Letters to the Editor
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Another Spot-On Speech
How long have we waited for a candidate who can not only speak truth to power, but speak truth to US? I'm getting my contribution in before the cynics here and elsewhere chime in, And we know they will, regrettably.
I think we are at a point in our recent history where it's pretty plain for all to see that the GOP's vision of "free markets" more closely resembles the tactics and strategies of the robber barons of nearly a century past. Those tactics squelched competition and created monolithic companies that imposed their will on the rest of us. Right now, the biggest monopoly is the oil market. We all drive cars (or SUVs or Hummer tanks), and the oil market monopoly has us all by the short hairs. The economy ground to nearly a halt in Q4 2007 in part because no action was taken to regulate this monopoly so that it doesn't hurt people's pocket books in the short term as we transition to alternative sources. Other than President Bush begging the Saudis to increase production (which is a significant retreat from "jaw-boning" them into doing it), nothing more was even imagined. Now we're paying for it. Bottom to Top. Obama is correct. The pain is trickling UP. Bush's and McCain's "solutions" are without any foundation in reality.
And all Hillary can seem to do is lob cynical asides at Obama for not having "specifics". If memory serves, her husband's speeches about the economy of 1992 lacked "specifics". But he, like Obama did lay out a broad vision. It would take longer than the 31 minutes Obama spoke to lay out the details, let alone implement them. This jibe about "specifics" misses the point. It's another knee-jerk, cynical response.
This is not to say we don't need specifics, but if you were to lay that out in a campaign speech, which this was, just as the speech about his former pastor was, our eyes would glaze over and we would want to go back to our lives. It takes too long to enumerate all the things that would have to change for the goals to be met and the vision to be realized. That's not what a campaign speech is for.
But my point is that there is FINALLY a recognition from our leadership that there is not only a significant problem, but also that what has become the classic response to the problem is tragically flawed. I was also struck by Obama's breadth of comprehension of how our economy should work, as well as his ability to speak to our unique history, and make this another teaching moment. All this spoke of a vision, which is ultimately what brings us together to solve problems. "Supply-side" or "trickle-down" economics has proven three times now to be a recipe for disaster for everyone. And the Republican presidents who largely oversaw the most recent versions of these theories have been catastrophically dumb-struck and bereft of ideas every time they've blown up and proven that they aren't worth the paper they were printed on. I can't speak for anyone else, but I appreciated Obama's sane, balanced, and sober analysis as well as the even-handedness of his proposals. He's not talking about re-rigging the game, but changing it entirely, re-imagining it, and that's what's needed.