THE “SHELLACKING” OF OBAMA Gil Troy The candidate who had perfect pitch in the 2008 US presidential campaign turned out to be tone deaf when he got to the White House. Appearing chastened but not contrite, as the New York Times put it, by what he himself termed his “shellacking” in the midterm elections of 2010, Barack Obama will have an opportunity to retool as Obama 2.0 in the run-up to the 2012 presidential campaign, which has already begun. In order to succeed, writes presidential scholar Gil Troy, he will have to reconnect with the American people and find his way to the centre, where elections are won. Le candidat qui avait trouvé la note parfaitement juste pendant la campagne présidentielle de 2008 aura perdu le ton une fois installé à la Maison-Blanche. Comme l’a dit le New York Times, le président américain est apparu « plus assagi que repentant » au lendemain des élections de mi-mandat qu’il a lui-même qualifiées de « raclée » pour son parti, mais il aura l’occasion de se configurer en Obama 2.0 en prévision de la campagne de 2012, qui est déjà en marche. Pour être réélu, croit le spécialiste de l’histoire présidentielle Gil Troy, Barack Obama devra renouer contact avec le peuple américain et se frayer un chemin jusqu’au centre de l’échiquier politique, où sont gagnées toutes les élections. arning: ignore those headlines that called the ised to do, lead from the centre humbly and substantively, American elections a split decision, claiming the culturally and creatively. W Republicans fell short, by winning only the Republicans had such a good night that even their loss- House of Representatives and not the Senate. The American es were gains for them. Having Christine O’Donnell (“I am voters gave President Barack Obama and the Democratic not a witch”), the wrestling queen Linda McMahon and the Party a good, old-fashioned political whupping during the gaffe-prone Sharron Angle all lose their Senate bids saved 2010 midterm Congressional elections. Supporters of Barack Republicans — and the Tea Party insurgency — from much Obama, the magical messianist of 2008, were reduced to cel- mainstream media ridicule. The voters helped this still-unde- ebrating that at least they did not lose the Senate, and that fined movement clean out the clowns. Americans don’t the majority leader, Harry Reid, barely kept his seat. This want, as their representatives, people who seem empty or reflected a tremendous comedown as “the One” became the crazy. As Ronald Reagan’s former speechwriter Peggy rejected one, as Mr. Yes We Can became Mr. Why Can’t Noonan warned in the Wall Street Journal: “They’ll vote no They Understand and Appreciate Me? on that. It’s not just the message, it’s the messenger.” The spinning headlines reflect the media hall of mirrors Having a serious, good-looking, patriotic new Florida that distorts so much political discussion today. The news senator, Marco Rubio, as the Tea Party poster child makes that the Republicans would recapture the House of this movement a more powerful force on the national scene. Representatives was pre-reported for so long that its shock The other leading Tea Party senator, Rand Paul from power diminished, feeding expectations of a Democratic Kentucky, is a bookish ideologue who avoided media debacle. By election night, Democrats were relieved they ridicule after initially stumbling with a Civil Rights-related had averted a worse bloodbath, reflecting how low their gaffe. “We’ve come to take our government back,” he thun- party fortunes had sunk, and just how many of them were dered on election night. “Tonight, there’s a Tea Party tidal in denial of their massive collective political failure. wave.” At the same time, O’Donnell’s initial primary victo- But the people spoke loud and clear. President Barack ry over a popular, moderate Republican Mike Castle, who Obama must learn his lesson from what even he, the probably would have won the Senate seat in Delaware, Denier-in-Chief, admitted was a political “shellacking.” To demonstrates the Tea Party’s powerful hold over the redeem his presidency, he must do what he originally prom- Republicans’ future. 44 OPTIONS POLITIQUES DÉCEMBRE 2010-JANVIER 2011 The “shellacking” of Obama Blessed by Florida’s time zone, foonish Sarah Palins and goonish Joe Yet considering that the end of the Rubio was one of the first big winners of McCarthys subverting American democ- 2010 midterms marks the start of the election night. He took full advantage racy. But election night changed the sto- 2012 presidential campaign, Barack of his prime-time exposure, giving a ryline. The New York Times house Obama should worry about the massive moving speech that changed the Tea conservative, David Brooks, linked the abandonment of independent voters. It Party’s public face. Making his story as movement that propelled Obama into is now clear that Obama erred by fight- the son of Cuban exiles America’s story, the White House with the movement ing for health care reform before lower- he called the United States of America that helped purge more than 60 ing the unemployment rate. Obama simply the single greatest nation in all Democrats from the House of also erred by passing the governing steering wheel to Speaker The people spoke loud and clear. President Barack Obama must Nancy Pelosi and her Con- learn his lesson from what even he, the Denier-in-Chief, admitted gressional Democratic party was a political “shellacking.” To redeem his presidency, he must barons, rather than keeping the more centrist White do what he originally promised to do, lead from the centre House as the central politi- humbly and substantively, culturally and creatively. cal driver. “Usually, a politi- cal party loses when it has of human history, a place without equal Representatives. “Over the past few failed to do its job,” Time magazine’s Joe in the history of all mankind. But, he years, we have seen millions of people Klein observed. “These Democrats lost added, “we also know that something mobilize, some behind President Obama because they succeeded in doing what doesn’t seem right.” Delighting in his and others around the Tea Parties,” they’ve been promising for decades.” 20-point victory in a state that has Brooks wrote in mid-November. “The And it is now clear that having the often been famously deadlocked country is restive and looking for alter- health care reform pass by such a par- between Republicans and Democrats, natives. And before the next round of tisan, polarizing vote undermined the red and the blue, Rubio vowed to go voting begins, I suspect we will see Obama’s entire presidential leadership to Washington, DC, and “stand up to another mass movement: a movement project. The twentieth century’s two this agenda that is taking us in the of people who don’t feel represented by greatest pieces of social legislation, the wrong direction.” either of the partisan orthodoxies; a 1935 Social Security Act and the 1964 The speech was not quite as elec- movement of people who want to fun- Civil Rights Act, passed, after hard tric as Ronald Reagan’s televised 1964 damentally change the norms, institu- fights, with bipartisan support. That fundraising appeal for Barry Goldwater tions and rigidities that cause our the twenty-first century’s first great still known today as “The Speech,” or gridlock and threaten our country.” piece of social legislation passed with- Barack Obama’s 2004 Democratic out Republican support is a very omi- Convention star-turn. Rubio is more he rise of the Tea Party, the loss of nous sign. subdued than either of those citizen T many moderate Democrats in politicians who ended up in the White swing districts and the return to hile coping with an energized House. But its unvarnished red, white Congress of Reid, Nancy Pelosi and W opposition taking over the and blue nationalism offered a plat- many of their most liberal colleagues House of Representatives, and dimin- form of hope during sobering times. It led some politicos to conclude that ished Senate numbers, Barack Obama laid the groundwork for the future Americans are becoming more polar- must adjust to changes in the execu- House Speaker John Boehner’s getting ized and do not want centrist leader- tive branch too. His chief of staff Rahm choked up, as he celebrated his life ship. This conclusion reinforces the Emanuel, his National Security Adviser story as a fulfillment of “the American Fox News-MSNBC view of the world as Jim Jones, and one of his leading eco- dream.” Rubio’s win helped change the fundamentally divided between good nomic advisers Larry Summers will not narrative about the Tea Party, or more people — those who agree with me — be around to roll out Obama 2.0. These accurately the Tea Parties, as a series of and bad partisans — everybody else. and other staff changes will free populist, grassroots expressions of frus- Instead, the results reflect American Obama to resurrect one of the most tration with the Obama agenda. structural anomalies, where moderates powerful messages and most successful Throughout campaign season it was come from divided districts and tactics that emerged during his mete- difficult to get a handle on the Tea Party extremists come from strongly parti- oric rise to the presidency, his call for a phenomenon because of the partisan san districts. During electoral tidal new, reasoned centrism. media filters. Fox News treated Tea waves, the crucial swing voters veer Yet, while acknowledging his shel- Partiers like the Sons — and Daughters left or right, wiping out the moderates lacking, Barack Obama seemed — of Liberty while the New York Times and leaving the extremists enjoying remarkably resistant to learning the treated them like a dark army of buf- their grip on power.