How to Squander the Presidency in One Year

[IndianaGreen]

A brutal and devastating column by David Michael Green summed it up best:

Published on Friday, January 22, 2010 by CommonDreams.org

How to Squander the Presidency in One Year

Hey, Conan Obama: How About Now? Can You Hear Us Now?

by David Michael Green

* He does not lead. Americans, especially in times of crisis, want their daddy-president to pick a point on the horizon and lead them to it. Often - especially in the short term - they don't even care that much which point it is. They will happily follow a president whose policies they oppose if he will but lead.

* And if he will demonstrate some conviction. I have never seen a president so utterly lacking in passion. This man literally doesn't even seem to care about himself, let alone this or that policy issue. He doesn't seem to have any strong opinions on anything, a sure prescription for presidential failure.

* He has therefore let Congress ‘lead' on nearly every issue, another surefire mistake. Instead of demanding that they pass real stimulus legislation - which would have really stimulated the economy, big-time, and right now - he let those dickheads on the Hill just load up a big pork party blivet of a bill with all the pet projects they could find, designed purely to benefit their personal standing with the voters at home, rather than to actually produce jobs for Americans. And on health care, his signature issue, he did the same thing. "You guys write it, and I'll sign the check." Could there possibly be a greater prescription for failure than allowing a bunch of the most venal people on the planet to cobble together a 2,000 page monstrosity that entirely serves their interests and those of the people whose campaign bribes put them in office?

* Well, yes, now that you mention it. If you really want to bring your government crashing to the ground, why not spend endless months negotiating with vicious thugs, who will never vote for your legislation anyhow, because they are so entirely devoted to your destruction that they're willing to call you a granny murderer? What a great and winning strategy!

* Another possible strategic move even stupider than deferring to Congress to write major legislation is to cozy up with the least popular people on the planet - including, in fact, the real-life granny killers. Got an economy that is so raw it's leaving thousands in literal peril of losing their lives? Why not draft some legislation to bail-out the people who created that mess and guarantee that they retain their multimillion dollar bonuses?!?! You know, the same folks who are always talking about how great capitalism is and how important it is to take risks! The same ones who are always telling us how awful the government is - the same government that saved them from extinction. Those folks. That's right, bail out with outrageous bonuses the very people who need it least and who caused billions of people around the planet to suffer, while leaving everyone else to fend for themselves! That'll raise your presidential job approval ratings every time! And while you're at it, bring in the much beloved health insurance and pharmaceutical corporate lobbyists, and negotiate a deal with them to craft your high profile health care legislation! What voter can't get behind that?

http://www.commondreams.org/view/2010/01/22-7

[chimpymustgo]

1. It's been a goddam pig fuck.

[proud2BlibKansan]

2. Obama has focused more on politics than on policy

I thought his bipartisanship goal was crap a year ago and it's still crap. Until Obama learns that lesson, we are screwed.

[stellad]

3. " Obama has become the single most inept president perhaps in all of American history"

"He just talks about things, thinks about things a real long time, defers to others on things, and waits around for things to maybe happen."

[golddigger]

4. Ah, no...that was the other shit stain

you voted for in 2000 and 2004.

[Name removed]

8. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[yowzayowzayowza]

10. Goosestepping doesn't qualify as leadership. n/t

[xchrom]

5. Recommend

[IndianaGreen]

7. According to Sen. Sherrod Brown, even now Obama won't lead on HCR

No Obama. No Plan.

Josh Marshall | January 22, 2010, 5:50PM

Brian Beutler interviewed Sen. Sherrod Brown today to get his read on the state of health care reform negotiations and whether or not there's any plan ...

Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) is engaged with House progressives, trying to tease out a solution to the health care reform impasse--but he says that at the highest levels of the Senate and the White House, there's still no plan, and he doubts whether President Obama will insert himself forcefully into the process.

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2010/01/no_obama_no_plan.php?ref=fpblg

Based on his conversations with House progressives, Brown says the mood right now is fairly dour.

"They're very unhappy," Brown admits. "Their viewpoint is it can't be just the Senate version because, first of all, it's not what they want in terms of the substance, and second it really writes them out of having any impact."

Nevertheless, he doesn't imagine the President will lay out a way forward in his State of the Union address next week, and he won't push any buttons in the Senate.

"I doubt if he does, I don't think he'll do a procedural thing. I don't think he will engage in process," Brown said of State of the Union.

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/01/sherrod-brown-still-no-health-care-reform-strategy.php

[xchrom]

11. I had heard that---and it seems consistent with obama's behavior. Ny

[dkf]

6. He cannot let bought and paid for careerists lead anything.

It's all nice and good that he is trying to respect the structure as it was conceived, but the founding fathers didn't have to contend with compromised politicians who have all but forgotten where their true loyalty is owed.

[stellad]

9. The audacity to campaign and the cowardice to lead

It would have been helpful if O had some actual managerial or executive experience...

[jaxx]

12. That's exactly what the repugs said.

And now we have it on DU?

[Grinchie]

13. He squandered it in 4 months in reality.

Everbody seems obligated to give someone who is going down the wrong path a chance to correct their course, but is this case, they just let him sail the Titanic into another disaster.

The writing was on the wall when the DLC infested his administration from Day 1, and the DLC Corporate Rats ate all the remaining food, spolied it with their filth, and left nothing to plant for next years harvest.

This administration is destined for a big fat fail on the scale of Dubya's, simply because they thought they got to operate like Dubya and get away with it.

Woe to them.

[democracy1st]

22. +1 only a fool couldn't see this bs coming

[undeterred]

14. "You guys write it, and I'll sign the check."

Could there possibly be a greater prescription for failure than allowing a bunch of the most venal people on the planet to cobble together a 2,000 page monstrosity that entirely serves their interests and those of the people whose campaign bribes put them in office?

Right on target.

[Name removed]

15. Deleted message

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[IndianaGreen]

16. I won't change the screen name I took in 2001 just to please a board moron

BTW, you did get the red part right.

[boomerbust]

17. Why thank you

Miss IndianaRed. Keep up the Obama bashing and you will evenetually get what you want.

[IndianaGreen]

18. Criticism of policies is not bashing

Decrying the abandonment of long held progressive principles is not bashing either.

[emilyg]

19. Amen.

[Zoeisright]

20. Wow, that's scarily right on.

That's what is so frustrating about this. Obama isn't liberal enough, and the only choice is to vote repuke, which makes things even worse. I don't think there's any way out of this mess anymore.

[Joe Chi Minh]

21. He seems a bit like a psychotherapist, doesn't he? Helping, coaxing

people to identify their real goals and to realize them. Trouble is, his patients/proteges seem to be the Republican establishment. Treating the wrong patient with the wrong medicine. But then his health-care priorities seem somewhat confused, generally, don't they?