President Obama’s Bad Boy Streak
President Obama has been ruffling feather as of late.
Ever since he’s stepped foot into office, he’s been breaking the rules and doing things that “shouldn’t” be done; things that 43 other Presidents before him have never attempted or tried because they’ve been told “no, you can’t.”
- He refused to give up his Blackberry. “Sir, it’s not safe,” they said. “Make me a new one that is,” was the reply. Obama still carries a Blackberry.
- He went on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, something no active President has ever done. “Have some respect for the office of the President!” they said. Obama went on anyway, giving real people a chance to hear him speak candidly about complex political issues. Plus, we all got to see that Obama is, “a real dude,” as a friend of mine said. It was Leno’s fourth highest audience ever and it tripled the Tonight Show’s average nightly audience.
- He built a playground outside the Oval Office for his kids, Sasha and Malia. Apparently this made some people uncomfortable. Now Obama gets to watch his kids play while he leads the free world.
- He puts his weekly national addresses on YouTube, giving people 24-7 access to what’s going on in the government.
- He spoke Farsi (a native language in many Muslim countries) to a group of Iranians wishing them a happy new year.
- He initiated Data.gov, a website that will give anyone with a web browser access to information on anything from how the U.S. government is structured internally to agricultural statistics.
- Sometimes, he doesn’t wear a jacket in the Oval Office; a rule that has been in place since the Reagan years. (To some this is a very big deal.)
Like him or not, Obama is a significant player in the cultural change that is occurring here in the U.S. (and abroad, for that matter.) Plus, I like the fact that our President is willing to break the rules. Not in an obnoxious way, but in a way that says, “I understand this is how things have always been. I appreciate and respect that. But that’s not how they’re going to stay any longer.”
What things in your life are you re-thinking? How are you changing the way “things have always been done”? How are you thinking differently about today?
I am so with you on this one! Like him or not, you have to respect that he is willing to change the rules! A president with a pair….loving it!
I wouldn't want to wear a jacket either if I kept the office temp at 80 degrees
I seem to take a lot of heat from my conservative friends and acquaintances whenever I affirm 'Obama' (we should call him President Obama, he is our President.) This has been really fascinating to me, and I won't digress too much other than to say I too really resonate with his posture, approach, and communication.
My FB status (all of our identities these days right?) the past week has been this:
"a perception: i feel more like a citizen in a representative democracy when our president routinely addresses the nation and fields our questions."
It was interesting to me to see the offense some people took to this. What I was trying to communicate was that I appreciate the fact that there appears to some INTENTIONALITY in the communication from our government to its citizens – me. In a lot of ways it is more qualitative than quantitative. I am sure Presidents Bush and Clinton were intentionally communicating, but it didn't make me feel the same way – and like it or not I am not alone, and how we feel matters.
J – its the stuff you mentioned blackberries, twitter, you tube, and I absolutely love the swing set. I feel more connected, plain and simple. I do not think our President is perfect, or going to save us. I do like hearing from him though, and without making this an entirely new post I'm down with 'the bad boy image' or whatever you want to call it. Keep it up Mr. President.
The swingset is my favorite. I love the normalcy they are trying to maintain for the girls.
Oh…and putting a little smiley face after it still makes it a mean comment. Just a mean comment by a hypocrite.
i've been re-thinking and most recently went from @grayzhouse to @beaconhillnw Beacon Hill NW Consulting,LLC. is my company name. It simplified things in terms of branding. i'm also in extreme GTD mode.
I knew for sure we picked the right person when President Obama said he is going to avoid "group think". Hallelujah.