The President in not a Magician!

During the election campaign I wrote of my concern that Obama was raising expectations way beyond anything that any President could deliver. This is his present dilemma with the unemployment problem. The evidence shows how the Stimulus Package sure helped the banks but so far has done nothing to effect the unemployment rate. This will create a backlash for Obama if it doesn’t start to come down pretty soon.

This is precisely why I was so concerned about Geithner and Summer acting as the point men for the President. Listen all they knew about is Wall Street. That’s where they grew up and hence that’s what made them knowledgeable about the world of bankers. This was their specialty or put another way, that’s all they know. Don’t no beans about how to create jobs. During the thirties FDR and LaGuardia had Robert Moses. Man could he create jobs. Tri Borough Bridge, Orchard and Jones beach, Southern State Parkway etc. etc. Obama needs to find a modern day Robert Moses. That brings me to expectation and health care reform.

Here is another example of magical thinking on the part of Obama people who thought he was just going to march straight through the insurance company linebackers to a touchdown with a brand new health care program for all. The private for profit insurance team said “yeah over our dead bodies you will.” That’s where we now find ourselves.

This is the time for all who favor health care to come to the aid of the President. Obama has made this a major campaign promise. It’s one that urgently needs citizen support. I think the President underestimated the insurance interests in scuttling any interference with their profits. Plain and simple they are in the “insurance business” that is out to make a buck no matter what it takes. Not unlike all the other big buck makers of the past 25 years. They just want the good old days of chucking out the sick and signing up the healthy.

Man is this President learning, (I hope.) Not long ago he was inviting all interested parties to the White House for “Peace Pipe smoking.” And man that’s what it was. yeah sure everyone was on board the National Health Care Reform Special. That was until it left the station. Then it turned out that lots of the Insurance Company passengers were left at the station where they started to whine about how the average American was going to lose their right to choose a doctor.

Republicans were determined to safeguard the Bush tax breaks for the rich. You see in order for Obama to stick with his pledge that the Health Care Bill would not increase the trillion dollar deficit Bush left him he had to find some sources of new revenue to cover the costs. Now many of the same Republican members of Congress who cut the taxes on the rich that helped create that national debt are now fiercely indignant to the idea of raising those taxes to pay for health care for all. None of this should come as a surprise because Obama’s opposition is determined to not let him keep his campaign promise.

What fascinates me is the difference between how these same folks responded to the bank bailout as compared to their behavior on Health Care. When it came to billions to bail out the banks there was a little whining about the deficit but in the end Goldman Sachs and Morgan Chase got the money and now they had a best quarter ever. Go figure? None of that made any difference to the unemployment rate but it did bring back “the good old days” of huge bonuses. Thats what the Wall Street guys did for their old pals.

Before I go any further,it will be interesting to hear what the President has to say about all this in his press conference tonight. So I think I’ll wait to post this after that. It’s now after. Obama, never ceases to amaze me with his ability to handle all the details of whatever subject he is dealing with. I was glad to hear him go after the Wall Street hustlers who came close to bankrupting this country, One other observation. Having listened to a lot of Presidents in my long life it is hard to think of any who could do what he is able to handle. Now FDR was very different. He was knowledgeable but he had a team. That meant that he did not have to go to bat on every important question before the administration. (There was radio but no television back then.) If Obama is the only one who can defend his administration he may be using up his personal capital with the people. How about the rest of his Cabinet?

As this Health Care fight heats up I think we all better get writing to our respective representatives to make sure they are on board. The Republicrats would really like to kill this legislation only because they are about bringing this President down so they can get back to the good old days of Bush and Cheney. Lest we forget.

Thanks Kate M.H.W.Y.