Sunday, February 15, 2009

And they’re off

Point of Order: Ok first off to Ensayn Reality for bringing his folk to the shop, having a glass of grape, his folk spending loot and supporting free enterprise.

I don’t know if I am the only one noticing, but doesn’t the folk around Obama seem to be taciturn, and maybe in disagreement of the manner in which he has so far addressed foreign policy and the economy? I mean in his own administration. First the Vice President statement that "there's still a 30 percent chance we're going to get it wrong." Then there were the two days of bumbling starring Tim Geithner on the Hill. The former New York Federal Reserve president, who looked the opposite way of Wall Street and all the breakneck and feckless behavior that has our economy where it is today; as well as the man who had a major role in letting Lehman Brothers fail, is looking more each day as incompetent in his ability to both make any decisive economic action, let alone serve as the point guard for Obama's economic proposals.

Now I won’t lie this at Obama’s feat, since the only part he had in it as an enabler was signing that first bail out bill. But as I have indicated above, I can at Mr. Geithner. What I can do is with Obama is study his plans, which seem to me a bunch of Malarkey, especially for a man so insightful with respect to history. Geithner basically threw the Obama administration under the bus basically asserting that they had no plan in place for the economy – which is really Geithner’s job description. Just like it seemed when The Vice President said what he said. I just wonder if Obama, didn’t expect this, seeing we knew whit Biden thought of Jones two years ago?

This is one reason I, as in a prior post by comment suggested and agreed with several readers that the current President is more akin to FDR to me than Lincoln. I would have hoped that this revisiting of the great depression would have been coupled with examine the position of Hans Morgenthau. Sixty years ago Morgenthau published Politics Among Nations, which systematized the notion of political realism. It was based on his experiences as the treasury Secretary for FDR. Morgenthau admitted that the New Deal approach of spending did not work and was short term; that no amount of spending at the government level helped in the long run. He admitted:

"We have tried spending money. We are spending more than we have ever spent before and it does not work. And I have just one interest, and if I am wrong ... somebody else can have my job. I want to see this country prosperous. I want to see people get a job. I want to see people get enough to eat. We have never made good on our promises ... I say after eight years of this Administration we have just as much unemployment as when we started ... And an enormous debt to boot!" [Source]


I have basically decided to respectfully disagree with the Obama approach. I was down before any plan or non plan was presented. But what got me was what he said during his economic press conference February 9, 2009 “At this particular moment, with the private sector so weakened by this recession, the federal government is the only entity left with the resources to jolt our economy back to life.” He had said something similar a month ago on January 8, 2009. It was the government that got us in this mess. It will only be solved by us on the ground, by saving, buying from one another and insisting that they stop shelling out loot for the sake of spending. It took us years, decades to get into this and most likely ten years to get us out of this mess - if the FDR years are any teacher.

As of now I expect it will be us on the ground, the foot solders that feel the brunt of our economic woes. For they seem to be jockeying for position in the Obama administration, and doing so on two fronts: the economy and foreign policy. Secretary Clinton is not even in the dog pit yet, but best believe she will soon. We all suspected that the Lincoln cabinet building approach was tenuous and fifty fifty at best. Yep it is on us because they are in the starting gate and they’re off.

32 comments:

Traveller said...

This blogger's back, and I have a new url. A few comments,
1) Obama has created an energy of hope, yes, however how mush does he care to maintain? He allowed an openly homophobic minister to give the god speech at the inauguartion, and what's he going to do to redress the wrongs the victims of Katrina have been facing with tenacity?

Anonymous said...

You know me...

Obama never had the good will of the people in mind, if it superceded Big Money. All that fluffy populist speak was just that... words.

I hope that the rest of the Sheople soon wake up to the fact that he is little different than his past 7 or 8 predecessors when it comes to whom they were beholden (and it ain't the American people).

I knew when he appointed Geithner that this was just more of the flaxing of America and my tax money. The rich will take care of the rich and those like Obama will try their best to live off their crumbs.

Shit. He deserved it.

Babz Rawls Ivy said...

Hnmmm.

Interesting.

Anonymous said...

I wish more folks was listening to you because I agree with you 100%.

Curious said...

You wont lie this down at Obama's feet? He is the President, this is what he signed up for. This is all his responsibility.

If any of this works, he will receive all the glory and if it doesn't, the blame. Meanwhile like you said it's going to be us who are the foot soldiers or the pawns who will have to make the biggest sacrifices over his actions.

I just wonder if a man can't even pick a dog from November up until now for the kids, then what other decisions will he be unable to make without having to ponder over and over or have others make for him.

All-Mi-T [Thought Crime] Rawdawgbuffalo said...

Traveller
true and long time no see, where have u been folk?

BuelahMan
he may but we dont we need them to get shit done

Lovebabz
yes it is

blackgirlinmaine
wonder what would that change honestly

Curious
I said ALL of the blame but u are right - y im so hurt over his current approach

Mac Daddy Tribute Blog said...

Obama and his administration needs to think bolder about the bailout. We need new banks and new bankers in charge to taxpayer monies, instead of the jerks that got us in trouble in the first place. If Jackie Robinson can stop a public bank with crumbs, we can build one with all the cash of the government. Then we can do anything we want: foreclosure; develop procedures we want; loan the money out at our discretion. And people will have confidence in it, because it's run strictly by the government.

I got no confidence in the present arrangement with the banks. Nonetheless, I wish Obama well.

rainywalker said...

Really what helped save us was not so much FDR but WWII. We can either do it your way [which makes the most sense] or send 10 million soldiers to Afghanistan.

Faith at Acts of Faith Blog said...

Ok so we know PBO is a politician and he has flaws. He certainly isn't a Bush. I do wish that he would get his administration in order and stop teetering to and fro. Actually I just realized he's a Weeble. He'll tip far left or right but he won't fall down. He'll sell all of us "hope"mongerers down the river first. I actually think if the climate wasn't so hostile and maybe if the people of this country really united loudly enough we'd get more of the things we need. He alone won't be able to dismantle white supremacy or the greed and corruption that runs this country. If you look back Reagan set it up for the economy tanking by lowering the tax rates of the wealthy and all those Rethugs wanted to change the laws in their favor. Short term gain for long term losses. Clinton sold out just as many Blacks but because so many of us aren't politically savvy we didn't even realize it until it was too late. It's good to question things. Although I supported his campaign, like Michelle and the girls, think they're all cute blah blah, that's not going to help me thrive and survive. I also say that he's surrounded himself with enemies and people who don't owe him anything and won't be loyal to him exclusively. That was very very stupid on his part as if he somehow believes his own press release. So is he naive or a total fraud?

KELSO'S NUTS said...

Torrance:

I'm with you and Buelahman, as usual, with the caveat that I'll lay as much or as little blame on Obama himself right now,prospectively or retrospectively depending on how much decision-making we find out he actually did and how much was a merely a George W Bush-style sign-off on something prepared by his political team.

Your discussion of FDR and your Morganthau quote illustrate exactly why Keynesian fiscal flexibility (along with it's monetary policy equivalent, currency neutrality), I exactly the right tool to use for short-term stimulus, with a corresponding tight policy to promote savings and investment parity in times of plenty.

The way Lord Keynes, Morganthau, FDR, Galbraith, Tobin, Okun, Krugman and any number of neo-Keynesians would have (or do) seen these three "stimulus/bailout/whatever" thingies Bush and Obama have put together is not short term stimulus. It's a couple of crumbs for the people short-term and systemic Reaganomics in its "long-term stimulus" plan.

Keynes, Galbraith, shit even Marx and Engels, accepted the notion of the business cycle. That's why fiscal policy they felt should be continually flexible and big loosenings should only happen in dire times.

How Geithner, Summers and Obama and all of the Democrats including the Black and Progressive House caucuses pass off Reaganomics as long-term economic stimulus for the middle-class is a joke. It's a shell game. It's why those snake-oil salesmen in the Old West are so funny: such obvious con jobs which claim to solve every ill of mankind.

If anybody thinks a very porky $700BN with a maximum of 9% going short-term into peoples' and small businesses' pockets is going to do anything short or long term, when 1000 times that figure is turned over every day in US-linked f/x, straight debt and swaps, that person is telling themselves that the moon is made out of green cheese.

I know there are some very nice and well-meaning people who believe that a lot of this will go to the local level for infrastructure repair and to fund industrial "green"-technology development. Maybe a tiny trickle will make it to those areas of endeavor.

But where's the specificity? It's clear how the largest banks' share is to be allocated and what the rules are. THEY HAVE NO RULES, JUST SUGGESTIONS TO BE LESS GREEDY AND NICER.

But where are the rules specifying exactly which infrastructure products the Governors' and Mayors' councils have decided are the most important? What are the bidding rules? It's it open-outcry auction? Silent real time auction? Silent one-time auction? Silent "Dutch" auction? Tell me how?

Tell me then what percentage of the projects will be allocated to states where collective-bargaining is a must and what percentage to states where its optional.

And what about this "green" technology business? Who's in charge of deciding which companies will get the R & D funding? What do you do with a company like Ford Motor which has already gone deeply into low-and-no-emissions luxury sedan production? Do you reward them for having foresight and being great corporate citizens by refusing their third of the bailout money? Or because they're all set with their foreign subsidiaries for their green tech can you forget about them? Just let Chrysler and GM fuck it up! Or do something really assholish and reward Toyota and Nissan in the "right to work" states!

Once you start asking questions you realize what bullshit the package is and how many holes there are in a lot of the "theory" guiding the administration. The only immediate effect I can see is inflationary, but that's just me.

As for Biden, I knew this would be a short-term love affair. Biden is too crazy and at the same time too knowledgable about foreign policy, the judiciary, and is a civics whiz. Obama, I knew, could only take Biden's insults and his mastery over detail Obama doesn't have access to for so long. Obama's kind of fond of winging it which is good and bad in ways. Biden, on the other hand, is a prick.

Biden was thought to be playing a role as Obama's liaison to the Senate but that hasn't worked out. I do think, however, that Obama's skill at being a House and Senate Whip when he needs to be has freed Biden to do something very important that Obama's "winging it" had really fucked up: the US's relationship with Russia.

Coming from a Russian family and having lived there I can say without any hesitation that Obama will never get along with Medvedev or Putin. To do any sort of business with Russians you have to show them your vulnerability, your strength, your resolve, your humanity, and your insanity.

Maybe I'll save the reasons why that is for an RDBR show some time, but that's how it is and Obama is not comfortable with himself enough nor does he have the personality to do it. What makes Biden such a dick is what makes him perfect for the role of instrumental ambassador to Russia and the FSU.

I still say it was a decent pick even though I don't care for Biden's personality nor many of his views. That stupid remark Biden made about Obama two years ago and that Obama was able to overlook is not necessarily a sign of diplomacy on Obama's part. Biden was a good strategic choice but these choices seem to follow a weird pattern with Obama -- he cozies up to Right Wing Democrats and Republicans who dislike him and gives the high-hat to progressive Democrats and libertarian Republicans who like him. Maybe it was that Biden had to apologize to Obama for them to work together whereas Obama would have had to apologize to Howard Dean for THEM to work together.

This all could well be old men grinding axes and acting like children instead of doing the business of the people who put them into power.

Anonymous said...

Kelso,

but these choices seem to follow a weird pattern with Obama -- he cozies up to Right Wing Democrats and Republicans who dislike him and gives the high-hat to progressive Democrats and libertarian Republicans who like him.

I cannot help but believe that he is one of them. Actions speak louder than words, and his actions are quite clear. He is NOT a progressive and when his rhetoric is closely scrutinized, there is always an out available.

Those who claim he is Left or even a Centrist are fooling themselves (or, more aptly, have been fooled).

Hope you are doing well...

clnmike said...

Yeah things are off to a rocky start and Geithner.......man that dude.

However I still say it is too soon to throw the baby out with the bath water.

The man can not upturn the principles of which the economy is based on over night whit the GOP ready to fight ever step.

Of course he has to work with them in order for them to get on board.

This will take time.

Amenta said...

Respect T, gotta come back and verse with you for real.

KELSO'S NUTS said...

@ BUELAHMAN (sorry Torrance, for some reason my comments don't get put up on Buelahman's site, this is our park bench until I figure out the problem)

I've never been under any illusions about Obama's ideology. Not only didn't he join the progressive caucus, he didn't join the BLACK caucus!

What I find weird is that Obama is way closer to people who have publicly trashed him like Lieberman, McCain, Graham, and Biden than he is with a guy like Howard Dean who pulls a lot of weight who was a great sport about arranging a no-hassle summer and convention despite Obama's having come into Dean's house in New England to help Lieberman beat Dean's college buddy, the DEMOCRAT, Ned Lamont.

If Obama was so "anti-war" where was he when Lee, Kucinich, Jackson-Lee and Paul were the first to stand up to Bush and say no way?

I have to draw the conclusion that Obama's own views are so close to Lieberman's, McCain's, Graham's and Biden's that no insult could shake him off. Meanwhile, Dean's kind of populist-libertarian blend is so untenable that despite how supportive of Obama Dean was, Obama just can't deal with him. Or maybe it's because Dean is so closely associated with gay rights? OK, he's allowed to be homophobic. There's no law against it.

So, why didn't he campaign for Jim Martin in Georgia? Martin was more progressive than your usual Southern Democrat but was more conservative than Sheldon Whitehouse or Bernie Sanders.

Ultimately, it's not all THAT important to me in the way that I prefer Balbina Herrera to Ricardo Martinelli or Guillermo Endara for president down here, but the USA is the USA. They're big, they're wounded; they have nuclear weapons. You always have to keep an eye on them!

Anonymous said...

Hey, Kelso!

You can't post at my blog? Since when?

No banning from me, buddy.

I am not at all surprised to see the rightward move of Obama, even after his rhetoric.

After I saw him make that speech for the DNC convention and heard the NEXT DAY plastered all over the MSM that he was "presidential material", etc, I knew we had been set up.

After I reviewed his comments and attitude towards the Gazan and Palestinian conflict, now hear what he says... he is a shift-changer, and yes, just like those you named.

So it comes down to what I say over and over and over...

When will the sheople wake up and see that they are being fucked... even by the black guy.

Sheople are so ready for a black guy that they would have selected the closest thing to it they could get... Obama.

So, again, I'm glad a black guy can be elected, I just wish it were the right black guy. Someone who actually had the American people at his heart and focus.

Barack Hussein Obama has HIS interests as his focus. Never forget that.

Unknown said...

I don't know squat about economics...so I have to take someone at their word...and it Wont Be Tiny Tim!

But you sir, I will believe.

Anonymous said...

I don't know how else to say it Torrance. It's just some bullshit: piled high, pressed down and running over.

mp1 said...

He sounds like he's channeling Kennedy. Kennedy said, "Our problems are man-made; therefore they may be solved by men. No problem of human destiny is beyong human beings."

Swap government with man. Sounds like hella big voernment to me.

We got into this, now lets rely on them to help us out. They're not giving us reason to hope with what they're saying though. There's got to be more substance here. Otherwise, we and our children are screwed.

Keith said...

All Good Points as usual. I'm distressed that he seems to be going out of his way to reach out to people who like you said are his sworn enemies and not likely to come around to his point of view. (Make Sure you stop by my site tomorrow,I've written extensively about the so called Bi-partisan Republicans. Field Negro wrote something about this in his post today- "The Soft Negro" that you might find equally interesting.


As for this stimulus bill itself..
I don't think any results from it are going to be seen until late next year...which means, we are headed for some lean times this year. I dread the summer that's coming. I no longer think we can spend our way out of this either...and I'm hard pressed to figure just what can be done if anything other than waiting for the
economy to "right itself" ,which also maight not happen this go around.

Katrina said...

Well hopefully things work out.

Anonymous said...

I enjoyed the audio discussing Obama and Lincoln. Perhaps this is considered OT for this blog entry, I don't know the etiquette really.

So much is being spun in the media as everybody searches (including Obama) for somebody from the past to identify him with. Since this past September, most people have been struggling to put our financial situation into perspective. The more uncertain times are, the more people need a reference point.

If you consider McCain's choice as a running mate, he chose the most random female he could find to try to counter Obama's strategy of Change. Palin was a female so that was change and he gambled on swinging some female voters.

Now the change has happened at breakneck speed and folks are scared witless. Perhaps Obama is trying to counter that by throwing in as much status quo as possible. It's counter productive for him that the uncertainty has magnified it so that his every motive is questioned so thoroughly. Whether it is counter productive for us to do so is a question that I am sure will keep pundits busy long after I'm dead and buried.

Unfortunately, in doing so he is risking alienating a lot of people who still think change is the way to go. How much change can a nation go through all at once? Or perhaps the better question will soon become, how much change do we have left?

Anonymous said...

Perhaps Obama is trying to counter that by throwing in as much status quo as possible. It's counter productive for him that the uncertainty has magnified it so that his every motive is questioned so thoroughly. Whether it is counter productive for us to do so is a question that I am sure will keep pundits busy long after I'm dead and buried.

Or perhaps this is what he always was and was easily and recognizably seen through the fluffy rhetoric (I saw it long ago).

Unfortunately, in doing so he is risking alienating a lot of people who still think change is the way to go. How much change can a nation go through all at once?

All of it. We need to all Corporatist Control change policies (especially the Military Inductrial Complex: which Obama simply will NOT even address).

Or perhaps the better question will soon become, how much change do we have left?

Again, all of it. The only real solution is to TRULY change the way DC does business. Unfortunately, you can tell from Mr Obama's words, deeds and appointments that he has no intention of changing anything that will harm those who are his owners (Big Money).

He will NOT go against Big Banking or Big Military. Big Military is over 56% of the US overall budget (and that is just the stuff they tell us about).

You will know them by their fruit, unfortunately, Americans suck at inspecting fruit.

Anonymous said...

I think it is too early in the game to make any assessments. I also think it is good to keep your enemies close and if you are wanting to make change, to extend your hand out, even when others do not agree to your methods. Otherwise you perpetuate what happened in the past. We are in for a long rocky road. And if people dont realize that, then they will when they see this mess is not cleaned up in the next couple of weeks. Wake up people! Change takes time, and this is a complicated mess, and lots of hands were in the cookie jar.

Anonymous said...

I can only hope for the best but the government is still the government and Obama is just a man.

Amenta said...

I think we make a mistake by believing certain Rebublicans and Democrats are Obama's sworn enemies. Obama is a marketing product and unfortunately the product has not been totally revealed as yet.
PBS ran a two hour special interchanging stories on the lives and histories of Obama and McCain prior to the election. In the history of Obama there is a part concerning his election to president of the Harvard Law Review. This particular bit exposed the true political nature of Barack Obama as one that is actually very comfortable with so called conservatives and in fact many of the people he selected as editors of the Harvard Law Review went on to be come part of the Bush Neo-Con gang.
So, I'm not so sure if those we perceive as his "sworn enemies" are truly his enemies.

As far as this Stimulus/Spending/Recovery nonsense is concerned its more smoke and mirrors, bad slight of hand magic. As Kelso mentioned, there is no designation of the few dollars that will trickle down to the states and will more than likely never reach the the cities for rebuilding the ifrasturucture. And really, who are these infrastructure dollars going to? I guarentee that those that do win the contracts to rebuild schools, roads and the like will hire the cheapest worker, those from south of the border. And really these are only temporary jobs at best.

KELSO'S NUTS said...

A great Ron Paul youtube from last week ("What if...?) I'm sure everyone has said.

So, now with an absolute minimum escalation of 17,000 active duty servicepeople headed for South Asia by Obama, I have a question.

WHAT IF RON PAUL HAD BRAD PITT OR WILL SMITH'S FACE?

NOTHING BAD!

Anonymous said...

I don't think throwing money at the problem will work. I don't know why this particular spending plan is different from the other spending plan that failed woefully. I just think he needed to slow down more and take a bit more time figuring something else out. Too late now though. Its on.

All-Mi-T [Thought Crime] Rawdawgbuffalo said...

MacDaddy
i wish him well also, but need more thoughyt, reason and pragmatism than hope for me

rainywalker
u being funny but he just may and u right as i recall war was 40% of our GDP at the time of FDR

ActsofFaithBlog
good pont re bush, but politics is a violent and hostile contact sport, has been and will always be.

KELSO'S NUTS
bravo, i agree, and to make a simple point, down here in atlanta, they getting some of that loot ant the transit authority, MARTA, is gonna buy buses, sure new buses will be built, but they will be built out of state - so no jobs in city/state for us lol

BuelahMan
yep, they all in the same gang - the K street crips

clnmike
yep but the crew has to be pimp tight and on the same page

Ensayn1
good look folk and thanks

KELSO'S NUTS
its cool lol

BuelahMan
good point

Dusty
thank u sister

nicki nicki tembo
they give it to us all the time huh sister?

mp1 v.8.0
good point, but i belive that what jefferson said rings true with this statement “I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them.”


Keith
i will be there. and i just see dems/GOP as the same in action, bickering and policy, one is better at marketing to black folks.


Princess Katrina
yep ouyr kids and their kids will depend on it

Wild Gypsy
thanks and i can get with that except he said no more of the same old washinton insiders would be in his administration - but they are

BuelahMan
i feel u on that and he will likely give such corporitist what ever they ask for


Ingie
if it is acknowledge the chance for failure as equal to success. and as i said before the critsism of all other presidents started as soon as they started tpo pick cabinets - obama is just that - the president


2sweetnsaxy
i need action, inpout and critical analysis not hope - that is what Bush did

Ensayn1
in other words, Barack Houdini Obama

KELSO'S NUTS
dang great point

ghettophilosopher
i feel u and agree

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