It Ain't Just Me

I've been on about Obama's negative language concerning the economy for a while now, and we're beginning to see pieces on this subject in the dead-tree media and elsewhere. Case in point:

From crisis to catastrophe. Off a cliff. Dark, darker, darkest. Mortal danger of absolute collapse. Armageddon.

President Obama and top Democrats on Capitol Hill are deploying these and other stark predictions of doom and gloom to push through their economic-stimulus package. In terms not heard in Washington since the late 1970s under President Jimmy Carter's watch, the new president has sought to terrify Americans into supporting the $800 billion-plus bailout bill.

[...]

"Mr. Hope has to be careful not to become Dr. Doom," said Frank Luntz, a political consultant and author of the book "Words That Work: It's Not What You Say, It's What People Hear."

"The danger for him is using the Jimmy Carter malaise rhetoric, particularly for Mr. Obama, who was elected because people thought he was the solution. There's only so much negativity they will tolerate from him before they will feel betrayed," Mr. Luntz said.

Brad Blakeman, a senior aide to Mr. Bush from 2001 to 2004, said the new president's language is immature.

"It's not presidential. An American leader needs to be hopeful and optimistic - and truthful. Everything he says is parsed; everything he says is searched for deep meaning. When he goes to 'DefCon 5' on the economy and says that we're on the brink of catastrophe, it's absolutely insane."

Well, yeah. Even if the last guy quoted is a lil bit unclear on the DEFCON concept. Which is quite another story, to wit... civilians using military metaphors that they don't quite get. Inexcusable, from my point of view, but we digress.

One of the reasons Jimmuh went down to defeat at the hands of The Gipper was his pessimistic rhetoric... who among us old enough to remember can forget "malaise?"... which was the icing on the cake of his dismal performance. The One had better be careful in this space. But that's just speaking about The One. My biggest concern is for the economy... and the nation as a whole. I don't think it's mere coincidence the market seems to tank on the days Obama utters his latest doom-and-gloom predictions.

Wise-up, Mr. President.