Does Presidential Work Ethic Matter?
Has anyone else noticed how our I-will-not-rest president circa 2009 through 2011 has lately become the no-liberal-social-issue-left-behind insurgent campaigning to stop George W. Bush's fourth term? Perhaps President Obama can be excused for acting like the challenger rather than the incumbent given how little time he spends performing presidential duties.
Surf on over to the White House web site and click through President Obama's official schedule. On most days, Obama's calendar reads like the class schedule for a lackadaisical second semester college senior, not the agenda for chief executive of the world's most actuarially insolvent government bureaucracy. Today's 7:30 AM welcome to fellow members of the G-8 is most noteworthy for its irregularity. Usually, Mr. Obama eases into to his official duties--when he schedules any at all--in the genteel brunch to lunch timeframe. A morning person this president is not.
Let's take a look at the week just ending: President Obama had no official schedule on Monday. On Tuesday, he kicked off the day at 9:30 AM with the "Presidential Daily Briefing," the only one of the week. The calendar for Wednesday and Thursday? Empty. Nothing at all. Perhaps Mr. Obama was meditating on how to save high-paying middle-class green energy jobs of the future, or resting up for this morning's demanding 7:30 AM start. Whatever he was doing, it wasn't on the public schedule.
Last week was a tough one: no vacation days at all. However, the president certainly waited for the sun to warm up before showing at the office. On Monday, he started at 10 AM, Tuesday 9:40 AM, and Wednesday 10:45 AM. Thursday was a travel day, necessitating another early 9:40 AM launch. Air Force One conveyed the POTUS to the West Coast to collect some campaign cash. Friday's grind commenced at 1:15 PM with the return voyage to Washington, with the only "work" a brief stopover in Reno for more campaigning disguised as official business.
What does this guy do? Who is actually running the Executive Branch?
The start-up chief executives I know put in 60+ hours each week just coordinating the activities of a handful of people. Those managing larger enterprises work even harder.
One would think that a chief executive intent on enlarging the power of an already enormous organization would spend some time actually running it.
UPDATE: I just found this on youtube
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Comments:
Jun '11
Re: Does Presidential Work Ethic Matter?
Just think how much more damage he would cause if he were diligent.
Jul '11
Re: Does Presidential Work Ethic Matter?
He has so much energy for activism and finding audiences to adore him but so little energy for doing mundane issues or anything else that has no interest to him.
Jul '11
Re: Does Presidential Work Ethic Matter?
To the tune of puff the magic dragon.. Barrack the lazy socialist, lives in DC. And frolics in the fresh cut greens with a handicap of 40. Kailua beckons and then Hyannisport. He swims and laughs, lays in the sand, and makes a pretend fort.
Sep '10
Re: Does Presidential Work Ethic Matter?
Mr. Savage, you a racist for insinuating that our first African-American president is lazy. Why, everyone knows that G.W. Bush worked a lot less than Obama, yet you never bothered to post about it here in Ricochet.
[sarcasm/off]
Nov '11
Re: Does Presidential Work Ethic Matter?
Now, c'mon here. Do youwant him doing things?
I'd be okay if he took the next five years off and did nothing.
Re: Does Presidential Work Ethic Matter?
Fred Cole: Now, c'mon here. Do youwant him doing things?
I'd be okay if he took the next five years off and did nothing. · 18 minutes ago
Fred, I'm inclined to agree but yet... Wouldn't it be better for our president to get some actual data about the economy? Perhaps he could actually convene meetings with his cabinet secretaries. Why not sit down with Commerce, Interior, and Treasury to brainstorm initiatives to kickstart hiring?
The permanent campaign leaves very little room for new information, which may explain why Obama's geopolitical mindset seems so rooted in 19th century class preoccupations.
Mar '11
Re: Does Presidential Work Ethic Matter?
The country is effectively running without a government at the moment.
It's better than a functioning Democrat government, to be sure, but a functioning Republican government will hopefully be an improvement.
I'm sure Mr Romney will have a good work ethic - he has, after all, done real work for a number of years.
Jun '11
Re: Does Presidential Work Ethic Matter?
Given the results of past brainstorms -- Obamacare, ObamaMotors, and ObamaSolar -- he's done enough. I'm sure if he gets reelected they'll get busy again and dust off the collective farming playbook.
Re: Does Presidential Work Ethic Matter?
Fricosis Guy: Given the results of past brainstorms -- Obamacare, ObamaMotors, and ObamaSolar -- he's done enough. I'm sure if he gets reelected they'll get busy again and dust off the collective farming playbook. · 17 minutes ago
Overoptimistic me, I was hoping for someone, anyone, in the administration to weigh-in with real world experience sufficient to penetrate the ideological reality distortion field. However, I now concede that each and every Obama cabinet secretary has enough ideological bubble wrap to merely hear a faint popping noise each time the administration's Marxist dialectic collides with the sharp edges of reality.
Dec '10
Re: Does Presidential Work Ethic Matter?
He was a community activist, riling people up, not actually doing things.
He was the president of the law review, not the editor.
As chairman of the senate subcommittee for Afghanistan, he never once convened a committee meeting.
As a "constitutional law professor", he was an adjunct instructor that never did any research or publishing.
Think there may be a pattern?
Apr '12
Re: Does Presidential Work Ethic Matter?
My dear Mr. Savage, What is this real world experience you speak of in relation to the Obama Administration and appointees? Have you yet to see the graphs comparing his appointees' non-academic experience with other administrations?
Aug '10
Re: Does Presidential Work Ethic Matter?
We can argue about whether Obama is truly intelligent or not but I think there is little doubt that when you look at the man's history he is about as lazy as you can get and still hold a job.
On the plus side he is probably convincing the slackers of our country that they too can be president someday despite their lack of achievement.
Sep '10
Re: Does Presidential Work Ethic Matter?
Obama has the work ethic and self aggrandizing ego of an honorary mayor of a small incorporated city.
We don't need a President who does nothing. We need one who will manage and reel in the bureaucracy in which he is in charge. Unfortunately, many of us on the Right had him sized up in 2008. He is not a manager. Nor is he a worker. He is a ditherer and a dreamer.
Mar '11
Re: Does Presidential Work Ethic Matter?
When the President is a liberal, I want him doing nothing.
When he is a conservative, I want him tirelessly tearing down bureaucracies.
I think a good case could be made that if George W. had been lazier on domestic policy, we would be better off. Nationalizing the TSA, anyone?
Jun '11
Re: Does Presidential Work Ethic Matter?
Yeah... though they're not disciplined enough to be real Commies. After all, their leader's full name sure ain't Barack Stakhanov Obama.