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Sunday, Nov 8, 2009
who were convinced in three seconds by the media's childish smears against the Clintons. They chrerry picked the most successful governing record of our time. And they didn't notice that Obama swiped the entire Clinton policy agenda from day one: bipartisanship; fiscal respopnsibility; strategic investment; far reaching diplomacy; green energy (thank you Al); healthcare (thank you Hillary for suffering a crushing defeat on behalf of public health); slight upper class tax increases to pay down the deficit, fund upgrades, but leave enough capital for investment; middle class tax cuts to stimulate the economy (because there are more of us and we spend money on refrigerators which help industry). Etc...
This was devised by Bill when he was a leading intellectual in the DLC and PPI. And it was refined by Bill and Hillary in office. Obama and the party know it's the way to govern for the forseeable future. After 16 years, the far left are still too involved with their dream world.
...and your enemies closer. Obviously Obama is using the Lincoln approach to governing, "team of rivals" and all that. But objectivly, he's simply picking the best, most experienced and knowledgeable person for each position, regardless of party affiliation. I personally couldn't be happier, as I think that Obama is clearly in charge and knows exactly what he is doing.
This administration is not about left-center-right, it's about facing multiple crises domestic and internationally, and dealing with them as intelligently as possible. And that requires having people around him with the most expertise, not the most liberalism. And also consider, that this kind of strategy takes a lot of rocks out of the hands of a lot of the loudmouths on the right.
Look, we finally have someone really smart coming into the White House. And if you voted for Obama, it was in a large part because you saw his intelligence and his heart, and decided to trust him. Are you going to turn back on that trust before he even gets started? Can we at least hold off criticising him until he's actually in office?
Here's what (I hope) is going to happen. Obama nominates a bunch of centrist Democrats who, while their appointments aren't going to please those of us on the left, are going to be difficult for the right to contest. He'll even toss in a Republican or two for good measure to build a government which is going to be insulated from the sort of partisan attacks that have prevented real change, especially with respect to foreign policy.
So when it comes time to play hardball with the Israelis to pull out of the occupied territories, knock down the security wall and reach a two-state solution (which I'm sure Obama supports, his speech to AIPAC not withstanding), who has more political capital to spend than the reflexively pro-Israel Hillary Clinton?
REAL change is going to come, albeit slowly. But this time, when the change does come, it will be here to stay. That's what will differentiate Obama from other Democratic administrations - lasting change.
I'd like to see us out of Iraq in 16 hours instead of 16 months. I'd like to see universal health care now, not in several years. I'd like to see a foreign policy built on human rights and socio-economic justice rather than simply maintaining a steady flow of cheap consumer goods and labor markets. I'd like to see gay marriage and medical marijuana legalized on a federal level. And I think it is important that we all pressure him to do these things.
But while patience and faith are the last things I ever advocate, I'm afraid of the consequences if we don't cut Obama a little bit of slack with regard to his appointments.
Despite the apparent quantum shift in the public attitude, I'm afraid it would only take one terrorist attack on American soil for people to go running back to the Republican warmongers screaming "Save us! Save us!" Unfortunately, that's why I think Obama, by necessity, must move slowly and carefully.
That said, it remains imperative that everyone keep up the pressure on Obama to enact the change for which we voted.
I really don't know what you're complaining about. The President elect just announced that he's going to save the auto industry (without changing anything that is wrong with their current failing model), fix roads and bridges, maintain the current tax structure(we're in a recession you know), and that he's appointing the entire Clinton Administration (the greatest prsidency in history) to his Administration.
HAPPY DAYS ARE HERE AGAIN!
What did you think he was going to do? The only thing President Obama wants is to get re-elected in four years. That is the only thing that matters to any politician. If he actually did what some of you want, we'd see a repeat of 1980. But most of you don't remember the glorious Carter years.
None of the partisans are going to be pleased about Obama’s appointments and conduct in office it seems. Like many who assume the mantle of power, Obama has developed fondness for it and the only way to maintain it is to assure that his leadership will be seen as a success. This is more or less a matter of managed expectations and the garnering of low risk accomplishments.
The liberal left will soon go apoplectic over the tenor and tone of the Obama administration as it proceeds with middle of the road economic ideas that will have nothing to do with addressing the historic inequality of wealth in the nation while it conducts a foreign policy that takes a rational approach to the threats America faces and seeks to meet those in the traditional way with force and determination to preserve America's position in the world.
Oh, perhaps there may be some change in emphasis and occasional lip service to the ideals on which Obama ran. But overall he is going to be a centrist and will seem a lot more like Ronald Reagan than George McGovern (or even Jimmy Carter) in the White House.
The folks on the right will be given little at which to hurl their potshots and they may grow frustrated keeping their powder dry and holding their brick bats. It seems they were deceived like the rest of us.
It cannot be gainsaid that Obama ran a sort of "in code" campaign that seemed to be winking at the left that that he just needed to get into office and then he would promulgate their agenda. But it is a failed agenda that makes little macro-economic sense and in its implementation is often the victim of the law of unexpected consequences, so Obama will treat much of the progressive agenda as radioactive in a quest to be "a success".
This will mean no raising taxes on "the rich", no massive shift to eco-friendly government policy or the forced proscription of a green agenda, no anti-democratic measures to aid labor unions, and, finally, no precipitous end to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Expect Mr. Obama to launch a very strong signal to the Russians and their newest client state, Venezuela, early in his administration.
He may just wind up being a very useful guy indeed!
Much of the initial coverage about Fort Hood turned out to be wrong. Is there anything wrong with that?
The accountability imposed by another country for the CIA's kidnapping and torture reveals much about our own.
Fox News' morning show plays to type, talking about whether Muslims in the Army should face "special debriefings"
The survivor and author is upset about comparisons some on the right are making to genocide
Once seen as a lunatic fringe, reactionary anti-women groups are courting respectability
Salon headlines in your mailbox
