The G20 Is Meeting. Is Anyone Paying Attention?
News out of the G20 meetings in Horsham, England highlights an essential disagreement between the US and Europe (primarily) regarding what will ameliorate the global economic crisis.
Tim Geithner has been arguing for other countries to make more significant stimulus investments. In fact, the IMF estimates that only five countries (US, Australia, Spain, China, and Saudi Arabia) plan to spend 2% or more of GDP for stimulus activities.
The Europeans, led primarily by Germany, are insisting that the greatest urgency is to better regulate financial markets.
Sphere: Related ContentA Confluence of Outrages
There are two current themes in the news (and the blogosphere) that, I would argue, are more alike than different. That this is not immediately apparent to us does not bode well for the future of the Economic Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Read more
Sphere: Related ContentThe Rhetoric is Ratcheting Up
Much has been made lately of Rush Limbaugh’s intemperate comments expressing a desire for the president to fail. This was simply a more blatant expression than Ken Blackwell’s convoluted reasoning that President Obama’s economic stimulus plan was little more than a craven effort to secure a longstanding Democratic majority. And just this morning, Senator John McCain expressed his distaste for the economic stimulus plan.
So despite generic expressions of support for the new president from McCain and Republican Congressional leaders, their opposition to him appears to be hardening and becoming increasingly shrill and ridiculous.
But guess who else is becoming increasingly shrill and ridiculous in their criticism of President Obama? Al Qaeda.
According to a front-page story in today’s Washington Post, Ayman al-Zawahiri and other al Qaeda leaders have been hurling insults at our new president, calling him “a house Negro” and blaming him for the recent Israeli military assault on Gaza.
The torrent of hateful words is part of what terrorism experts now believe is a deliberate, even desperate, propaganda campaign against a president who appears to have gotten under al-Qaeda’s skin. The departure of George W. Bush deprived al-Qaeda of a polarizing American leader who reliably drove recruits and donations to the terrorist group.
Obama must be doing something right, to cause such angst among two disparate groups whose only common denominator is satisfaction with George W. Bush’s presidency.
Sphere: Related ContentPresident Obama Allows Offshore Drilling to Move Forward. What Could He Have Up His Sleeve?
Since the inauguration, President Obama has taken several steps heartily endorsed by progressives, and has earned high marks for doing so. Kathy’s great post summarizing his first full day in office, followed by what he did in the next two days, provide solid evidence that he is, as we all hoped, a man of action. These are things he promised to do during the campaign, and he has done them.
A Reuters article reveals what I see as a first, true indication of just how calculating (in a good sense) he can be.
Sphere: Related ContentFavorite Line from the Inauguration Speech
There was considerable advance speculation about President Obama’s inauguration speech, with the anticipatory airwaves filled with great moments from inauguration speeches past.
My favorite line from today’s speech was:
we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.
To me, although it was said in reference to other nations, it effectively summarizes the Obama approach and sits out there as a challenge to Republicans in Congress and beyond.
What do you think will be the most memorable line? And does it rise to the level of “all we have to fear, is fear itself” or “ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country”?
P.S. Is it asking too much, now that Barack Obama has been sworn in as President of the United States, that WordPress stop flagging “Obama” as a misspelled word?
Sphere: Related ContentWhere is President Bush?
I believe that one of the things we — as bloggers and blog-readers — often miss by relying heavily on memeorandum, other blogs, and traditional media sources to stimulate our thinking is the story that isn’t being discussed. For me, trying to identify the stories no one is talking about anywhere is a great exercise in imagination and creativity. This helps me in my work as well, so I feel like my time is very well spent even if I’m also getting to indulge my morbid fascination with all things political.
Here’s one of those stories that no one seems to be talking about: If there is such immediacy about doing things to stimulate the economy because every second wasted makes the job that much harder, why isn’t anyone pushing Bush to at least lay the groundwork for what President-elect Obama and his team are hammering out (with Congress’ input)? Read more
Sphere: Related ContentStayin’ Classy
In early 2001, shortly after Bush’s inauguration, there were stories about the damage caused to the White House and other offices by the outgoing Clinton Administration. While alluding to the horror of what the hillbillies had done and the unnecessary costs for repair which would be paid by the American taxpayer, Bush Administration spokespeople declined to catalog specific instances, citing instead their pledge to bring “civility” back to the White House.
As it turned out, there was no factual basis to the hysteria. Read more
Sphere: Related ContentGame Theory and the GOP
There have been numerous indications of nascent GOP obstructionism for Obama’s policies, many of them signaled by members of Republican leadership in the House and Senate. I’m sure I’m not the only one who anticipates with dread the type of foot-dragging, nit-picking, fear-mongering, game-playing and other tactics the Republicans seem to have perfected. Why, I can hear the Mighty Wurlitzer winding up as I type this.
Much of Obama’s agenda, even including urgent items associated with economic stimulus, will meet with a united front in the Senate and House.
But it is, overall, a zero-sum game that Republicans are bound to lose.
What does this have to do with game theory? I’m glad you asked.
Sphere: Related ContentStop the Lynch Mob
Okay, now I’m mad.
I live in Illinois, so Rod Blagojevich is my governor. I’ve never been much of a fan of his, and I have considered him an embarrassment to the state for a long time. He’s done a few good things for Illinois, has pissed off a lot of people, and has generally been (as my mother would say) “a pill”.
And I agree with practically everyone and his brother that he should resign, but ultimately he’s the one who has to make that decision.
Today, when Attorney General Lisa Madigan called for the state Supreme Court to take away his powers as governor, that was the last straw for me. I like Lisa Madigan and have harbored hopes that she would be appointed to Barack Obama’s vacated Senate seat because I think she would be a great Senator, but she crossed the line.
Rod Blagojevich is, indeed, innocent until proven guilty. It’s hard to imagine an innocent explanation for some of the allegations in the complaint, but he’s entitled to his day in court. He has not resigned his position as governor and, regardless of his motivation for refusing to resign, he is still the governor. It seems that everyone is so busy piling on that they forget that.
This is the same dynamic that supports the denial of due process to people imprisoned at Guantanamo Bay. If, in our righteous ACLU-type indignation, we believe that they deserve to be treated with respect and consideration, why do we not believe that a duly-elected governor deserves any less?
What makes me mad is that I now find myself in the position of defending Rod Blagojevich.
Sphere: Related ContentFactchecking. How quaint.
One of the prime “outrages” fueling the brawl over the Big Three bailout is the apparent disparity between pay for Big Three workers versus those employed by the foreign auto manufacturers in their plants in right-to-work states. The implication, of course, is that the UAW is to blame for the automakers’ troubles. It has been debunked over and over again, but when have we ever known Republicans (I’m looking at you, Bob Corker) to let the facts get in the way of a good story?
David Leonhart takes them all on in today’s NYTimes, and does an admirable job.
Sphere: Related ContentAbout the Business of Government
John Donahue and Max Stier, both experienced government employees/appointees, penned an excellent article in Washington Monthly summarizing the enormous challenges facing President-elect Obama as he attempts to get the government working properly again.
It is no surprise that the past eight years have not been kind to the efficiency or morale of government agencies and departments, and there is much work to be done. I’ve argued this point before. Read more
Sphere: Related ContentCIA Screwed Up, Then Lied About It. Repeatedly.
There’s a story brewing that has the potential to be really explosive: Parts of a CIA Inspector General’s report indicates that the CIA was complicit in shooting down a plane full of innocent people over Peru over 2001. And then the CIA covered it up, lying to both Congress and the White House.
Sphere: Related ContentDoes Anybody Remember Post-partisanship?
Sheesh. Everyone is giving President-elect Obama advice. There are innumerable Stepford wife (or husband) Republican pundits giving Very Serious suggestions that Mr. Obama should govern from the center because, after all, this is a center-right country, don’tcha know, despite the overwhelming evidence that a majority of Americans support pretty much every progressive cause or position.
There should be a special place in hell for people like this, but the ones that are currently driving me stark raving nutters are the folks obsessing endlessly about what current or former Republicans should be included in his cabinet, and in which positions.
Here’s how I think it has to go down, if Barack Obama is the kind of leader we all think he is.
Sphere: Related ContentThe Behind-the-Scenes Mambo?
The reviews for President-Elect Obama’s first press conference have been generally favorable: he looked and sounded presidential, he struck the right tone between being commanding and self-deprecating, he displayed some charm and humor, surrounded himself with good people from both parties (but mostly Democratic), evaded many pot-holes and trick questions posed by the media, and expressed ideas and proposals that aligned closely with what he had said during the campaign season.
All in all, a job well done. But I noted a few small signals of what might be going on behind the scenes. Read more
Sphere: Related ContentJumping the Shark
I’ve watched patiently throughout this entire presidential campaign — the “silly season” as Barack Obama so accurately calls it — for the moment at which John McCain jumped the shark.
I think I’ve just found it.
Sphere: Related ContentThe “Bradley Effect” in Reverse
Much has been made of the Bradley Effect and its role in pre-election polling. For those needing a refresher, the Bradley Effect is
The CW is that Obama’s likely results will be about 2 percentage points below what the advance polling suggests.
But what if the reverse is now true, 26 years later?
Sphere: Related ContentWhiplash
It has been an interesting pivot, to say the least. Read more
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