|
Empire State Building
350 Fifth Ave, Suite 7313
New York, NY 10118
phone: (800) 704-6512
inquiry@thesyndicatednews.com
SSL Certs
|
The All New President for 2009
|
by Andy Cowan
TheSyndicatedNews columnist
Andy Cowan, an award-winning writer, whose credits include Cheers and Seinfeld, regularly contributes humor pieces to the Los Angeles Times and the CBS Jack FM Radio Network.
|
Regardless of who wins in November, this country is poised for a significant shift in the way we view ourselves, and how our image is perceived by much of the world. Whether you agree with him or not, the President of the United States will soon shed the smaller than life dimensions of the current version, and undergo a long overdue model change.
Except for immediately after 9/11, the non-Republican elephant in the room for much of the Bush presidency has been the questionable sense of Bush’s command of the world around him. Instead of growing with the office, he seems to have shrunk, his approval rating notwithstanding.
It may be true that Bush’s recent detractors who’ve written books lamenting his lack of intellectual curiosity still claim he isn’t nearly as mentally challenged as the late night comedians have long implied. Many who know him have even called him bright. But you don’t draw laughs from “great” moments in his presidential speeches five days a week for years on end without supporting, at least, a lasting impression of the man: That he’s cheapened the “franchise.”
The recent presidents that preceded the current occupant feel like the first Darrin on Bewitched. You bought them in the role. W still feels like the second Darrin – A pretender to the throne. When he delivers his lines, we get the sense the lines were delivered to him. Not that other presidents didn’t read other wordsmith’s words. But it more readily appeared that their internal thought processes eventually kicked in and made them their own.
As Hillary once proclaimed (and a less than eloquent McCain might draw comfort from) being President involves more than giving great speeches. But with the less seasoned Obama or less stirring McCain, you still manage to get the sense of something else we’ve been missing for too long: Gravitas.
A famous Saturday Night Live sketch once implied Reagan’s public image of an out of touch and lazy grandfather figure belied his behind the scenes, micromanaging , workaholic persona. Later books that detailed his daily journals painted a more hands-on figure than we’d realized. However history comes to judge President Bush, it’s hard to imagine that future tell-alls will pull the curtain to reveal a wizard pulling all the strings.
The next chief executive will ultimately engender new disdain from a sizable portion of the populace. But whether it’s Obama or McCain, we will nonetheless experience something that seems downright refreshing: An inherent confidence in his stature. Coming soon: The all new President for 2009. Smoother. More powerful. A la The Incredible Hulk, mushrooming in size on a TV screen near you, whether you upgrade to that flat screen, or not.
Published: Jul 11,2008 17:26
|
Andy Cowan
Andy Cowan, an award-winning writer, whose credits include Cheers and Seinfeld, regularly contributes humor pieces to the Los Angeles Times and the CBS Jack FM Radio Network.
Paul M. J. Suchecki
Paul M. J. Suchecki has more than 30 years of experience as an award winning writer, producer, and cameraman. He's written numerous newspaper and magazine articles. Currently he writes, produces and shoots for LA CityView Channel 35 and his more than 250 articles for Ehow.com are approaching half a million readers.
Coby Kindles
Coby Kindles is a freelance journalist, screenplay writer and essayist. She has been a staff writer at Knight Ridder and a regular contributor to The Associated Press.
Debbie Milam
Debbie Milam is a syndicated columnist for United Press International, an occupational therapist, family success consultant, and motivational speaker with more than 20 years experience. Her work on stress management, spirituality, parenting, and special-needs children has been featured in over 300 media outlets including First for Women, The Miami Herald, Elle, Ladies Home Journal, The Hallmark Channel, PBS and WebMD.
Dan Rafter
Dan Rafter has covered the residential real estate industry for more than 15 years. He has contributed real estate stories to the Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, Business 2.0 Magazine, Home Magazine, Smart HomeOwner Magazine and many others.
Jack Nargundkar
Jack Nargundkar has been repeatedly published in Business Week, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and The New York Times. He is also an author of "The Bush Diaries" published in July 2005.
|