3 December 2020 Ron Fournier Hollywood has a history of raising expectations beyond Washington’s reach, of appealing to the very American desire to mythologize political leaders, particularly the president.
3 December 2020 Ron Fournier If acknowledging that racial misgivings and misunderstandings are still a part of politics and life in America, I plead guilty.
3 December 2020 Ron Fournier For a man who has compared himself to Theodore Roosevelt and the nation’s challenges to those of the Gilded Age, Obama put forward a tepid agenda.
3 December 2020 Ron Fournier AP promoted me to the White House beat because I knew Clinton, his family, friends, and staff better than anybody in the national press corps. Those contacts helped me break a few stories and get my career in Washington jump-started.
3 December 2020 Ron Fournier I’ve been leading newsrooms for a while now and it’s been an honor serving as Editor in Chief of N.J., but I really think that my best shot at moving the needle in politics is by getting close to it – by reading, reporting, tweeting and writing.
3 December 2020 Ron Fournier Obama is capable – as evidenced by his first-term success with health care reform. But mandate-building requires humility, a trait not easily associated with him.
3 December 2020 Ron Fournier With gridlock the norm, Congress’s approval rating is below 10 percent and the public has lost faith in its national leadership.
3 December 2020 Ron Fournier Close elections tend to break toward the challenger because undecided voters – having held out so long against the incumbent – are by nature looking for change.
3 December 2020 Ron Fournier Don’t underestimate questions from the crowd technology has made voters more informed than ever.
3 December 2020 Ron Fournier By nominating Chuck Hagel to be his Defense secretary, President Obama is putting forward an aloof contrarian who doesn’t suffer fools – a striving politician who considers himself above politics.
3 December 2020 Ron Fournier Voters don’t have to love him, Romney advisers say, but they will respect him.
3 December 2020 Ron Fournier You can almost see voters nodding their heads at home: The public’s faith in politicians and political institutions has been on a steep and dangerous decline for decades, because elected leaders fail to deliver.
3 December 2020 Ron Fournier Republicans would have preferred the court overturn the health care bill, an act that would have underscored Obama’s biggest liability – the perception among voters, including those who like and trust him, that he has been ineffective.
3 December 2020 Ron Fournier Political consultants are pugilists, masters in the dark art of negativity. Which is why it’s surprising to hear Democrats such as Steve McMahon and Republicans like Rich Galen urging their presidential candidates to be more, well, positive.
3 December 2020 Ron Fournier If history is a guide, a victory for Obama means he faces the prospect of a second term dogged by scandal or inertia.
3 December 2020 Ron Fournier Got good news and bad news for you, Mr. President. The good news is that Chief Justice John Roberts just saved your legacy and, perhaps, your presidency by writing for the Supreme Court majority to rule health care reform constitutional.
3 December 2020 Ron Fournier At the start of his second term, one wonders less about Obama’s fitness than his willingness: Why doesn’t he do more to build and maintain the relationships required to govern in era of polarization?
3 December 2020 Ron Fournier Movies such as ‘Mr. Smith Goes to Washington’ in 1939 to ‘Dave’ in 1993 portray Washington leaders as the ultimate Everymen – decent people just like you and me, only thrust onto greatness.
3 December 2020 Ron Fournier We’re living in an era of unprecedented change, and I want to be a part of documenting it.
3 December 2020 Ron Fournier White House operatives went to great lengths to show Obama shifting focus from wars abroad to domestic issues at home.
3 December 2020 Ron Fournier Although we were never pals and occasionally butted heads, my relationship with Clinton and his wife, Hillary, made me a better journalist.
3 December 2020 Ron Fournier The failure of the White House and Congress to seriously address the nation’s fiscal situation is certain to broaden the belief among many voters that the U.S. political system is broken.
