Chuck Todd (1) (1972–)

"The Stranger", by Chuck Todd is a nice review of the political events from 2008 through 2014. While ostensibly about President Obama, the book highlights the problems Obama had with Republican Congressional leaders, and also insights on his top advisors. It's not too in depth regarding Obama, but there's enough background to gain an understanding of his personality and leadership style.

​There have been many question​s as to​ whether Obama's leadership style, ​or planned obstruction by the Republican leadership, were most responsible for a disappointing presidency. ​This book ​provides supporters of either side of that argument ​a little ​something to support their position​.

On the Obama leadership style, the author discusses Obama's light resume for highest executive office, and ​his relative inexperience in terms of how things get done in Washington. His heart may have been in the right place, but he was naive to expect that his hope, expectation, and wishes for better cooperation between Democrats and Republicans was actually going to happen. And Obama seemed to sense that continued outreach to the GOP leadership would not produce results, and made decisions to go it alone.

On Republican obstruction, ​one ​supporting ​example ​​provided ​was the well known quote of Senat​or Mitch McConnell stating that his ​goal as Senate Minority Leader was to make Obama a one-term President. ​That makes sense from a partisian political perspective, but may not be the best way to ​get things done in Congress. Another interesting example given was ​that ​on the ​very ​day Obama was​ ​ inaugurated​ in January, 2009​, Republic Party leaders ​were ​m​e​et​ing​ in Washington D.C. to plan their response to their election defeat. Leaders included ​​a number of GOP Senators, ​along with ​​Newt ​Gingrich, ​​Minority ​Whip ​​Eric Cantor and his assistant Kevin McCarthy, ​Wisconsin Rep. and later GOP Vice-President Candidate ​Paul Ryan, ​and ​GOP pollster Frank ​Luntz. What came out of that meeting, as Obama was just taking office, was ​an agreement ​that if the Republicans acted like a minority party​ under Obama​, they'd remain a party in the minority. To reverse that, the​y determined that they needed to show strength, and they'd do that by opposing every Obama and Democratic initiative at every turn. ​ ​Congressional leaders McConnell, Boehner, and minority ​Whip Cantor w​ere effective in keeping party members in-line, ​essentially ​opposing every Obama initiative. ​Perhaps the worst example of this​, ​as detailed in Thomas E. Mann's book, "It's Even Worse Than it Looks"​, was the vote on an amendment intended to improve federal fiscal health. The proposal, a "Bipartisan Task Force for Responsible Fiscal Action", was co-sponsored by the top Democrat and the top Republican on the Senate Budget Committee, Kent Conrad, D-N.D., and Judd Gregg, R-N.H. ​ ​It would have established an 18-member bipartisan commission to study the current and future fiscal condition of the federal government and make recommendations about how revenues and expenses can be brought into line. Those recommendations would be fast-tracked to the House and Senate floors under a special procedure. This approach was supported by​ Senator Mitch​ McConnell on May 12, 2009 in a Senate floor session to discuss the Medicare Trustee's Report, in which he said, "We must address the issue of entitlement spending now, before it is too late...", and that "... the best way to address the crisis is the Conrad-Gregg proposal, which would provide an expedited pathway for fixing these profound long-term challenges". McConnell also advocated the Conrad-Gregg approach in comments at a Feb. 23, 2009, White House summit on fiscal responsibility.

However, in January, 2010, when the Conrad-Gregg bill came for a vote in the Senate, it fell seven votes shy of the Senate's 60-vote threshold for passage. McConnell and six other GOP senators who had co-sponsored the bill all voted ​AGAINST the bill, even though they had co-sponsored the bill, once Obama came out in favor of it. In a scathing Washington Post op-ed column on Feb. 1, 2010, Fred Hiatt, referring to McConnell's "NO" vote on the commission, wrote that "no single vote by any single senator could possibly illustrate everything that is wrong with Washington today. No single vote could embody the full cynicism and cowardice of our political elite at its worst, or explain by itself why problems do not get solved. But here's one that comes close."​ Hiatt continued that "it's impossible to avoid the conclusion that the only thing that changed since May is the political usefulness of the proposal to McConnell's partisan goals. He was happy to claim fiscal responsibility while beating up Obama for fiscal recklessness. But when Obama endorsed the idea, as he did on the Saturday before the vote -- and when the commission actually, against all odds, had the wisp of a chance of winning the needed 60 Senate votes -- McConnell bailed."

That decision may have been been sound politically, but is hardly the way to run a Country. It appears that this is the new way of Congress, and a good indication of why the Country as a whole hates politics and give Congress such a low approval rating year after year.… (more)

While this is a detailed record of some inside information about President Obama's service, Todd reverts to the Beltway journalist's need to find criticism whether merited or not. As informed as Mr Todd claims to be he fundamentally understates the depth of the opposition President Obama has had to contend. Concluding that arrogance is a prevailing problem of this President is not supported by the facts. What the author assumes as his premise in many instances he ignores in the President's opponents or turns against as a basis for criticizing the President. I cannot tell if Mr Todd was personally insulted by the President, insulted as a media insider, is offended by what Barrack Obama stands for or just thought he could sell more books. Books about history written by journalists always mischaracterize the media role in governance or are in denial about it. I wished for so much more from Chuck Todd.… (more)