Michael Goodwin
So, WHAT'S to like? That question danced around my head during Monday night's debate. Every time President Obama mocked, personally attacked and sneered at Mitt Romney, I kept wondering why so many Americans say they like Obama even as they don't like his policies.
How do you like a president who shows utter contempt for his opponent? How do you like a president who responds to criticism of his record with a snide blast at his opponent's personal wealth?
The questions would be easier to answer if the debate were an exception. But it wasn't. Numerous reports from the White House recently have Obama openly expressing raw "disdain" for Romney.
Worse, the Romney treatment is no exception, either. "Disdain" describes the feelings Obama expressed about many others during his term. His slams on opponents and critics as "greedy" and "unpatriotic" and "dishonest" cross a line most politicians don't.
It's odd behavior for a president, or anybody in public life. Even professional football players, who use physical pain to intimidate opponents, usually come away expressing mutual respect when the dust settles.
Is presidential politics more blood sport than the NFL? Or is Barack Obama just less respectful than your average jock?
The issue is not academic, with most polls showing Obama enjoying a big margin on "likability." A July survey gave him a 60-30 edge on that angle, though recent ones show Romney has erased the gap because of the debates.
With his economic record an albatross, the likability factor helped to keep Obama ahead or tied in a race he should be losing. The problem for him now is that the more America gets to know him, the less it likes him.
Likability, of course, is in the eye of the beholder, and with Obama, it requires distance. Up close and personal, he gives a very different vibe. There, the mask comes off to reveal the contempt we saw in the debate.
Neera Tanden, a former top aide, recently told New York magazine that the president is "not close to almost anyone," adding, "It's stunning that he's in politics, because he really doesn't like people."
Repeat: "He really doesn't like people."
Others who worked with Obama reached similar conclusions. "He doesn't listen to anyone," a former top economic aide told a friend. Outsiders invited to meet with him concluded it was all for show, that he was not interested in what they had to say.
That he rarely talks to congressional leaders, including fellow Democrats, has become such a staple of Washington that it has ceased to be news. He apparently believes it is beneath him to consult or get into the details of legislation.
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