Obamateurism of the Day

Barack Obama went to Ohio this week in order to convince Rust Belt voters that he really cared about their economic concerns. At one stop, Mansfield, the biggest economic concern in the Obama administration’s plan to close the local Air Force base, which would kill about a thousand jobs in the town. What did Obama say to Mansfield voters to set their minds at ease about the base closing?  According to Politico’s James Hohlmann — absolutely nothing:

BY THE NUMBERS (FROM BOSTON)-5,422: Words In His 2 Ohio Rallies. 2,563: Words In Mansfield Rally. 2,859: Words In Akron Rally. Up To 1,000: Jobs at stake at Mansfield AFB. 43: Minutes On The Stump Throughout Ohio. 22: Minutes On The Stump In Mansfield. 21: Minutes On The Stump In Akron. 0: Words Or Seconds Addressing His Budget’s Closure Of Mansfield AFB.

And guess where Obama landed with Air Force One?  Yes, indeedy:

As Obama delivered a blistering appraisal of Republican rival Mitt Romney’s tax plan at boisterous rallies in Mansfield and Akron, his ninth visit to Ohio this year was nagged by the irony that Air Force One landed at an airport with a base that his proposed budget has put in jeopardy.

After landing AF1 at the base the Obama administration wanted closed and an outcry arose in Ohio, the White House suddenly reversed course — even though Obama never personally addressed the issue while in Mansfield:

With Republicans mocking the visit, the White House clarified that it plans to eliminate the fleet of C27-J medium aircraft flown and maintained by the 179 {+t}{+h} Airlift Wing in Mansfield, but it does not plan to shutter the base and furlough 800 Guard members, as previously reported.

White House spokeswoman Joanna Rosholm said the administration will work with the Defense Department “to find a mission for Mansfield Lahm Air National Guard base so that the men and women who serve there can continue to make their important contribution to our national security.”

Republicans reacted wryly: “It’s ironic that it took a campaign event to convince (Obama) of the invaluable work of Mansfield’s Air Guard, rather than the thousands of letters and calls from those directly affected,” said U.S. Rep. Pat Tiberi, a Genoa Township Republican who will represent part of Richland County — Mansfield is the county seat — if he wins a seventh term, as expected.

First Obama lands at a base that his administration planned to close, then ignored the issue while in town — and reversed course afterward instead of using the trip to highlight the policy change.  It’s hard to see how Obama and his team could have screwed up that opportunity more.

Got an Obamateurism of the Day? If you see a foul-up by Barack Obama, e-mail it to me at obamaisms@edmorrissey.com with the quote and the link to the Obamateurism. I’ll post the best Obamateurisms on a daily basis, depending on how many I receive. Include a link to your blog, and I’ll give some link love as well. And unlike Slate, I promise to end the feature when Barack Obama leaves office.

Illustrations by Chris Muir of Day by Day. Be sure to read the adventures of Sam, Zed, Damon, and Jan every day!

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