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       #Post#: 15180--------------------------------------------------
       Why is the president always late?
   DIR By: trollslayer
       Date: August 13, 2014, 9:59 pm
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       I think this article nails it!!
       --- Quote ---
       >
       > The Post documents what anyone following President Obama’s
       speeches and press conferences knows: He is really late. A lot.
       “Obama has been a cumulative 2,121 minutes late to events in
       2014. That’s 35 hours, 21 minutes — or almost a day and a half —
       that his audiences have been waiting for him to speak.” On
       average, that is only 11 minutes per event, but in some cases
       (for his Wednesday afternoon press conference, for example) he
       can be an hour late. (George W. Bush was famously punctual.)
       > But why is he so late? We can only speculate. But it’s a
       widely studied behavior in the population as a whole, so there
       is some informed analysis on the topic. Psychologists have
       several explanations for habitual lateness:
       >
       > Angry people who behave with almost exaggerated calm and
       courtesy might nevertheless express their anger through passive
       means, that is, through (conscious or unconscious) resistance to
       meeting the reasonable expectations of others. Examples of
       passive-aggressive behavior include creating doubt and
       confusion; forgetting or omitting significant facts or items;
       withdrawing; . . . shifting blame; and, of course, being
       late—often on a frequent and unpredictable basis. . . .
       > As we have seen, being late, especially egregiously or
       repeatedly late, [also] sends out the message, “I am more
       important than you”.
       >
       > All of that seems to ring a bell with this president, who
       during the course of his presidency has become more angry and
       disagreeable with the media and his critics. (That disdain for
       candor and openness came to characterize the relationship that
       former press secretary Jay Carney had with the media. In fact,
       it’s hard to recall any press secretary so openly dismissive and
       condescending toward the media. He was there because the
       president wanted him to be.)
       >
       > There may be a couple of other factors at work here. First,
       Obama’s second-term staff is filled with flunkies and cronies
       who are there because they make the president feel entirely
       comfortable, unchallenged even. He has weeded out strong
       personalities with records of accomplishment and a reservoir of
       public respect. He’s left with characters like Valerie Jarrett
       and Dan Pfeiffer, who are vicious combatants and, above all,
       presidential loyalists. It is distinctly possible that this is
       only one instance in which the “don’t disturb the king”
       mentality manifests itself. (And if they can’t tell him he is
       late, imagine how hard it is to tell him he’s wrong.)
       >
       > Second, lateness is the most obvious form of procrastination.
       We don’t procrastinate tasks that we are adept at and from which
       we derive satisfaction or praise. In the case of Obama, it’s
       understandable that he procrastinates, given how poorly his
       speeches and press conferences have been received of late. He is
       often angry, defensive or evasive — and, more than ever before
       in his political career, challenged openly. Mainstream media
       figures routinely rip his performances as either dishonest (e.g.
       refusing to admit he lied on “you can keep your doctor”) or
       lackadaisical and detached. I’m sure he’d rather hang around
       with aides who tell him what a swell job he is doing, how mean
       his opponents are and how misinformed everyone else is.
       > We don’t really know precisely why he’s late, but one thing is
       for certain. If he cared about keeping others waiting or
       acknowledged that his behavior is downright rude, he wouldn’t do
       it.
       --- End Quote ---
  HTML http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/right-turn/wp/2014/08/08/why-is-the-president-always-late/
       In defense of the president, I do have to say, last Saturday,
       prior to taking off for Martha's Vineyard he was right on time.
       We can't delay getting out on the golf course!  :D :D
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