I love this headline: Obama puts his trust in government

[liberal N proud]

And the sub heading is even better: (unlike Reagan)

The president-elect, unlike Reagan, says Washington is the solution. His economic stimulus plan may be just the beginning.

Reporting from Fairfax, Va. -- Republican Ronald Reagan once quipped that the most "terrifying words" in the English language were "I'm from the government, and I'm here to help." Democrat Bill Clinton proclaimed in a State of the Union speech 13 years ago that "the era of big government is over."

But in an address here Thursday, President-elect Barack Obama said government was the solution.

Obama's speech had a practical political purpose: coaxing lawmakers into quickly passing his massive stimulus plan aimed at reviving the economy. But there was another message embedded in the text.

In his 17-minute talk, Obama previewed what he wants his presidency to be. Rejecting decades of rhetoric casting government as an impediment, he vowed to do more than pull the nation out of its economic downturn. His aim, he said, was for people to drive cleaner cars, study in modernized classrooms and live in buildings powered by wind and sun. The agent for transformation on this sweeping scale, he said, is government.


http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/newsletter/la-na-obama-economy9-2009jan09,0,537152.story