WHERE’S THE “BEEF” (SUBSTANCE) OF THIS ADMINISTRATION?
Oct 21st, 2009 | 15 responses
I’m pretty sick and tired of seeing and hearing President Obama every day. His words become more meaningless with each passing week. I already agree with half of his policies and the other half I’m willing to judge later after they are tested in the real world. I am even willing to give him an another award certifying that he is the most inspiring speaker of the 21st Century despite having 90 years left to prove himself, just to keep him quiet and generally out of public view for the next 12 months.
I would prefer that President Obama cease all public appearances, Rose Garden meetings, special public functions, Photo-ops with every interest group and foreign leaders, talk-show television appearances, and anything else not directly related to eating, working out, spending a few hours with the family, and concentrating on what he was elected to conduct 24/7: being President. I don’t want to see him shooting hoops, shaking the hands of children, eating cheeseburgers with the Vice-President, or traveling outside the beltway except to Camp David for working weekends.
If he makes any short public appearance during the next 12 months, I prefer to see the President generally tense and impatient (as Nixon), not perpetually “cool” and well-rested (as Reagan). It might help if he would put on some pounds and if his clothes would look a little disheveled. He should take his own advice that the perfect should not be the enemy of the good. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Vice-President Joe Biden should rotate waking him up at 3 am every day just to keep him on his toes and looking appropriately sleepless and haggard. In a month, he’ll hurl his Blackberry out the window and reinstall a single rotary phone in the Oval Office.
I want to see some tangible results – not endless debate from every nitwit across the Nation with access to the Media or the Internet, and no more of his pretty speeches. President Obama should go into relative seclusion to engage in some behind-the-scenes heavy arm twisting, threatening of political futures, cajoling, horse-trading, intimidating, and being mean, ruthless and Machiavellian with every Democratic member of Congress. They should either support his policies completely or be ready for White House orchestrated primary fights in 2010. He should wine and dine them extensively but please do not invite the Media to anything but White House briefings by the Press Secretary.
The majority of the public that elected him doesn’t give a damn about the extreme and clueless Republicans, nor for any meaningless Washington-based bi-partisanship. They only care if he can get his own troops in order behind the scenes and accomplish some major initiatives to revive the American economy. Most of our population and overall economy are reeling (and some are sinking) as a result of this massive recession. We don’t need more words but serious action.
I would prefer to see on a daily basis shell-shocked Democratic Congressional members mumbling force-fed phrases for the press outside on the White House lawn following a protracted private visit with the President. (After a visit with a thorough proctologist, no one wants to have dinner with a lobbyist.) I do not need to hear 200 different opinions from multiple members of Congress on a weekly basis, most of which will not be part of any final legislation anyway.
I want to see effective reforms of healthcare, the financial sector, new legislation for renewable energy, climate change and improving our nation’s transportation infrastructure, plus some real tax reform and serious nationwide job stimulus, all passed within the next 6 months. I don’t care if the schedule is too much – they are paid to work 24/7 on our behalf and I don’t want them sneaking home to press the flesh with constituents either.
The American public is not interested in following the convoluted, complex, and messy sausage-making factory that is the Legislative process. We need some well-crafted bills drafted in relative quiet seclusion that will be promptly passed by the required majorities in both the House and Senate and then presented to the President for signing. The more the White House and Democrats endlessly dither and debate internally and in public, the more reason the electorate has of reconsidering their mandate in 2010. Please don’t give me more excuses that our political system is designed for very slow incremental change after endless debate. You’re in charge now so get your collective “asses” moving instead.
The President needs to excite and energize his base and some moderates in order to get them out in sufficient numbers to offset the energized right-wing base in November 2010. The President also needs to get most of the major economic indicators moving upward (however modestly) by that time. Most importantly, new jobs have to be increasing a bit and the unemployment rate decreasing slowly by the 2010 Midterm elections or it will be 1994 all over again. If he doesn’t get things better by 2012, he’ll be out of office faster than anyone can say “Jimmy Carter.”
We don’t need to hear the blather that the economic downturn is a result of prior Republican mismanagement; that the stimulus has “saved” jobs; or that most of the stimulus money will not be spent until 2010 and 2011. Most people understand those obvious facts. Democrats and this Administration cannot answer this simple question: “What is the growing army of unemployed or underemployed to do in the meantime?” The vast majority of people prefer meaningful work to more time on unemployment benefits and food stamps. We all want our country to succeed globally; we don’t want to see years of economic stagnation relative to our major international competitors.
All Consumers must have access to simple and fair financial products from all banks, and be protected from excessive and extortion-style predatory interest rates. ALL derivatives (not some or a few) and other esoteric financial instruments (existing and yet to be invented) must be traded on regulated public markets – regardless of the crocodile howls of the greedy, narcissistic financial oligarchs and their lobbyists from Goldman Saks, JP Morgan Chase and the rest of this nation’s financial criminal cohort.
The President must promptly sign into law fundamental and sweeping changes in the way we regulate Wall Street and our entire banking and financial sector. We should also include for 2008 and beyond a new marginal tax rate of 49% for all incomes over $1 million. This has to be done in order to mollify, dilute and quench the seething and growing anger the entire American public feels for the huge public bailouts of our corrupt banking and financial institutions. Their greed caused this deep recession and now they are now paying themselves huge bonuses on the backs of sinking taxpayers. Mailing an extra $250 check to every social security recipients just won’t cut it.
These last issues of real financial reform and regulation are just waiting to take down the Obama Administration if not correctly addressed immediately. The President and his top advisers, along with the entire Democratic Party in Congress cannot deflect or ignore the public’s deep anger over these issues of fundamental morality and ethics, and the need for a real competitive financial market that is fair to all participants and consumers.
The public’s outrage and resentment against Wall Street cut across all party affiliations; all religious beliefs; all social, racial, age and ethnic groups; and all political and economic ideologies. It is one of the most unified bi-partisan nationwide reactions in recent American history. Democrats who ignore these public sentiments do so at their political peril.
Democrats don’t need the large campaign contributions of the financial sector or any other wealthy special interest groups to win in 2010 or 2012. They really need to earn the trust and respect of the American people.
Marc Pascal
opinions powered by SendLove.to
15 Responses to “WHERE’S THE “BEEF” (SUBSTANCE) OF THIS ADMINISTRATION?”
Is somebody forcing you to watch him? That's a shame. Me, I just change the channel or go do something else until he's off my teevee.
Frontline was good tonight. Explained how this whole economic mess is the tar baby of Alan Greenspan's confessed error of unregulated markets. “The markets will regulate themselves” he testified before congress years ago. Well they don’t and Conservative dogma is firmly dispelled forever because of it, but nobody is reading the flipping new gospel yet. IMO the next proponent of deregulated free in the breeze economics should be dragged out into the street and shot. That will make a news worthy impression.
I agree that stuff needs to get done, but how? We have this problem with unrepentant conservatives called “blue dogs” wrecking our super majority. If the President does anything at all he must get the message out because there is a massive amount of disinformation flying around. At least I hope it is disinformation because to tell you the truth I just don’t know what the truth is anymore. I just keep sticking with the President….I keep clinging to Hope.
Marc, I appreciate your frustration with the PR over substance thing, but in this day and age we as a country have sent the message loud and clear that we (excluding a minority who take it all more seriously) want instant results, and barring that want constant promises they will occur. I suppose the only voices in more evidence than Obama's are the constant and relentless voices of his detractors. The problems we face started long before Obama came on the scene though, and their solutions will require considerably more than 9 months. Maybe a little patience is in order…
Me thinks he doth protest too much (Obama).
Me thinks he doth protest too much. (Pascal)
Wishful thinking aside, we have as President the man the American people chose. They knew of his votes of “present” when he wanted to avoid taking hard sides; they knew of his inexperience in legislating; they knew of his abhorrence for the rough and tumble of political infighting; they knew of his speechifying and media presence; they knew of his proposition of change through bipartisanship; they knew of his promise to listen to all views; they knew he was soft and intellectual, not obsessed in the tradition of FDR or LBJ; they knew his style was “above the fray”, not down and dirty; they knew, or should have, that he was better at running for office than governing from office. Maybe, for some, it would be nice if he were something other than what he is, but it is not to be, all wishful thinking aside.
In other (fewer) words: “Mr. Obama, we want more action, less talk!”
The entire country has ADD. He has no choice but to go out and keep reminding people of what he wants to do and why. With conservatives constantly making up whatever they want, he has to go out and make sure Americans understand that he doesn't want death panels, that he was born in America, that he isn't Muslim, and he isn't trying to take away their Medicare.
Obama will shut up when conservatives stop tell fibs about him and his policies.
Tidbits is right. Many of us who weren't supporters of Obama during the campaign asked then, “where's the beef?” with this candidate. The most common reply to that which I heard was that there was something about his style that was going to bridge all of the partisan divide and bring people together. I didn't believe that then, and I see no evidence of it now. People are polarized not only because of the way the fights have been fought, but also because people actually have widely variant opinions about the ways to approach our vast problems. Polarization isn't just a style problem, it's a substance problem- and Obama really hasn't brought anything to the table in terms of bridging the real policy differences.
This argument from liberals (and I lean that way) drives me nuts. I want an executive with LESS power, not more. Stop expecting him to wave a magic wand and produce perfect legislation. Our entire democratic system is built on debate and compromise by legislators, who it is much easier to kick out of office when they don't represent us. The president is supposed to be a commander in chief and a cheerleader, not a legislator. He isn't supposed to be some great dictator who can wave his hand and make your policy dreams come true. I hated that view when Bush and his un-democratic (in my mind, unconstitutional) signing statements were in effect. I hate that view when people on my side are advocating the same cr@p.
Agree with tidbits and CStanley. During the campaign there was a concern Obama was a “style over substance” candidate, empty suit, etc. That perception has been borne out by his presidency so far. So far the phenomenon of Obama is greater than the man himself.
I commented a few months ago Obama seemed like a presidency by committee, and that still seems accurate. He has rubber stamped everything that Reid and Pelosi have given him, and Geithner and Summers seem to be the driving forces behind the bailouts and other financial items. When faced with a major decision in Afghanistan, he continues to waffle while our troops die.
Obama was a minimally experienced junior senator who spoke well and looked good in front of the camera, and that's still what he is.
I don't think it's either-or though with regard to the powers of the Executive branch. I agree that the presidency has become too powerful and the voters' expectations too high…but still, if we're stuck with a federal govt that yields so much power, the President and Vice President are the only elected officials that can claim a national mandate. In that sense, the Executive branch has to represent some sort of guiding force for the legislative agenda.
I suppose if we had decent Congressional leadership then Obama's hands off style might be effective, but in the hands of partisans who are beholden to special interests and their political base, the results are abysmal IMO.
That's my take also.
Conservatives are such liars it's unbelievable. Layer over layer of lies and subterfuge. People just don’t want to believe that those that wave the flag up people’s butt would be anything other than tried and true patriots. Fact is they are just full of crap.
Martha Mahar on Lou Dobbs was EXCELLENT yesterday because she actually read and comprehended the evolving healthcare bill. She shut down her opponent and Lou Dobbs both and was a wealth of information! For one, the tax on the wealthy will be on only the top 1.5% income earners. She has written a book but heck I want her on ALL the political talk shows as soon as possible.
Deeds rather than words? Substance rather than style, the normal lib & Dem rule?
We're all still waiting.
However, note: to the extent that Obama has done (and even said) more lately, it's not been good. He has joined the lib Dems in Congress in insisting (facts and thought be damned — adhering to his party and ideology) in the insistence on rushing to approve all kinds of bad legislation seeking bad and wrong things — or else, we face disaster. (We can't wait; we can't afford to wait, or not to do something, aieee!).
He notably disturbed people by allying himself with loonier House lib Dems with “climate” legislation in particular, as well as joining them in overreach and fumbling on health care “reform” [sic; federal takeover]. He has descended low lately, attacking all kinds of opposition in dishonest, scummy ways (rather than try to actually achieve something and say something positive and truly progressive, in the correct sense of these words) and threatens more wrongful interventionism and destruction of the private sector.
But to the superficial, low-IQ, and faithful adorers, more public image and personality-cult manipulation is okay.
“spoke well and looked good in front of the camera”
That's all that matters to some.
On another note, there's always the “replicating home” theme to consider. Bill Clinton ran his administration like Arkansas (corruption, cronyism, sleaze). Bush ran it like Texas (a “Good Time Charliie” governor, at least until September 2001). Obama may be running some of it like the city of Chicago (corruption, obsolescent model, a lot of Sixties-relic-radical-oriented play-pen elitist liberals trying to run things like a giant old Blue Nation dead central city City Hall, with ineptitude coming with the naive idealism underlying so much “progressive activist” politics).