This is the teaser from Drudge: "NOONAN: OBAMA BECOMING 'CREEPY'..." But what is she really talking about? She begins:
Something's happening to President Obama's relationship with those who are inclined not to like his policies. They are now inclined not to like him. His supporters would say, "Nothing new there," but actually I think there is. I'm referring to the broad, stable, nonradical, non-birther right. Among them the level of dislike for the president has ratcheted up sharply the past few months....She presents the evidence that we're letting go of this notion that we really, really like him. He's so likeable. This is conventional wisdom that supposedly keeps Republicans fettered. They're not supposed to criticize him personally. But there were always Obama opponents who wanted the restrained Obama opponents to break loose and take the chance of triggering the impulse to protect the charismatic politician that we've like so much, as a person. Does Peggy do the trick here?
Not for me. I see Obama as somewhat ineffectual, and obviously he's failed to transform the American culture and bring us a new era of peace and unification that some of those of us who like him really hoped we could have.
I'd rather look to why we're supposed to find Romney unlikeable. I find Romney very likeable. It seems to be this meme: Romney is somehow devoid of human feeling. Where does that come from and why do conservatives submit to that defeating characterization? How about reframing the template? All those things about Romney that are supposed to be off-putting? Tell me why they are actually charming and loveable! I'm sick of these sadsack Republicans, always acting like they're the unpopular kids. That's not making you likeable. It's making you toxic. No one's going to want to sit at your lunch table. Now, comb your hair, stand up straight, put on some lipstick, and look in that mirror and say: I am beautiful.