Starting Things Off

Posted on 30. Aug, 2009 by Peter Beinart in Uncategorized

With Labor Day approaching, two basic narratives about the Obama presidency have emerged. Narrative number one: He’s riding high. The economy is improving, which means that like Ronald Reagan in 1984, he can run for reelection on a simple and compelling message: “Are you better off today than you were four years ago.” Moreover, for a new president with little national experience, he’s made few rookie blunders. And the Republicans have barely any national politicians who look capable of both winning a GOP presidential primary and winning substantial Independent or Democratic votes in a general election. Then there’s narrative number two: He’s peaked and its all downhill from here. His approval ratings are down. The health care fight looks like a quagmire, which has already undermined the White House’s reputation for political savvy. And the war in Afghanistan, which he owns politically, is looking worse and worse as reports of corruption in the recent presidential election mount. To top it off, there’s an ugly fight looming over moving Guantanamo Bay prisoners onto US soil.
Are either of these narratives convincing to you? Are neither? Are both?
Feel free to respond to any–or none–of this in your blog posts. From now on, I’ll step back and mostly leave the blogging to you.