Bachmann Overdrive

So, let’s ask Ms. Bachmann how much she is spending of the government’s money to deliver this speech. The fact that the Republican majority in the House is allowing this to happen speaks to their complete and utter subservience to this fringe movement. This is just pathetic, and a complete show of disrespect to our President and her own party. Maybe Sarah Palin can write a rebuttal to Ms. Bachmann’s rebuttal?

Bachmann’s Response Will Push Tea Party Goals – NYTimes.com.

Some next-day reflections on Ms. Bachmann’s speech:

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/01/26/tv-watch-michele-bachmanns-rogue-rebuttal-defies-unity-theme/?hp

Despite searching for ten minutes I could not locate any commentary on Ms. Bachmann’s speech on Fox News website (www.foxnews.com), only the video of the speech itself. Hmmm.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41262130/ns/politics-capitol_hill/

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/24/michele-bachmann-state-of-the-union_n_813362.html

http://www.usnews.com/opinion/blogs/robert-schlesinger/2011/1/23/bachmann-state-of-the-union-response-shows-gop-message-problem.html?s_cid=rss:robert-schlesinger:bachmann-state-of-the-union-response-shows-gop-message-problem

Meet The Press, Dec 5: McConnell, Kerry

This was a great show. David Gregory is becoming a great influence, despite what Senator McConnell said on the show:  Meet The Press: McConnell, Kerry, roundtable.

Possible New Path to Bipartisan Agreements??

So, do we call it a compromise? Smart politics? Waffle? Sell-out? Cave-in? Breaking a campaign promise? Either way, it is a tough set of decisions for President Obama. Granted, he secured lower taxes for all of the people he wanted, he secured continued assistance to the unfortunate folks without jobs, and he made a deal on payroll taxes that will benefit many (including this writer). But was this the right deal for the country, for the people and for the Democrats? Not sure. In this age of deficit reduction and economic uncertainty, keeping the taxes the same for everyone and cutting payroll taxes was probably a bridge too far – the deal will mean another $900 B added to the debt just like that. The compromise to get this bill crafted feels too much like a thumping. As I stated earlier in a comment, President Obama should have threatened a veto and let the government ground to a halt in the name of standing up to key values, such as equity. How much have the truly wealthy compromised in the last two years?

As the article suggests, will this be a pattern? Let’s hope not.

Possible New Path to Bipartisan Agreements – NYTimes.com.

Amended 12/13 – In retrospect, this was a pretty good step by Mr. Obama. The tax bill is a major compromise for the president, but he really needed to go this route in the face of Republican opposition. Besides, Republicans wanted permanent extensions of the wealthy, and they did not get it. Of course, we will see in 2012. The key for Mr. Obama is to make sure he stays in the driver’s seat rather than continually reacting to what the Republicans want. With ownership of the WH and the Senate, he should be able to do this.

The Obama Inheritance – The Bush Years Just Keep on Giving

Would you accept an inheritance today that would cripple you with taxes and debt next year? Or an inheritance that would constantly remind you about how bad things can get? Depends, I suppose, on your view of the ultimate value of that inheritance, but you would certainly not relish the idea. Any hesitation in accepting the inheritance would be understandable especially if those around you sought your failure to successfully re-invest the inheritance.

Such is Obama’s dilemma. This is not new news….it was clear in January 2009 (and before) that Mr. Obama was taking on a significant challenge. Any number of news articles articulated this challenge, and books were hot off the presses which enumerated the effort that would be required to turn things around. George W. Bush left President Obama a mess – the economy, Iraq, Afghanistan, the budget, foreign policy…the list goes on.

But what is different in late 2010, now that Mr. Obama has had almost two years to fix things? If you focused your attention on the newsstands only, you would think that nothing has improved. The debt and deficits are out of control. Unemployment is still too high. We are struggling in terms of a respected foreign policy. We cannot even win the Olympics or the World Cup. Certainly there are positive highlights out there; the economy appears to be – ever so slowly – turning around, GM has re-issued its stock, Iraq is moving in the right direction, Afghanistan is still a possible success, health care is improving, etc.

However, what is really most notable is that – despite the challenges confronted, and Mr. Obama’s vigorous response to them – he really has very little chance to succeed. The very politicians who bequeathed him the American inheritance in the first place are the same people who are making it difficult for him to make the necessary improvements. Imagine that? The Republicans gave Mr. Obama a declining inheritance, but they actively are preventing Mr. Obama from taking the necessary steps to make the inheritance worthwhile. So, the giver continues to give!

The Bush inheritance has given Mr. Obama a United States of lower stature around the world, and yet the Republicans claim that the President is wrong to qualify “American exceptionalism.” Why must we say we are better than everyone else? It is time to realize that we are part of a broader and inter-connected world. Listen to the Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao.

The Bush inheritance has given Mr. Obama the worst deficits and debt in American history, and yet the Republicans are whining that the President is trying to “cut” the taxes of the upper-middle class in this country, the people who supposedly drive American growth. If taxes were the substantial engine that drove growth, then how is it that we lost so many jobs in the last five years with those taxes so low?? Give me and the rest of America a break. Make some economically conservative choices. Otherwise get the hell out of the way so that we can start to make tough choices.

The Bush inheritance gave Mr. Obama Iraq and Afghanistan, and yet the Republicans use Mr. Obama’s tough decisions in these arenas as a platform from which to question his moxie and commitment to US armed forces. Let the guy lead. Let him listen to the military. He is C-in-C. Deal with it.

Mr. Boehner, McConnell and the rest of you…..the country is a mess. Mr. Obama inherited the mess. He did not create it. Work with him to fix it or get out of the way. But, then again, that’s your plan, isn’t it? Use the very inheritance to bring him down – and let the Bush gift just keep on giving.

Solution for Deficit? Can Anyone Make the Call?

If these latest NY Times articles are any indication, a solution for getting a handle on the deficit is a long ways off. The debates will be full of rhetoric, half-solutions, unreasonable demands and demagoguery. Along the way, it is fairly certain that the people will have a very small voice in the process. But whatever voice “the people” have – that voice will be sending mixed signals. No easy solutions – and the solution seems to be based on whether you would rather have tax increases (generally on someone else’s income level) or spending cuts (as long as it does not cut any programs that matter).

To fully appreciate the process,

first read: Ok, You Fix the Budget

then read: How Readers Chose to Fix the Deficit

The second piece provides some insight into how almost 7,000 would work on the issue of trying to reduce the budget deficit. Not an easy issue.

Will We Riot Too?

Today, the co-chairmen of a bipartisan commission in the United States published a draft set of recommendations for how we might be able to get a handle on our deficit and crushing debt – an economic tsunami that all experts agree must get addressed. The commission’s final report is not due until December 1, and it must be reviewed and accepted by the full commission. The commission has no actual power, but will provide recommendations to Congress.

Already, various commissioners are questioning some of the initial recommendations. Why? Because many of the recommendations are political hot-potatoes that will likely be debated incessantly for many congressional sessions. Recommendations include a complete revamping of the tax code, reduction in all tax rates (in exchange for closing of loopholes), 15-cents-a-gallon increase in the gasoline tax, and Social Security benefits cuts and an increase in the retirement age. Clearly, the commission is hitting all of the hot-button issues.

We all know that something needs to be done. Many people have been suggesting some of these changes for years, but political lobbying, a volatile electorate, and the focus on military expenditures over the last decade have ensured that nothing has happened. Now, clearly, something will happen. The “reformed” Republican Party that is supposedly now more fiscally responsible, the ascendancy of the Tea Party movement, the rising cacophony of the expert opinions, and common sense tells us that there will be many debates that will result in some action. What action? I suppose that is the question now, isn’t it?

So, will we riot when the recommendations become actual government decisions? Should we riot?

Although the cultures are different and the decisions are different, the European experience gives us some insight into what we might expect. Maybe there will not be blood, but there will be protests. Maybe those protests will get ugly. The decisions may be that tough. But do our politicians – and do the people – have the toughness to make something happen for the good of this country?

So what has happened in Europe? First, the government of Greece announced austerity measures to help address significant economic issues related to heavy government debt and financial instability; then Greek protests led to violence and deaths. More recently, the French government decided to adjust the age at which French workers become eligible for their state pension. French workers showed the French leadership that they were none too happy. Now, in Britain, students have raised a ruckus due to significant increases in university tuition. This comes after the British government announced other “austerity” measures designed to – like the Greeks – get the economy under control.

Ok, so Europeans generally like to protest more than folks in the US. They have more passion, free time and historical precedence. But the US has had its share of protests, so we are not immune. We reserve our significant protests to what really matters, and this may be that time.

The changes are coming. We need to make some sort of change. All sectors need to “feel the pain,” right?  After all, without doing anything wrong, many of our houses are worth less, wage increases have been smaller, and yet taxes are still due and college must be attended. We as a country need to address these issues – with or without a riot.

[Amended on 11/12: just another example of how tough this will be, which is another example of what can go wrong when the moderates get booted; and for the liberal perspective on the commission and its recommendations, see Paul Krugman’s lashing. But we need to start the conversation somewhere, right? ]