One Year Gone

Between the 20th Anniversary of the collapse of the Berlin Wall, the 10% unemployment numbers, and the fight for Health Care in the Congress, I am definitely on overload. The Berlin Wall collapse, which was the beginning of the end for the Soviet Union, is a big subject all by itself. Because of my German heritage (both parents from there), I will never be satisfied with the many explanations of what happened in that very troubled land. But that topic will have to wait for another time.

The fight for universal health care goes on and on. No matter the outcome in this round, it still will be far from won. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi pulled off quite a trick in squeaking the bill through 219 to 215. Even at that there were many concessions to the Blue Dog conservative Democrats who neither she nor the President could convince to “come on over.” That leaves us with a bill with lots of garbage like the no abortion amendment and no clear Public Option.

That of course is to bad because the conservatives in the Senate will try their utmost to “just kill it.” Remember, that was the advice from their conservative guru Bill Kristol back in August when he was asked for his advice on Health Care legislation. Yeah, that’s what he said, “Just kill it.” Lest we forget, the Kristol crowd not only hate Barack Obama, they hate the idea of a Black President. And no, they will never get used to it.

Obama became President just a year ago, yet it seems like such a long time. As the campaign was coming to an end, I became deeply troubled by the mountain of expectations that had grown during that time. I knew that Obama was limited in his own knowledge of the kind of problems he was about to come up against. His constant talk of “reaching across the isle” as a way of changing the bitter fighting between the Democrats and Republicans that was going on in Washington was extremely naive.

The fight is about fundamental differences about the role of government. Holding out your hand to people who just want to “kill” a very fundamental piece of legislation that effects the lives of us all is not just naive, but stupid. It has prevented Obama from rallying up his supporters for a real fight. Look at what the Tea Party crowd have done? They understand the role of putting people in the streets to raise hell. They have been effective if in no other way than to scare the pants off the Blue Dog Democrats if they dare vote for the health care legislation. They see themselves as being whacked in the coming midterm election. Heah guys, it don’t matter. The “kill it” crowd are going to go after your ass no matter what you do. Don’t you get it? The ultra right wing nuts just want Sarah Palin as President, in which case they won’t bother to even recognize you. So wake up! It is time to fight, not faint.

The issue that will override all others coming into the 2010 midterm election will be Jobs, Jobs, Jobs. Kate just came back from a trip to Minneapolis visiting with old friends. She saw first hand how the issue of finding work is shaping up for many middle class professional people. They are the new middle class successful professionals who now find the job market simply dried up. While the Bureau of Labor Statistics puts the unemployment rate at 10%, it’s an awful lot higher if you count all those folks who have given up looking for work. Count them and your getting closer to the 25% unemployment of the Great Depression. Not a pretty picture for Obama. As I have said in previous posts he needs to find some new economists who can help him figure out how to create jobs instead of how to save Wall Street. He has done enough to bail out Wall Street, except for regulating them. What Obama needs is a modern day nineteen thirties job creator like Robert Moses. There was a man who knew how to create jobs.

Unless Obama does more to create jobs, his dream of a second term will melt like an ice cream cone left out in a Phoenix summer afternoon. Thanks Kate N.H.W.Y.