Combating a case of Obama fatigue
Apropos of nothing, I awoke recently as unfocused and grumpy as a bear coming out of hibernation. Initially, I blamed my mood on the weather. After months of blessedly cool and dry days kissed by a gentle sun, it was as if Washington's weather had suddenly remembered its true summertime character: steamy, muggy and unbearable. With an exhale of air best suited for Aquaman's lungs, I admitted to myself that something else was bugging me: Obama.
Barack Obama is everywhere! Above the fold on the newspapers I read every morning. On every news channel. Even, seemingly, on every magazine cover. On Time magazine alone, he appeared on the cover 12 times in the past 12 months.
Just this morning, I had to put my papers down and turn on my computer after reading an ad asking "Dear Mr. President" to consider wearing Lee jeans. But there was no relief from Obama fatigue on my favorite Web sites. Still, I have to admit, the admittedly clever Lee Jeans ad crystallizes what was ailing me: Obama fatigue.
Obama's sartorial splendor, or lack thereof, made major news when he appeared in baggy "mom jeans" to throw out the ceremonial first pitch at the All-Star Game in St. Louis. Admitting that he "hates to shop," Obama later defended himself on the "Today" show. "Those jeans are comfortable," he declared. "Here's my attitude: Michelle, she looks fabulous; I'm a little frumpy." Naturally, Lee Jeans implored the president to consider their product. "Your jeans can be comfortable and look good too. Really." Geez!
This fatigue is like what some experienced in 1993 after another young president, William Jefferson Clinton, settled into the Oval Office to tackle enormous problems like the economy and health care. As Yogi Berra was said to have observed, "It's déjà vu all over again."
Except the role of former GOP Texas senator Phil Gramm is now played by Republican South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint: "If we're able to stop Obama on (health care), it will be his Waterloo. It will break him." Conservative pundit Bill Kristol is playing the role of David Brock, consistently opposing any and all proposed legislation from the White House, even without reading it. And the Blue Dog Democrats are playing the role of the Blue Dog Democrats. (Recall that it was a Democratic-controlled Congress that scuttled Clinton's health care reform.) If Obama isn't careful, it will be déjà vu all over again.
Yes, there is intense interest in our new president, but do we really need days of pundits debating on television whether he should have killed that fly? Or worn those jeans? While it is normal for the president to dominate so many of our national conversations, overexposure makes it too rich for a daily diet.
So let us all agree that the president and his family, including their dog, have earned the right to take some much-needed down time. As have we. Leave the Obamas alone for a while and give us some time to sort through all that has been done in our name and on the nation's credit card.
When Obama returns to Washington along with members of Congress, they should give us an update on the state of the economy that advances the cause of job creation, holding down unnecessary and duplicative federal spending and a health-care plan that reduces cost, protects choice and expands coverage.
In the meantime, I plan to walk away from useless chatter and take a stroll, read a spy novel, attend a baseball game, work a little longer in my garden and, perhaps, stick to that diet I abandoned during the president's first 100 days in office. Seeking the cure for Obama fatigue, however mild the case, will be a welcome change.
© 2009, Newspaper Enterprise Association