Contributors

Monday, April 11, 2011

Width of Vision

Let's illustrate what I mean by "true believer." Check out this quote:

The fact that we are here today to debate raising America's debt limit is a sign of leadership failure. ... Increasing America's debt weakens us domestically and internationally. Leadership means that 'the buck stops here.' Instead, Washington is shifting the burden of bad choices today onto the backs of our children and grandchildren. America has a debt problem.

No, this wasn't a Tea Partier that said this. It was then Senator Barack Obama who said it back in 2006. So, what do you think? Be honest.

My analysis tomorrow.

10 comments:

6Kings said...

I think he was right then and wish he would stick to it now. Nothing from that statement has changed. America still has a debt problem and getting worse.

Larry said...

He was right then, though for the wrong reasons. Back then, it was a convenient stick with which to beat the big-spending Bush administration with. Now, of course, everything's different because it's even more massive Democratic spending. The Obama administration makes Bush look tight-fisted and fiscally austere.

juris imprudent said...

I'd say that Candidate Obama made a lot of promises that President Obama seems to have forgotten.

Anyway, I ran across this and I can't encourage too strongly the need for everyone to read this. Samuelson is not some partisan hack (left or right).

"We in America have created suicidal government; the threatened federal shutdown and stubborn budget deficits are but symptoms. By suicidal, I mean that government has promised more than it can realistically deliver and, as a result, repeatedly disappoints by providing less than people expect or jeopardizing what they already have."

william olsen said...

I think it shows a guy who had real concern for a large problem our nation faces. It also shows that he is more centrist than the right makes him out to be. He reminds me of Dwight Eisenhower to be honest.

Haplo9 said...

Er.. How does this illustrate what you mean by "true believer"?

It's a good sentiment; it was true then, and it is true now. However, this is the sort of things politicians say when they are attacking their opponents; once they are actually in the position to make significant changes, they tend to punt because the political cost is too high. This is true regardless of party. Bush certainly wasn't terribly interested in doing anything about the national debt, and Obama doesn't seem any different. I would call this political reality, rather than some sort of inherent fault in either man.

last in line said...

What do I think? I think it's easy being the party out of power because you don't have to deliver anything...and that was the case in 2006 when the GOP had the senate, congress and white house (the dem congress took charge in Jan 07).

Now that dems have won back control in the senate and white house, we hear "The problems we have today were caused by the actions of the GOP led Congress and President Bush."

That is not leadership and anyone can predict the past.

sasquatch said...

I tire of the redirect on Bush and the Republicans who ran Congress during his time in office. Any critical comment is met with rolled eyes or accusations of derangement. It's what happened and why we are having our current problems. This entire debate about the debt is surreal when you consider many of these same Republicans green lit everything and spent like crazy. They caused the problem and now they are blaming the left.

juris imprudent said...

You say you tire of the redirect on Bush, do you also tire of the incessant insistence that ALL problems are rooted therein? The Dems in '08 were all about change - but what the fuck did they actually change?

Nearly all libertarian voters were completely disgusted with the Bush/Republican rule of 2000-06. They either swung Dem or sat it out in '08. Our criticism of Bush/Republican-Congress mismanagement is just as legitimately applied to Obama and the Dems. Too damn bad if you don't like that.

rld said...

Ok then, when do the people you voted for get the credit/blame for the state of the nation/economy/foreign policy? Could I just retroactively go back and put everything from 2001-2003 on Clinton? When do Obamas policies kick in?

(you folks really don't like specifics anyway)

juris imprudent said...

Of course now Obama says that he was only playing politics when he said that.

What is that old saying about "fool me once..."?