Better check with our next President, Ken: he's having none of your negativism. Said President-Elect Obama at today's press conference to announce his economic team:
So I am extraordinarily pleased that Melody Barnes, one of the most respected policy experts in America, will be serve as my director of domestic -- the Domestic Policy Council, and that she will be working hand-in-hand with my economic policy team to chart a course to economic recovery. An integral part of that course will be health care reform, and she will work closely with my secretary of Health and Human Services on that issue [emphasis mine; President-Elect Barack Hussein Obama, press conference, Chicago, 2008.11.24].
Obama mentioned health care reform as a key part of economic recovery in response to a subsequent question as well. Health care reform is totally on Obama's radar... and it has to be.
Some folks may wonder how we find the money to pay for health care reform in addition to an economic recovery package. They miss the point: Obama is telling us that we need to pay for health care reform as part of our economic recovery. Ken is wrong; there is no better time than right now, this crisis, to make health care more affordable for every American.
A few hundred billion to pay for check-ups, pills, and heart operations—hey, sounds better than handing that money to gamblers on Wall Street.
A few hundred billion to pay for check-ups, pills, and heart operations-hey, sounds better than handing that money to gamblers on Wall Street.
ReplyDeleteSounds better than handing it to for-profit "insurance" companies, too. If wisely invested, such money will eventually more than pay us back in the form of lower medical costs. We hope.
The key words here are "wisely" and "hope."
Cory, I have to confess a certain unease about the profligate spending that is being proposed by Dems in Washington. It seems too hasty, and things done in haste rarely look "wise" when viewed through the diverging lens of hindsight.
Everyone in this country will eventually have to face higher taxes, as well as dramatically higher costs for energy, if all these new programs are implemented. But how high can taxes and energy costs become before our children and grandchildren revolt against them, and against us?
I am also troubled by the way some people look at Barack Obama as a secular Messiah. I think this attitude is irrational, like the behavior of the people in Jerusalem on the Sunday before Good Friday. Expectations for this man have risen so high that he can never possibly meet them; when he falls short, the people, true to historical form, may well crucify him.
Obama's messianic complex was an integral part of his campaign and message, and that's why many people voted for him. They didn't care what he said, he was their messiah. Well, now he has the Presidency and his supporters and nonsupporters have him, and he will turn out to be human after all, a victim of circumstances created by him and by his campaign and by the economic problems we now face.
ReplyDeleteEnough with the Messiah meme, kids. "Messiah" is just the Right's sour grapes label for "darn good leadership." Do I get to disdainfully brand Bobby Jindal "the Messiah" when he rises up to lead the GOP with promises of change in 2012? No. We're not talking magic or spirituality; we're talking policy. I do not believe Obama is touched by God. I do believe that Obama is better equipped intellectually and temperamentally than anti-intellectual GOP ticket he beat and the anti-science GOP administration he will replace to gather evidence and good advice and formulate good policy solutions.
ReplyDeleteProfligate spending? Remember, Stan, Bush started it with $700 billion for failing banks. At least the Dems are looking at putting money into programs that might do some good. Plus, the original bailout was rushed in two weeks; at least Obama's plans are being worked out over a couple months.
Obama encouraged the messiah complex that people have for him. I do NOT believe he is touched by God either in a special way, but many of his supporters DO. Remember his early rallies where he had people fainting; his rallies were just like the old-time revival meetings, and Obama did nothing to discourage this type of thinking. In many peoples' minds he was their savior from poverty, from high gas prices, from supposed discrimination and racial bias, etc etc. Remember the lady who said after his election that she would no longer have to worry about her rent or gas prices; he would take care of all that?
ReplyDelete"Messiah" is just the Right's sour grapes label for "darn good leadership."
ReplyDeleteObama hasn't taken office yet. How do we know what kind of leader he will be? We can spin theories, of course ... If he proves to be a "darn good leader," then the Right will have plenty of sour grapes to chew on. If he proves to be anything less ...
I agree: Bush was one of the worst when it came to profligate spending. (Now I had better look up that word, "profligate," to be sure it fits here.) The irresponsibility of the Bush administration, plus more deficit spending in the next four years (at least), will add up to a real long-term problem.
Maybe the Blue Dogs like Stephanie Herseth will keep things from spiraling completely out of control.
"How do we know what kind of a leader he will be?" I'll grant that doing the job is different from getting ready for it. But so far, in the 20-odd-month campaign and in the current transition, Obama has demonstrated a leadership style that includes a desire to listen to and understand different perspectives, a passion for organization, and a willingness to surround himself with smart people. Those items are all on my "Good Leadership" checklist.
ReplyDeleteShort definition of leadership: the ability to get people to follow. Obama's done that, too, and done it better than the folks he and his sprawling campaign machine beat out for the job.
Anon 7:42,
ReplyDeleteI don't think Obama has a messianic complex himself, but some of his followers seem to act that way. And, as Cory points out, some of his right-wing opponents have derisively tagged him with the term "Messiah."
Cory 7:58,
I agree that "Obama is better equipped intellectually and temperamentally than the anti-intellectual GOP ticket he beat and the anti-science GOP administration he will replace." I don't understand why so many of my GOP colleagues seem to wear anti-intellectualism on their sleeves as if it were some sort of pride symbol.
Cory 1:37,
Never have I seen anyone with more ability to attract followers than Barack Obama. I suspect that when he takes office, his very presence will ease the fears that are (in my opinion) fueling the economic crisis.
Don't you think, Stan, that some of Obama's ability to attract followers was because of the promises he made of give-aways and tax refunds etc, and playing to the racist and victim philosophies?
ReplyDeleteAnon 4:40: "racist and victim philosophies"? I think you're confusing Obama with the other ticket. :-D
ReplyDeleteAnon 4:40:
ReplyDeleteDon't you think, Stan, that some of Obama's ability to attract followers was because of the promises he made of give-aways and tax refunds etc, ...
Yes.
... and playing to the racist and victim philosophies?
No.