This won’t make partisan Republicans happy, but I think the economy is headed in the right direction. It probably won’t recover quickly enough to save the Democrats in November, but for Obama there’s a lot to be optimistic about. First of all the President was able to pass his key item: health care. It doesn’t matter if it’s unpopular; there’s no chance it will be repealed while he’s in the White House. Plus, thanks to the way the bill was written most of the truly heinous problems won’t starting destroying the heath care system for a decade. Sometimes it’s good to be King.
Save us Obi Wan Constitution. You're our only hope.
The economy is always the main issue in elections and I’ve thought for months Americans aren’t really angry with the White House; they’re angry about the economy. The Republicans should quit banking on the economy staying in the tank forever and come up with a plan to save the Republic. Obama and the Democrats are a short-term business cycle rebound from bankrupting the nation forever. At this stage it’s time for a Reaganesque “starve the beast” strategy. If Americans want to be sold a populist bill of goods then so be it.
I wrote last month about the Balanced Budget Amendment. This is a very populist bill that despite its economic theory problems is a best solution available to solve the nightmare fiscal situation we’re facing. Let’s be frank. Despite the fact the President has insisted that his health care bill is deficit neutral, it’s not. He’s living in fantasy land. The claim is laughable and reflects what Obama thinks about the intelligence of the American people. Even The Economist, which endorsed Obama’s bill, thinks that it’s going to add to the debt. The GOP should move fast and make the Balanced Budget Amendment the keystone issue in the 2010 election.
Faced with a Constitutional amendment mandate, Congress will be forced to either raise taxes or cut entitlements. The nation needs to make this choice sooner, rather than later. If we had honest leadership we would be addressing these problems now instead of passing it off on some other generation. The only question is can enough people push for this amendment before it’s too late?
If the RNC is any indication there’s not a lot of hope for the GOP. The RNC supposedly doesn’t like big government but they don’t mind it as long as they’re in power. There needs to be a revolution inside the GOP if there’s any hope of tackling America’s fiscal problems.
It’s that time of year again. Time’s Person of the Year will be named in a couple of weeks. After the magazine’s fanatical devotion to Barack Obama it will not be surprising if he’s chosen; however, the President hasn’t been the story this year (unless you’re a “cult of personality” progressive). The economy has been the major issue for Americans, but there’s no single person out in front of the issue. Ben Bernanke and Tim Geithner aren’t exactly Alexander Hamilton and Andrew W. Mellon. Obama certainly hasn’t been in front on the economy. Looking back at the year the Iranian protests were a huge event. It won’t be surprising if Time picks the “Iranian Protesters.” However, I believe it should be Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
President Ahmadinejad won no matter how the votes were counted (one man’s Revolutionary Guard is another man’s ACORN). No nation stood up to Iran when the state was bludgeoning its people out in the street. The new American president didn’t have anything to offer. As Obama gave soaring speeches about opening his hand Iran kept moving right along with its nuclear program. Iran represents a real problem and the world community has no idea what to do with Ahmadinejad. That’s why Ahmadinejad is the person of the year. In a world full of “talk” Ahmadinejad is taking action.
The President is spending enormous political capital on health care reform. The rush strategy that worked so well with the so-called stimulus bill isn’t working with health care. The rush to pass any kind of health care reform makes sense to the White House. Obama wants to cash in his popularity, but it’s probably too late. None of Obama’s major policies have been popular. Even his pick for the Supreme Court is decisively unpopular. The price of change is finally taking its toll on the White House. Obama’s approval ratings are taking a beating and the Democrats are trailing Republicans on the generic ballot. All those Democrats who ran under the flag of fiscal conservatism in 2006 could be gone in 2010 if they blindly support the White House. Now that the president’s popularity is under 50% his ability to bully Congress is diminished.
No one ever said being president was easy. The stock market is starting to surge and housing market appears to have bottomed a few months ago. These are the silver linings to the dark clouds over the White House. While Obama’s hope for enacting major reform may be ending the future still looks bright.
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