Barack Obama inspired a cult-like following when he ran for president in 2008. For many of his supporters, he appeared incapable of doing anything wrong. So what’s happened? After more than a year in office, attitudes have changed, and one person who’s watched the change with interest is Mary Katharine Ham. You read her work for the Weekly Standard and see her on Fox News. Earlier this year, Ham discussed the president’s popularity with Mitch Kokai for Carolina Journal Radio. (Click here to find a station near you or to learn about the weekly CJ Radio podcast.)
Kokai: You’ve been watching very closely the Obama administration and what’s happened since he took office. What do you think has happened?
Ham: Well, first off, I don’t blame people too much for the cult-like thing last year. I think that people were tired after eight years of Bush. I have an understanding for that even though I wouldn’t vote that way. And they really thought — many of them were new to politics — they really thought that this guy, who they didn’t know much about, and the media didn’t help us learn as much about him as they might have, that he was just going to go gangbusters on the Capitol and everything was going to change. It turns out that he’s, in many ways, reinforced the bad habits of Washington where you trade deals, you make this horrible sausage in the Congress’ special way. In some ways it wasn’t realistic to do what he promised to do, so he’s at fault for that. And in some ways, he’s just not that guy. People are learning that very quickly. I did notice … [White House spokesman] Robert Gibbs had to say on the “TODAY” show, all presidents make mistakes, even Barack Obama. So we’re learning that, but I think it was quite a shock to people.
Kokai: Now it would have been possible, perhaps in the past, for this to have gone on for quite a while before people would have caught on that this isn’t exactly the guy that we voted for. Have you been pleasantly surprised that people seem to have caught on relatively quickly?
Ham: Well, I’m surprised that he overreached as much as he did. I thought he was a more savvy politician than this. And even though I knew that his background was lefty, I didn’t think that he would actually try to do something on a federal level as big as the health care debacle that came … so I’m surprised by that. I think that’s what causes people to say, hey, maybe this guy who campaigned as a moderate, who I didn’t really think that much about before I voted for him, is not the right guy to be leading the country. So he brought it on himself.
Kokai: By poking at the American people with some of the things that he’s tried, do you think that’s leading to some good outcomes — that people are saying, “Wait a minute, I’m not really sure about this, and I’m not really sure about the government in general; there are some things they’re doing I don’t like”?
Ham: Well, here’s what I actually think I have to thank Barack Obama for — that in the making of this health care bill, you saw a lot of the favor trading and this kind of thing going on. The American people were mad enough about the idea of health care and the Democrats trying to shove it through, that they were able to slow down this process enough that you could really see this play out over a period of nine months. In some ways all of this stuff has been happening for years; [it] happened during the Bush administration. The media always says, “You didn’t get mad at Bush about this.” Part of what’s new about this is we saw the whole thing play out over such a long period of time in dealing with such an intimate issue that’s important to people’s lives. There’s a new realization about how badly Washington really does do business. And I think that’s why you’re seeing increased numbers in people who would prefer a smaller government with fewer services in polls these days. There are things that people didn’t know before, like that their senators don’t read bills before they vote on them. Nobody knew that.
Kokai: Speaking of seeing this playing out, would that also play into the idea of Barack Obama being the transparency president, that we’re going to see how things play out, we’re going to have that health care debate on C-SPAN, and if you promise you’re going to be transparent and then people actually see the way things happen, isn’t that a recipe for failure if you’re going to do things the way you’ve always done them?
Ham: It is. And like I say, I’m glad that he promised because this idea of pushing forward on transparency, I think ultimately is great for small-government conservatives and people who want the government to be accountable. So I thank him for promising. And then when he failed to make good on his promises, people really responded to that. I think by virtue of him having made the promises in the first place, and then breaking them and people getting upset about it, there may be a new level of expectance for average Americans, which I think is good, about hey, you’re going to have to have this bill online for 72 hours. [House Speaker] Nancy Pelosi has acquiesced and done it two times now. So I think that’s an important move for the public and for the government.
Kokai: You said earlier that it might be good for people who prefer small government, folks on the conservative side of the spectrum, that this is all happening now. As someone who works with a lot of people [and] knows a lot of people who think the other way, or who are ambivalent about conservatives versus liberals, what do you think conservatives need to do to capitalize on this?
Ham: Well, I do think that the process of the health care bill in this entire year has brought to light the true irresponsibility of government, especially on the federal level, and certainly people are feeling it on their state levels, too, when everybody says, “Hey, we spent way too much for these past couple years, and now we’re going to tax you.” People are responding to that badly, as they should. And polls show that that means that independents — outside of Democrats, Republicans — arguably the most important voters are turning right on issues because they see that perhaps this is not the way to go. These are not the people who are going to solve the problems that need to be solved. So I think that conservatives are in a unique position where the mood of the country is turning toward them. … For Republicans, the message is not about being Republican. Who cares? It’s not a great brand anyway. It’s about being responsible, and you’re going to get independents and conservatives with that message. And I think even with transparency, liberals like that, too. So when you put it all together, I think it can be a really compelling message.
Kokai: Even if you are against what Obama is doing right now, it’s probably not enough for conservatives or Republicans to say, “Hey, we’re not Obama. Vote for us.” They need to have something to offer in return.
Ham: Right. And that’s why I’m sort of in favor of taking Barack Obama’s open government initiative which actually, because of the intersection of the Internet and he’s got Web folks who are skilled, there is an opportunity to open up government in a way that there hasn’t been before, which I think ultimately is great for conservatives. And it’s something that the GOP and conservatives can say, “Hey, we’re about this, too, and we would like to help.” So there are certain issues where we can pivot and say, hey, for instance, the spending freeze, which is mostly a sham, say, “Hey, you know what, we’d like to help you with that and even do more.” But I think the main thing people are wanting is really for the government to be responsible. It’s about good government. And not just lip service about good government, but actually looking at things and making decisions that people make at their own kitchen tables every night.
Kokai: More than a quarter of the way through the Obama term, … are you optimistic about where things are heading?
Ham: Well, like everybody, I want the jobs picture to get much better. I didn’t think that the stimulus was a great way to do that. I don’t think it’s proven to be one. But in some ways, he’s right. We did end up with a financial fall and this bad situation that we’re in. So unfortunately, I keep hearing bad things about jobs, so I’m hoping that that looks up. As far as ideologically speaking and where the country goes from here, I think it is very healthy that people have a new understanding of what goes on in Washington and a new skepticism about it. Thomas Jefferson would not have looked down upon that sentiment. I think it’s a fair one, and the government is gigantic, and it’s right for American citizens to look on it critically.