Several weeks ago, I wrote a column stating that I was underwhelmed by President Barack Obama’s first 18 months in office. A handful of people responded positively to the column, with most of those comments along the lines of, “By questioning the leader of your own party, at least you’re not like most Republicans, who never questioned anything that George W. Bush did.”
However, the majority of responses came from Obama supporters, in the outraged vein of: “How dare you?!”
I was excoriated by a longtime friend and colleague to whom I will refer as “Jim.” He took me to task over a number of points, foremost among them the smart-alecky remark I made about the only visible local sign of the $750 billion federal stimulus package being a reclamation project by the freeway.
I thought that the stimulus should have been at least twice as large as it was, an opinion shared by many, including Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Krugman. The depth of the economic disaster we faced demanded a response of unprecedented scope.
There is a phenomenon involving fighting forest fires. If an aircraft drops a load of water over a raging blaze, the heat and updraft from the fire pulverize the water droplets into a fine mist, which, in most cases, never actually reaches the ground. The much-smaller particles of water are either held aloft by the powerful updraft, or they simply become part of the atmosphere—and this more-humid layer can make it more difficult for the next water drop to get through to the ground. (That is why forest fires are generally fought from above with slurry and other forms of heavier-than-water fire retardant.)
Now think back to when President Obama took office, inheriting the worst economy since the Great Depression. He had both houses of Congress and a lot of momentum. He probably could have passed just about any stimulus amount he wanted. But the Dems in Congress were wary of that “trillion” word. This is hilarious, considering that the money squandered in the Bush tax cuts and the U.S. misadventure in Iraq easily dwarfed any amount that Obama might have put into a stimulus package to get the economy going again. Plus, the Republicans had already settled on their obstructionist “strategy,” so the president could have said, “At least we’re doing something.”
Unfortunately, precious few of those stimulus droplets actually reached the ground. Most were pulverized into a mist that went to plug suddenly gaping holes in state budgets throughout the country. Among other things, here in Arizona, it kept our slash-happy state Legislature from gutting education ever further (although rigid ideologues like state Sen. Al Melvin gave serious consideration to turning down the federal money). However, as we have learned, jobs created and jobs saved are not viewed in the same positive light by many Americans. A lot of people see that original stimulus package as having gone—if you’ll pardon yet another fire reference—up in smoke. At best, it’s an invisible layer of humidity above the still-raging fire of recession, serving only to make the very thought of a second stimulus package little more than political suicide.
“Jim” pointed out a website that listed where some of the stimulus money went in Arizona, and chided me for not finding that website on my own. In doing so, he pretty much made my point for me: If President Obama is the Great Communicator for a New Generation, I shouldn’t have to go to a website to find out where $750 billion went. He and his administration did a crappy job of informing the American people what was being done on their behalf.
There is an old saying that things turned out “not as well as I had hoped, not as bad as I had feared.” I think my problem was that I didn’t fear much at all. I thought that President Obama would take to governance as smoothly and easily as he had mastered running for the office in the first place. I expected him to be out in front selling health-care reform instead of allowing the shouters to set the tone. I had hoped that he would extricate America from its money-burning, soul-damaging entanglement in Iraq in a more-expeditious manner. And I am dismayed that he doesn’t have a clearer vision on education, opting instead to be distracted by the glittery disco ball that is the charter-school “movement.”
The Obama administration accomplished some things, but even then …
After the economic meltdown, a financial-reform bill should have been a slam dunk. But the president allowed the unholy tandem of bank-whores Barney Frank and Chris Dodd—who are supposed to be on our side—to produce a 2,500-page, loophole-riddled monstrosity, much of which was written by lobbyists.
I believe that we’re substantially better off than we would have been had John McCain been elected. A B-minus is better than a D. I hope my fellow Democrats will join me in realizing that it’s OK to like the president and still demand more from him.
This article appears in Aug 12-18, 2010.
That’s a fack, jack. I still haven’t decided if I can bring myself to vote for him again.
Shuttering the Office of Faith Based Initiatives would have been so easy, but no….
He could have simply chosen not to say “So help me g_d” in the inauguration oath, despite the catholic court’s refusal to tell him not to, but no…
This from a constitutional scholar? I was disappointed with him from the very first day.
As Ron Paul said, Obama is not a socialist, he is a corporatist – but he’s all we got for right now.
Wait a minute. How’d Bush get into this discussion? And, what did Bush do wrong? He didn’t control congress for his last two years as a lame duck president. That’s when the lefty’s ran amok and destroyed the financial industries, causing the financial meltdown. Changing of the accounting rules and the resulting devaluation of financial assets caused the meltdown, not Bush.
Get your facts straight dude. A little honesty is in order here.
Mammey
this azz you call persident is the worse thing ever came along in this country, he has done more damage than any bomb or war we have had, how any one can say he is good is a fool. you need to open your eyes and see what he is doing to your children, old folks and the country, it is fools like you that got us here,,,,
Just love the folks who call anyone who doesn’t think exactly like them “fools”, and usually worse. But even more annoying are those who take “Don’t blame Bush!” to a whole new level and actually have the bravado to claim that in the 20 months Democrats controlled Congress from Jan. 2007 – Aug. 2008 they manged to “destroy the financial industries, causing the financial meltdown”. Do you actually manage to say that with a straight face?
With that out of the way, Tom, I think you make an excellent point “Hey, Democrats: It’s possible to both support Obama and expect more from him”. I am a bit disappointed, I expected Obama to be as great a President as Ronald Reagan. I know – What! How can anyone possible compare Obama to Reagan??? Because Reagan changed the course of America at a critical time, and got the people to believe in him. And that’s what America needed in 2008. It’s why I, who voted for Reagan both times, voted for Barack Obama. Some of the change in course has been achieved, but Obama needs to get the people believe in him, or he will fail to accomplish all that can and needs to be accomplished. He’s allowed the Right to define him far too much, but he’s also made some stupid mistakes. Like allowing himself to get drawn into an insignificant incident and say the Cambridge Police Department “acted stupidly”. Like allowing a right wing blogger use smears and edited footage into frightening him of charges of racial bias and allowing the firing of Shirley Sherrod.
Little that comes out of the mouth of Sarah Palin resembles the truth, or even make sense. But, maybe she wasn’t so far off target in that the President needs a bigger set of cajones.
CochiseCitizen: “Cojones” is spelled with an “o.”
I am a Republican who voted for Obama. It is the first time in 30 years that I have voted for a Democrat in the presidential election. Unfortunately, I am completely dissapointed in Obama’s performance to this point. I understand that he inherited the biggest economic mess in 80 years, but its been two years and conditions are getting worse. Keep in mind that no president has ever had his economic policies implemented in such a short time with party control of Congress. So far it has been an utter failure. The economy is not improving and I fear we have not bottomed out yet especially in the real estate and construction industries.
The problem is that the federal governments approach is completely flawed. Most reputable sources state that 60-70% of the populace works for small, closely held businesses. The economic stimulus does nothing directly for these business’s. GM does not have any auto plants in AZ and money to them does nothing to stimulate real estate or construction in our state. All the stimulus money does is throw good money on top of bad money.
The quickest way to fix the economy is do the following. Cut government spending – pull out of Iraq and Afghanistan like Obama promised but didn’t do. In fact he sent 40,000 more troops over. Spending $2 billion a week to have our boys killed and kill Iraquis and Afghanis is idiotic. There is nothing to win!!!
Next all upper level government employees making over $100k need to take a 50% pay cut and have all benefits cut in half or eliminated. All the other government employees need to take a 15% pay cut and have all benefits cut in half or eliminated. Then, all government employees from the elementary school janitor to the President need to be drug tested once a week. If they test positive for illegal drugs they are laid off for 30 days without pay. If they don’t pass after 30 days they lose their job and all benefits including pensions. You break the law and you pay the consequences. If they don’t like it they can quit the gravy train and try their luck in the private sector with the rest of us. I know that it will be no problem filling their positions. Do you think that we might have a more efficient, responsible government at that point?
Then everyone in the US, regardless of their tax bracket pays 20% less taxes, which is essentially getting a raise. We all know that when we make more – we spend more. It is a known fact that most Americans will buy the best car and biggest house they can afford. This by itself will instantly stimulate the economy. With the current trickle down economics we have all of the government money watered down by the cumbersome government bureacracy which results in a small percentage of the government money spent making it to the people. If the people are allowed to spend the money the economy will get the boost it needs.
“Just love the folks who call anyone who doesn’t think exactly like them “fools”, and usually worse. But even more annoying are those who take “Don’t blame Bush!” to a whole new level and actually have the bravado to claim that in the 20 months Democrats controlled Congress from Jan. 2007 – Aug. 2008 they manged to “destroy the financial industries, causing the financial meltdown”. Do you actually manage to say that with a straight face?….”
Unsubstantiated reply to my post. Typical of those who refuse to see reality. Divisive,
opinionated, without substance, and has never been to a communist country in order to see the destruction caused to the human condition by leftist policies.
Mammey
“Unsubstantiated reply to my post. Typical of those who refuse to see reality. Divisive,
opinionated, without substance, and has never been to a communist country in order to see the destruction caused to the human condition by leftist policies.”
And your claim that of “That’s when the lefty’s ran amok and destroyed the financial industries, causing the financial meltdown. Changing of the accounting rules and the resulting devaluation of financial assets caused the meltdown, not Bush” isn’t opinionated and has substance? Exactly which accounting rules did the “lefties” change?
You actually have one thing right – Bush didn’t cause the meltdown, it was the unregulated greed of the bankers to rake in as much cash as they could before the housing bubble would inevitably burst. I saw it first hand when I sold my house in Vegas in the summer of 2005 and moved here to retire. My jaw dropped when the Realtor brought me the offer – 100% financing, stated income (aka ‘Liar Loan’) price $10,000 over my listing price. Not only did the buyer have no money for a down payment, he had no money for closing costs, and I was to credit him back the $10k at closing so he could cover his closing costs and actually pocket some change. And he’d just moved to Vegas. I asked the Realtor “Is this legal, and will the deal go through”? “Do them all the time” he assured me. If the lefties changed the account rules to reveal these kind of loans were simply speculation and worthless if home prices declined, then please, change some more of the rules.
And, exactly which communist country would you like me to visit to see the destruction? China, which just moved up to the second largest economy in the world, thanks to their innovative entrepreneurial system and free enterprise? Russia, with it’s vibrant, growing free economy? Cuba, with it’s high rise hotels filled with tourists from all around the world, except the US thanks to our continued idiotic embargo?