Summit Politics

It looks like the White House is once again trying to bamboozle the American public into believing that they are, in fact, administering. It is calling a "summit" to counter "violent extremism" (its pet term for the you-know-whats) ... see: Breitbart Squib. This is a tired old cliche, these show summits, where the president sits at a big table surrounded by oodles of important-looking people who, in the presence of photo-op cameras, go through a pantomime of serious discussions.

It would seem to this silly observer that countering Islamic terrorism could and should be done behind closed doors with a few administration operatives who know how to get things done ... you know, the Dick Cheney types ... not that there really are any of those around these days. All these show summits tell me is that President Obama is still not serious about dealing with this world-wide jihadist threat ... which is obviously growing daily.

Curiously, the only type of serious secret meeting that the White House convenes behind closed doors recently is the one where the president met with 15 Islamic movers and shakers ... see: Breitbart Story.

Hmmm?

Afterward: I am reminded of the Judy Garland/Mickey Rooney meme. Whenever there is a problem, Valerie Jarrett pipes up with, "I know, let's have a summit!"

People Props

Increasingly Presidential photo-ops and press briefings have a posse of people props (firefighters, doctors, children, factory workers, etc.) used as a backdrop to the message that the President is delivering.  I know that, if I were one of these mannequins ... often assembled at great cost and inconvenience ... I would not be happy,  a little like the firefighters appearing in the above optic.  This practice is not exclusive to Obama alone.  President G.W. Bush did it too (remember his unfortunate aircraft carrier “Mission Accomplished” announcement.)  And often, these people props are organized by unions.  Management then may react with displeasure … like what happened to those shown above (who were used as a stunt to emphasize Obama’s recent displeasure over the upcoming federal spending sequestration … see: NBC News Story).

Two reasons that I would be unhappy to be put in such an awkward position are; 1) it is demeaning and 2) it implies that I support what the President is saying or doing … and I may not.  Since many of these public relations events are in real time, I would love to see some dramatic miscues occur … such as someone getting sick or passing out or picking their nose, etc.  If I were one of these people props, I think I would be tempted to just walk off the stage.  Yes, this might be a career-ending protestation … but then, it might be worth it.