Matt Bai probably didn’t mean this the way it came out.
If administrations are to be judged solely on results, rather than in the context of the times, then Mr. Obama can’t possibly make a compelling argument for his own re-election — not when unemployment refuses to fall below 9 percent.
Particularly since Bai probably doesn’t want you to consider that “context of the times” includes “the country elected an untested and unskilled Messianic figure who literally promised that his election would result in the seas receding.” Or “the country gave said secular Messiah one of the most lopsided Congressional majorities in living memory, and he urinated it away on health care rationing and a stimulus that didn’t work.” Or even “You know, when George W Bush was President gas prices AND unemployment were about half what they are now.”
So… are you better off than you were three years ago? How about two years? Shoot, how’s this fiscal quarter shaping up for you, in comparison to the last one?
Moe Lane