I Know Obama's Not in a Band, But It's About Time for Him to Toot that Horn

I already apologize for the terrible pun above, but it is what it is. There has been a lot of discussion (primarily by Andrew Sullivan for me) about Barack Obama's perception problem. That is, not enough people seem to realize how much he has actually accomplished despite near historically bad circumstances. I am not going to rattle off them all but just a few of the greatest hits include Affordable Care Act (i.e., ObamaCare for those who've been donning your colonial Halloween concert since January), Dodd-Frank (financial reform), ending DADT, ending the war in Iraq, killing Osama Bin Laden and Anwar Al-Awlaki (constitutional questions aside... though I think it was JUST on the kosher side of the line), and the flowering of the Arab Spring and ending the Libyan regime (circumstances of Quaddafi's death aside). Ok, I rattled off a lot of them, but a pretty impressive laundry list of accomplishments if you ask me (which I assume you have since you are on my blog).

Despite all of the above, you still see quotes like this: 

But where Mr. Bush successfully cultivated an image as a decisive leader in a way that sharpened the comparison to Mr. Kerry, Mr. Dowd said, Mr. Obama could have trouble drawing as sharp a contrast.

“The value that the American public is looking for is a strong and decisive leader at a time of anxiety and challenge,” Mr. Dowd said. “In order to make the contrast, you have to have that value yourself, and Obama doesn’t have it.”

Really Matthew Dowd? Reeaaalllyyy?!? You have the POTUS whipping out some brass ones to take out OBL and Al-Awlaki but he won't be able to contrast against Mitt Romney, who might as well campaign with his finger always to the wind? (I only bring up Romney because if he can't beat Cain/Perry/Bachmann/Santorum/Paul then I do not know what to say). (I do not bring up Huntsman because he might as well be a democrat at this point. I like him too much for him to even sniff a Republican primary win). Undoubtedly, the poor economy will be thrown out as where he won't be able to contrast, but what is a man to do? He tries his best.

But I stray from my larger point. The reason why the President's accomplishments can be pooh pooh'd is because he seems almost embarrassed to stress how much good he's done in such a terrible environment. Fox News and far right bloggers/commentators have been able to hijack the conversation and mislead the public. I am far from the first to say this (again props to my boy Sully), but Obama and his people need to get a hold on their own narrative. It is starting to happen now, but it needs to happen quicker and more authoritatively. Come on Prez... I'll shit a brick worse than after a Godfather's pizza pie if Cain gets elected. Hook me up!