Health Care would have been a hard sell, even in the best economic conditions. The same corrupt system would have fought to kill it, no matter what. But pushing Health Care reform in the middle of an economic crisis didn't help.
I wrote back in the Spring/Summer of 09 that more attention should have been given to job creation, particularly as part of the stimulus legislation. But Obama got bogged down on Health Care, and allowed all sorts of other distractions.
Now Obama is paying the political price for not keeping his eye on the ball (the economy and jobs) over the past year. He almost squandered 2009. Some suggest that he wasted the past year. I won't go that far. But he certainly got bogged down dealing with Health Care non-reform and the Republicans. Now I hope that he understands that Republicans are obstructionists. They wanted to make his first year so difficult that he wouldn't have much to show for his first year in office...and would be seen as faltering leading into the mid-terms. It's amazing how Republicans were the primary culprits in creating the crisis, yet they successfully put the problem in the laps of President Obama and the Democrats and made them the bad guys in the eyes of voters. (And the Dems didn't challenge that nearly as hard as they should have). Unbelievable.
A year later... Obama suddenly wants to rediscover the pulse (and the concerns) of the voters. Voters are concerned about the same thing that they were concerned about in September of 2008.. the economy. It hasn't changed. But Obama may be a year too late. It should not have taken the election of Scott Brown for the Massachusetts Senate seat to wake anyone up.
Here is where Obama's agenda stands right now in my view: Initiatives that will or won't become policy
America's Decline Continues (it's like watching a Horror Movie, except you are part of the show).
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• Financial Reform -- Maybe ✔
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• Creating Jobs -- Maybe ✔ (But more on Republican Terms...which may end up limiting success. They will attempt to water down anything President Obama proposes)
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In Afghanistan, the U.S. continues to chase ghosts. Ultimately, you can't fight and defeat an ideology with troops, bombs and tanks. The U.S. has to pour more resources into creating jobs/an economy, combating poppy farming and providing farmers with good paying alternatives, and training Afghans.
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• Student Loan Relief -- Maybe ✔ (Love this proposal...what took so long Mr. President?)
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This doesn't leave Obama with much of an agenda at all. He should focus on smaller goals...and should choose battles that are winnable IMO. He has to also (more important that anything) run a more effective and aggressive PR campaign. If he continues to lose the information war.... allowing Republicans to control the megaphone and the message like they have been... his Presidency will continue to suffer, no matter how many Democratic Party Karl Rove's he reaches out to for help. No one will be able to salvage his Presidency in that scenario.
1 comment:
The key, as was mentioned at the end, is the information war. All the misinformation and disinformation from the previous year has clouded the message(s). That's where the base comes in, especially if they want to see POTUS (and this country) move forward...
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