There are many reasons President Obama‘s presidency has proven so ineffectual even by its own standards — boosting economic growth, improving health care, preventing the spread of weapons of mass destruction, enhancing America’s world reputation. One reason is that Obama is the most ideologically rigid president in American history. He believes in all the wrong ideas, and holds to them with mulish tenacity.

But there’s a second reason that was on vivid display the past few days — overweening arrogance. This president has no patience with attempting to solve the actual problems that afflict the people he was elected to serve. That’s small beer. A great, world historical figure like himself cannot be tending to trivial matters, like whether healthcare.gov will actually work, or whether there might be something the federal government can do to alleviate the effects of drought in California. Valerie Jarrett, the close aide who has been intimate with both Obamas for many years and is considered by many to be the most influential adviser in the White House, once described him as “somebody with such extraordinary talents that had to be really taxed in order for him to be happy … He’s been bored to death his whole life. He’s just too talented to do what ordinary people do.” Or what ordinary politicians do, apparently.