Is Obama wearing thin so soon?

Times columnist Frank Rich wrote ["Slumdogs Unite"] on Sunday, Feb. 8, that “Obama was blindsided by the savagery and speed of (Tom) Daschle’s demise,” which included Times and WSJ editorials calling for him to step away from his HHS Secretary nomination.

Rich suggested that Obama may be melding into the Washington insider's environment of privilege and power [and lack of perspective], a group that still “doesn’t get it.” Rich explained that “there are simply too many major players in the Obama team who are either alumni of the financial bubble’s insiders’ club or of the somnambulant governmental establishment that presided over the [current financial] catastrophe.”

We think that Obama risks wearing thin with Americans on yet another characteristic, his paternalistic tendency to use broad pejorative superlatives. Make no mistake that we agree that current circumstances deserve the gravest of gravitas, but Presidential verbiage needs to be prudent and promising, not stoking the fires. [Stoking the fires should come in the background with Congress.] For instance...

Obama officials told Citigroup officials to “Fix it,” referring to purchase of a $50 million corporate jet. They did so.

Obama himself condemned John Thain’s doling out of billions in Merrill Lynch bonuses as “shameful” and "outrageous." But, the bonuses remain in recipients’ accounts.

While we feel these characterizations are on the mark, we’re beginning to sense that the President is acting a bit like Pappa Bear, passing judgment on the behavior of his offspring.

As momentarily refreshing as some of Obama’s comments may be, we’re not so sure that Americans want to be treated like the 10-year-old school girls the President has at home in Chicago. 

[White House photo: Pete Souza]

PR is what you do, not what you say...

The adage in the communications biz goes that “PR is what you do, not what you say you do,” and so it is with former Senate leader Tom Daschle, who today withdrew his name from nomination as Obama’s Secretary of Health and Human Services.

In withdrawing his name, Daschle confirmed that he failed to pay $128,203 in back taxes on consulting income and use of a car service.

[Daschle is the second Obama nominee to have forgotten to pay his taxes. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner admitted last week that he overlooked paying $42,702 and back taxes and interest. Obama's intended "performance office," Nancy Killefer also withdrew her candidacy today due to problems with her household tax filing. Killefer is an executive with McKinsey & Co. and oversees their management consulting for government clients]

Daschle’s predicament is very instructive on the PR front. With missteps of judgment, sincere apology is always the first move in attempting to recover. But such utterances must be supported by good behavior, not just good words.

When Daschle apologized for his lapse of taxable memory, he said, “All of my life I assiduously tried to pay my taxes in full and on time…. I deeply apologize…. I would hope that my mistake would be viewed in the context of 30 years of public service.”

The only problem is that his “assiduously trying to pay” his taxes does not seem to true up with his own earlier admissions of omission of previous tax payment delinquencies.

Daschle filed amended tax returns for 2005-2007 to pay $140,167 in back taxes and interest. This is coming close of a pattern of behavior.

A sincere apology for a single misstep often works. However, it is very difficult to believe that a public servant of Daschle’s ability can actually overlook the taxable nature of consulting fees – which amount to three times the median US household income of $50,000. This is where the admitted facts trump mea culpas, and PR proves to really be what you do, not what you say you do.