- MENU
- HOME
- SEARCH
- WORLD
- MAIN
- AFRICA
- ASIA
- BALKANS
- EUROPE
- LATIN AMERICA
- MIDDLE EAST
- United Kingdom
- United States
- Argentina
- Australia
- Austria
- Benelux
- Brazil
- Canada
- China
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Hungary
- India
- Indonesia
- Ireland
- Israel
- Italy
- Japan
- Korea
- Mexico
- New Zealand
- Pakistan
- Philippines
- Poland
- Russia
- South Africa
- Spain
- Taiwan
- Turkey
- USA
- BUSINESS
- WEALTH
- STOCKS
- TECH
- HEALTH
- LIFESTYLE
- ENTERTAINMENT
- SPORTS
- RSS
- iHaveNet.com: Politics
by Arianna Huffington
President Obama gave himself "a solid B-plus" for his first year in office. But the report card that matters, the midterm one issued by voters, is still 11 months away. At the moment, things are not looking great (consider the note sent home from teacher in the form of the president's and the
Luckily for them, there is plenty of time to course-correct.
But the first step in correcting course is acknowledging that the course you're on needs to be changed. And it's not clear that the administration is ready to get out its compass and sextant. Particularly when it comes to the economy.
Exhibit A was offered recently by Larry Summers on
Stephanopoulos seemed dubious. "Let me pin you down on that," he said. "You believe the economy is actually going to be creating jobs in the spring."
"That is the judgment of most professional forecasters," responded Summers. "That's right, George." Moments later, he returned to the talking point. "I believe, as do most professional forecasters, that by spring the employment growth will start to be turning positive."
I instantly thought of Chauncey Gardiner in "Being There," tossing around gardening forecasts: "There will be growth in the spring!"
Later, on CNN's State of the Union, Summers went even further and declared the recession over: "Today everybody agrees that the recession is over. The questions are around how fast we'll recover."
Really, Larry? Everybody agrees?
Well, apparently not quite everybody. Take his colleague,
David Gregory wanted to be clear: "So in your mind, this recession is not over." "Of course not," replied Romer. "The people on Main Street and throughout this country, they are still suffering. The unemployment rate is still 10 percent."
In a blog post after his show, "State of the Union" host John King put a charitable spin on the mixed message:
"To be fair, Summers was speaking from a technical perspective; Romer more from the views of an American who still lacked a job despite some more encouraging recent economic data."
True. But which adviser will Obama be listening to as he heads into a midterm election in which his poll numbers are dropping while unemployment numbers continue to rise? If the only people who turn out to vote in 2010 are those "everybodies" Summers hangs his hat on -- economic forecasters living within shouting distance of Cambridge -- Obama and the Democrats will be just fine. Otherwise, some serious course correction is in order.
There is real anger out there, and it's clear that Summers still doesn't get it. During the midst of the bank bailout, we heard a lot of concerned talk about "Main Street." But since the government checks cleared, it's become obvious that it was just that -- talk. Obama's economic team didn't take the foreclosure crisis seriously and it's still not taking the jobs crisis seriously enough.
"What's a bit ironic to me is they were able to figure out how to help the big banks without any summit," Rep. Marcy Kaptur, co-chairman of the Jobs Now! Caucus, told the
If the Obama White House is going to change course in time to avoid hitting the looming electoral iceberg, the president and his advisers need to immediately jettison two false ideas that are taking them wildly off course.
The first of these is the notion that the public's widespread anger over joblessness and the bank bailout will be dissipated by the magic bullet of passing a health care reform bill. Over the last few weeks, I've talked to several high-ranking
Health care is vital, but it's still the economy, stupid.
Especially since many parts of health care reform, even if it passes, won't take effect until 2014. Nate Silver has crunched the numbers. His conclusion: "I don't particularly expect a boost in the Democrats' numbers if they pass a health care bill: the plan, after all, has become somewhat unpopular."
The other false idea that I've heard from
People know Main Street issues like jobs and foreclosures haven't been given the attention they require, and they also know when they're being condescended to.
Example? Also on "This Week," Larry Summers talked about all the ways to create job growth that don't "have a direct cost." Because God forbid there should be a direct cost, as, say, with the bank bailout or the Afghanistan escalation. "It doesn't cost anything to encourage banks, as the president will be doing, to meet their responsibilities and expand the flow of credit to small business," said Summers. But how has "encouraging" banks to lend worked out so far? And encouraging is what pundits do. How about demanding, mandating, leading?
Last month I was on a panel at the
Naftali cited the example of John F. Kennedy who "comes to power wanting to be a transformational president" with "a set of ideas about government -- all of which turn out to be wrong."
But Kennedy was willing to "learn on the job." He never got the chance to run for a second term but, according to Naftali, "by 1963 he (had) changed his mind on all of these principles, these concepts that he brought into office." He still wanted to be a transformational leader, but realized that he'd have to do it in very different ways than he originally intended.
For Naftali, our most successful presidents "are ones who are flexible, smart, self-confident enough to take different kinds of advice and are, in the end, able to think outside the box."
Obama clearly meets the smart enough requirement. But there are two steps he must take if he is to course-correct.
First: Stop listening to Larry Summers.
Second: Stop thinking that reaching a consensus is the same thing as leadership.
During his interview with CNN's King, Summers repeatedly referenced the systemic roadblocks to reform. We live in a country, he reminded King, "with two parts of the legislative branch, the House and the
True, but a transformational president has to move the
A Democratic Congressman told me about a moment from the House Democratic Caucus meeting last week that brings home the urgency of the
Capuano didn't mince words. "You're screwed," he told them.
It's not too late for Obama to right the ship of state. But first he has to acknowledge he needs to chart a fresh course.
AMERICAN POLITICS
WORLD | AFRICA | ASIA | EUROPE | LATIN AMERICA | MIDDLE EAST | UNITED STATES | ECONOMICS | EDUCATION | ENVIRONMENT | FOREIGN POLICY | POLITICS
Can Obama White House Course-Correct in Time to Avoid Hitting 2010 Iceberg | Arianna Huffington
© iHavenet.com