How Obama should govern
By John Amato Monday Nov 10, 2008 3:00pmAs you've noticed there are a lot of Villagers trying to tell the world that this is a center right country and Obama better watch out because he will be punished if he listens to his left wing base and tries to govern what he got elected on. Please, give me a break. When Obama ran on the theme of change, he was talking about leading the country away from a failed Conservative platform from Bush that has led this country into ruin for the past eight years while the entire Conservative community cheered him on. And the Limbaugh crowd can chant all they want that they must become Conservatives again. You were and you lost.
Here's a message to all the Villagers. Change means going in a different direction. I may not agree with all of Obama's choices as he moves forward, but that doesn't mean he's supposed to be frightened by the cackling sounds being made by the DC insiders or bow down to the "conventional wisdom" crowd and fear for his political life.
Paul Krugman reads the situation correctly:
Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2008, is a date that will live in fame (the opposite of infamy) forever. If the election of our first African-American president didn’t stir you, if it didn’t leave you teary-eyed and proud of your country, there’s something wrong with you. But will the election also mark a turning point in the actual substance of policy? Can Barack Obama really usher in a new era of progressive policies? Yes, he can.
Right now, many commentators are urging Mr. Obama to think small. Some make the case on political grounds: America, they say, is still a conservative country, and voters will punish Democrats if they move to the left. Others say that the financial and economic crisis leaves no room for action on, say, health care reform. Let’s hope that Mr. Obama has the good sense to ignore this advice.
About the political argument: Anyone who doubts that we’ve had a major political realignment should look at what’s happened to Congress. After the 2004 election, there were many declarations that we’d entered a long-term, perhaps permanent era of Republican dominance. Since then, Democrats have won back-to-back victories, picking up at least 12 Senate seats and more than 50 House seats. They now have bigger majorities in both houses than the G.O.P. ever achieved in its 12-year reign. Bear in mind, also, that this year’s presidential election was a clear referendum on political philosophies — and the progressive philosophy won.
{snip}
Helping the neediest in a time of crisis, through expanded health and unemployment benefits, is the morally right thing to do; it’s also a far more effective form of economic stimulus than cutting the capital gains tax.
So a serious progressive agenda — call it a new New Deal — isn’t just economically possible, it’s exactly what the economy needs.The bottom line, then, is that Barack Obama shouldn’t listen to the people trying to scare him into being a do-nothing president. He has the political mandate; he has good economics on his side. You might say that the only thing he has to fear is fear itself.
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President-Elect Obama has earned political capital that Failure-in-Chief Bush only dreamed about. When Bush won a squeaker of an election in 2004, with minimal majorities in the HoR and Senate, I don't remember any of these talking heads say Bush needed to govern from the center.
The "country is center right" is a meme the repubilcans have been pushing since before the election. However, the simple fact remains that Obama won the white house and democrats increased the hold of the congress by running to the left of the republicans. Get use to it cons.
Ralph Nader
Between Hope and Reality
http://www.counterpunch.org/nader11032008.html
Nader should have stuck to something he was good at, consumer advocacy. His every 4 year "look at me" campaign is long past its due date.
how corrupt is the system into which we commit our futures. He doesn't TELL us, he SHOWS us the impossibility of competing effectively--winning votes--when your platform is systematically excluded from the 'coverage' of any political contest.
He's gone from automobile safety to democratic safety, is all.
about as many people as Bob Barr.
If he believed in the principles he espouses, rather than in his own aggrandizement, it's long since past time that he went quietly away. At this point, he's doing the cause of a third party far more harm that good.
'Course from my perspective, "Uncle Tom" Nader's damaging the prospects of a third party is a good thing.
The perfect place for Nader is head of the EPA!
Nader would accept a position in anyone else's administration, even if one were to be offered?
It's kind of funny to hear all these folks who were wrong so long and so frequently, coming out now and offering advice to the one guy who has been right all along.
This left/right/center stuff is just noise to try to give them some credence. It's the noise losers make.
i am grateful that obama will lead us out
of this disaster bush/cheney and the fucking
reichwingneocons have left this country in and
i for one look forward to the changes and
progress the obama administration will bring.
the nay-sayers and gop pundits can
put their heads back up their collective
asses and either participate in moving this
country back to an honorable and moral
state in the world or stand in their
self-inflicted and continuous circular
skeet-shoot.
Krugman is great. The only thing to add is that most people in this country, fortunately, are not obsessed with ideology. If the new policies work, then most of the people will get behind it. We just need positive results in the first term. I am hopeful.
The CIA released all their code names for the Obamas today
Barack-Renegade
Michelle-Renaissance
Malia-Radiance
Sasha-Rosebud
And the first dog will simply be rrrrrrrr.
Sarah Palin came up with the names, she wanted to call Barack, "Maverick", and Michelle, "Rawhide".
Strange how big business and the right have pushed us into a "consumer economy" that relies on people consuming their products and then refuses to pay its workers enough money so they can buy things. How does that work? It is obviously not sustainable any more than dumbing down the populace and making higher education unaffordable is.
Sick people who do not have access to health care can't work either. The insane system they tout as the answer to everything is putting America on the endangered species list.
I have little doubt in my mind that Obama has rejected most of the ideas that got us into this fine mess.
to President Elect Obama, many coming from people who will see a tax hike. Mirth making!
Obama is going to do what he is going to do. He has had plans, he has a sharp mind and he has surrounded himself with people who have intellect. And he has shown me he has compassion and empathy.
He will do fine.
I voted for Pres-Elect Obama because I thought he could make his own decisions.
We've already suffered through Dubya, who took all his direction from Cheney.
Let the man take office. It's only Novemember.
I guess everyone can use this opportunity to tell the President-Elect the best way to run the country but I think the "Mittens" is the only one who realizes the he will paid no attention to so he went ahead and shot his load of total crap:
http://www.sadlyno.com/
"He [Obama] should dismiss the people who helped him win the election and bring in people who are above politics and above party."
And Mittens would be the sage in this situation why? If he knows so damned much about what should be done, why couldn't he win his own party's nomination?
Are you asking me? You did see that I called what he had to say a "total load of crap" right? I just thought is was weird that he would suggest that Obama should dismiss everyone who helped him and I suppose that includes the voters.
A whole lot of people put their trust in him last Tuesday and he has mine too.
I attended a celebration party last Saturday evening with many Moveon.org Obama supporters. I met lots of new people. It was a lot like being in a big house with all you guys here at C&L.
I've agreed to host a Moveon.org event at my home on the 20th of Nov. with 20 people to watch a live feed from Moveon and to have a group discussion about where we'd all like to see
BarackPresident Obama take the country.I believe he was elected because the majority of the voters are scared shitless about the recession we are in that will probably deepen into potentially a depression. Having a roof over your head and the heat on in the cold winter, food to provide for you and your family, decent schools to send your kids to, and yes, a job that is meaningful, productive and pays a fair wage, a decent health care system to turn to when you or someone in your family gets sick are all things every American wants and needs.
I'm a nurse and worked in various hospital settings for the past 30 years. Many health problems we have can be handled by nurse practitioners. Surprisingly, there are also lots of problems that can be corrected with a change in lifestyle. Let's face it. If certain individuals with, let's say, high blood pressure and adult onset diabetes would simply change their diet, take a 30 minute walk every day, quit smoking and drinking excessive amounts of alcohol etc., the odds are good that their blood pressure would level off and their blood sugar would return to normal levels. This is a classic example of the work a nurse practitioner, under the direction of a M.D., could provide.
I'd like to see President Obama send out a team of medical professionals on an international fact-finding mission to see which elements of which countries systems function the BEST at the most affordable costs. Then hopefully The Obama Administration would be able to take the best models they found and simply replicate them here in the United States.
But there is one thing I truly believe President Obama will have to resolve to do if he wants to deliver quality health care (including the preventive measures delivered by nurse practioners and others) to the American People. He must deep-six the medical insurance companies and all middlemen who are in the "healthcare" business FOR PROFIT.
Unless we resolve to take the PROFIT out of the healthcare system in our country, we will NEVER reach our goal of delivering quality healthcare to all Americans.
WE WANT TO BELIEVE YOU!!!
a new, new deal must be instituted....within the first 100 days
and when el druggo, hannity and any of those others start talking marxism....lock em up...under a new alien and sedition act
they dont want to close gitmo....good....lets stick all the wingnut talkers there
rendition is good
and then, we wont need a new fairness doctrine
btw....i believe that the rnc is still closed...hannity is still using the same talking points from the days before the election
of the political terms:
"center"
"conservative"
"moderate"
"left"
"liberal"
"right"
These are mere labels, which have no real content, and which mean different things to different people.
Their use precludes real, honest, substantive debate.
They are best relegated to the category of pejorative.
I agree with you, "They all suck":
These terms have become so overused, abused and misattributed as to have no meaning. The Republicans are the ones who have redefined these words over the years, equating "liberalism" with "socialism", "progressive" with "radical". The Democrats have allowed them to get away with it.
Here's what I think might be useful: redefine "the center".
In America people define the Democrats as left and the Republicans as right, but they are way off the mark. The rest of the world sees the Democrats as center-right and the Republicans as right (with some far-right thrown in).
Since these two parties have shared power for 150 years, let's just admit, shall we, that objectively, America is a center-right country. What we need to do now then is redefine "center" so we can all move left together.
The real left-wing involves such things as state ownership of the means of production, large-scale central planning and mandatory division and allocation of labor.
Taxation to provide revenue for government services, unions, minimum wage, government-backed universal healthcare - these concepts are not left-wing, they are in the center. Let's call them that and get to work.
the NEOCONs and the republican followers are havng a hard letting go of the proverbial steering wheel.
they have had their way for 8 yrs. they're coming off their high and they don't like it. many talking heads are trying to suggest what obama and his team should do. take the financial/stockmarket. some of these people want obama to give some direction so they have some self-assurance. sounds reasonable to some but why should he stick his neck out now? obama and his team have a lot to do. they are currently looking at the problems/questions and the possible remedies. some people do need/want answers but there are some that want obama to trip and fall. it's starting already. they don't want him in power for a second term. i personally expect obama will undue several executive orders for instance stem cell therapy/research and environmental issues. i feel there is a POSSIBLE strategy to slow him down by the opposition. why because a lot might get done/accomplished that a small group of people won't like.
We don't need a new "deal" with the same, old, sweaty, stained, shaved cards.
We need a new deck.
Fresh cards.
Obama and the Dims are just gonna re-shuffle the same old cards. You see it in the faces around the Pres-El. They named Mike Lux to the transition team? A former Clintonista, but Cool, he's got lib chops ...so who else is there to argue for and promote 'progressive' issues, liberal ideas.
Name Krugman to Treasury, why not? Nobel Prize-winner. Who could argue?
Name somebody to the Fed who is NOT an investment banker. Ron Paul?
Name a real 'green' to the Interior. Hunter Lovins...
A Union guy to Labor. SEIU, AutoWorkers, one of them...
Bill Ayers for Sec Ed.
I'm only half-joking here. Pres. Obama is gonna get just one chance. One.
You'll do what, exactly?
Write some furious comments on C&L? That'll show him....
Vote Republican next time around? Throw away your vote? Stay home?
Protest because President-Elect Obama is not doing exactly what you want?
This anxiety is pretty universal. But, by my lights, we just installed a pretty impressive representative of us, a good human being, into the office of the President.
I really think that he will, in the least, do what is possible. And perhaps this includes things that we are too practical, or timid, to imagine at this point...
True enough, but we'll see...he will be more practical than progressive...starting with his cabinet picks...bet you'll see more "conservative White guys" than Amato wants !
one, a jr high that i attended, is just a few blocks from my home
the new deal worked...it helped to create the middle class
it built america from the ground up
our manufacturing base is now at pre ww2 levels
no country can survive without making anything
you stagnate...just as we have done the past 8 years
He shows us once again why he won the Nobel Prize!
I hope Obama looks to this guy as often as he can.
Yes, Krugman does rock.
Spot on John. What we don't want is to have a repeat of 2006 where the Dems got the election "on the get us tf out of Iraq" promise but then just cowered in the corner pissing themselves because they "didn't have a fillibuster proof majority."
We are so deep into the wrong direction that *any* change of direction is getting us out of it. The point is it's GOT to start NOW.
"You might say that the only thing he has to fear is fear itself."
Or you could say that the only thing President elect Obama has to fear is a bunch of white conservatives giving him advice.
Somehow, I don't think I'm going to worry too much about the influence of conservatives on Obama. Unlike Bush, he's got way too much intelligence and strength of character and self-control to be afraid of the chattering of frustrated hate monkeys. He'll do what the country needs doing, let other people argue if that's a liberal policy or a center policy or whatever label policy someone wants to stick on it later.
And he doesn't need a Darth Cheney to be telling him what to do or pulling his strings from the shadows, either. Biden - unlike his recent opponent - actually knows what the office of Vice President is supposed to do. And what it's not.
I'm not worried about this. At. All.
I do think that our entire history of US politics when framed by world political views shows we have right of center - authoritarian elected officials.
I would recommend looking at The Political Compass and visually see the full picture of our small political spectrum framed by world politics.
How Obama should govern?
By Fiat.
I used to love driving those little cars.
Dear Barack,
Whatever Bush did, do the opposite :-)
One can only hope that most Americans accepted the McCain/Palin attacks and realize they voted for a Marxist. It's kind of silly to argue that a Marxist would be "center-right," so it follows that Americans will be angry if Obama doesn't nationalize or collectivize everything.
Welcome to the People's Republic of Obamastan.
"oh really",
Have you read the Communist Manifesto lately?
If you had, you would see how far away from Obama and the Democratic mainstream Marxism really is. If you want to share in the real work of the new millennium (now that it's really begun) get your political terms really straight.
Cheerio.
Those who believe that America is a right of center nation must never have heard of some things called the American Revolution and the Constitution of the United States.
He is wall streets nig ger. they paid his way. they own the media. he just has to suck satans cock for the rest of his life. Or he will see his little girls taken and put in a child sex slave trade. fair choice if your a born nigg er.
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