Performance Oriented Presidency

Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal has written a book that chronicles some of the aftermath of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. In it, Jindal suggests that some of the effort made had little to do with helping the cleanup and everything to do with creating the illusion of "we are on top of this" spin. Great Presidents like Ronald Reagan did not care who got the credit for an initiative so long as it benefited the nation which is why Reagan was often seen chatting up "Tip" O'Neill and giving the Democrat US House Leader so much credit. Other American Presidents who were "results oriented" included the last President Bush who gave Teddy Kennedy accolades for helping to write and advance the Education Bill. Unfortunately, so far Barack Hussein Obama has not been results oriented but content on creating image over accomplishment. Demonstrating some administration stagecraft through former White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel was far less taxing than doing nose to the grindstone business of actually helping contain the spill, far from the camera's eye. No, President Obama does not seem so concerned with great results as a statesman would but quite interested in good public relations. Obama is all about performance (as in the phoniness of theater) and this emphasis to "look good" has actually led the country in some instances in the worst possible way.