This Time He Really Means It
Obama has been angry before, but he's never been able to stay angry. Will his latest economic plan be any different?
The question is whether the president is willing to endure the frantic hours at the end of this game of chicken. The problem has always been that the president can never make good on his threats because he will get blamed for bad outcomes; after all, he's the one who occupies the office where people place their hopes and blame. That's still true. If significant portions of his jobs act don't pass—and the supercommittee fails, raising the likelihood of across-the-board cuts—will he relent or stand firm? This year will end with another familiar game of chicken. The president hasn't yet threatened to throw his steering wheel out the window, but he's loosening the bolts.
Video: Obama on the Offensive
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John Dickerson is Slate's chief political correspondent and author of On Her Trail. He can be reached at slatepolitics@gmail.com. Read his series on the presidency and his series on risk. Follow him on Twitter.
Photograph of President Obama by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images.