For anyone who wondered how President Obama would govern, his extraordinary address on Tuesday and his massive proposed budget released today provide a clear picture. Unlike former President Bush, whose only real policy "achievement" (if you can call it that) was to squander the surplus on massive tax breaks to the wealthiest Americans, Obama has laid out a far more ambitious agenda. His budget redirects huge amounts of money and effort into his big three priorities: energy, health care, and education.
Unlike Bush, Obama's liberal values are not just window-dressing: he does not throw red meat to the angry activists while otherwise ignoring the basic principles upon which he was elected. Instead of wading into the culture wars or engaging in pointless social engineering, Obama has put hot-button wedge issues like abortion and gay rights on the back burner and has instead chosen to champion the liberal economic agenda. Obama is the kind of liberal the conservatives feared most.
The right-wing is in a panic. In his opinion piece today, conservative columnist William Kristol warns Republicans that they must, "obstruct and delay," President Obama any way they can.
"They can't allow Obama to make of 2009 what Franklin Roosevelt made of 1933 or Johnson of 1965."
Yeah, right--because we all know how horrible the New Deal and the Great Society were for this country? I almost dropped my coffee cup... The Republicans are so out of touch! The rest of the country is praying that Obama will be our next FDR, leading us out of this economic crisis. The man who beat Hillary Clinton and John McCain--the man who in four weeks got Congress to pass the largest spending/stimulus bill in history--has the personal popularity and political smarts to push through a New New Deal. For the conservative rear guard, that's the most frightening thing of all.
7 comments:
I wish the Right cared more about the country and its people and less about proving that their ideology is best.
Listening to them is like listening to a bunch a frat guys argue over penis size (with none of them actually daring to whip it out and prove their point).
Why oh why can't the Republicans/Right just grow up? Honestly! Some proper bipartisanship would be fantastic - mature adults, acting together in the best interests of the country that they purport to serve. But no, behaving like a grumpy toddler is much more fun. Sigh.
What's the media reaction to this over there? Please tell me that the fact that the big r are trying to screw over the country just so that a Democrat doesn't get to do something good is being highly publicised at least?
(other than on Fox of course)
Sadly the media reaction is rather muted. It seems that the more moderate outlets are eager to show how they can be "fair" by airing a not insignificant amount of right wing whining. The right wing media (Fox for example) are having a bit of a field day and really seem to be feeling their oats with this. Almost like they see a chance to be relevant in this post-Bush era and they are going to jump in with both feet and start flinging mud to see what sticks.
I've even noticed on relatively liberal social media sites (digg.com, reddit.com) a serious uptick in anti-Obama posts (and those posts, which would have been voted down in droves prior to the election, are getting support). I don't know how much of this is real unhappiness and how much is manufactured PR but the posts and comments smack of right wing talking points so...
I believe that if Obama can outlast the naysayers (which I feel he can do) and stick to his guns the proof will be in the pudding and the right will end up further weakened in the long run.
The Media still thinks that New Deal = good but old-fashioned, Great Society = failure. Reporters express these views as if they were fact.
I agree with Dr. S. Obama has put the Republicans back on their heals.
I saw his speech on MSNBC and they had one of those silly little tracking things on the bottom. There interesting part was that everyone was reacting positively to the speech all the time. The Republicans never went below the "neutral" line and often were registering higher approval than the Democrats. If I'm a Republican I have the following reactions.
Stage 1) Denial - this tracking do-dad isn't scientific.
Stage 2) Anger - Betrayed by our own people! If only they knew that Obama was the Anti-Christ!
Stage 3) Bargaining - OK, so if I live through one term of Obama there will such a back lash against him that Republicans will rule for decades after.
Stage 4) Depression - Oh woe is me! Obama has brainwashed the country. We're a socialist state and they'll start putting Christians in concentration camps next week.
Stage 5) Acceptance - Gee, Obama didn't destroy the country. My taxes went up a little but I still own two houses and a boat. Life ain't so bad.
Can we talk about Bobby Jindal's response? I can't believe people in Louisiana like being spoken to like they're 4 years olds.
"My parents come from a land far ... far ... away."
I swear he reminded me of a cross between Mr. Rogers, George Bush and the Johny Depp version of Willy Wonka.
My jaw hit the floor the moment he began his "Domo Arigato, Mr. Roboto" style walk to the microphone. Once he opened his mouth I remember thinking, "maybe, just maybe there really is a god".
Then I came to my senses and realized he's just the natural evolution of what those people are becoming.
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