Lowering the Bar
20 February 2009
–by Mike Murray
You’ve got to hand it to the managers of Team Obama. They know how the game is played – and they play it well. They realize that, in the world of politics (as in the world of capital investments), perception is everything. Stock shares, for example, do not possess intrinsic, empirical value. Instead, they are worth what prospective buyers are willing to pay for them.
Absolutes do not exist; instead, everything is relative. Large scale bargain-hunting and profit-taking frenzies aside, the question that primarily drives valuation: “Compared to what?” A given stock’s trading price is directly influenced (inflated, deflated) by alternate choices – by the relative attractiveness of competing options.
So it goes in politics. There is no such thing as literal job performance. Approval ratings are merely perceptions. A politician is doing only as well (or as poorly) as the populace thinks he is. Mindful of that fact, savvy pols practice the ABDDE rule: Always Be Driving Down Expectations.
Because, if the goal is to create the illusion of success, it is useful to lower the bar. That way, it is easier to clear; that way, expectations are easier to exceed.
Candidates prepping for debates routinely send their surrogates out to preemptively spin members of the media. They puff up their opponents – big time. Shoot, if our guy (or gal) manages to make even one or two salient points against so formidable a foe, he (or she) will have performed “better than expected” (and thus, in their convoluted logic, have won the contest).
Former Notre Dame University football coach Lou Holtz was a master of the technique. Even if his powerhouse team was scheduled to face oh, say, East Jersey State in an upcoming game, he’d wring his hands in despair. He’d furrow his brow, stare directly into the television cameras, and bemoan the Herculean challenge that lay ahead. (What’s that you say – the odds makers peg us as 45-point favorites? Pish. We’ll be lucky to escape the bloodbath with our lives!) Although wholly unconvinced, reporters were bemused. They admired Holtz’ chutzpah. He was a master of spin.
John F. Kennedy was no slouch, either. The 35th president of the United States knew a thing or two about lowering expectations. After campaigning against Richard M. Nixon in 1960 on a string of bloated promises, he wasted no time in deflating them. He was lauded by the gullible for his call to service during his inauguration: “Ask not, what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country.”
Pithy prose, to be sure. But it was actually expediency, masquerading as statesmanship. Because by way of soaring rhetoric, Kennedy had successfully rid himself of the need to deliver on the multitude of pesky promises he made while stumping for the job. Moreover, he had also managed to cleverly shift responsibility for his presidency’s success onto the public. For, if things did not go well, it could be inferred that “we the people” did not do all that we could to assist our great nation. Brilliant.
Barack H. Obama and his handlers are fully aware of the skillful way in which Kennedy lowered the expectations bar a half-century ago. Which is why, during his own inaugural address, BHO (with a big assist from his speechwriter) conjured up his best JFK imitation. The challenges are many, he reminded us – and our collective responsibility for meeting them great.
So don’t blame Obama if things go to hell in a hand basket. Instead, shamefully stare into a mirror held with one hand (and flog yourself with a whip held in the other).
In a further attempt to avoid accountability, Obama has begun labeling every potential problem as a “legacy” one. Meaning, of course, one that he has inherited from George W. Bush. No doubt, problems that are solved on his watch will be claimed as victories. But failures will be blamed on Bush. It is nothing short of an attempt by Obama to create for himself a no-lose situation. Something good happens? Take credit. Something bad? Pin it on your predecessor.
But the nerviest scheme of all relates to employment. America is currently experiencing massive job loss. And, although every president before him bore the burden of diminished public approval during such periods, Obama is seeking to shed responsibility.
How? By lowering expectations, of course. Members of Team Obama have discovered a way, they believe, of altering the perception of presidential performance with respect to employment. The evidence: They have lately begun to speak of their plans either to create or to “save” jobs. Did you catch that?
If there are more net jobs at the end of future periods of measurement than there were at the beginning, they will crow about the gains. But, if there are fewer, Obama and his minions will shift the public’s focus – away from the reductions. They will instead boast of jobs that still exist – ones that were “not lost” – as if those survived because of their heroic efforts.
Using that yardstick, how can Barack Obama fail? The only possible way would be if each and every job in America vanishes on his watch. Because, if even one survives his stay in office, Obama can claim to have “saved” it. (Poor Dubya. He never thought to frame the issue in such a self-serving manner. Then again, the media would never have swallowed such baloney on his behalf.)
Only a few short months ago, Candidate Obama sang a song of celebration. Immediately after securing his party’s nomination, he crooned that history would record that “this is the moment when our planet began to heal.” No more worries about the environment; the Messiah was on the case.
Today, however, a very human Obama warbles a wary tune. After emerging from a meeting with Stephen Harper (Canada’s prime minister) recently, for example, The [suddenly] Cautious One had this to say about the prospects for improving Earth’s ecosystems: “There are no silver bullets.”
Candidate Obama said: “Yes we Can.” President Obama says: “Don’t Hold Your Breath.” Obama’s strategy is now revealed. Raise expectations in order to get elected; then lower them, in order to escape accountability – and to improve odds for re-election.
Perhaps there is a lesson to be learned from the shenanigans of Barack Obama, America’s current Bar-Lowerer-In-Chief. Kids, don’t apologize to your parents for letting your grades slip. A GPA that drops from 2.8 to 2.3 is nothing to feel bad about. Tell your folks that you didn’t lose Bs; instead, you prevented Cs from turning into Ds. You actually “saved” something!
And husbands, don’t let your wife browbeat you over gambling away a large portion of the family’s savings on some silly get-rich scheme (or on long-shot sporting events). So long as even a few dollars remain in the bank, inform her that you’ve succeeded in saving them from loss.
Finally, if your significant other catches you in bed with the hottie next-door, remind her of all of the women in the neighborhood with whom you haven’t slept. Think that’s cockeyed logic? Think again. It’s working for Obama.
Copyright © 2009 Michael F. Murray. All rights reserved.
