of the old Barack Obama. A sampling:

"I never suggested that change would be easy, or that I can do it alone. Democracy in a nation of three hundred million people can be noisy and messy and complicated. And when you try to do big things and make big changes, it stirs passions and controversy. That's just how it is. Those of us in public office can respond to this reality by playing it safe and avoid telling hard truths. We can do what's necessary to keep our poll numbers high, and get through the next election instead of doing what's best for the next generation. But I also know this: if people had made that decision fifty years ago or one hundred years ago or two hundred years ago, we wouldn't be here tonight. The only reason we are is because generations of Americans were unafraid to do what was hard; to do what was needed even when success was uncertain; to do what it took to keep the dream of this nation alive for their children and grandchildren."

It's sort of sappy but part of a nice tradition. The president knows that his call for bipartisanship will fade by tomorrow. Folks like South Carolina Senator Jim (Waterloo) DeMint or Michael (Hip Hop) Steele, chairman of the Republican National Committee, sense this is a weakened presidency and political posturing isn't going away. (The president alluded to a "deficit of trust.") But that's Washington. Mr. Obama was talking as much to the wider audience watching on television as he was to Democrats and Republicans (and Independents) in Congress.

Earlier in the day Jonathan Cohn in The New Republic asked whether President Obama was again up to giving the speech of his life. We'll have to wait for the polling outfits to weigh in with a final tally, though I thought Mr. Obama was in good form. But that was the easy part. It's the follow-up that's always the hard stuff. Even as practiced a showman as Steve Jobs would tell him that.

More Coverage of Obama's State of the Union:

Obama Vows to Fight for Jobs
Full Text of Obama's Speech
Bob McDonnell: The Government Is "Trying to Do Too Much"
Poll: 83% of Viewers Approve of Obama's Plans
Photos: The State of the Union
Analysis: Bob Schieffer and Jeff Greenfield

Charles Cooper is an executive editor at CNET News. He has covered technology and business for more than 25 years, working at CBSNews.com, the Associated Press, Computer & Software News, Computer Shopper, PC Week, and ZDNet. E-mail Charlie.
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by flsunjnky January 31, 2010 1:42 AM EST: Well, mtnhummingbird, It's because jobs are still being outsourced via Bush. Oh yeah! Rejoice in the calamity that he brought to us.

Hey, Yeah, we should first of all reduce taxes ( guess who is going to get the biggest cut), deregulate the banking sector, prevent wall street from being regulated, outsource jobs and give business another tax break if they do that, support the plight of the insurance and drug industries, and block any reform that might make health care more affordable so that we can go back to the same old ideas that got us in this mess to start with.

Sound familiar? It should.; Reply to this comment


by mtnhummingbird January 28, 2010 7:04 PM EST: And once again - everything luke warm - states the obvious but offers no real meat and potatoes! Promises, promises and more promises! If this State of the Union is doing so much better and we are overcoming this recession and that jobs are being placed into the economy - then why Mr. Obama is there more unemployment, and why are big corporatations downsizing and small mom and pop businesses going out of business. Why are companies like Walmart/Sam's club cutting 10,000 - 15,000 jobs. Why are other corporatations sending thier jobs overseas to other countries? Customer service jobs and telecommunication centers sending the jobs to other foriegn countries.
And the that many Corporations are placing corporate headquarters in other countries than the good old USA? And if we need to export more of our goods then when are we going to start making anything here in the USA. There is hardly anything made in the USA. We first have to have products that others want and can't find cheaper from other countries! It is kind of hard to compete with companies that go to foriegn countries because labor is cheaper in the foriegn countries and they can make the products cheaper - they can hire 10 people in a foriegn country compared to hiring 1 or 2 people in the USA. What are you going to do to get these companies to hire more Americans? Many companies are shifting their major production to foriegn countries because they can hire cheaper and make the product cheaper and yet charge Americans premium prices for cheap product - making 3x the profit that they would have made had they kept it here in the good old USA. How are you going to address these issues. Mr Obama - once again you stated the obvious but you really glossed over how you and this current adminstration planned on tackling this. How are you going to regulate this? How are you going to enforce companies to invest in American made and American hired?
And Health Care - another big can of worms - once again stating the obvious but the big package that you want on healthcare is not the plan that you will stand behind! You don't want the costs - you don't want the plan yourself. If you want healthcare reform - why don't you start by closing the loopholes that the insurance company finds so that they don't have to pay out the cost, like for example: they deny 50% of the medical claims and they find small loopholes to deny portions of a medical procedure that the doctor has ordered. How about making the many medical insurances standard in thier policies off what they will accept. After having worked with and in Medical insurance - I have seen the discrepancies that go on. Things inclusive of as a billing - if you have 1 insurance i can bill the patient $300 for the same office visit that I would charge another patient with different insurance $180 and if the patient had no insurance I would only charge them $70. The insurance rates are not standardized across the board. The cost of that Dr. visit should have been flat $70 regardless of what insurance a person had! However that is not the practice in reality.; Reply to this comment


by mimi5952 January 28, 2010 12:07 PM EST: Obama is only for players in the corportation area and unions. All others will fail his program.; Reply to this comment


by jimmyc1955 January 28, 2010 10:35 AM EST: What I heard was a President who has heard the frustration in the nation.

He responded by throwing a few hastily chosen bones to the dogs and went right on his way.

Healthcare proposal - go forward without change.

Stimulus Spending - More even though few can actually track the money spent to date

Cap and Trade - Must have - even though it is DOA and not likely to come back.

Further Spending iniatives - More new spending on a wide variety of things all mean to make people feel good.

Budget Freeze - Window dressing - even his proposed limited freeze doesn't begin until 2011 it will have almost zero impact on the deficit - even the GAO said so. But it won't pass Pelosi anyway so it's a non-starter

Bi-Partisinship - Wants more - not willing to do anything to get it. Pelosi, Reid and Obama compose the bills, throw them on the table, refuse to allow republicans (and often the public as well) to read them before a vote and then accuses republicans of being obstructionists.

What I see is a guy who is convinced people are fundimentally stupid, happy to be told a tale and will loose interest quickly and he will have free reign to do as he chooses.

What he is not counting on is the democrats who are running for re-election this November saw Massachusetts and know Obama has no coat tails and that his agenda is highly unpopular. The President basically said his agenda is more important than their re-election. Bet they don't think the same way.

I think the cats are out of the cage and he and Pelosi won't be able to herd them back in order.; Reply to this comment

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