Ron Fournier Compares Obamacare Rollout To Bush's Handling Of The Iraq War

Ron Fournier, a National Journal columnist, on Tuesday compared President Obama's approach to the health care website rollout to President George W. Bush's handling of the Iraq War and Hurricane Katrina.

"Just like Katrina, when the big problem President Bush had was diminishing the significance of what was happening, saying ‘Hey, way to go, Brownie,’—you had the president yesterday talking about glitches and kinks. This is bigger than glitches and kinks," Fournier said on MSNBC, as quoted by Mediate. "The one difference was Katrina was a storm, the health care law was Obama’s creation."

Fournier then added, "Maybe the Iraq War is a better analogy."

Nicolle Wallace, a former communications director for Bush, also criticized Obama on MSNBC for not taking a larger role in trying to fix the problems with the website.

"The notion he's sitting and watching from the residence of the White House and says, 'Oh, gosh, that didn't go well' just rings really strange to people," she said. "But Obama, to continue to speak about the actions of his administration as a guy with a great seat but no responsibility, is totally off-putting, and it does not have a whiff of leadership to it."

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/msnbc-guest-compares-obama-s-obamacare-rollout-to-bush-and-iraq-war

Remember the pundits who urged Obama to cave?

By Steve Benen

Even as the American mainstream turned against congressional Republicans during the recent crises, there were quite a few Beltway pundits who urged President Obama to give in to GOP demands...Let’s take National Journal’s Ron Fournier, for example, who argued just last week that Obama “must negotiate” with GOP leaders. He said it was necessary as a “matter of optics,” adding that Republican “obstinacy” is “no excuse.” (Remember, in context, “negotiating” with Republicans meant exploring what concessions the president was prepared to offer – in exchange for nothing – because GOP lawmakers said it was a precondition to their willingness to complete their basic responsibilities.)

Obama ignored the advice, showed some real leadership, and prevailed. A week later, with the benefit of hindsight, Fournier’s advice appears rather misguided.

Which is what made the National Journal writer’s new column that much more interesting.

Just as he did to John McCain in 2008 and to Mitt Romney in 2012, President Obama defeated a lame Republican political team. The GOP’s right wing foolishly shuttered the government and threatened default in exchange for an unreasonable and unattainable concession: Scrap Obamacare. He refused. The GOP caved.

It was all so predictable.

Hmm. If it was all so predictable that the president would stick to his guns and Republicans would cave, why did Fouriner argue – literally just last week – that Obama should stop sticking to his guns and start making concessions to Republicans?

The rest of Fournier’s argument is somewhat confusing. He wants to know, for example, if Obama can “lead.” Didn’t Obama just prove that he could “lead” quite well by winning this fight? In this case, Fournier suggests “lead” means “making Republicans do what they refuse to do,” which doesn’t seem like an altogether fair definition of the word.

<...>

Update: Fournier believes the item above takes his post from last week out of context. I disagree, but I’m eager for fair-minded readers to consider the relevant pieces and reach their own conclusions. Here’s his piece from last week, in which Fournier argues that Obama “can’t cave,” while also arguing that Obama “must negotiate” with Republicans who were demanding he cave. Here’s his piece from this morning, in which Fournier argues that the president’s posture against negotiation led to a “predictable” victory.

- more -

http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/remember-the-pundits-who-urged-obama-cave