Quote:
Originally Posted by HOZ
From the Economist: Starting to wonder if their endorsement was misplaced
But at home Mr Obama has had a difficult start. His performance has been weaker than those who endorsed his candidacy, including this newspaper, had hoped. Many of his strongest supporters—liberal columnists, prominent donors, Democratic Party stalwarts—have started to question him. As for those not so beholden, polls show that independent voters again prefer Republicans to Democrats, a startling reversal of fortune in just a few weeks. Mr Obama’s once-celestial approval ratings are about where George Bush’s were at this stage in his awful presidency. Despite his resounding electoral victory, his solid majorities in both chambers of Congress and the obvious goodwill of the bulk of the electorate, Mr Obama has seemed curiously feeble.
All I can says is that the man has had no executive experience at all. Not many businesses would have hired him with his current resume. The G20 summit in London maybe he can have a do-over with the gift thingy with 10 Downing Street. Have a read. |
Well, I guess that settles it. Now that you have the imprimatur of The Economist, you can feel free to have at it. Let it be known that HOZ's Obama lovefest is now over.
For the record, I still find the whole thing a little silly. FDR was given 100 days. We're just past 60. Bush was way more "feeble" and far less popular in his first9 months.
Pretending you have the first clue what kind of President Obama will be remembered as is like pretending you have the first clue who will win the Stanley Cup in October. You don't--and you're free to prognosticate if you like, but I wouldn't go betting any of your life-savings on it.
My own view is that Obama's main flaw is that he's too pragmatic and too cautious. But no-one "got duped." That's silly. The only people who thought Obama was a left-wing ideologue were Joe the Plumber and his braintrust. You might remember them from "Kill him!" and "He's a socialist!" The election WAS about hope--but not hope for a massive sea-change in the American polity, just hope for a return to dignity and respect after the idiotic disaster that was the last 8 years. People voted for Obama because he seemed better than Bush. And guess what? He still does.
The problem, to me, is that this is a historical moment that calls for bigger ideas. Why not universal health care? Create a big entitlement program that creates jobs and puts hundreds of dollars a month into the pockets of middle-class consumers? That would be a "Gordian Knot" solution--would definitely stimulate the economy--and would help out the middle class (for whom real wages have been declining since the 60s) a whole heck of a lot.
So to me, he's not swinging for the fences, but a base hit is still a lot better than a strikeout. I sort of think there's a little bit of wishful thinking going on here: like somehow, if Obama fails, then maybe we weren't all such idiots for being on board with Bush for all those years when he was racking up debt through international boondoggles and dragging the American brand through the mud.
Unfortunately, even if Obama fails it won't make Bush a better president. It'll just mean the mess he left was bigger. So.... you may want to cool your jets and start hoping for a different present under the tree.