Does Obama practice a different kind of politics?

Taegan D. Goddard is the creator of Political Wire, one of the most widely-read and influential political web sites on the Internet. Launched in 1999, the site offers insightful analysis and rounds up the latest buzz from the halls of government, press gaggles and campaign war rooms. Daily readers include politicians and their staffs, pollsters, political consultants, lobbyists, journalists and other Beltway insiders.

This discussion is over, but please read the transcript below.

• Jim from Virginia: It has been established that the Rush Limbaugh line of attack was thought up by James Carville and Paul Begala after doing some polling last fall with Stan Greenberg. It has also come to light that ABC News' George Stephanopolous is part of a telephone conversation with Begala, Carville, WH Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel,and occasionally Stan Greenberg, virtually every workday for the past 17 years.
  
  Is it unrealistic to assume that Stephanopolous knew exactly what the White House was doing when the Limbaugh dustup began and failed to report it? And what does this coziness with members of the Obama circle say about his ability to be an unbiased journalist?
• Taegan Goddard:

  Welcome everyone. Thanks for joining me today. Let's get started.

   

  It's not unrealistic to assume George Stephanopoulos knew that Rush Limbaugh was an unpopular figure in America. He probably also knew that polling showed him as unpopular as former President George W. Bush or former Vice President Dick Cheney. And he very likely discussed this at one time with his friends both in and out of the White House.

   

  However, none of this information was very useful to the White House until Limbaugh stated on his radio show that he wanted President Obama to fail. That's when Limbaugh became an issue. It didn't hurt that several Republicans had to apologize to Limbaugh within just a few weeks for criticizing him. That just kept the issue alive.

   

  When Stephanopoulos first made the transition to journalism after leaving the Clinton White House, I wasn't sure it was possible after being on the front lines of partisan politics. But I think he's done a very good job -- especially over the last six years of hosting This Week.

• Andy fron Seattle: Tell us a bit about how you select stories for your blog. Do you pick the ones that interest you personally? Or do you look for stories you think other people will want to read?
• Taegan Goddard: Thanks for the question. There's rarely anything on Political Wire that I don't find interesting myself. I edit the site as if I were the target reader.
• KJ in DC: Taegan, what do you make of President Obama's frequent trips across the country to "sell" his policies, almost like a permanent campaign to the American public?
• Taegan Goddard:

  Obama recognizes that his strength as a candidate -- a strong advocate for change -- is what makes him a popular president. The best way to reinforce this is to continually travel the country and "keep the campaign going." It's the source of his power and the best tool he has to advance his agenda.

   

  In an era of minute-by-minute political news coverage, it's almost impossible to leave the campagin behind. We are probably forever in a permanent campaign.

• Bill from Connecticut: With his involvement in the nation's financial scandals, does Sen. Chris Dodd really have a real chance at re-election?
• Taegan Goddard:

  Dodd is clearly reeling politically from several things:

  1. His gimmick to "move" to Iowa during the presidential campaign was a slap in the face of Connecticut voters and was very unpopular.

   

  2. His "gifts" of favorable mortgages from Countrywide Financial suggest he was more part of the problem than the solution to our financial system's woes.

   

  3. His admission of creating the loophole that allowed the AIG bonuses to be paid.

   

  But the best thing Dodd has going for him is that he's got a very long time until the election. Alot can happen in the next 18 months before the campaign really heats up.

• Eddie from Ohio: If you had to compare Obama to another president in history, which one would it be and why?
• Taegan Goddard:

  The comparisons that are regularly made these days -- to Lincoln, FDR, LBJ and Reagan -- are all valid to a point. I see some of each president in Barack Obama. But I think it's way too early to make a definitive comparison.

  The events of the next four years and how he reacts can make him one of the best presidents or one of the worst. But we won't really know for another 20 or 30 years.

• Bernard from Alexandria: Why do you think President Obama's calm demeanor seems to bother his critics?
• Taegan Goddard:

  It's not so much his calmness that bothers his critics as it is his strong confidence. It drives his opponents crazy, in fact.

   

  It's been a long, long time since we've seen a president so confident in his ability to meet such amazingly large challenges. Obama seems so at ease in what are historic moments.

• Jean from St. Paul: Have you noticed a shift in public opinion lately toward the Obama administration?
• Taegan Goddard:

  If you look at the averages of President Obama's approval ratings over the last eight weeks, you'll see a slight drop in his approval. However, I think he's still firmly in his honeymoon period.

   

  The issue of the AIG bonuses does have the administration on the defensive for the first time in a sustained way. It has not been a great week for the administration, so we may start to see a greater shift in public opinion in the next week or so.

   

  That said, Obama is also making a big effort to communicate his agenda to the public with interviews on Jay Leno, ESPN and "60 Minutes." (He probably covers most of the American public with those three media outlets.)  He'll follow this up with a prime time press conference next Tuesday -- bumping "American Idol" and "Dancing with the Stars."

• Will from Potomac: Is it an asset or a liability that the new president has not spent most of his life in politics?
• Taegan Goddard:

  I don't think Obama's relative lack of experience has been a liability yet. And if he continues to surround himself with very savvy political players who have experience on Capitol Hill and at the White House, he'll probably get by just fine.

   

  While Obama hasn't spent a lot of time in national politics, he's clearly a naturally gifted politician -- the type that comes around just once or twice a generation.

• Amy from Toronto: Even if the new administration doesn't want to play hardball, is there any sign that the "other team" has decided to stop throwing the ball at people's heads?
• Taegan Goddard:

  I think the success of a "curveball" strategy is only enhanced when the other team sticks to the old rules of the game. It's so much more predictable and easier to anticipate the moves of the other side.

   

  In fact, each time Obama attempts bipartisianship -- even when he knows the overtures will be rejected -- he raises the costs to his rivals of opposing him the next time around. This wouldn't be possible if the Republicans actually tried to play a different game.

• KJ in DC: What role do you think the White House plays regarding the TV commercials from interest groups that tout President Obama's legislative priorities?
• Taegan Goddard:

  I think every White House works with sympathetic interest groups to push a common agenda. It's smart politics.

   

  As for coordination of television commercials, there are limits to what can be done. But it's no secret what the Obama administration is trying to accomplish and sympathetic interest groups obviously want to work in concert with them.

• Jill from Harrisonburg: In your opinion, does President Obama prefer to appoint strong leaders to his team or does he want people who will follow orders?
• Taegan Goddard:

  Obama has pursued an interesting structure for staffing the government. He has strong-willed, smart people in key positions, but he's sometimes paired them with "czars" in the White House who are probably more loyal to the administration's overall agenda.

   

  It's interesting, but only time will tell if it actually works.

• Abby from Atlanta: Obama's team is not doing anything but walking players. Such a disaster on strategy. As badly as the Republicans performed in the 08 election cycle, they are bases loaded and about to score a grand slam. One more AIG screw up by the WH and game. 2010
• Taegan Goddard:

  I don't agree with this at all. The Obama administration has already hit several home runs -- the economic stimulus package being a big one. Obama's own approval rating shows he's got a big lead over his opponents right now. The fans are still clearly hoping he wins the game.

   

  Sure, there have been errors by the Democrats -- and the AIG mess may even let the Republicans score a few runs before it's over. But in general, it seems the Republicans are having a much tougher time because they don't really have a manager.

• Bill from Topeka: Jimmy Carter said he would not lie when he became president. It later became a punch line. Is Obama making the same kind of mistake by setting the bar so high for himself?
• Taegan Goddard:

  I don't know if it's a mistake by setting the bar so high. In some ways the problems Obama inherited put the bar even higher than he might like -- so he has no choice but to try to make the jump.

• Dan from Philadelphia: How quickly is Obama burning through his political capital? Will he have anything left to actually keep some of his promises? With potential shifts from his campaign stances on the question of Gitmo, Iraq troop withdrawals and taxing employer healthcare benefits, it seems he is in for tough fights on all fronts.
• Taegan Goddard:

  That's a great question. I think Obama spends some of his political capital every time he makes an exception to his principles -- such as hiring a lobbyist to a key position or overlooking an appointee not paying their taxes. Policy reversals such as the ones you note burn through even more of this precious capital.

   

  That said, Obama also replenishes his supply of political capital each time he travels around the country and shows Washington, D.C. how much the country still backs him and his agenda. He tends to increase his political capital each time he gives a major speech or a prime time press conference as well.

• Robert from South Carolina: With even the rosiest estimates placing an economic upturn a year off, when will the administration be able to move on to other problems without appearing trivial?
• Taegan Goddard: Between the problems of the economy and the financial system, health care reform, a new energy policy and two wars, I don't think there will be room for any "trivial" issues for years to come.
• Steve from Connecticut: Back to Chris Dodd. We all know that a superb spinmeister can save a drowning senator. What strategies over the next 18 months would you employ to save Senator Dodd?
• Taegan Goddard:

  Dodd's problems are so great at this point that it's going to be impossible to spin his way out of them. He needs to find a way (quickly) to reconnect with the concerns of the Connecticut voter and be seen a trusted force to help solve them.

   

  Furthermore, Connecticut's willingness to elect independents -- Lowell Weicker, Joe Lieberman -- suggest that even in an overwhelming Democratic state he's not going to be able to rely on his party for much help.

• josh from shippensburg: Why doesn't president Obama give a name to his plans like FDR or LBJ so people can wrap their hands around it?
• Taegan Goddard: I think that's an excellent observation. Even somone as eloquent as Obama sometimes has a hard time explaining what his plans really mean.
• Randy from Martinton, IL: Do you think President Obama will take a lead role in the upcoming battle over the Employee Free Choice Act which he sponsored as a member of the Senate?
• Taegan Goddard: No, I suspect that he'll let legislative leaders push this one and wait for it to reach his desk before commenting too much.
• Lawrence from NYC: What issue would Obama be willing to use his political capital on within the next year? Repealing the military's "Don't Ask Don't Tell" policy, broader immigration reforms -- any ideas?
  
• Taegan Goddard:

  I think he's dedicating all of his political capital to revamping the financial system, his budget, and reforms of health care and energy policy.

   

  If he has any political capital left after those fights, I suspect he'll move to immigration reform.

• Ken from Portland: The Federal Reserve's move to "print money" brings with it the fear of inflation, and/or devaluation of the dollar. What's your take on this most recent move? Does it mean they're desperate to find something that will work?
• Taegan Goddard:

  Yes, there seems to be a level of desperation in nearly every move taken to fix the credit system and get the economy growing again. The problems are so great that I'm not sure anyone inside or out of government really knows what to do.

   

  Ultimately, with the huge amount of debt the federal government is taking on to attempt to fix these problems, many economists believe the only way out is to let inflation run high for a few years.  That alone suggests we're in pretty desperate times.

• Peter from North Carolina: This is the first time in almost 15 years that Democrats have controlled both the White House and Congress at the same time. Do you think that we will see a cooling of relations between Congress and the president? Either way, how closely do you think that their fortunes are linked going into the 2010 elections?
• Taegan Goddard: There was an interesting piece by Stuart Rothenberg today on this very issue. He thinks the interest of Democrats in Congress and the president will diverge before the midterm elections if the economic problems continue.
• Bryan from Salem:  How long can the president work the populist outsider angle? Sooner or later he's going to have to be seen as the man in charge. And how will that transition work? Many of his supporters were attracted to his 'outside Washington' appeal. What can he do to get them them to stay with him once he more solidly becomes the establishment?
• Taegan Goddard:

  I suspect the answer to this question is the same as the answer to, "How long will Obama's honeymoon period last?"

   

  However, Obama may be able to extend his honeymoon a little while by relying on his supporters outside Washigton, D.C., just as you suggest. Ultimately, they are the source to his power and they still view him as the outsider they voted in to bring change.

• RB_Johnson from MD: Will Democratic Sen. Evan Bayh and and other moderates in the chamber, teamed with the GOP, be able to stop health care and climate control legislation this year?
• Taegan Goddard:

  I don't think they want to stop it -- but they will be able to modify the final legislation. I think Bayh ultimately wants to be a player in these issues and joining with his fellow moderates is the best way to assert himself.

   

  On both issues, but particularly health care reform, I think there is considerable support in the Senate to make progress in these areas this year. If there is no progress, 2010 will be a very bad year for incumbents -- regardless of party.

   

  Thanks everyone for your participation. See you next time.