dagblog - Comments for "What Tools Does Obama Have Left?"

Good question, Doc, but I

AmericanDreamer — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 16:06:51 +0000

Good question, Doc, but I think that you're running down the wrong path.

I think Doc is raising a critical, not to mention welcome!--question, of how the White House intends to try to govern and get things done between now and the election. I don't think that can be disentangled from the need to give people positive reasons to vote for him and for Democrats next fall. Both the optics--does Obama look as though he is busy and doing things rather than low energy and maybe depressed by the weight of what he's up against?--and the substance of what he's able to get done matter a great deal, I believe, for the chances for successful presidential, and inevitably Congressional, campaigns.

In part this disagreement may be one of semantics, because I see proposing legislation the Republicans will block, especially as we get closer to the election, as part of both governing and campaigning. (elaborated on in a comment on your current thread on Why Vote for Obama?) Proposing and fighting for legislation that will be blocked I see as part of governing because governing effectiveness depends critically on how you are perceived by the public, your congressional supporters, and your adversaries, and those in turn depend on what they see as your values and what you are trying to do. If you're too vague and too ambiguous and too mushy on who you are and what you're trying to do, that can hurt as well as help, and I think it is on balance probably hurting Obama at this point.

Let's face the matter

Flavius — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 07:36:00 +0000

In reply to I'll comment at 1am Wednesday

Let's face the matter squarely.

As a commercial people should

We've learned no end of a lesson

It will do us no end of good.

Kipling

Wisconsin is a gut check. The country is not hungering for a strong liberal lead from Obama ....... but it's not ready to endorse the Tea Party. Yet.

This will be unpopular here, but Obama should just keep on being Obama. If he now recasts himself as a tribune of the people, rather then generating additional votes (from whom?) it will be seen as a desperate, and insincere, change of policy. His strong suit is being an "adult" no drama Obama. It's too near the election to recast himself as LBJ so he's got to continue being Barack Obama. Which is fine with me.

Replace Geithner, yes. He is only popular with people who wouldn't consider voting democratic. Don't worry about getting senate approval, no one will whom we ought to want in that position. And we don't want Geithner there. Give him several fulsome attaboys and throw him under the bus. Leave the Department under the nominal leadership of whomever is Geithner's highest ranking subordinate.

But appoint Brad Delong as a special assistant to the president to actually run it. The President is entitled to direct the Treasury and if Mitch McConnell intends to abuse the Senate's right to advise and consent, Obama is entitled to make an end run around it.

Maybe I'll write more elsewhere, this is enough for a comment in someone else's blog.

Bearing in mind that I never

jollyroger — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 22:13:40 +0000

In reply to Yeah, I agree on that, VA.

Bearing in mind that I never heard anyone but a black person use the expression, (which does not, per se, exclude the possibility that it is a racist slur directed at white people), I will cheerfully revise and retract, in the spirit of good fellowship, and substitute "punk", which is more evocative and more closely tracks my opinion of the esteemed occupant of 1600 Pa. Ave.

Obey/Cho, please comment

Michael Wolraich — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 21:16:24 +0000

In reply to Obama could offer the

Obey/Cho, please comment under a consistent username. Thank you.

Good question, Doc, but I

Michael Wolraich — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 21:11:56 +0000

In reply to What Tools Does Obama Have Left?

Good question, Doc, but I think that you're running down the wrong path.

It's August 2011. The election is just over a year away. The Republican primaries will begin in a few months. Even a president with a sterner backbone and a less dysfunctional congress wouldn't get much done at this point.

Obama will employ the tools at his disposal to try to get re-elected and to try to get a few more Democrats elected.

And that's where the bully pulpit comes in. It's not about weekly radio addresses. It's about giving people a reason to vote for him and for other Democrats.

My original comment went on to address the reason, but I decided to turn it into a post: http://dagblog.com/politics/why-should-you-vote-obama-11272

Obama could offer the

J. Bauers — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 20:41:50 +0000

In reply to What Tools Does Obama Have Left?

Obama could offer the Republicans their cherished repatriation tax holiday in exchange for an extension of the payroll tax cut, unemployment insurance, and 100 billion in funds for Jared Bernstein's FAST proposal (fixing, retrofitting public schools).

It's a compromise that is hard to swallow, since the repatriation holiday is going to hurt revenue long-term, but it is probably the only thing that will bring the GOP to the table. And it is the only thing that will help avoid another painful recession.

Wow, really, Oreo? I'll tell

tmccarthy0 — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 16:03:20 +0000

In reply to Disagreement is in the eye of

Wow, really, Oreo? I'll tell you something jollyroger, what you wrote there is nothing more than any run of the mill racist would write.

Yeah, I agree on that, VA.

AmericanDreamer — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 15:42:29 +0000

In reply to "oreo"? o_O I know you're not

Yeah, I agree on that, VA. Jolly, I hope you'll consider retracting that part of it. You're funny as hell w/o crossing lines like that.

"oreo"? o_O I know you're not

Verified Atheist — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 15:29:38 +0000

In reply to Disagreement is in the eye of

"oreo"? o_O

I know you're not one to stand on formality or anything, but even for your particularly relaxed style of writing that feels like crossing a line...

You two--jolly and AT, the

AmericanDreamer — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 15:00:18 +0000

In reply to Disagreement is in the eye of

You two--jolly and AT, the Sultan of Style and the Nabob of Nuance--crack me up. I have an image of you two as Felix and Oscar-like (from the old TV show and movie "The Odd Couple") roommates from awhile back. If there is ever a FTF gathering of dagbloggers, I bet you two could pull off a hysterically funny comedic gig.