Monday Matters-Marking Period 3 Week 2

President As Piñata
Kristof's position overall is sympathy towards President Obama and disappointment towards the left-wings who have overall blamed him for the bad economy. He starts by saying pointing out that it's still"A YEAR before President Obama faces re-election", using the capitol letters to point out the ridiculousness that people are acting like the election is so soon. Before talking about Obama's accomplishments, he starts out with a concession saying, "Like many, I have disappointments with Obama. He badly underestimated the length of this economic crisis, and for a man with a spectacular gift at public speaking, he has been surprisingly inept at communicating", which gives him credibility as a realistic observer, and not just a blind supporter of Obama. By making the comparison of Obama to a piñata, Kristof establishes that he has become a scapegoat for the economy that was not all his fault, and opens him up to sympathy, as an appeal to not vote based on "grumpiness toward the incumbent during a difficult time".