Obama just not very good at politics

Ramesh Ponnuru:

 

Last year, President Obama issued a warning: Republicans had been “politicking” instead of “governing,” he said. “Well, we can politick for three months,” he said. “They forgot I’m pretty good at politicking.”

That was in August 2010. At the end of those three months, Republicans controlled the most House seats since the 1940s. Republicans did well for many reasons. One was that Obama isn’t all that good at politics.

 

He can be forgiven for thinking otherwise. When he took office, liberals often compared him to Ronald Reagan, Franklin Roosevelt and even Abraham Lincoln. It was only natural that superlatives would attach to someone who went from being a state senator to president-elect in four years.

But Obama never had to fight for and win the votes of people who don’t agree with him. His biggest political setback and accomplishment -- his defeat by Bobby Rush in a 2000 House primary and his victory over Hillary Clinton for the 2008 Democratic nomination -- came during struggles within a liberal universe.

 

He didn’t have to fight for moderate and conservative voters in the 2004 Illinois Senate election because his first Republican opponent self-immolated in scandal and his second was Alan Keyes, a fringe figure.

Nor was Obama tested in the general election of 2008. Sure, he showed impressive discipline in that campaign. Even when he briefly fell behind Sen. John McCain and many Democrats started to get nervous, he kept to his strategic plan.

 

But he also had the most favorable circumstances for any out-party presidential candidate since 1932. The GOP had held the White House for eight years, the incumbent was deeply unpopular, wages were stagnant -- and a financial crisis hit weeks before the election. The votes Obama needed fell into his lap.

Many of his predecessors had to learn how to appeal to broad electorates before they became president. George W. Bush had to beat an incumbent Democrat to become Texas governor. Bill Clinton had to market himself in not-so-liberal Arkansas.

 

The two recent presidents who most resemble Obama in not having had to prove themselves in this way are Gerald Ford and George H.W. Bush. Both lost return bids.

A talented politician like Reagan or Clinton can instinctively grasp public sentiment, move opinion and reframe arguments, rallying popular support. Obama does none of these.

...

Obama seems to think that giving a speech is the cure for his political difficulties.  He has shown a singularly ineptitude for moving public opinion on issues.  In fact the more the talks the worse his poll numbers get.  It happened with the health care debate and it is happening now with his latest jobs bill.  When he threatens Republicans with taken an issue to the people they have to be tempted to say, "Go for it."