TW: Folks seem more or less impressed with POTUS-elect so far, we shall see how long that lasts. But one reason might be he is graceful, articulate and apparently damn level-headed. These things not surprisingly make a difference. Pundits wonder why the "substance" does not always seem to make the difference with voters, perhaps they are looking for something more subtle...at least some of the time (ergo the election of W. Bush twice). Some managers can lead and some cannot, same with the POTUS.
From George Packer at New Yorker:
A President Who Can Explain!
"A senior Army officer in Iraq once told me that, if only Bush had explained to the public what was really going on, no euphemisms, no cheerleading, just get on T.V. regularly, maybe with a map like F.D.R. during World War II, and level with the American people, then they might not have abandoned him and the war so completely. Instead, the White House rolled out every phase of the war like a marketing campaign.
This piece in today’s Times reassures me that Obama knows the difference between campaigning and governing, and between strategic communications and deliberative democracy. I’ve expressed worry that, for all their talk of transparency, he and his team think they can bypass the press and exercise total message control after the School of Rove. But Obama’s instinct is to talk to his fellow citizens like adults (just watch his encounter with Joe the Plumber), and his pre-inaugural interviews have borne that out. Rather than simply asserting his plans with anodyne uplift and ignoring the counter-arguments, he’s explained honestly, he’s reasoned, he’s even offered to listen. This approach will serve him well in the terribly difficult months ahead..."
http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/georgepacker/2009/01/a-president-who.html
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