Frum, a former speechwriter for Bush, downplays the power of presidential rhetoric:
You know who was a really lousy presidential communicator? Dwight Eisenhower. You know who else? Calvin Coolidge. Both were overwhelmingly re-elected. Benjamin Disraeli said that a parliamentary majority was better than the best repartee. And likewise, peace and prosperity are better than any speech.
He blames lazy journalists for the current state of affairs:
Reason one for the over-estimation of presidential communication is that this over-estimation suits the tastes and interests of political journalists. If presidential elections are determined by larger demographic and economic trends, then journalists will have to write about a lot of tedious statistical matter. That sounds like work!
The Dish 