# What are Obama's biggest flaws? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [November 8, 2008, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-obamas-biggest-flaws/471842 "2008-11-08T21:05:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Rand\_Rover](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/db5fbb/32.png) [@Rand\_Rover](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rand_Rover)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2008, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-obamas-biggest-flaws/471842/121 "2008-11-12T03:39:00Z")
> [@Captain\_Carrot](#): > > The hell? No, it isn’t. The philosophy that the government has a duty to help its citizens is a philosophy, not a character flaw. Whether that actually works well is another question, but it’s certainly not a character flaw. Sure it is. It shows the lack of ability to see people fail. Part of freedom is the freedom to fuck up. I bet Obama doesn’t raise his kids the way he wants the U.S. government to treat poor people. > [@](#): > > he still needs a lot of work on combating rumors: I think the baseless accusations of Marxism, socialism, and to a lesser extent Islam are going to be quite problematic as he tries to get his agenda through Congress. Hmm, I seriously doubt this. What does this even mean? You think he’ll have problems convincing Democrats to vote for his policies because of these rumors? He is a product of the Democratic machine, of course they will vote for everything he ran on. And they don’t care about those BS rumors. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2008, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-obamas-biggest-flaws/471842/122 "2008-11-12T03:46:15Z")
> [@Captain\_Carrot](#): > > The hell? No, it isn’t. The philosophy that the government has a duty to help its citizens is a philosophy, not a character flaw. Whether that actually works well is another question, but it’s certainly not a character flaw. I think **Rand Rover** means, a character flaw in the sense that liberalism is a mental disorder. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Palo\_Verde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/65b543/32.png) [@Palo\_Verde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Palo_Verde)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2008, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-obamas-biggest-flaws/471842/123 "2008-11-12T19:19:30Z")
I give up. People who are big Obama fans can’t see any character flaws in him, or are afraid to admit them. People who dislike him see all his policies as character flaws. Forget it. ---
**Author:** ![Drain\_Bead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47774/32.png) [@Drain\_Bead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drain_Bead)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2008, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-obamas-biggest-flaws/471842/124 "2008-11-12T20:32:42Z")
If anything, I think he may be _too_ deliberate, to the point where he can’t make a snap decision. Hopefully this never becomes an issue, but I can see many ways in which it could. ---
**Author:** ![Baal\_Houtham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baal_houtham/32/13604_2.png) [@Baal\_Houtham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baal_Houtham)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2008, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-obamas-biggest-flaws/471842/125 "2008-11-12T21:04:56Z")
> [@autz](#): > > I give up. > > People who are big Obama fans can’t see any character flaws in him, or are afraid to admit them. People who dislike him see all his policies as character flaws. > > Forget it. I think you came up with a fine topic for a thread, but damm if I can come up with a fine answer. I don’t think Obama is an unknown quantity (compared to most presidential candidates) but he seems exceptionally free of shortcomings He’s smart and educated. He plays very well with others. He’s decisive, but not rash. He seems calculating, but not manipulative. He seems moral. He has a vision but it doesn’t blind him. Someone upthread mentioned his remark about people “clinging” to their guns. That bespeaks of thinking you understand people, better than you actually do. How will that show up in his presidential decisions? I’m not sure, but he might occasionally sound arrogant and alienate big sections of the electorate. Personally I don’t think it will prove to be a crippling defect. I do hope he cuts down on his use of “uh” and “um.” ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2008, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-obamas-biggest-flaws/471842/126 "2008-11-12T22:02:41Z")
> [@Liberal](#): > > On the contrary, getting stuff done encapsulates practically his whole life. With respect to himself, he got quite a lot done. A black child living in a white household faces enormous odds, all of which he overcame to put himself through Harvard Law with the highest honors and achievements. With respect to the communities he served in Chicago, erasing ubran blight and motivating apathetic people to care were enormous tasks to undertake. Whole neighborhoods benefited from the stuff he got done. In the Illinois legislature, he sponsored bipartisan legislation that reformed ethics and health care, increased tax credits for the working poor and subsidies for child care, crackdowns on predatory lending practices, and a unanimous (yes, unanimous) bill that both curbed racial profiling and protected police from spurious claims of racism. Those are just the highlights. In the US Senate, the stuff he got done is too much to enumerate, but in summary, he sponsored 136 bills and co-sponsored 659, including bipartisan work on everything from nuclear proliferation to federal accounting transparency. And maybe even more than all that, starting a presidential campaign in five-degree weather with nothing more than the money in his pocket, going on to defeat the Clinton political machine, and then defeating possibly the most popular and widely beloved Republican political figure since Ronald Reagan — all while maintaining an amazing level of decorum and dignity — to become the 44th President of the United States, and the first African-American one. If you don’t see in his life the attribute of getting stuff done, then one cannot help but wonder what you mean by the phrase. He means he’s an empty suit, of course. What else could The Messiah be? Damn, how long will this willful blindness go on? Silly question; [cnn.com is reporting today](http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/11/12/palin-in-obamas-administration/) that Palin (a) > [@](#): > > if Obama asked her for help on some of the issues she highlighted during this year’s campaign, such as energy or services for special-needs children, “It would be my honor to assist and support our new president and the new administration.” and (b) > [@](#): > > But asked moments later about some of the tough rhetoric she hurled from the stump, she said she was “still concerned” about Obama’s ties to former Weather Underground member-turned-Chicago college professor William Ayers. > > “If anybody still wants to talk about it, I will,” she said. "Because this is an unrepentant domestic terrorist who had campaigned to blow up, to destroy our Pentagon and our U.S. Capitol. > > “That’s an association that still bothers me, and I think it’s fair to still talk about it,” she continued. Obama’s flaw? That he’s too restrained in slapping down such twaddle. ---
**Author:** ![wmfellows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c2a13f/32.png) [@wmfellows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wmfellows)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2008, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-obamas-biggest-flaws/471842/127 "2008-11-12T22:47:22Z")
> [@autz](#): > > I give up. > > People who are big Obama fans can’t see any character flaws in him, or are afraid to admit them. People who dislike him see all his policies as character flaws. > > Forget it. Well I’d venture the opinion that the only parties that presently feel that they can identify flaws (or not) are the hard partisans, whereas the more neutral moderates are not sure. It does seem rather early to be coming to an opinion yet, no? ---
**Author:** ![Hostile\_Dialect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e495f1/32.png) [@Hostile\_Dialect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hostile_Dialect)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2008, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-obamas-biggest-flaws/471842/128 "2008-11-12T23:58:10Z")
Those of us who support the man have identified several character flaws of his, and I think I speak for all of us when I say: What the hell do we have to do here? ---
**Author:** ![Palo\_Verde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/65b543/32.png) [@Palo\_Verde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Palo_Verde)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2008, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-obamas-biggest-flaws/471842/129 "2008-11-13T00:12:59Z")
> [@Hostile\_Dialect](#): > > Those of us who support the man have identified several character flaws of his, and I think I speak for all of us when I say: What the hell do we have to do here? OK, tell me then, which character flaws have been identified? I support the man, and voted for him, and I came up with ‘He can be emotionally cold.’ I heard a lot of supporters say things like, ‘He might compromise with evil Republicans,’ but that isn’t a character flaw. I might have just missed them in all the arguing, so tell me, Mr. Dialect, what ‘several character flaws of his’ have been identified? ---
**Author:** ![AmericanMaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@AmericanMaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AmericanMaid)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2008, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-obamas-biggest-flaws/471842/130 "2008-11-13T15:08:03Z")
I have a quick question. What is the point of this debate if \*\*autz \*\*shoots down everyone’s idea of a character flaw? So, what do you want me to list as a character flaw? ---
**Author:** ![Palo\_Verde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/65b543/32.png) [@Palo\_Verde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Palo_Verde)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2008, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-obamas-biggest-flaws/471842/131 "2008-11-13T17:30:29Z")
I’ll quote myself “Some people are lazy, or overbearing, or impatient, or bossy. Some tend to act before thinking, or talk before considering. Indecicive, arrogant, greedy, unorganized or short tempered.” ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2008, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-obamas-biggest-flaws/471842/132 "2008-11-13T18:35:28Z")
> [@Rand\_Rover](#): > > Sure it is. Wow, I have my libertarian leanings but saying favoring the philosophy that one of government’s roles should be to help people is a character flaw? That’s a heck of a stretch. Personally, I think Obama’s biggest flaw, so far as I could see, is that he’s perhaps a little _too_ calculating and may have seriously oversold himself during the campaigning. (Then again, what politician doesn’t.) I don’t think he’ll push through a lot of the more “socialist” policies he’s been touting, and I think he’ll be a lot more centrist (think Clinton) than people expect. Despite my libertarian leanings on certain issues, I wouldn’t mind pushing America a bit to the left (especially in regards to universal healthcare), but I don’t think that will happen in any significant way during Obama’s administration. ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2008, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-obamas-biggest-flaws/471842/133 "2008-11-13T19:01:42Z")
> [@autz](#): > > I’ll quote myself “Some people are lazy, or overbearing, or impatient, or bossy. Some tend to act before thinking, or talk before considering. Indecicive, arrogant, greedy, unorganized or short tempered.” But Obama doesn’t do and isn’t any of those things. Give us a few more to mull over. ---
**Author:** ![Hostile\_Dialect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e495f1/32.png) [@Hostile\_Dialect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hostile_Dialect)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2008, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-obamas-biggest-flaws/471842/134 "2008-11-13T22:22:50Z")
Fine, you asked for it: > [@Marley23](#): > > There were a handful of times on the campaign trail where Obama got a little full of himself. It didn’t sink his campaign but it lead to a few missteps, like “You’re likeable enough, Hillary,” which came across as dismissive. > [@The Flying Dutchman](#): > > the clinging to guns and religion episode and calling a female factory worker “sweetie” (a self admitted bad habit") is indicative of being out of touch with the core feelings of the lower middle class who are sensitive to how they are spoken to by higher ups. So far no problem,but I expect this issue might come up several times in the next four years > [@Stoid](#): > > Smoking. I don’t believe he’s quit, he’s just hiding it. > [@panache45](#): > > His biggest flaw is that he’s a consummate politician, in that he’ll do or say anything to gain (or keep) the Presidency. Of course, this is the “flaw” that got him elected. > > An example of this is his opposition to same-sex marriage. A lot of people suspect that he’s actually in favor of it, but obviously if he took that side it might be politically damaging. Yet he knows that he’s got huge GLBT support. So it’s a double-edged sword. > > Another possible flaw remains to be seen: how he deals with any kind of failure. > [@Kimstu](#): > > That man’s mouth gonna get him in trouble. His well-polished and thoughtful public speaking persona doesn’t reveal how brutally sharp and dismissive he can be if he wants to. At some point, he’ll get impatient with someone being willfully obtuse or obstructionist, and he’ll mutter something under his breath with a nasty edge, and won’t realize till too late that the mike was on. > [@AuntiePam](#): > > He’ll have to be careful not to be condescending when he’s talking to idiots. I saw a little bit of that in him. > [@furt](#): > > In my limited observation, he does not respond well to sharp questioning. > [@Oy!](#): > > My other concern is that he will either get so wrapped up in policy that he will lose some other thread of control (highly unlikely), or that the man will work himself to death. He’s a remarkable man, but people have limits. I’m just not seeing how he can do it all, and I don’t see anyone to whom he can delegate enough; he’s both too much of a policy wonk and too good a diplomat/facilitator. > [@Sarahfeena](#): > > And, autz…to attempt to answer your OP…this is what I’m afraid his flaw is. I know he has made a lot of promises to reach across the aisle, but I think that he is a loyal person, and quite possibly to his detriment. He has already shown his loyalty to the Chicago Machine by appointing Rahm Emmanual his Chief of Staff. Emmanual is not a nice person, and not a compromiser. There are a lot of people here in Chicago who Obama owes a lot to, and most of them are extremely partisan. I don’t see them helping him in his quest to be a uniter. > [@Voyager](#): > > This indicates that he knows he has a weakness in not being able to play the bad guy to get stuff passed. Rahm can play the bad guy, and that is useful because sometimes (maybe always) asking nicely ain’t going to cut it. > [@Captain Carrot](#): > > But seriously, though he’s better than Kerry and Gore, he still needs a lot of work on combating rumors: I think the baseless accusations of Marxism, socialism, and to a lesser extent Islam are going to be quite problematic as he tries to get his agenda through Congress. > [@Drain Bead](#): > > If anything, I think he may be too deliberate, to the point where he can’t make a snap decision. > > Hopefully this never becomes an issue, but I can see many ways in which it could. > [@Baal Houtham](#): > > Someone upthread mentioned his remark about people “clinging” to their guns. That bespeaks of thinking you understand people, better than you actually do. How will that show up in his presidential decisions? > > I’m not sure, but he might occasionally sound arrogant and alienate big sections of the electorate. > [@Baal Houtham](#): > > I do hope he cuts down on his use of “uh” and “um.” > [@EddyTeddyFreddy](#): > > Obama’s flaw? That he’s too restrained in slapping down such twaddle. ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2008, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-obamas-biggest-flaws/471842/135 "2008-11-13T22:50:21Z")
I’ll add a couple from the 3rd debate: he looked down at his paper far too often, and he didn’t defend ACORN, which didn’t do anything wrong, against McCain’s bullshit attacks. Drove me crazy. I was still at the point where I was sure Obama was going to lose the election and thought, since he doesn’t have anything to lose, it would have been the honorable thing to do, to defend ACORN and to remind McCain (and by the way, let the millions of people watching know) that McCain was the keynote speaker at an ACORN rally. I was disgusted with him, and saddened for ACORN that he let the opportunity go by. ---
**Author:** ![Oy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bc8723/32.png) [@Oy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oy)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2008, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-obamas-biggest-flaws/471842/136 "2008-11-14T23:10:06Z")
There is a point where letting sleeping dogs lie ends and outright injustice begins. Obama has already gone beyond that point once with his vote on FISA, and he almost certainly will do so again with respect to prosecuting officials of the Bush administration or challenging any blanket pardon that Bush issues for them regarding the torture issue. Bush’s administration went way over the line legally, and it would appear that he will get off scott free, as long as he doesn’t travel to any foreign country willing to send him off to the Hague to be tried for International War Crimes. He used the Constitution as toilet paper, and nothing will happen to either him or the real driving force behind it: Cheney. Or the lawyer (I forget his name) who told them again and again that it was legally justifiable. Or anyone else involved. I understand that Obama does not want to appear partisan or vengeful, but what I’m talking about here is justice, not revenge, and I don’t think Obama will pursue it because he doesn’t want the hassle or to take the potential political hit. I don’t know what you call this character flaw, but it is a lack of integrity of sorts, I guess. But of a very limited and specialized kind, and I honestly don’t believe at this point that it spills over to other aspects of his character. I believe that his integrity on what he says and does is intact other than this one, very particular area of not pursuing the prior administration where it is appropriate that they should. ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2008, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-obamas-biggest-flaws/471842/137 "2008-11-16T00:47:17Z")
It could also be, **Oy!** , in part that Obama will leave those sleeping dogs lying because the other issues he has to face are so huge, so overwhelming, so critical to the nation, and so demanding of every shred of time and political capital he has, that he can’t afford to dissipate any of it on prosecuting the bastards, no matter how richly they deserve it. ---
**Author:** ![Oy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bc8723/32.png) [@Oy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oy)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2008, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-obamas-biggest-flaws/471842/138 "2008-11-16T20:58:50Z")
You may be right, **ETF**. The most important thing is that he undo the damage. Punishing the criminals is secondary, although I think it’s important to dissuade future presidents from doing the same as W. did. Of course, Congress should be spanked for rolling over and playing dead, too. ---
**Author:** ![Hostile\_Dialect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e495f1/32.png) [@Hostile\_Dialect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hostile_Dialect)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2008, 10:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-obamas-biggest-flaws/471842/139 "2008-11-17T10:06:55Z")
> [@Oy!](#): > > Obama has already gone beyond that point once with his vote on FISA Actually, that FISA bill strengthened protections of American citizens’ privacy. The PUMA folks did an excellent job of painting it as a political concession to the enemies of the Bill of Rights, but it’s actually almost the opposite. Just ask Sen. Feinstein (D-CA), who had **no** political leverage to gain from voting yes on it, but did it anyway, because it was the right thing to do. If anyone is interested, I can dig up her explanation to me of why she voted yes on it (it’s in my inbox somewhere). ---
**Author:** ![Drain\_Bead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47774/32.png) [@Drain\_Bead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drain_Bead)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2008, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-obamas-biggest-flaws/471842/140 "2008-11-17T13:54:46Z")
> [@Hostile\_Dialect](#): > > Actually, that FISA bill strengthened protections of American citizens’ privacy. The PUMA folks did an excellent job of painting it as a political concession to the enemies of the Bill of Rights, but it’s actually almost the opposite. Just ask Sen. Feinstein (D-CA), who had **no** political leverage to gain from voting yes on it, but did it anyway, because it was the right thing to do. If anyone is interested, I can dig up her explanation to me of why she voted yes on it (it’s in my inbox somewhere). Please do. I know a PUMA-type who is STILL bitching about that. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-obamas-biggest-flaws/471842.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-obamas-biggest-flaws/471842.md?page=8)