Democrats close to the Obama White House are frustrated and furious over the public relations fallout over President Barack Obama’s now-infamous two-week luxury vacation to Martha’s Vineyard amid myriad crises, including looting and rioting in Ferguson, Missouri, as well as the beheading of an American journalist by ISIS terrorists.
Some Obama backers are defensive.
“It’s bullshit,” one former senior Obama official told The Hill. “This is a guy who reads 10 letters a day simply to keep in touch with the American people. He spends all his time thinking about the economy and improving lives of the American people. He’s constantly in touch.”
Other Democrats expressed frustration over Obama’s apparent aloofness.
“It just doesn’t seem like he can move the ball forward, and sometimes it seems like he doesn’t want to,” said another Democrat close to the White House. “He just doesn’t seem like he’s delivering on much of the stuff he campaigned on, and that includes bringing both sides together.”
Another Democratic strategist said everything from Obama’s nine rounds of golf to his disinterest in meeting with lawmakers “comes from the top.” The strategist added, “There are things he can do, but I don’t believe he’s going to do it.”
Some Democrats believe that with just 70 days until the all-important midterm elections, there is little Obama can do to undo his unpopularity.
“The dye has been cast,” a Democratic strategist told The Hill. “He set the bar so high to start his political life, but the process has proven to be much harder.”