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![Who Asked You?]()
When you're president, there's never a shortage of political pundits to turn to for advice. But with President Obama's approval ratings plunging in recent months and Democrats facing a bloodbath in November's midterm elections, a new crop of would-be political advisers, including a couple of failed presidential candidates, is crawling out of the woodwork to offer unsolicited help.![Walter Mondale: Lose the 'idiot board' teleprompters]()
In an interview with CNN this week, former Vice President Walter Mondale said Obama's problem is he's too dependent on what he called "idiot boards." "I think he loses the connection that he needs emotionally with American people," said the 82-year-old who lost his presidential bid in 1984 to President Reagan. "If you're looking at the teleprompter, you're here, you're here and your audience is right there. And I think he needs to do more of that."![Michael Dukakis: Blame Bush and Republicans for anemic economy]()
According to the Boston Globe, Dukakis, the former governor of Massachusetts who lost the 1988 presidential race to George H.W. Bush, went to the White House last month and advised that Democrats should pound home one message in the final weeks of the campaign season: Republicans want to bring back the same policies that led the country into an economic ditch. He also said Democrats need to remind voters that former President George W. Bush left the country with a massive deficit.![President Bill Clinton: Embrace people's anger]()
Former President Bill Clinton has been popping up everywhere in the media in recent weeks, dispensing advice to Obama and Dems on how to get through the midterms. His basic advice is to use the toxic environment for Democrats to their advantage by painting a clear contrast between Democrats and Republicans. He told Politico in a recent interview that Obama should "embrace people's anger, including their disappointment at you. " "And just ask 'em to not let the anger cloud their judgment. Let it concentrate their judgment. And then make your case." Clinton lost both chambers in Congress in his first midterm election as president.![President Jimmy Carter: Focus on the economy]()
Former President Jimmy Carter told CBS News this month that Obama needs to focus on fixing the economy over the final two years of his term. "I'm sure he will anyway," he said. "He's gotten some very wonderful achievements so far. But what people are interested in is more jobs, and I think he's going to do that.![Colin Powell: Focus on Jobs, Jobs, Jobs]()
Retired Gen. Colin Powell, who was secretary of state in the Bush administration, told NBC's "Meet The Press" last month that after an eventful first two years in office, Obama needs to turn his attention solely to creating more jobs. "Wall Street got fixed. They're getting their bonuses back. We fixed the auto industry. It's starting to function. But people are still seeing a 9.6 unemployment rate. They're losing their homes. They are anxious. And they are expecting more out of the president. So I think he has to do more with respect to reducing the deficit and also being careful about putting more and more programs, more and more rocks into that knapsack because the American people are looking for a singular focus on the economy and unemployment."![George Schultz: Obama is out of his mind for setting a July 2011 Afghan Drawdown]()
George Schultz, who was secretary of state in the Regan administration slammed Obama this week for his July 2011 deadline for beginning to withdraw U.S. forces from Afghanistan. "You're out of your mind," the 89-year-old said when asked about Obama's drawdown date at a dinner for the International Republican Institute. "How can you say that 'if I haven't won by six or nine months from now, I'm leaving?"![Robert Reich: Pick fights, connect the dots on economy]()
Robert Reich, the Labor secretary in the Clinton administration, told AOL News that Obama needs to be "more indignant" and "frame issues in a way that most people can understand a larger picture." "He needs to connect the dots," he said.Obama's New Advisers?
When you're president, there's never a shortage of political pundits to turn to for advice. But with President Obama's approval ratings plunging in recent months and Democrats facing a bloodbath in November's midterm elections, a new crop of would-be political advisers, including a couple of failed presidential candidates, is crawling out of the woodwork to offer unsolicited help.
Move Forward
- Obama's New Advisers?
