Is President Obama anti-social?
"I'm a pretty friendly guy," the president insists. "And I like a good party."
A common knock against President Obama is that he's too aloof for the job. While Vice President Joe Biden can put his Republican colleagues at ease with his car salesman's smile and bottomless store of near-nonsensical Joe-isms, Obama reportedly has nothing but disdain for Washington's greasy back-slapping traditions. The thinking goes that if Obama had a little of Bill Clinton's glad-handing magic or Ronald Reagan's sunny disposition, he would have far fewer problems reaching agreements with the GOP on a host of issues.
Asked about his alleged misanthropic streak at a news conference on Monday, Obama got a tad defensive. "Most people who know me know I'm a pretty friendly guy," he insisted. (Watch a video of his remarks below.) He added, somewhat unconvincingly, "And I like a good party."
Obama's remarks come just as Congress prepares to engage in yet another round of budget negotiations that could derail the economic recovery, the fear this time being that Congress will fail to prevent the U.S. from defaulting on its debt. Obama maintained that he has cordial relationships with many members of Congress, but that policy differences are ultimately what leads to disagreement. "I'm over here at the congressional picnic, and folks are coming up and taking pictures with their family. I promise you, Michelle and I are very nice to them," Obama said. "But it doesn't prevent them from going onto the floor of the House and, you know, blasting me for being a big-spending socialist."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Obama also suggested that it was Republicans who were leery of hanging out with him, after they saw fellow GOPers — such as former Florida Gov. Charlie Crist — get hammered in the right-wing media for being too friendly with the socialist-in-chief. "I think there are a lot of Republicans at this point that feel that, given how much energy has been devoted in some of the media that is preferred by Republican constituencies to demonize me, that it doesn’t look real good socializing with me," he said.
He even admitted that he was a little lonely. "Personal relationships are important and, obviously, I can always do a better job. And the nice thing is, is that now that my girls are getting older, they don't want to spend that much time with me anyway," he said. "So, I'll be probably calling around, looking for somebody to play cards with or something… because I'm getting kind of lonely in this big house."
Critics, of course, maintain that Obama should grow up and get over his aversion to buttering up his opponents. "For Obama, learning how to schmooze could mean the difference between a good and great presidency," says Ron Fournier at The National Journal.
But Obama is operating in an atmosphere of political polarization that would have been unimaginable to Reagan, and that Clinton got only a taste of. Congress is not the place it once was, and it's hard to see how even a million rounds of golf with Obama would have helped House Speaker John Boehner, for example, convince a majority of his caucus to raise taxes on the wealthiest Americans in the recent deal to avert part of the fiscal cliff. As Obama suggested at his press conference, Republican members of Congress are far more concerned about primary challenges than maintaining relationships with their colleagues in Washington. "The reasons… Congress votes the way they do, or talks the way they talk, or takes positions in negotiations that they take, doesn't have to do with me," Obama said. "They're worried about their district. They're worried about what's going on back home."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Watch More News Videos at ABC | Technology News | Celebrity News
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Ryu Spaeth is deputy editor at TheWeek.com. Follow him on Twitter.
-
7 magnificent hotels to visit before the summer crowds descend
The Week Recommends Have beach time in the Dominican Republic or a spa day in Saint-Tropez
By Catherine Garcia, The Week US Published
-
The Week contest: Sheep spray
Puzzles and Quizzes
By The Week US Published
-
The bird flu fight is faltering
Talking Points Are pandemic lessons going unheeded?
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
Arizona court reinstates 1864 abortion ban
Speed Read The law makes all abortions illegal in the state except to save the mother's life
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Trump, billions richer, is selling Bibles
Speed Read The former president is hawking a $60 "God Bless the USA Bible"
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
The debate about Biden's age and mental fitness
In Depth Some critics argue Biden is too old to run again. Does the argument have merit?
By Grayson Quay Published
-
How would a second Trump presidency affect Britain?
Today's Big Question Re-election of Republican frontrunner could threaten UK security, warns former head of secret service
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
'Rwanda plan is less a deterrent and more a bluff'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By The Week UK Published
-
Henry Kissinger dies aged 100: a complicated legacy?
Talking Point Top US diplomat and Nobel Peace Prize winner remembered as both foreign policy genius and war criminal
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Last updated
-
Trump’s rhetoric: a shift to 'straight-up Nazi talk'
Why everyone's talking about Would-be president's sinister language is backed by an incendiary policy agenda, say commentators
By The Week UK Published
-
More covfefe: is the world ready for a second Donald Trump presidency?
Today's Big Question Republican's re-election would be a 'nightmare' scenario for Europe, Ukraine and the West
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published