In my column on Wednesday, I drew a comparison between the Obama administration and the Jimmy Carter administration of 1977-1981, arguing that both were engaging in political theater in lieu of real power to affect the fundamentals of the American economy. Other analysts have also drawn the Obama-Carter analogy. But today I’d like to delineate the limits to the comparison, as I think it will help conservatives better understand the challenge they face in the upcoming election.

To start, there is an appeal to the Obama-Carter analogy that derives from the personality of both men. Obama and Carter saw themselves as being above the political fray, yet both were as political as anybody else who has resided at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue since its first occupant. This holier than thou approach infuriated Carter’s political opponents in the late 1970s, just as Obama’s dissenters have been frustrated by his do-as-I-say-not-as-I-do attitude since he took office. The other parallel of particular merit is the one I discussed on Wednesday: both had to deal with an economy that seemed frustratingly resistant to the governmental management. Carter could not stem inflation, Obama cannot stimulate real private sector growth.