Obama - Too Little, Too late, Too Cynical

Townhall.com ^ | February 25, 2010 | Victor Davis Hanson

[Kaslin]

The United States may very well owe a crushing $20 trillion by 2020. And thus President Obama last week named a bipartisan commission to find ways to address our national debt.

Such a Periclean response might sound sincere and worthwhile. But it comes 13 months into this administration -- and only after Obama added nearly $1.5 trillion in new borrowing in 2009. And by the time the new deficit commission submits its recommendations at the end of this year, the current 2010 budget will have put us out another $1.5 trillion.

The president not that long ago ran on the theme of fiscal sobriety. During the 2008 campaign, he took advantage of the public anger over the Bush deficits that had climbed to an aggregate of $2.5 trillion over eight years. Now, though, he looks to trump Bush's eight-year record of red ink in his first two years.

Obama also just invited the Republican opposition to a summit at the White House to iron out differences over his stalled health-care legislation. Such a "let bygones, be bygones" group discussion likewise sounds like a good idea -- given the climbing cost of health insurance and the millions who cannot afford it.

But the problem again is that such outreach comes too little too late -- more than a year after Obama began his unilateral effort to have the government assume much of the nation's health-care system. A year ago -- with a supermajority in the Senate and basking in the swell of the November 2008 election -- Obama didn't worry much over the lack of Republican input.

Instead, in partisan mode, he issued a series of deadlines for his party to ram through his own preferred reforms -- first by the August 2009 vacation, then by the Thanksgiving recess, then by the Christmas break, and so on.

A couple of fence-sitting Democratic legislators, who alone could block passage, were to be bought off with awards of multimillion-dollar earmarks. Meanwhile, the president himself reportedly ridiculed angry tea party protestors as "the teabag, anti-government people." He, it appeared, did not worry too much about the opposition.

Recently, a petulant Obama blasted Washington partisan politics, the media and congressional inaction. In his January State of the Union address, Obama deplored "the partisanship and the shouting and the pettiness" by "politicians (who) tear each other down instead of lifting this country up" and "TV pundits (who) reduce serious debates into silly arguments."

Other administration supporters lamented the Republican resort to the filibuster.

But once again, 13 months ago, the upbeat president had little bad to say about one-party governance, pundits and politics. And there was no criticism of the filibuster -- which in early 2009 was considered irrelevant anyway, given Obama's supermajority in the Senate.

So what's behind Obama sudden embrace of statesmanship?

A year ago, a newly elected President Obama enjoyed a 68 percent public approval rating. There were substantial Democratic majorities in both houses of the Congress. Presidential press conferences were little more than media lovefests. Apparently there was no need to reach out, when a bold, new liberal agenda for the country seemed a sure thing.

But now? Obama consistently polls below 50 percent. The Senate supermajority was lost with the stunning win of Republican Scott Brown in liberal Massachusetts. A grassroots conservative tea-party movement helped put Republican governors in Virginia and New Jersey. And polls show that the November 2010 elections might result in the largest Democratic setback in a generation, with possible losses of both houses of Congress.

Pundits of both parties now fault Obama's style of governance. Public protests express disapproval over out-of-control federal spending and borrowing, and the idea of state-run health care.

So fairly or not, it seems like a panicked President Obama is abruptly scrambling to do what he should have done over a year ago.

But the problem is that a now jaded public believes that Obama is changing both course and tone not because he wants to for the country, but because he is forced to for his own survival.

In other words, the "hope and change" of last year's messiah has devolved into this year's "whatever it takes" of a cynic.

[Tarpon]

Obama, the rude, crude, arrogant Socialist.

[Kaslin]

You forgot p o s

[ReleaseTheHounds]

That’s being unfair to other p o s out there.

[LibLieSlayer]

He beat Bush’s deficit (fighting two wars and 2.2 trillion in damage after 9/11) in less than a year. I stopped reading at that point.

LLS

[Kaslin]

Explain to me why you stopped reading after that?

[Tolik]

Hanson:

... Pundits of both parties now fault Obama’s style of governance. Public protests express disapproval over out-of-control federal spending and borrowing, and the idea of state-run health care.

So fairly or not, it seems like a panicked President Obama is abruptly scrambling to do what he should have done over a year ago.

But the problem is that a now jaded public believes that Obama is changing both course and tone not because he wants to for the country, but because he is forced to for his own survival.

In other words, the “hope and change” of last year’s messiah has devolved into this year’s “whatever it takes” of a cynic.

 

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I don't think Obama embraced triangulation, at least not yet. It's more like a slight of hand to take the attention away from his real goal of  "Fundamentally Transforming the United States of America" . He still might become a Clinton style pragmatist, but I don't see it.

[Tolik]

Victor Davis Hanson:

Just a partial list: http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/victordavishanson/index:

Obama - Too Little, Too late, Too Cynical. What’s behind Obama sudden embrace of statesmanship?

The ‘I Am Not George Bush’ Policy (Another classic VDH smackdown of Barry)

Is there a philosophy of hypocrisy?

Beware of ‘Comprehensive’ Anything - Obama should heed the advice of the Roman emperor Augustus

Where Did Our Real Wealth Go?

The Tragic Truth of War ... Killing the enemy brings victory

The New, Upside-Down War on Terror

Why Did Rome Fall—And Why Does It Matter Now?

Why Fear Big Government? The more of it, the more dangerous and creepy our lives become

The Trouble With Elitist Theories. Nobody likes to be lectured by those claiming superior wisdom but lacking common sense

Victory — How Quaint an Idea! Defeating Islamic terrorism is not only definable and possible, but closer than ever before

Partisanship, Then and Now

Civilization’s Lies [Victor Davis Hanson on the West embracing noble lies not squaring with reality]

America Rides Off into the Sunset. The only people excited about the “change” in America's foreign policy are the world’s bad actors

Mr. President, Words Matter. Obama, the rhetorician, forgot that people might actually take seriously what he said

Our Obama Saga [Victor Davis Hanson dissects Obama, painfully, again]

The Obamarang. [Victor Davis Hanson dissects, deconstructs, ridicules and demolishes Zero’s lies]

Trashing the Job Makers. The Obama administration’s tax-talking frenzy has left business owners feeling uncertain

Why The Great And Growing Backlash? What Scott Brown’s election portends for the Obama agenda

"Let me be perfectly NOT clear" & "Make lots of MISTAKES about it" [Victor Davis Hanson on Obama's lies]

Truths We Dare Not Speak. Five propositions that simply have become taboo

Beating the Dead Terrorist Horse. September 11 taught us many lessons. To our peril, we have forgotten them

Where Did These Guys Come From? The Origins of Obamism

The Long March From California to Copenhagen [Hanson on debate between capitalism and socialism]

Why Are We Tiring of Obama?

If Iran Refuses To Cooperate, Block Its Ports

Riding the Back of the Tiger [Victor Davis Hanson on Obama not understanding What Causes Wars...]

Who Are ‘They’? To Obama, “they” are responsible for all our troubles. Problem is, “they” are most of us

Afghan Mythologies. We have everything we need to defeat the Taliban.

The Discreet Charm of the Left-wing Plutocracy

Truman and the Principles of U.S. Foreign Policy. Jimmy Carter rejected the postwar consensus. President Obama appears to be following a similar path

Obama and "Redistributive Change". His real agenda

The War Against the Producers

President Palin’s First 100 Days. Imagine if Sarah Palin had Obama’s record

Thoughts About Depressed Americans

Our Battered American [gets angrier - Must Read Rant]

Just a partial list. Much more at the link:  http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/victordavishanson/index

[Sgt_Schultze]

The “historic” president is now only historic because of the color of his skin. The ominous historic nature of this president will soon be that for the first time in US history, the federal debt will exceed the GDP.

[LibLieSlayer]

If you are not going to do the research and write about the truth that is so easily confirmed (or if you outright misrepresent the truth)... then why waste time reading about other things by the author that may or may not be true. I get that from abc,cbs,nbc,msnbc,cnbc,cnn,cnnhln...cnnint... and every major newspaper in America.

LLS

[grobdriver]

Obama last week named a bipartisan commission to find ways to address our national debt

May I offer...?
Stop stealing from our grandchildren!

[DuncanWaring]

The United States may very well owe a crushing $20 trillion by 2020.

Given that the current national debt is on the order of 12.5 trillion, with annual deficits of a trillion or trillion-and-a-half as far as the eye can see, a reasonable projection on national debt ten years out has to be at least $25 trillion.

[cricket]

Clinton style pragmatist - not a chance! Nor is Obama a 'Jimmy Carter' or an 'LBJ'. Yes; this President on a mission and his Contract is 'ON' America. . .not 'for' or with America.

[gargoyle]

...”p o s”, is that an anacronym???

...For POS, people out side, or piece of shhhcrap...