Thaindian News

Washington, Feb.9 (ANI): US President Barack Obama spends an awful lot of time scolding Americans about how he hopes they’ll change.

According to Politico, Obama has advised parents to “replace that video game with a book and make sure that homework gets done.”

He has urged members of Congress not to read blogs or watch 24-hour cable news.

He’s challenged lobbyists, lawmakers, bankers, journalists, insurance companies and other heads of state to do a better job.

He’s prodded people to get off the couch, eat healthier and exercise more.

He’s even suggested Americans buy stocks, U.S.-made cars and energy-efficient light bulbs, while cautioning them not to max out their credit cards.

Obama’s tsk-tsking has gotten him into some trouble. Both Republicans and even some Democrats worry that he risks coming off not as the inspirational figure who galvanized the electorate in 2008.

Former White House press secretary Dee Dee Myers pointed out that while Obama has long promised to tell people the truth even when it hurts, he needs to strike a balance.

“Part of what people liked about him during the campaign is that he talks to the American people like they’re grown-ups - you don’t have to pretend that you can eat ice cream and lose weight in order to be president,” Myers said.

She added: “He did that during the campaign by appealing to hope. … I think little of that has been lost.”

Democratic strategist Paul Begala, another Clinton veteran, “You got to be careful about that stuff, or you become a scold.”

Obama drew criticism for his unusual finger wagging at Supreme Court justices as they sat in the House chamber during his State of the Union address. He also used the speech to once again press Congress to go public with its earmarks.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada, Obama’s fellow Democrat, recently told him to “lay off Las Vegas” when Obama urged fiscal restraint by explaining, “You don’t blow a bunch of cash on Vegas when you’re trying to save for college.”

The White House says Obama’s admonitions are simply part of his drive to change the ways of the capital.

“A central part of the president’s vision for bringing change to Washington is fulfilling one of his earliest campaign promises: telling people not just want they want to hear but what they need to hear,” said Josh Earnest, White House deputy press secretary.

“That may ruffle the feathers of some entrenched Washington, D.C., insiders, but it’s critical to the president’s pursuit of the priorities of the American people that have been ignored inside the Beltway for too long,” Earnest added.

Democrats have begun to suggest Obama curb the public lectures about his agenda and focus more on private wrangling.

Republicans are predictably rolling their eyes at the steady flow of advice coming from the top of the country’s organizational chart.

“Nobody wants a national nanny. It’s really annoying, and people don’t want to hear it,” ,” said Republican strategist John Feehery said. (ANI)