June 18, 2008
Hilarious...
Beware the Chicago boys: Obama's vow of love for free markets gives reason to fear a replay of Bill Clinton's 1993 U-turn (Naomi Klein, 6/13/08, The Guardian)
Barack Obama waited just three days after Hillary Clinton pulled out of the race to declare, on CNBC: "Look. I am a pro-growth, free-market guy. I love the market." Demonstrating that this is no mere spring fling, he has appointed the 37-year-old Jason Furman, one of Wal-Mart's most prominent defenders, to head his economic team....
Delightful, to think of all the leftizoids who will be sucking on this little lemon!
And they tend to love Obama because they think he's magical. If Obama is elected, then things will just happen. There won't be any hard work and discipline needed, the world will just change. (It's like, who could oppose him? That would be racist!) But reality lurks, ready to pounce on even those who eat in the trendiest restaurants.
There are lot of people whose whole economic philosophy is: "Big corporations are icky." (And the really wierd thing is that they can be people who actually know a lot about economics! I love reading tech writer Daniel Eran Dilger, who is totally lucid in explaining what big corporations like Apple, Microsoft, Adobe, Sun etc are up to. But he recently wrote: "Obama’s campaign is known for its grassroots outreach to individuals, as opposed to the typical political campaigns catering to corporate lobbyists...")
And I guess the "big corporations are icky" crowd are going to have some painful shocks if they think a corrupt Chicago pol will make evil economics just magically disappear. Or maybe they won't; human capacity for self-deception is unlimited, and, at least in the news media, ickyness WILL disappear if a Dem is in the White House.
Posted by John Weidner at June 18, 2008 07:14 AMNo, if Obama employs free-market solutions to problems and sees success with them, it won't be because free markets are inherently good solutions to many problems - it'll be because Obama mystically bent the markets to his will...he has the power to make markets WORK again!
In one of his first interviews, (I know I saved that article somewhere) Obama said he was for change, but he wanted to be honest, he had a plan, that it wouldn't be quick and it might be rough for a while, but it would happen. I don't consider that magical and I'm sure most of his supporters don't think of him doing al this magically over night. As you believe in this "magician, watch one hand while he's doing something else with his other" Bush. I believe Mr. Obama is much more honest and knows more about what he is doing than Mr. Bush.
Posted by: Linda at June 20, 2008 06:48 AMA passing reference to a secret plan...why should we be impressed with that? Anyone can say they have a plan.
If he has the ability come up with a plan good enough to change the country and good enough to justify electing him president, then surely he must have come up with some plans for Illinois during his many years in politics there. So show me some.
And anyway the job of the President is not to be a planner, it is to be a political leader. A plan is no good if you can't persuade the country to follow it. Can you show me one instance in Obama's life where he has been the leader who pushed through something big? Where he has caused change?
You say he's honest, but does an honest man need to keep his plans secret?
If someone comes to you and asks you to give him your money so he can invest it...because he has a secret plan to make you rich...are you going to give him your life savings?
No one said "secret" here. (I will find that article.) The point was that it wasn't going to happen "magically, overnight." There is no "mysticism" here.
Ah-hah! Yes, the president's job is to be a political leader! And if Obama has the power, charisma, if you will, to pull the majority of this country together in a common goal then he should be president! I've seen him affect more people than McCain, for sure.
Besides, we know there are "forces" in Washington that will dilute any real changes he tries to make. It's happened before.
Posted by: Linda at June 20, 2008 08:56 AMWell, it is secret so far...at least I haven't heard of any such.
But you didn't answer my questions. When has Obama EVER changed things by putting any sort of plan into effect? Or even tried?
Other than campaigning, when has he EVER used his "charisma" to pull people together for a common goal? When? What goal?
You are just fooling yourself, by projecting vague hopes and dreams onto this guy.
And yes, "there are "forces" in Washington that will dilute any real changes he tries to make." they are called senators, congressman, and bureaucrats. But that happens to EVERY president. So what? The same forces exist in Illinois.
Before Bush ran for president he had made substantial changes in Texas, even though Dems controlled the legislature. Senator McCain has passed bi-partisan legislation that has changed things big-time. Those are actual accomplishments. Obama has never accomplished ANYTHING, but you think he is going to morph into an agent of change now, just because he talks big? You are being hoodwinked.
Posted by: John Weidner at June 20, 2008 10:42 AM
