By letting Congress cobble together the signature item of his first hundred days in office, the president has made clear that he’s not calling the shots in Washington. As Camille Paglia, one of his most enthusiastic supporters, put it, “To defer to the House of Representatives and let the bill be thrown together by cacophonous mob rule made the president seem passive and behind the curve.”
Obama could have demonstrated real leadership had he, together with leaders of both parties in both Houses of Congress, worked out a “stimulus” package. It might have been just as costly as the current spendthrift proposal, but at least he could have claimed to have taken the lead in crafting it.
Just as Mr. Obama has failed so far as a leader, so too has he failed to bring a new tone to Washington as he had promised in the campaign. He continues to rail against the “past eight years” and accuse his Republican adversaries of partisanship, yet even his own Transportation Secretary, himself a Republican, sympathizes with his former congressional colleagues’ frustration: they “like to be in the room when these things are put together. And they haven’t been. And so I think they were a bit offended by that.”
So, is this the new kind of politics, criticizing those left out of negotiations of partisanship when they have been excluded from participating in legislation with a near-trillion-dollar price tag?
Pete Wehner sums up Obama’s new partisan politics:
Obama himself never made a serious play at bipartisan cooperation. What he did was allow Nancy Pelosi and liberal House Democrats to write the legislation. Republicans were shut out. And once the legislation emerged, Republicans were asked to come on board.
It’s as if president believes bipartisanship is when Republicans support of Democratic policies.
No wonder his rhetoric has become increasing partisan as a supermajority of Republicans, standing true to their conservative principles, balk at his spendthrift plans. And now, as Jennifer Rubin puts it, “Even liberal and mainstream reporters are growing weary of the president’s partisan rhetoric.”
His partisan rhetoric is a reflection of his governing style. He yields to the most partisan members of Congress to draft important legislation. And by letting them take the lead here, by failing to include Republicans before signing on to the Democrats’ proposal while faulting his ideological adversaries for their principled stand, he showed that his politics are not new. That is, unless you believe partisan grandstanding to be a novel form of governing.
Leadership? Are you kidding me? Obama is still in campaign mode; that is all he knows. He has never been a leader in any meaning of the word. Right now, Nancy Pelosi is running this country, God help us. Pray that at least two of the turncoat Republicans come to their senses and help filibuster this economic disaster.
I’ve heard His Majesty is pitching a new book. The working title is:
“LEAD FROM THE REAR, THE OBAMA WAY!”
It’s going to be a long 4 years.
He learned well from Clinton. Style trumps substance. Obama can campaign for the next 4 years. Do lots of photo ops and diss the press whenever possible. His “press conference” was a joke. At no other time would the press stand for being called on from a list of names. Virtually no followups. I wish I knew how Pravda worked with the old Soviet dictatiors. Even the two black reporters who were sat down in the front row, were upset they were just “props” at that presser.
Gene, you can help us out by voting OUT Arlen Specter in the 2010 GOP primary. That will mean one less RINO in the Senate.
Regards,
Peter H.
As it turns out: Sarah Palin was absolutely right about Obama.
But GPW: Obama “listens” to legislators’ concerns… before he knifes them. Doesn’t the arrogantly detached, but sympathetic-appearing “listening” make up for it everything?
“Obama Listens to GOP Concerns” is very like an adulatory newspaper headline I saw the other day, stressing the alleged “bipartisanship” of the Great Porkfest. I can’t find the article, but it was along those lines. The media doesn’t report on Obama; they campaign for him.
#7 – ILC, that reminds me of the ofttime-used “listening tour” that Shrillary employed during her campaign. Why do Dhimmicrats use “listening tours” when they don’t listen to a danged thing that is brought up?
Then again, if you have a “listening tour” and get an earful from a constituent (hello, Joe the Plumber), then you are called a hatemonger.
I’d rather have a politician tell me what they are going to do, rather than use focus groups to determine a course of action.
Regards,
Peter H.
Sadly for the Republic, I just don’t see the “leadership” nor the “change”. Madame deFarge…errm, Pelosi…is obviously calling the shouts and ran rough-shod over the House Republicans from Day-One. Reid in the Senate froze-out the moderate Republicans and conned the liberal Republicans from Maine and Pa. …All the while “our leader” fled to the blue-collar countryside and took refuge in claimimg he had won the election, hence a “mandate”.
A few Blue Room cocktail parties do not bipartisanship make, gang.
Obamessiah had a once a generation opportunity to set a new course for the Republic in new energy sources and uses; exciting new technologies for infrastructure…and he blew it letting Pelosi and Reid conduct politics-as-usual. Even Jim Cramer sounds more rational than the WH is fixing the financial mess.
I will be voting against Spector next year. There are rumors that Toomey may again challenge Spector in the primary. It is time to win with conservatives or lose with Democrats. From then forward, the choice becomes stark and clear. Now that the Dems control everything, and most rinos lost in 06 and 08 we have clear choices.
LOL. Oh, it’s going to be a LONG decade for you GOPers. You’re bitching and moaning now about trying to fend off George W. Bush’s depression? I can’t imagine what you’ll be saying in 8 years of Mr. Obama’s reign. Good luck to you all…you’re going to need it to fend off the near-certain heart attacks coming your way.
#11 – Did someone just fart? It smells rotten in here.
Regards,
Peter H.
11: “LOL. Oh, it’s going to be a LONG decade for you GOPers. You’re bitching and moaning now about trying to fend off George W. Bush’s depression? I can’t imagine what you’ll be saying in 8 years of Mr. Obama’s reign. Good luck to you all…you’re going to need it to fend off the near-certain heart attacks coming your way.”
Arlen? Is that you?
Heh – Judd Gregg comes to his senses, withdraws from Obama Cabinet consideration:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/gregg_withdrawal
You’ll have to help me since I was edumacated in Mississippi public schools.
1) If we’re nowhere near your dear Carter’s malaise, how can you call it a “depression”? The only depression that I can see is that Chairman Obama’s about to crank the deficit up to an astounding 13.5% of the economy.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123440436240475615.html
What’s more, not a damn one of you assholes are even capable of defending it without vapid lying points.
B) You assholes set the standard that Clinton couldn’t be held responsible for ANYTHING once he left the Oval Orifice. Am I to understand that the same standard doesn’t apply to Bush since he left office?
Maybe Stephen Hadley should ripoff some documents from the National Archives and Bush could poke Chris Wallace’s leg and all will be well, eh?
TGC,
Don’t fall for the bile from my fellow Ohioan,
For all his strengths and weaknesses, this isn’t President Bush’s fault, the Republicans tried, in their bumbling way, to slow teh Fannie Mae train. Unforunately Barny Fwank and his ilk were at the front of Fannie (insert joke here) and we got ran over.
Since the legislation died in the senate, why doesn’t bnl, tell us where then-Sentators Obama and Biden voted on legislation to curb in Fannie mae. Oh wait, he can’t because facts to libs are like sunlight to roaches.
Interesting how the leftists here aren’t around much to comment on the ineptitude of the Dems this first 100 days. The bumbling Obama administration is comical to watch. Anyone have any ideas who Obamas THIRD chocie for commerce sec will be? Hopefully not a tax cheat, lobbyist, reluctant senator who didn’t realize what a socialist Obama is.
Word is Gregg sat in on one cabinet meeting and looked around and got chills. It was like the bar scene from star wars. Big spending socialists. He opted out. He came to realize the promise of bi partisianship was just another Obama lie, like no lobbyists, transparency, no crooks and tax cheats, all lies. I would like the leftist insight on all these fumbles and bumbles the first THREE WEEKS of the chosen ones administration. And by the way…..how did the leftists like the Soviet style, Castro style news conference?
Oh, it’s going to be a LONG decade for you GOPers.
Not quite as long as it will be for the Obama culties, as they watch Dear Leader screw up one thing after another.
I’m already loving it, in fact. 🙂 It’s thrilling to watch lefties make utter fools of themselves, e.g., passing ruinous spending packages that only 30% of Americans want. It’s fun to ‘be right’ about most of the things I’ve predicted on this blog. Of course, given a choice, I’d rather the world didn’t have to live under leftism with all of its misery and terrible human consequences. But, let’s face it, large parts of the world have asked for it, or need the suffering in order to learn. What I’m saying is: clouds have silver linings, and a happy, responsible person takes them when they come.
It has been 3 weeks since Obama inherited this mess.
1) Bipartisanship and statesmanship needs to be evaluated in a historical context Lincoln, Churchill and Ben-Gurion all came to power during periods of extreme political and economic flux, each man made noted mistakes, most in the first 100 days (yes, even our beloved Lincoln had learning curves). Yet we evaluate them not based on individual events but on over all performance. Even in the micro moments of 3 weeks Obama has over seen 3 major peaces of legislation and received the backing of the U.S Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Manufactures for the stimulus plan.
2) The Economy – lets look at a bigger picture again America has kept up an unsustainable fantasy of excess – with out even going into the sub-prime crisis, please look at American delusions about tax’s. By first world standards Americans pay amazingly little in tax. As a result America has a Education and Health Care system that is a joke – or it would be if the consequences were not so crippling… you get what you pay for.
And yes, G. W. Bush does have to answer for the state of the economy. We got to this point because we got involved in wars that are costing us the shirt on our back! If you are angry about taking on debt then you should have been chucking the tantrum long before now… only the fools who could only see there own back fence, didn’t see this on the horizon.