Joan Walsh, Salon: Obama just doesn't get it

[Amerigo Vespucci]

Monday, Aug 30, 2010 14:50 ET

Joan Walsh

Obama just doesn't get it

Unemployment is a catastrophe, the recovery is stalling, but the president says his priority is "debt and deficits"

http://www.salon.com/news/politics/barack_obama/index.html?story=/opinion/walsh/politics/2010/08/30/obama_debt_and_deficits



I have underestimated President Obama more than once, starting when he was candidate Obama. At a few points when his campaign seemed shaky – the Jeremiah Wright fiasco, the serial defeats in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Kentucky and more at the end of the primary season; the post-Palin surge after the GOP convention – he turned things around, becoming a tougher candidate better able to reassure voters he understood their anxieties about the country, and that he would fight for their future.

So I hope I'm wrong this time. But even after his Martha's Vineyard vacation, and what he described to NBC's Brian Williams Sunday as days of reading, thinking and relaxing, here's what Obama said were his priorities for doing his "job"for the rest of his term:

"I think the next couple of years, we've got to focus on debt and deficits. We've got to focus on making sure that we make the recovery stronger. And a lot of that is attracting private investment. Making sure that these companies who are making good profits are actually seeing the opportunities out there in a whole range of new areas and new ventures."

He mentions debt and deficits first, and emphasizes "private investment" as the way "to make the recovery stronger?" These disappointing remarks came the same day former Clinton economic advisor Laura Tyson declared with convincing detail, "Why we need a second stimulus" in a New York Times op-ed, while the paper's main editorial, "Waiting for Mr. Obama," sounded a similar alarm about the economy. Running down the list of truly terrible recent economic news – stubbornly high unemployment, weaker growth than projected, a surprising new drop in housing sales – the paper suggested: "If President Obama has a big economic initiative up his sleeve, as he hinted recently, now would be a good time to let the rest of us in on it."

[DJ13]

1. Nope, he hasnt got a clue

I thought he understood FDR and how his response was the right one for a depressed economy, but I guess Summers and Geithner have filled his head with trickle down nonsense.

sigh

[Larkspur]

2. Obama has been a BIG disappointment

and the Washington DC bubble has clearly distorted his vision of where the country is and who is friends and enemies really are.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

4. anyone think the Bubble masters will let our message in?

I didn't think so, either. Those who provide him with his closest counsel, value their own positions so much, and hold themselves (and their talents and brains) in such high regard, that our message is something to be ignored, to be scoffed at, and at all costs, to be kept from the President.

Every president suffers from this problem. But most others, even Gerald Ford and George W. Bush, recognized it, and did their best to burst that bubble every so often. Obama seems to be the only one not willing to recognize its existence, nor try to get some outside voices to counter the bubble that controls access and political info to him.

I hate to say it, but as of now, I view his presidency as lasting one term. After November, I foresee congress treating him like a lame ducker. If the RWers take over, which looks more likely each day, the only way to avoid lame duckism would be if the GOP way overreached.

[Fearless]

12. +1

[Jakes Progress]

19. Disappointment is the ideal word

to describe how this president has been. Hope turned to pragmatism. Change redefined as not-as-bad-as-mccain.

[cyberswede]

3. k&r

[truedelphi]

5. Joan Walsh, I don't see how Obama can now turn it all around.

His economic people gave the Big Banking Industry over twelve trillion bucks (The Bailout Counter over at CNN offers proof of this.)

So there isn't any money left, which is why they need to raid Social Security.

And on top of that, the Big Banking Crowd had their lobbyists succeed in watering down the new "Financial 'Reform" Act" so that the house of cards is already set up to fall apart in two months to five years.

We cannot expect a Congress and a President working for the Good of Wall Street first, and everyone else second, to help the middle incomed survive.

[Amerigo Vespucci]

8. I voted for Obama, I still want Obama to have a major breakthrough, but...

...as you said, "We cannot expect a Congress and a President working for the Good of Wall Street first, and everyone else second, to help the middle incomed survive."

You can't have Timothy Geithner, Ben Bernanke, AND a recovery for the middle-slash-working class.

You can't. Period.

:patriot:

[truedelphi]

11. I was digging through some old Life Magazine articles, and found this exchange between

President Franklin Roosevelt, and a young reporter, and here it goes:

Reporter: So are you a Capitalist?

FDR: No.

Reporter: Then are you a Socialist?

FDR: No.

Reporter: Then what are you?

Roosevelt: I am a Democrat.
####
Can you imagine any Democrat now in Congress denying to the masses that they are a Capitalist?

[Beartracks]

31. Yeah, what's worse than 'Pubs believing their hype?

Dems believing it.

:(

--------------------

[cilla4progress]

6. Sadly, I have to agree

as I just posted in another thread. The lowest moment for me listening to Gibbs' remarks this a.m. was in response to Major Garrett's question about why such small bore fixes... Gibbs reply was "There's only so much that can be done."! He also spoke of ideas Obama is going to lay out over the next few weeks. Too little, too late? They don't seem to grasp the urgency.

I think Obama is afraid of the socialist mantle that's been laid on him by the right. You know, FDR had it different. He had a history of a wealthy family and supporters behind him, when the going got tough. He didn't have to fight the symbolism of his Presidency -- he had it all working for him..unlike Pres. Obama.

[democrank]

7. Glad President Obama had a nice vacation.

Maybe next time, against the advice of his professional handlers, he could vacation on the tough streets of Chicago. That`s a place where he`d see a giant chasm between the shot-dead school children and the yachts at Martha`s Vineyard.

[Amerigo Vespucci]

10. I've been reading, thinking and not relaxing

I got a call at 8 AM this morning from a potential client who wanted me to drop my price. I said "no." You say "yes," you turn into the organ grinder's monkey.

I would dearly love to see President Obama revisit his priorities.

[Hawkowl]

9. He can't tell a multiplier from derivative

I am truly staggered at the economic policy ignorance spouted by Obama every day. Maybe it's because he had to go up against idiot McCain, but Obama really doesn't have a clue about economic policy if he's worried about deficits and "private investment". THAT is failed supply side bullshit and he needs new economic advisors or a boot in ass to ensure he gets a single term.

There is no way he turns this economy around with the disproven, crackpot policies he keeps mumbling. No economic turnaround = no second term. Throw in a couple of unresolved "wars" or "occupations", 11 - 15% unemployment, "fixing" social security and Obama can be sure in enshrining himself as the first African American Hoover.

[SusanaMontana41]

13. Every post on this thread is correct.

~Demoralized in Montana.

[girl gone mad]

14. Someone needs to sneak past Summers, Rubin and Geithner..

explaining to the President what the deficit actually is.

He is clearly getting awful advice.

[mike r]

15. You don't stand there and water your yard when your house is on fire

Wrong priorities - time and again

[SharksBreath]

16. After this election is over

It may be time to ask Hillary to run again and have Obama not seek a second term.

With the way the GOP treats him.

If he won't fight for himself how can we expect him to fight for the middle class.

When they first got in office they started to discredit the Fuc News RNC channel.

Months later they were firing people because of what the Fuc News RNC station was reporting.

The worst moments resulted in allowing one of the greatest social agencies to be destroyed. ACORN.

You would think they would have learned their lesson but the Sherry Sherrod incident exposed them as nothing more than Fuc News little pussies in the WH.

WTF happened.

[NorthCarolina]

18. Hillary?? WTF? She's as much DLC as Obama. No thanks....

I've had more than enough of DLC New Dem politics.

[Jakes Progress]

20. But, but. She's better than mccain.

Isn't that the new Democratic rallying cry?

I know is is probably futile to believe that politicians ever learn, but if anyone has had the opportunity to learn how to treat republicans, it would be Hillary. I doubt she would have spend two years trying to get John Boehner to love her.

[Tutankhamun]

21. A lot of his drive to be "bipartisan" and woo Repubs is a front.

Look at HCR for example. Obama received a TON of cash from medical/insurance establishment. No way was he going to jeopardize their efforts to continue bleeding the middle class. No single payer, and public option was off the table.

They said they didn't have the votes, but then they used reconciliaton which easily gave them the votes. No matter. Still no single payer or public option. Instead a big fat gift to the insurance indu$try. And who's to blame? Republicans "forced" him to do it.

It's just a massive game of good cop/bad cop.

[Skittles]

17. no, he doesn't

[Moostache]

22. NOTHING will change until there are riots in the streets...

AND EVEN THEN, with the provisions of the Patriot Act and the Gestapo-like powers of the government, expect the first million or so protesters killed/jailed/silenced to be painted as "radicals" and "insurgents" and "terrorists".

The ground work is already laid and the die cast...in the first battles of this class war, the middle/working class lost decades ago and has not had a true champion since before the current era. Ultimately, this plays out only one way...open rebellion of the majority against a smaller and smaller class of ruling elites. They have proven time and again that enriching themselves at the cost of EVERYTHING else - stability, security, even maintaining a viable fucking planet - is THE single organizing principle of their pathetic existence.

The really sad thing is that when the history books are clarified 100-150 years from now, long after all of us and our children and grand-children are long dead and gone, the people of the future (assuming we make it that far) will shake their heads in disbelief and ask the simple fundamental question that seems to evade our current leaders - WHY? Why would you allow yourself to be played like a $50 whore? Why would you sell out your countrymen and your nation's future to a bunch of sociopaths, hell bent on ideology and greed? Why would you continue the charade of the "free" markets, when everyone knows they are nothing of the sort?

I was long ago resigned to the fact that history would never record my name nor remember my meager contributions to the species, but if I were in the position of Barrack Obama, with the power to actually improve lives and save the soul of a terminally afflicted society, I would like to think I would act with more resolve and more compassion. He can change history but lacks the courage to stand and fight. I hate the right wing nuts jobs more than most, but I have to give them this much credit - they are bold. They may be bat-shit insane 99.9% of the time, but they are committed to their cause in ways that Democrats can only envy - and THAT is why I can't sleep at night....

[Name removed]

23. Deleted message

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[Kweli4Real]

24. Oops ...

I must have stumbled into Freeperville this morning. Note to self: Take a sip of coffee before opening computer.

[bkozumplik]

25. its not freeperville, cheerleader

its reality. Ignore the discontent at the great peril of the entire party.

Keep up the "everyones just mean, but everything's really fine" meme, and see where that gets you.

[Kweli4Real]

26. It may not be freeperville, but ...

the comments here are not much different from the comments there.

Call me a cheerleader and take off on simplistic characterizations of what I haven't said all you want; but at the end of the day, what will that get you ... other than a fellow democrat/progressive/liberal that wants to tell you to kiss his ass.

Us democrats/progressives/liberals are self-destructing in our discontent; and rather than work to affect the change we want, or even take out our venom on those that really mean this nation harm ... we come home and bitch and moan. We, with an almost gleeful voice, tick off the many, many sins, slights and offenses of our "leadership" and we do it in OUR house. That's really sad; but I think that's just the way we are built in this society.

[Skittles]

29. we thought we DID work to effect change

THIS is what we got

[bkozumplik]

30. the time to make demands of our party is NOW

Now is the time to make our party love conditional. If they go down, we go down, thats true, but the reverse is also true.

Unless our party leadership just wants to be done altogether, then they need us. Since they needs us, we can ask for some promises. After the election is too late to ask.

The time to make demands, and yes, to bitch about their behavior, is NOW. There is no later. Your input only matters for a very brief period every 2/4 years.

Come on, lets ask for things, and get the to admit that they havent been doing a good enough job.

Dont just blindly support them.

[slay]

27. Obama would make a great Republican president

seems most of his priorities are theirs anyways. hell he's even got his own war now. the rich, huge corporations, giant banks, all seems to be doing quite well under Obama. how bout you? i know i'm not.

[RainDog]

28. the truth hurts

most democrats today are to the right of Eisenhower.