Transcript from CNN Newsroom aired 9/05/2011:
Well, after some ugly fights on the debt ceiling, the budget, even over when the president can address Congress, some say that President Obama is getting pushed around by the Republicans. So, is the leader of the free world really letting the competition lead him around, or is there a greater strategy at work here?
I'm joined by CNN Senior Political Analyst David Gergen to talk about all of this.
David, thanks for joining us.
We have seen, and it's quite extraordinary when you think about it, all of the things that have been written, particularly over the weekend from the president's biggest supporters, liberal pundits, who are now worried about a crisis of leadership here. We saw Maureen Dowd's column in "The New York Times" this weekend calling it "One and Done?" saying that the president's chances of reelection, pretty slim.
What do you think? Are we seeing President Obama significantly weakened because of all this compromise?
DAVID GERGEN, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST: He's significantly weakened by the economy and the lack of jobs, and the fact that it stuck around so long. But his responses have struck people both on the right and the left as weaker than they would have expected from a person who was so strong as a candidate.
MALVEAUX: Does that hurt him significantly? Can he make up for it? What does he need to do to show a little bit more strength?
GERGEN: Well, it's so interesting, Suzanne, because I'm not sure anybody knows at this point. I'm particularly clear that his own White House doesn't know.
He has had -- going back for several years now, he tends to have terrible Augusts. And then he has very good Septembers. He bounces back in September.
Now, he's had his bad August. The question becomes, can he have a good September? I'm not sure.
Certainly this speech that is coming Thursday night is going to set the stage. But even going into the speech, this little contretemps -- and it was silly, of course -- over when he should speak, I thought he did the right thing by moving the speech. But even so, it symbolically became a sign of weakness.
And Maureen Dowd picked up on that. And there are -- I must tell you now, there are people in the Democratic Party who wonder whether there is any possibility of him stepping aside in favor of Hillary Clinton.
MALVEAUX: There has been some talk about -- I know -- and the president did something that is more than symbolic here. He just allowed the EPA regulations on air quality to be rolled back. He did not move forward with that because he agreed -- he said it could cost America jobs.
This is something that he ran against very strongly in the campaign. I mean, his heart and the speeches, the rhetoric behind that, was definitely not what we're hearing today.
Can he make those kinds of concessions and still have people to support him for 2012?
GERGEN: That's another good question. And it has undermined some of the enthusiasm among the greens on his left, certainly.
There is a powerful argument for doing what he did, but I must say, again, going back to -- I think he often makes the right decisions, it's the way he exercises power that is very problematic. Let's take this ozone decision when he decided to drop those regulations.
He would have been so much better off had he gone into a negotiation over jobs. And when that time came, that he wanted something from the Republicans, he would say, OK, listen, here's what I'm going to give you. I'm going to delay some of these regulations on air pollution, but I'll do that in exchange.
Instead, he made a preemptory concession to his right on the expectation, well, if you make a concession, that will warm them up, it will make them more easier to deal with. It doesn't work that way with these Republicans, as you well know.
They look at that as a sign of weakness and say, OK, you've given us this, what are you going to give us next? It doesn't whet their appetite for compromise.
MALVEAUX: David, really quickly here, the president is going into this speech on Thursday with 34 percent approving of the way he's dealing with the economy. What does he need to convey to the American people essentially to get his mojo back?
GERGEN: It's got to be more than a speech. It's got to be a speech that's a prelude to action, to a real deal.
People have had enough speeches, they really want to see action now. This has got to lead fairly quickly to action, some sort of agreement with the Republicans, so people can get a feel, they get a sense, we're moving on, we're actually going to move forward.
MALVEAUX: All right. David Gergen, have a good holiday. Thanks for joining us.
GERGEN: OK, Suzanne. Good to talk to you.
MALVEAUX: You too.