Tuesday, May 01, 2012

Milbank:"President Obama, campaigner in chief"

Even liberal Washington Post columnist, Dana Milbank, has noticed that President Obama campaigns 24/7. A few quotes from his column:

In a political culture that long ago surrendered to the permanent campaign, Obama has managed to take things to a whole new level. ....

for total first-term fundraisers — 191 — and that’s only through March 6. Measured in terms of events that benefit his reelection bid, Obama’s total (inflated in part by relaxed fundraising rules) exceeds the combined total of George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush, Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Carter.....

To a greater extent than his predecessors, Obama has used the trappings of his office to promote his reelection prospects even while handling taxpayer-funded business.

Still, Obama’s acquiescence to an intolerable status quo raises a question: Shouldn’t presidential leadership be about setting an example?

Instead, he is erasing the already blurred lines between campaigning and governing.
Entire column here