Newsweek: "Presidency Too Big for One Man"

[Chris_]

In the November 22 issue of Newsweek magazine, Daniel Stone defended the Obama administration by blaming the institution of the presidency for failures rather than the chief executive himself: "The issue is not Obama, it’s the office....Can any single person fully meet the demands of the 21st-century presidency?" The same argument was used to excuse an overwhelmed Jimmy Carter 30 years earlier.

The sub-headline for the piece read: "The presidency has grown, and grown and grown, into the most powerful, most impossible job in the world." At one point, Stone explained: "Among a handful of presidential historians Newsweek contacted for this story, there was a general consensus that the modern presidency may have become too bloated." A January 13, 1980 Washington Post article made a similar conclusion about the beleaguered Carter administration: "Voters have lowered their expectations of what any president can accomplish; they have accepted the notion that this country may never again have heroic, larger-than-life leadership in the White House."

NewsBusters

It's still Bush's fault.  Don't forget that.

[littlelamb]

NewsBusters

It's still Bush's fault.  Don't forget that.

Everything will always be Bush's fault EVERYTHING from 9/11 to Katrina

[thundley4]

NewsBusters

It's still Bush's fault.  Don't forget that.

It must have been all that government growth hormone that President Bush injected into the office as he was leaving.  He seemed to handle it without the need to take a vacation every other week.

ETA:  Is this Newspeaks way of saying that we need a group of leaders, sort of like, oh I dunno, a Politburo?

[Carl]

In the November 22 issue of Newsweek magazine, Daniel Stone defended the Obama administration by blaming the institution of the presidency for failures rather than the chief executive himself: "The issue is not Obama, it’s the office....Can any single person fully meet the demands of the 21st-century presidency?" The same argument was used to excuse an overwhelmed Jimmy Carter 30 years earlier.

The sub-headline for the piece read: "The presidency has grown, and grown and grown, into the most powerful, most impossible job in the world." At one point, Stone explained: "Among a handful of presidential historians Newsweek contacted for this story, there was a general consensus that the modern presidency may have become too bloated." A January 13, 1980 Washington Post article made a similar conclusion about the beleaguered Carter administration: "Voters have lowered their expectations of what any president can accomplish; they have accepted the notion that this country may never again have heroic, larger-than-life leadership in the White House."

That was proven wrong on January 20th 1981.

Maybe Daniel the problem isn`t the Presidency but putting incompetent,America hating libs in the office as that seems to be the common denominator here.

[NHSparky]

These are the same people who claimed that Reagan and Bush were "stupid" because they couldn't/didn't handle every little issue themselves.  My aunt went so far as to call Reagan a "puppet", although when pressed she couldn't name anyone holding the strings (unlike Obama and Ayers, Alinsky, Soros, et al...)

[Mr Mannn]

Interestingly this claim is only made during the reign of weak, ineffective DEMOCRAT presidents.
No one claimed the presidency was too much for Reagan and Bush.

A competent man can handle the office.
An incompetent man need reporters like this to write excuses for him.

[SSG Snuggle Bunny]

If it's too big maybe we should shrink it.

Or is that too un-nuanced?

[5412]

These are the same people who claimed that Reagan and Bush were "stupid" because they couldn't/didn't handle every little issue themselves.  My aunt went so far as to call Reagan a "puppet", although when pressed she couldn't name anyone holding the strings (unlike Obama and Ayers, Alinsky, Soros, et al...)

Hi,

I remember the same group of fools that said Reagan was detached etc.  Finally took Limbaugh to explain to them that a real manager surrounds themselves with good people, gives them clear directions, then delegates and gives them room to do their job.

None of this has been learned by BO who had no managerial experience before being anointed.

regards,
5412

[JohnnyReb]

Hi,

I remember the same group of fools that said Reagan was detached etc.  Finally took Limbaugh to explain to them that a real manager surrounds themselves with good people, gives them clear directions, then delegates and gives them room to do their job.

None of this has been learned by BO who had no managerial experience before being anointed.

regards,
5412

He has a cabinet, a staff and umpteen czars and still can't handle the job........there's something wrong with him.....not the job.

[DumbAss Tanker]

Newsweak.  All the value and credibility of graffiti, but without the creativity or readership.

[new england yankee]

I'm sorry but ... does anyone read Newsweek anymore?

[true_blood]

I guess this job is too big for a "community organizer", huh?!