March 19, 2009 11:23 PM UTC

Obama's rookie errors, poor communications scare markets, confuse public

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• by: Another skeptic

Politico.com, a leading political blog read by all of Washington and beyond, confirms that President Obama’s poor communications and weak team are confusing voters, politicians and the markets.

Link is here.

The sluggish and unsteady response to the uproar over AIG bonuses highlights a larger problem of his White House: Obama’s surprisingly uneven campaign to educate the public about the economic crisis and convince the public that he is in command of circumstances.

It was brilliant communications skills that carried Obama to the presidency, with a national campaign built on the strength of his personal story and the clarity of his promise to transform politics. On the rare occasions when he was thrown on the defensive, he quickly turned problems into opportunities and regained control of his public image.

What’s different now? The polished phrases and unflappable delivery haven’t gone away. His prime-time news conference and speech to Congress drew the usual praise.

But the discipline and strategic focus of the campaign have yet to move into the White House. The story of the day often catches the president flat-footed or on the defensive – and regularly undercut by fellow Democrats.

The analytical/opinion piece notes that Dems are doing the Republicans’ dirty work for them. Dems are criticizing the budget, the AIG mess and the administration.

We’re paying for having a rookie in the WH. He’s not communicating well because he has no knowledge of the financial markets and little economics sophistication. And he keeps changing his story, which confuses people and undermines the administration’s credibility.

Weak presidents hire weak teams that get in trouble real fast, as we saw with Clinton and are seeing with Obama.

So it’s understandable why Obama’s supporters are so angry and upset. They see their guy failing.

No wonder they throw tantrums when Obama is criticized.

For America’s sake, I hope Obama can turn it around. The learning curve is steep, and the guy’s still in kindergarten