List of Obama accomplishments: 90!?!?

[GRG55]

Re: List of Obama accomplishments: 90!?!?

Activity is not accomplishment...

[snakela]

Re: List of Obama accomplishments: 90!?!?

As usual, well put and I agree almost 100%. Surely neither party is capable of meaningful reform. The one potential problem with a full discrediting of the system is.... the new system is worse. ("We need a strong leader" etc.)

Listened to an interview with Martin Gross on the financial sense podcast. Gross made a decent argument that IS the plan. Think about it, every leader can't be THAT stupid and if they are it wouldn't take much to go find someone that isn't to ask about it. Its calculated and its evil. There will be 1 party eventually but I don't know which.

[ASH]

Re: List of Obama accomplishments: 90!?!?

There have been Presidents who have made changes within the system, similarly Presidents who have changed the system in order to obtain change.

Obama has made many small accomplishments but is acting far too timidly. Big changes can come from a strong leader, or a crazy leader, but they are entirely possible from within the existing system.

Evolution not revolution.

My position is that certain key aspects of the system represent a stable equilibrium, out from which no gradual evolution is possible. Strong Presidents are better equipped to wield power by driving national policy and priorities than they are to reform the power structure itself. Presidents can start major wars or make peace with old enemies; Presidents can erect vast new systems of social insurance or gut time-tested regulatory schemes. But not even strong Presidents can do this without the support of their party in Congress, and when the necessary reforms require Congress to dismantle the system of gerrymandering and influence-peddling which secures safe Congressional seats, no change is possible.

The matter which concerns me the most is the mismanagement of our national economy and finances, because the individual prosperity and liberty of American citizens depends upon the national economy to provide a context in which their labor is valuable, and because no worthy (or, indeed, necessary) public project from right or left will be possible if we ruin our public finances. The big economic problem which I think we face is the distortion of the economy to favor FIRE over production and technical innovation; the big fiscal problem is an abuse of credit that threatens either to divert too much future productivity to the service of debt or to destroy the national currency. I believe that both problems are fundamentally connected to the way that Congress works -- not to big flaws in the Constitutional structure, but to details of procedure and incentive which cannot be corrected by the Executive, and which will not be corrected by the Legislature. The dominance of specific industries and their undue influence upon the public policy and regulation which touch them obviously stems from their ability to assist Congressmen in staying in office. Likewise, our fiscal profligacy is largely due to pressure from the general public for direct payments to individuals rather than provision of public goods -- beyond the level which can be supported by tax rates which the same public is willing to pay. However, in order to reduce the influence of lobbyists in Washington -- or to impose fiscal discipline -- Congressmen would need to give up the primary tools by which they stay in office: raising campaign funds from lobbyists and promising painless benefits to the people.

I hope we can muddle through... in 2009 we've certainly skated (so far) across some very thin ice without a sudden stop event occurring. If we don't muddle through, there will be tremendous sadness, death, and destruction.

I don't, as it happens, have a recipe for perfect government. And I'm not talking about revolution or a complete institutional reset. What I'm talking about are the pathological details of our system which are unlikely to reform themselves if we merely muddle through. Muddling through means most of the same legislators with most of the same connections, subject to most of the same influences. The "change" that I am contemplating does not need to entail tremendous death and destruction -- merely enough hardship to break up the sclerotic power structure in Washington, and maybe look for a different type of public servant; for instance, someone sworn to support the reform efforts of a leader who can articulate why the present system is failing to deliver what voters want, and how the procedural rules must change to ensure government does a better job.

Seriously ASH, you can do better than this..

Clarified?

[c1ue]

Re: List of Obama accomplishments: 90!?!?

I believe that both problems are fundamentally connected to the way that Congress works -- not to big flaws in the Constitutional structure, but to details of procedure and incentive which cannot be corrected by the Executive, and which will not be corrected by the Legislature.

I understand where you are coming from.

I will reiterate though that there are a number of examples of Presidents who fought and/or overcame such hurdles:

1) FDR: called a traitor to his class
2) Eisenhower: the more I read of and about him, the more I am impressed by what he did (and did not) accomplish

I exclude TR because TR was an independent as well as Andrew Jackson because of the different nature of the US government back then (much more fractured).

Obama is not a 2nd term Clinton - there is no excuse whatsoever for him not being able to drive his own agenda through save a lack of will and/or agenda.

[ThePythonicCow]

Re: List of Obama accomplishments: 90!?!?

I understand where you are coming from.

I will reiterate though that there are a number of examples of Presidents who fought and/or overcame such hurdles:

JFK was the last such example, and there is a correlation between this fact and the circumstances of his demise. The Presidency has been pwned.

[Fiat Currency]

Re: List of Obama accomplishments: 90!?!?

JFK was the last such example, and there is a correlation between this fact and the circumstances of his demise. The Presidency has been pwned.

Are you referring to Executive Order 11110 by any chance ?? :eek:

[Orforded]

Re: List of Obama accomplishments: 90!?!?

My take is that we are already controlled by a plutocracy through their lobbyist surrogates that control Washington and all the politicians in it. Further they know that they are in the last throes of sucking the economic vitality out of this country before they move on to greener pastures. (China, India? where there are billions of potential consumers waiting until they qualify to borrow money to buy shit ) Until last week I thought headquarters, plutocrat central, were being set up in Dubai where the torches and pitchfork set couldn't get at them easily. But now I'm not sure. USA I'm afraid is headed toward brown shirt nationalism or Bolshevik revolution depending on which side comes up with the most charismatic leader first.

[ThePythonicCow]

Re: List of Obama accomplishments: 90!?!?

Are you referring to Executive Order 11110 by any chance ?? :eek:

Amongst other things. Cf "JFK and the Unspeakable" by Douglass.

[c1ue]

Re: List of Obama accomplishments: 90!?!?

JFK was the last such example, and there is a correlation between this fact and the circumstances of his demise. The Presidency has been pwned.

Yes, and here's the video evidence... :eek:

[MEDIA][/MEDIA]

[Starving Steve]

Re: List of Obama accomplishments: 90!?!?

Evolution not revolution. Dramatic change is a romantic idea until you have to live through it. Obama has to respect the 43% or whatever that didn't vote for him. Just because he won doesn't give him the right to scrap everything .. this is why we have branches of government and checks and balances.

Seriously ASH, you can do better than this..

Government that is divided into three branches, then divided, up and down, into levels of government is government by grid-lock. That grid-locking of government has led to corruption, so now we have government by bribes from lobbyists.

The theory of the American system of grid-lock sounds so lovely to school kids: "the check-and-balance system". But the reality is: money rules Washington. Money is the grease that makes the grid-lock work for special interests.

Nothing gets done in Washington except those that survive in the system of permanent grid-lock, play politics, and fill their pockets with money from lobbyists.

Change is exactly what America needs, but change will never come under the current American system of government.

[tombat1913]

Re: I'm wondering if Mish is making any sense

This is ridiculous. We don't have a conscript army that suddenly gets disbanded when the war is over. A 4 year enlistment is a 4 year enlistment, whether it's spent in Iraq or Germany or Japan or wherever. The exception is the unfortunate folks who don't re-enlist but have their service involuntarily extended, so if defacto slavery is a solution to unemployment then this arguement has some merit.

[tombat1913]

Re: List of Obama accomplishments: 90!?!?

And let's not ignore his silent little expansion of the war in Pakistan either.

Michael Moore is soooooo slow to catch on to what most observant individuals figured out before Obama was elected, he's a liar.

[Kimmons]

Re: List of Obama accomplishments: 90!?!?

Obama is accomplishing something that is very necessary for the resuscitation of America. He is demonstrating that real change cannot come from inside the system. Obama never could have been a source of "change" because he is a Democrat, and that makes him a creature of the system, just as any Republican would be. A President who relies upon the system for political and financial support cannot possibly reform it, because he has not the power. How can he go to a Congress packed with incumbents and ask them to cease gerrymandering congressional districts and give up earmarks? How can he assemble an economic policy team that doesn't call on the mainstream economic "luminaries" who created this mess and hope to have his appointees approved? By being charismatic and raising people's hopes for change, and by failing, Obama is discrediting the idea that change will come from inside one of the major political parties. As I have said before, the system has to fall apart -- and the current elite has to be completely discredited through failure of basic institutions and jarring hardship upon the American people -- before it can be reformed and repaired. Until the system fails so dramatically that none can ignore it -- and none can pretend that either the Republicans or Democrats have the answers -- the voters required to effect REAL change will not be stirred out of their narrow partisan ruts. Obama is doing America a great service by demonstrating how little difference there is between the Democrats who serve special interests and the Republicans who serve those interests. If he had fought harder to change things, just imagine how much more slowly we'd hit the wall, and how much longer voters would entertain the illusion that change is possible from within the two major parties.

Well put. +1

[MarkL]

Re: List of Obama accomplishments: 90!?!?

[quote=ASH;136822]...i'm not talking about revolution or a complete institutional reset. What I'm talking about are the pathological details of our system which are unlikely to reform themselves if we merely muddle through. Muddling through means most of the same legislators with most of the same connections, subject to most of the same influences. The "change" that I am contemplating does not need to entail tremendous death and destruction -- merely enough hardship to break up the sclerotic power structure in Washington, and maybe look for a different type of public servant; for instance, someone sworn to support the reform efforts of a leader who can articulate why the present system is failing to deliver what voters want, and how the procedural rules must change to ensure government does a better job.[/qTote]

I'm not sure that the "pathology" you're referring to isn't inherent in our system... arguably even inherent in governmental power. I think Obama did "articulate why the present system is failing." The problem isn't articulation, it's execution.

The new guard Senators and Representatives that you suggest, will have to be financially supported by somebody. Whoever financially supports them will either exert some reasonably pull over them, or they will stop financially supporting them and support somebody else... it's built into our system... and arguably the way of power.

If those that provide the financial support are the masses, then we veer towards socialism with radical increases in social programs. I don't know if it's true but I read at one point that Obama's average contribution was $150 via the internet... much much lower than previous Presidents. Care for some free Health Care anyone?

If those that provide the financial support are banksters, the militiary industrial complex or oil barrons you have wars, financial fiascos, and in general the rich taking advantage of everybody else. (Sound like Bush?) If it's even the upper or middle-upper class, you'll have reduced social programs, reduced taxes, and reduced legislation (more "freedom") for businesses, and this will be truest for the segment that gave the most $$. This results in and is the corruption you'd like to get rid of.

I'm no proponent of revolution either, and expect that any change that included revolution might leave us in worse shape than we're in. But the roots of the system go incredibly deep, money is what makes Washington go 'round, and to some degree these problems are inherent in the process.

I doubt a new set of Congressmen instigated by a steeper downturn than we've had will change much. It's a nice thought though.

[WildspitzE]

Re: List of Obama accomplishments: 90!?!?

And let's not ignore his silent little expansion of the war in Pakistan either.

Michael Moore is soooooo slow to catch on to what most observant individuals figured out before Obama was elected, he's a liar.

wwoops! the good ol bait and switch.