RUSH: Ruth Marcus, columnistette, infobabe, for the Washington Post in a recent column complained that Obama ‘can be a strangely passive president.’ She cites Obama’s reluctance to get involved in the details during the Obamacare debate, his inaction on entitlement reform, his not speaking up forcefully on Libya, or the Wisconsin labor battle. But her ‘biggest beef’ with Obama’s ‘slipperiness’ is on economic matters: his refusal to specify which part of his deficit commission’s recommendations that he agrees with. Ms. Marcus also faults Obama for seeming more like a ‘passive bystander’ in the current budget battle with House Republicans.
She says that he’s unclear about what spending cuts he’d be willing to accept or fight for, and — unlike Bill Clinton — is not sending cabinet members and other flacks out to blame Republicans for hurting families and children, which she wants the Democrats to do. Why isn’t he doing that? She writes, ‘He is, too often, more reactive than inspirational, more cautious than forceful.’ Now, you know, she’s in the State-Controlled Media. This is not supposed to be done. You don’t go off the reservation like this (a little Indian lingo there), and there are certain facts, Ruth.
The economy is stuck in low gear. Unemployment? Taxes? Unemployment is still rampant and taxes, overall, are too high. Spending levels are beyond belief. Have you considered any of the real facts on the ground? Have you considered, Ruth, he may just be incompetent? Well, anyway, over at PMSNBC, this did not sit well. So they called her in. They sent a subpoena out there and probably sent an armored car to go get her to bring her to the set for an interrogation which happened on The Daily Rundown show today with F. Chuck Todd and Savannah Gurthrie. Savannah Gurthrie got in the first round.
‘Ruth, you’re getting a lot of attention for saying this is a ‘Where’s Waldo Presidency.’ Do you think the president’s deliberately staying out of sight on important issues?’
MARCUS: I agree with him on the goals. It’s a question of tactics and strategy, and on each one the White House can give you very complex and sometimes convincing explanation. ‘Well, it doesn’t make sense to weigh in at this point because this is under consideration and we don’t want to spend our political capital here because this is (a) more important goal,’ but when you connect the dots and you step back and you look at the totality, the White House has this bully pulpit and it is choosing not to use it.
RUSH: Awwwww.
MARCUS: In fact, its strategy more often than not is to step back.
RUSH: Awwwww.
MARCUS: ‘Let the congressional leaders work this out. We’re not gonna get immersed in the details on health care;’ and you want to say, ‘Where’s the president?’
RUSH: F. Chuck Todd took his turn. ‘Well, they’re argue, ‘Our job is to be the mediator, our job is to bring both sides together,’ and if this is their operating principle — whether it’s Egypt, Libya, dealing overseas; whether it’s dealing with Senate Democrats and the House Republicans, who [the hell] are you, Ruth, to disagree with it?’
MARCUS: I would argue with that job description. Sometimes their job is to be the mediator, but the president is… They don’t call him ‘the mediator of the free world,’ they call him ‘the leader of the free world.’ For a reason. He is the person to whom congressional Democrats look. There’s a lot of frustration about where’s the White House on the continuing resolution.
RUSH: Well, you see that the State-Controlled Media is not happy with Ruth Marcus going off the reservation, ripping The One. You’re not supposed to do that.