Why is the president losing the P.R. war?

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The good news gets buried; the bad news gets broadcast around the world. That has been a fact of life in the Obama administration. If you just sniped, “What good news?” you prove my point.

During the past six years, the Obama administration has not done a stellar job of getting the message out when an initiative works well or a new program succeeds or a problem gets solved. At the same time, the president’s opponents (see space above) have done a very good job of discrediting the administration, dismissing any positives and running with the negatives.

There have been missteps and misjudgments by Obama and Democratic leaders along the way. But mistakes are business as usual under any president. What is particular to the Obama years is the bitter and unforgiving criticism coming from his detractors. What I am speaking to, specifically, is the morphing of political debate into hatred and vitriol against the president. That cacophony of voices — Coulter, Beck, O’Reilly, Drudge & Co. — drowns out any upbeat notes playing in the background.

The extreme Republican and Conservative opposition has been quite effective — not in proposing creative and workable solutions to problems, but in trolling the political waters for any minor gaffe or mistake or poor decision that can be blown out of proportion for political gain.

Case in point: the president’s golf game after he spoke about the murder of an American journalist by ISIS. I pick this example because it reflected poor judgment by Obama’s team; he appeared to be insensitive to the mood of the moment because of the juxtaposition of images. But images matter.

Presidents deal every day, all day, with critical events and tragic news. No one can know Obama’s heart, but there’s absolutely no reason to believe he is unmoved by the sorrow of those who lose loved ones in war, declared or undeclared.

The perceived insensitivity fueled a disproportionate attack from the newsmen and women on Fox, along with other Obama-haters; they have not stopped playing the clip of that day or beating the drum against the administration and the man.

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