The President Watches Too Much TV

President Obama consistently announces that he learns about the issues plaguing his administration via watching news reports.  In the past, I have described his announcements as “feigned ignorance” and a way to dissipate rumors of personal involvement.  But, what if I was wrong and Obama isn’t really feigning his ignorance?

It is well know that President Obama likes to watch a lot of television.  However, at what point is it too much TV?

The president’s knowledge of various television shows has helped establish his reputation as the first “pop culture president.”  He regularly references television shows, including a reference to Mad Men in his last State of the Union address.  He has expressed a wish that Washington should work more like House of Cards and has tweeted requests not to reveal any spoilers of the show.
The list of TV shows President Obama is known to watch is quite extensive.  In addition to Mad Men and House of Cards, Obama is said to be an avid fan ofGame of Thrones, True Detective, Homeland, and Boardwalk Empire.  Additionally, the president watches sports and SportCenter regularly.  The president seems to be a fan of intense dramas, some of which feature a bit of nudity — The Daily Caller has even created a slide show of all of the actresses that the president has seen naked.

When does the president have time to watch all of these shows?

It is said that he watches on Air Force One, as well as between 10pm and 1am.  Additionally, he is a known loner, who does not really enjoy working with people.

There have been multiple instances where the president was said to be missing in action.  The president has been known to skip key national security meetings, including a majority of his Presidential Daily Briefs (PDB) — including the PDB’s for the five days before the attack on our consulate in Benghazi.  The president’s whereabouts on the evening of the Benghazi attack are still in question.  Recently, he is said to have skipped meetings with his national security team regarding the escalating crisis in Ukraine.

There are many nights where I apparently share this same TV schedule as the President.  However, I am not the leader of the free world.  The office of the presidency is a very demanding and strenuous undertaking.  While I understand the job occasionally requires downtime, the job of president does not pause between the hours of 10pm and 1am.

In addition to the president’s avid TV schedule, the First Family enjoys a luxurious lifestyle going on numerous vacations and the president has loggedover 170 outings to the golf course.

Each new scandal should bring additional scrutiny of Obama’s time.  It is one thing to have a little down time; it is another thing to skip important national security briefings because you were too busy watching the latest episode ofGame of Thrones.

As Russia continues its belligerence against Ukraine, the president remains passive, detached, and clueless.  His foreign policy response to Russia has been seen as week and relied too heavily on his twitter following.

Continuous crises and scandals only reinforce the idea that this president is nothing more than a failed, absentee leader.  When the House Select Committee to uncover the truth about what happened the night of the Benghazi attack raises the question of where the president was on the night of the attack,  my guess is he was watching TV.