Advice for President Obama?

Pay attention to Ronald Reagan? And this is coming from a center-left publication...Time Magazine.


Reagan's Charm Could Teach Obama some Lessons

Back in January 2008, while meeting with the editorial board of the Reno Gazette-Journal right before the Democratic Nevada caucuses, Barack Obama offered some approving commentary on the legacy and influence of the 40th President. Ronald Reagan, he said, "changed the trajectory of America in a way that, you know, Richard Nixon did not and in a way that Bill Clinton did not." Not surprisingly, Obama's remark riled up both Hillary Clinton and her husband, who viewed it as demeaning to the achievements of the Clinton Administration, as well as a cheap tactic to win favor with some of the Silver State's more conservative Democrats.

(See pictures of people around the world watching Obama's Inauguration.)

In reality, Obama (and, for that matter, the Clintons) has a long history of paying public homage to the leadership and political skills of President Reagan, even while disagreeing with his policies.

Now, just as Reagan struggled to find his footing at the start of his own first term, Obama is straining to revive his political mojo. And so, as the President prepares for his second State of the Union address, here are the elements of the Gipper's arsenal that his latest successor would be smart to follow:

1. Stand for a few big things
Obama rode to his party's nomination as the anti-Clinton and won the general election as the anti-Bush without ever having to define his political persona. Reagan's policies didn't always live up to his mantra (lower taxes, stronger defense, family values), but he was able to fit most of his major initiatives and high-profile events under that simple tripartite rubric.

2. Be bigger than life
Obama is in many ways an ordinary guy (not unlike brush-clearing Bush and shorts-wearing Clinton). Scenes of him rhapsodizing about ESPN or headed out for burgers serve to humanize Obama and are certainly an appealing window into his real-life self. But through stagecraft and style, Reagan was able to be both an accessible and a towering figure. The Democrat in the White House now needs to be more imposing and less familiar, in order to wow his friends and strike fear into the hearts of his enemies. Plainspoken speeches, richly symbolic events and well-timed humor are Reagan tools that Obama could employ.

3. Create more Obama Republicans
Candidate Obama had broad appeal for Republicans and conservative-leaning independents. Now, his image and agenda have left him without any calling card to widen his support (essential for winning policy fights and elections). The Gipper wooed so-called Reagan Democrats by finding common cause with them on key issues such as national security and lower taxes while still keeping his political base solidly on board. Education, spending cuts, and maybe even health care are all ripe areas where Obama can make another effort to reach out - to voters, if not to intransigent Republicans in Washington.

4. Don't let the media get you down
By the time Reagan reached the White House, he had been trapped in the glare of press scrutiny from his days in Hollywood through his time in the California governor's mansion. Obama, meanwhile, glided into his Illinois Senate seat and into the White House with very little negative attention from the press (beyond brief isolated incidents such as the Rev. Wright dustup). Now, hammered nonstop by both the conservative and mainstream media, Obama has to thicken his skin. Reagan wasn't crazy about the coverage he got either, but he sloughed it off and followed the actor's credo: Never let them see you sweat.

5. Use national security to strengthen your hand at home
Obama needs to frame future foreign policy successes in way that gives him leverage with voters and Congress. Reagan deployed his standing as a successful Cold War President to rally the public around him, and then used higher approval ratings to advance his agenda. Obama is governing in a more partisan era, but he can break the bonds of a divided Washington to turn his domestic agenda into a patriotic one - by pushing for energy independence, for example - rather than one side of a left-right slugfest.