In a year in which the White House press secretary found himself defending President Obama’s relevance, the president himself ended up on GQ’s list of the year’s 30 least influential people.
“Are you even president anymore?” the magazine asks in its write-up of Mr. Obama. “When Obama got blasted for golfing shortly after ISIS beheaded journalist James Foley, he said, ’I should’ve anticipated the optics.’ How do you win the presidency without knowing that golfing makes you look rich and indifferent?”
Though a disclaimer atop the piece purports to present the people “in no particular order, although you’ll probably assume we ranked them anyway, because most of you probably skipped this part,” Mr. Obama, at No. 2, found himself behind pop singer Bono of U2 and just ahead of former Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling.
Mr. Obama also made the list in 2013 and 2011, and first lady Michelle Obama was on it in 2012.
Other politicians on this year’s list include former House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon, Texas Gov. Rick Perry, Sen. John McCain, and former Alaska Gov. and 2012 GOP vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin.
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie was also on the list, though GQ noted that after the print publication of the list, Mr. Christie helped turn the midterm elections in favor of the GOP in his capacity then as chairman of the Republican Governors Association, “which makes him a bit more influential than we initially gave him credit for, post-Bridgegate.”
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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