President Obama's Top Priority

Every one of you knows that you've got to do your job or you'll lose it. That's priority number one. If you're unemployed, your big goal is to get a job.

That logic doesn't seem to apply to President Obama. His top priority is to keep his job.

Amidst an unprecedented economic crisis - record unemployment, staggering national debt, flatlining growth, and a debt-rating downgrade - Barack Obama's plan for America is to make sure he gets reelected in 2012.

No kidding. It's not to reduce the deficit, stimulate the economy, or even to generate jobs. Nope. The big hairy audacious goal (BHAG in corporate circles) of America's chief executive is to stay in the White House. The only real question is how best to go about doing that.

And that's exactly what the White House is going to figure out ... right after they all get back from summer vacation. You just can't make this stuff up.

The message for corporate executives, business leaders, the unemployed, and everyone else who's terrified that the nation's going to hell in a handbasket is this: better stock up on antidepressants because nothing's going to change for at least 16 months.

According to the New York Times, the big White House debate over what to do about the economy is between two warring factions:

• Obama's chief of staff and senior adviser want him to push for a number of small proposals - like patent reform and free trade agreements - that can at least pass Congress. The goal is to court independent voters by at least getting something done, even though it'll have virtually no impact on the economy.
• Others, including chief economic adviser Gene Sperling and other economists, are pushing for bold ideas - like more stimulus spending and relief for homeowners facing foreclosure - even though they have no chance of passing the House. Nothing will get done, but then he can point a finger at republicans blocking economic reform.

Instead, it'll be a strategy to get reelected, either by 1) getting something, anything - however meaningless - through Congress, appealing to swing voters, or 2) pushing for major legislation that gets blocked by republicans, appealing to the democratic party faithful.

Why should that rub me or anyone else the wrong way?

Come on, do I really have to answer that? Each and every one of us is worried about something related to the economy: our family, our job, our home, our company, our nation's future. Instead of providing the leadership we so desperately need, our president essentially punts on the economy and hits the campaign trail to save his own job.

It's not as if there's any shortage of ideas on how to stimulate the economy. A report by the Cato Institute recommends lowering the federal corporate tax rate to generate economic growth and jobs while encouraging big, multinational companies like G.E. to repatriate their profits and increase tax revenue.

When it comes to the economy, there's such a leadership vacuum in Washington that you can just pick a CEO - any CEO - and get an earful of ideas on how to accomplish what everyone agrees is priority number one - jump-start the economy and improve the jobs picture:

• Howard Schultz of Starbucks is urging fellow business leaders to boycott political donations until Washington gets its act together on the economy.
• Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffet says tax the rich.
• Steve Wynn wants Obama to quit "making speeches about redistribution" and being a "wet blanket to business, progress, and job creation."
• Donald Trump wants to stop exporting jobs to China, get aggressive with OPEC, and return America to the economic powerhouse it once was.

Also check out:

• 7 Leadership Lessons From Obama's First Two Years in Office
• If You Were Rich, Would You Still Work?
• Why the Peter Principle Works