MAYBE I'm amazed . . .
- By l.t. Dravis
- Published 11/26/2008
l.t. Dravis
I created and have written the nationally distributed marketing newsletter, BOTH SIDES NOW, since 2003. I authored two books, BOTH SIDES NOW, Sell Like Professional Athletes Win and DEATH OF A SALES MANAGER. In 2008, I introduced a daily column for national syndication to newspapers.
Think about it . . . compare the way President-elect Obama handled
himself in today’s press conference to the way George W. Bush muddled his way
through eight years.
You remember, don’t you?
George W. Bush, the genius, was actually reelected after he said, "My plan reduces the national debt, and fast. So fast, in
fact, that economists worry that we're going to run out of debt to
retire."
And, despite the fact that there was no doubt about George W.
Bush’s intelligence or lack thereof, voters sent him back to Washington for a
second four year term after he said, "There's an old saying in Tennessee —
I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee — that says, fool me once, shame on
— shame on you. Fool me — you can't get fooled again."
It is eminently refreshing that President-elect
His ‘Help is on the way’ press conference today reassured the
American people and financial markets around the world that a thoughtful, intelligent, resourceful,
committed, dedicated man has arrived to lead the nation out of the morass
created by eight years of the meanderings of a failed frat boy who couldn’t
convey a meaningful idea on his best day.
President-elect Obama said, “I was elected with the charge of
getting this economy back in shape. We are going to implement starting day one
when I come into office.”
Nice political statement . . . but he then went on to support that
statement by conveying the following meaningful thoughts and ideas:
He announced the creation of the ‘President’s Economic Recovery
Advisory Board’ (not made up of old friends from college or campaign
contributors or incompetent political hacks) headed by 81 year old Paul Volker,
an epitome of Washington experience whose experience and leadership will be augmented and balanced
by top staffer, 39 year old Austin Goolsbee, a well-respected, visionary, economist
from the University of Chicago.
In the coming week, President-elect Obama is expected to move on
from putting together his economic team to naming his national security and
foreign policy team, including the vaunted, but not yet confirmed nomination of
Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State. He is also expected to confirm publicly
that current Secretary of Defense, Robert Gates will stay on for the first year
of his administration.
In response to a tough question from CNN’s Ed Henry about ‘playing
musical chairs’ by recruiting people who worked in the Clinton Administration,
Obama said, “The American people would be troubled if I selected a treasury
secretary or a chairman of the National Economic Council at one of the most
critical economic times in our history who had no experience in government
whatsoever.”
“What we are going to do,” Obama went on to say, “is combine
experience with fresh thinking. But understand where the vision for change
comes from. First and foremost, it comes from me. That’s my job, is to provide
a vision in terms of where we are going and to make sure then that my team is
implementing.”
Lest we forget how George W. Bush handled a similarly tough
question in a press conference, permit me to take you back to April 3, 2004,
when the 43rd President of the United States of America, the leader
of the free world, George W. Bush answered a question about whether he’d ever
made a mistake in his presidency by saying, “I wish you’d have given me this
written question ahead of time so I could plan for it. I’m sure something will
pop into my head here in the midst of this press conference, with all the
pressure of trying to come up with answer, but it hadn’t yet . . . I don’t want
to sound like I have made no mistakes. I’m confident I have. I just haven’t . .
. you just put me under the spot here, and maybe I’m not as quick on my feet as
I should be in coming up with one.”
Huh?
President-elect Barack Obama, unlike his soon-to-be predecessor, has
demonstrated that he is a man of action . . . holding three press conferences
in as many days to send a clear message to not only millions of shaky Americans
worried about their economic futures but to the world in general.
Be advised, America and the world, there is a new man taking the
helm of democracy in America, an intelligent man, a man unafraid to work at
being President, a man willing to reach out to the best and the brightest the
nation has to offer to build not only a better nation but a better world as
well.
Maybe I’m amazed, but I’m also relieved.
Aren’t you?
Copyright © 2008 by LTD Associates West, Ltd. All rights
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