Obama’s first year marked by pragmatism

[Forkboy]

WASHINGTON - Barack Obama won the presidency on a theme of hope, with the historic nature of his election expected to foreshadow dramatic change on other fronts for supporters who had grown weary of war and worried about the economy.

But as he finishes his first calendar year in office, the president who ran as a visionary during the 2008 election has been more pragmatic, with a deliberative governing style more reflective of his years as a law professor than his time as a Chicago community organizer.

Faced with a massive economic crisis, Obama bailed out big corporations deemed too big to fail. On health care, the president compromised on the public option in the interests of completing a bill. And on foreign policy, Obama disappointed his liberal base by expanding the war in Afghanistan.

With Senate passage of a sweeping expansion of health care coverage on Thursday, the president moved dramatically closer to scoring his biggest domestic policy victory - a significant accomplishment given the entrenched opposition of Republicans and fractures in his own party. But the rest of the activist agenda that he promised voters has been slowed while the president contended with two wars, a housing market slump, a Wall Street financial meltdown, and stubbornly high unemployment.

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2009/12/27/obama_ends_first_year_with_some_progress_and_more_work_ahead/

[IndianaGreen]

1. It isn't pragmatism, but raw corporatism and imperialism that has marked the first year

A pragmatist, or a chess player (multi-dimensional or otherwise), would not have begun a process of negotiation by surrendering single payer, or the queen if in chess.

One thing is clear, the American people count for nothing! Our government (regardless of party in power) is for the financial oligarchs that own the bulk of the wealth of this country.

[Armstead]

9. But,but,but....Placating Oligarchs is pragmatic. We need them to "trickle down" on us

[Name removed]

10. Deleted message

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[niceypoo]

27. Thanks for the well reasoned, highly detailed

...informative rebuttal!

[THUNDER HANDS]

20. yeah, how dare he not hold onto the single payer chess piece

that about 10 people in the senate supported, maybe.

[IndianaGreen]

41. He surrendered that piece on his opening move

and the rest of the game he played was endless appeasement.

[THUNDER HANDS]

42. yeah

he really should have held out for so much more considering he was bargaining from a position of....well, nothing.

He's not in the Senate, after all.

[shadesofgray]

30. +100000000000000000

[impik]

2. Well, he really didn't ask to be left with such a shit-storm

He clearly would rather spend the year dealing only with health care, education and energy.

[inna]

3. Corporatism, not pragmatism.

But not as if the M$M is going to say that.

[avaistheone1]

38. Which is very pragmatic for Obama.

He needs to keep his campaign coffers full with the corporate dough $$$.

[depakid]

4. "reflective of his years as a law professor."

Hmmm.

Most law professors and lawyers that I know would have been a bit more diligent about restoring accountability and the rule of law at administrative agencies, in particular this little institution called the Justice Department.

[IndianaGreen]

5. That's why Obama is protecting John Yoo, of torture memo infamy

because being a law professor doesn't mean that one will defend the Constitution once given power.

[suzie]

35. Dupe deleted.

[suzie]

33. The lawyers that I know are quite happy with Obama.

[MercutioATC]

6. I'll never get used to this "new English"...

Weakness is apparently now called "pragmatism".

[Name removed]

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[JoeyT]

8. Of course you're doing what you accuse him of.

I'm doing it too, but I'm not the one railing against it, am I?

[phleshdef]

11. Spoken like a true armchair chickenhawk who has no clue how accomplishments are made.

[MercutioATC]

13. I understand how they "accomplish" things...and it's weak.

The fact that they all play petty little games is no excuse.

It'd be interesting if our elected "leaders" showed some actual leadership every once in a while.

[AllentownJake]

15. Pointing out that no progress was made is considered being an arm chair strategist

We need to re-write the emperor has no clothes story so that when the little boy points out the obvious a crowd of angry emperor supporters stone him for acknowledging the obvious.

[Name removed]

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[AllentownJake]

18. It seems more appropriate than 3d chess, turning a big ship around, the car is skidding etc

I think I detail my objections to the "pragmatism" very well down thread. Now why don't you threaten me with a dominionist nut job, call me a fire bagger, and scream the virtues of the picture thread and be done with it.

[phleshdef]

19. I think "pretentious, nonreality based idealog" will be sufficient for the moment.

[AllentownJake]

21. Yes pointing out the obvious is now ideological

This new pragmatism rules the day i.e. if you can't actually solve a problem because the country has no political will at the moment you create non-solutions that create further larger problems down the road. I've been living with this pragmatic approach for 30 years and frankly in 5 years when I'm living with the results of this new pragmatism of short term solutions that cause long term problems I will thank all of you.

[Name removed]

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[AllentownJake]

23. I've yet to see you post a single substantive thing

Other than trading barbs and insults. Typical tactic of a person with nothing to say. I notice your lack of debate in what I wrote down thread, because you have nothing to say.

[phleshdef]

24. I reserve the substance for people that want it. Negativity for the sake of negativity...

...is all you show your own posts to be good for and thus thats what you are getting in return.

[AllentownJake]

25. Like I said

You obviously have nothing to say about my substantive response down thread, and therefore you are a typical poster who responds with vitrolic hate to anything critical of any aspect of critique on administration policy, because you are watching a football game with teams, you are not concerned with the future of your country, or your countrymen.

[Name removed]

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[AllentownJake]

31. What was dishonest

Let me see, Pakistan over the past 9 years has been further destabilized by Taliban forces moving into Pakistan, so bombing the Pakistan population with drones is something that will further increase US sentiment in the region and pushing more Taliban forces across the border? Closing GITMO but being forced to open new camps for the prisoners of the escalation?

The Stimulus is working as it was intended? States are about to lay-off a huge number of workers in 2010 to cover for revenue short falls in 2011 when the stimulus expires because growth in the private sector has been practically non-existent. You have kicked the can for 2 years. 70% of Q3 GDP growth can be attributed to cash for clunkers, and GDP is the only income statement that includes increasing liabilities as net income. So you take out borrowed money you have to pay back, push demand forward stimulus projects, and factor in the decreased lending in the private sector, what do you have. 2.2% growth is the revision. Take out the borrowed government money and you still have declining GDP.

Giving the only leverage you have away on the banks that crashed the system by rewriting rule interpretations (you didn't even go through congress on this one) for tax breaks for them to essentially get free TARP money. Coming from the genius that supervised the AIG bailout, Tim Geithner it is not surprising.

A Health Care Reform bill where the only teeth come into effect 2 years before you will leave office if you are fortunate enough to be re-elected while all the negative aspects come into effect immediately. Pre-Existing conditions, the only reform i this insurance bill go into effect in 2014.

You can mock all you want, your unwillingness to even engage in debate shows me what you are, a shill for bad policy with the incapability to wrap your mind around it.

[Name removed]

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[niceypoo]

29. Wow

Imagine what healthcare would look like if everyone had your attitude. We would automatically fold on everything. The bill would be driven so far to the right that there would be nothing left, yet we would automatically dance with joy.

Thank God progressives have held Obamas and the Congress' feet to the fire. It was a wake up call to them, and they went back and put some teeth into the bill as a result. Change NEVER comes through mindless bootlicking. Change comes through opposition. Opposition is strength. Capitulation is weakness.

[IndianaGreen]

39. It is called Newspeak, and there is a dictionary of Newspeak

War is Peace. Nobel Peace Prize is really a war prize.

[AngryAmish]

12. We must crush all the moderates and Rethuglikkkans

[AllentownJake]

14. Is that what we are calling it now

So having the banks pay back their TARP while having your Treasury write Tax rule interpretations that give the Tax breaks that exceed the original TARP payment is considered a pragmatic solution?

Promising reform to a Health Care system and instead keeping the same system in place with a mixture of subsidy and tax increases on the working class is a pragmatic solution?

Allowing the stimulus bill to be hijacked by congress to include loads of ridiculous spending and non-needed tax breaks is now pragmatism?

Expanding a lost war, because it is politically dangerous is now pragmatism?

Gosh I'd hate to see what cynical opportunism is.

[ruggerson]

28. He's not a transformative figure - he's a co-opting President

He's governing in the mold of Eisenhower, Nixon and Clinton.

[shadesofgray]

32. Funny how that "pragmatism" is big business's wet dream and screws the

working and middle classes with ground glass.

[Moochy]

34. When is corporatism called pragmatism? When the corporations pay you to call it that.

[paulk]

36. I would disagree with one thing the article says -

Obama won, not on a theme of "hope", but a theme of "change". He was presented, because of the economic meltdown, with the opportunity to make that change - instead he settled for a pragmatic approach. All he has done is kick the can down the road, and this, for me at least, is the root of dissatisfaction with him.

[PurityOfEssence]

37. The difference between Kerry and Obama:

(mind you, I'm not a fan of either...)

Kerry was for something before he was against it; Obama was for something WHILE he was against it.

[IndianaGreen]

40. K&R for telling the unvarnished truth!

"Obama was for something WHILE he was against it."

:kick:

[Odin2005]

43. "Pragmatism" = Corporatist Capitulationism.

[AllentownJake]

44. In some ways Odin

It saddens me that you see things similar to what I see now.

[Odin2005]

45. The administration's vicious attack on Dean really shocked me.

I tried to stay optimistic about Obama, probably well past when it was becoming obvious that he was sucking up the Wall Street and the insurance industry. I can't anymore. As a big Deaniac when I was a senior in high school that thought Obama was essentially an extension of Dean (a policy moderate willing to take on entrenched interests) I feel betrayed.

[AllentownJake]

46. Sorry you feel that way

I am very disillusioned with this administration, and I wish those feelings on no one.