Obama has chance to make history
Great leaders cannot by themselves alter the course of history or a nation. Born into another time or place, men such as Hitler, Roosevelt, Lincoln and Mao might have lived out their lives and been carried off to the cemeteries unnoticed. While they made their times, their times also made them.
The match of leader with opportunity is rare. In the wake of Sept. 11, historians were noting that President Bush had also been given a potentially transformative moment, and for a while it seemed to some that he might seize it.
Karl Rove clearly believed that he and Bush could create a permanent Republican majority, and in an ABC poll taken just a few months after the attacks, the American people ranked Bush as the third best president in history, behind Lincoln and Kennedy.
In the end, of course, that particular man proved insufficient to the opportunity, and Bush’s failure has handed an even larger opportunity and challenge to his successor, Barack Obama.
Judging from his actions, Obama fully recognizes the moment for what it is. The candidate of change has wasted no time becoming the catalyst of change.
In his speech to Congress last week and in the budget he announced two days later, Obama has made it clear to any doubters that he plans bold, audacious change that will alter how we govern ourselves.
The three themes of his speech —- energy strategy, health care and education —- are the three themes of his budget as well.
As he told Congress last week, our nation’s failure to address those challenges head on can no longer be tolerated if the nation is to remain prosperous and powerful.
In each of those areas, Obama proposes truly important initiatives. Given the political climate, most are likely to be implemented in some fashion.
Take the question of health-care reform. Early in his presidency, Bill Clinton tried to tackle that problem and failed badly, an example that has frightened off other politicians ever since. But Obama shows no such shyness, and for good reason.
In a nationwide poll conducted earlier this month by the Kaiser Family Foundation, 46 percent of Americans expressed “a great deal of confidence” in Obama’s leadership in health-care reform.
Only 23 percent said they had a great deal of confidence in congressional Democrats to lead that reform; 21 percent said they had a great deal of confidence in professional groups such as the American Medical Association; only 12 percent had a great deal of confidence in labor unions.
And congressional Republicans?
A whopping 7 percent.
In some ways, that’s not a good number. Change is historically driven by liberalism, but conservatism has an essential role as well.
It serves to discipline and correct the excesses of liberalism, and for that reason is invaluable. It is the interplay of those forces, their waxing and waning, that steers progress.
Obama, for example, is said by some to be undoing the Reagan Revolution. But what Reagan achieved was less a revolution than a much-needed correction. He wrung the excesses out of a liberalism that had grown soft and fat, but he did not challenge any of the institutions it had created.
Reagan talked like a revolutionary but governed like a tinkerer, a fact that his Republican successors still don’t grasp. With his actor’s skills, he could preach about spending cuts while raising spending by 68 percent (compared with 32 percent under Clinton). He could preach tax cuts while signing three major tax increases. He could talk tough while trading arms for hostages and fleeing Lebanon as soon as our forces there came under attack.
Obama, on the other hand, is eager to match rhetoric with action. As a nation, we like to think of ourselves as rebellious and experimental, but in terms of governance we’ve become set in our ways. It’s been 50 years since we really tried anything new.
There are no guarantees, of course. No leader can be accounted great until he or she has been tested, and Obama has not. As a liberal leader he has been given a liberal moment, and we’ll see what he makes of it.
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137 comments Add your comment
test
March 2nd, 2009
5:45 am
Has Bookman gone insane?
Great leaders cannot by themselves alter the course of history or a nation. Born into another time or place, men such as ——->Hitler,Mao<——
Hitler was a “great” leader, eh?
I thought it was my job to lump president One Term in with Adolf?
I’m assuming this column doesn’t get pulled and Bookman sent to the funny farm, but how can anyone equate “leadership” with mindlessly spending massive amounts of Other People’s Money?
ANYBODY can do that, duh, freaking duh.
TnGelding
March 2nd, 2009
6:10 am
What are you doing up so early, Jay? Couldn’t sleep for thinking about this jewel? I think the key is “in some fashion.” He won’t even recognize what comes out of Congress, if anything does.
Rush was still singing Reagan’s song at his rant before CPAC. He and the others just don’t get it. Remember Reagan wanted to reduce Social Security benefits, but compromised with Congress to get more funding for the military and agreed to raise taxes? One of the biggest, if not the biggest, tax increases in our history when phased in completely. Who were the architects of the scheme to create a $3 trillion “trust fund?” That atarted the fiscal irresponsibility that Bush was eager to resume after Clinton had restored some order.
Help O! pay for his liberal agenda:
http://www.treasurydirect.gov/govt/reports/pd/gift/gift.htm
To be honest, I don’t like it much. Too complicated when there are simple solutions to all our major problems, and like Bush, he isn’t asking for the masses to alter their wasteful, self-destructive lifestyles.
obama & stocks at all time fastest drop
March 2nd, 2009
6:15 am
Obama approval index has dropped 73%! All time drop in polls & stocks of any President. http://tinyurl.com/Obama-8
TnGelding
March 2nd, 2009
6:28 am
obama & stocks at all time fastest drop
March 2nd, 2009
The stock markets have been in decline for 16 months.
http://finance.yahoo.com/q/bc?s=%5EDJI&t=2y
Just having a positive approval in this climate is nothing short of miraculous. That said, I’ve been disappointed myself. HE APPARENTLY DOESN’T UNDERSTAND HOW WEALTHY OUR MIDDLE CLASS IS OR HOW WASTEFUL OUR LOWER CLASS IS. Certainly the wealthy can afford to pay more, and should. But so should the rest of us in these unprecedented, trying times.
TnGelding
March 2nd, 2009
6:45 am
Where is everyone this morning? Is the power off in some areas?
Joey
March 2nd, 2009
6:47 am
Jay; Still bashing Bush. After more than 8 years of Bush Derangement, it may be time for you to seek counciling. But first try the following experiment.
Begin by not attacking Bush on days that begin with a T. After a two weeks of that, add days that begin with an S. Now you are 4/7 of the way home. Add M and F as you feel strong enough. And Jay, be sure you save W for last.
Good luck Jay. I am hoping this change is a success.
Rascal
March 2nd, 2009
7:03 am
The only history coming from 1600 Pennsylvania Ave anytime soon is the record for number of dumbest regurgitations of tried and failed socialist programs. Obama is a smart guy, but blinded by the perpetual liberal belief that somehow government can run anything to anywhere but in the ground. Of course, how many failed and failing government programs ever get cut – NONE. So the damage done by a one term Obama will be catastrophic to our country, a two term Obama will be the end of liberty, freedom and our way of life.
I’ll pay whatever % of taxes is needed to reduce our federal debt and eliminate our deficit, but I demand a reduced federal government, responsible for the things deemed appropriate by our founding fathers, not by the socialist, Democrat and Republican.
TnGelding
March 2nd, 2009
7:05 am
Joey
March 2nd, 2009
6:47 am
Just calling a miserable failure a miserable failure. But he has already been supplanted by O!:
http://search.yahoo.com/search?p=miserable+failure&fr=chr-acer
He had an opportunity, but blew it.
TnGelding
March 2nd, 2009
7:13 am
Rascal
March 2nd, 2009
7:03 am
You’re right, spending has to be reduced or at least frozen. Congress and the WH still don’t get it tho, even now. Hillary is in Egypt now promising $900 million for the Palestinians. Let O! know what you think:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/
I already have.
Dave R
March 2nd, 2009
7:14 am
RIP Paul Harvey. His voice and commentary will be sorely missed
Redneck Convert
March 2nd, 2009
7:17 am
Well, I’m checking the mailbox today to see how many of you mailed checks to Redneck Convert for President, c/o Simpsons Trailer Park, Cumming. Just about anybody could do better than this Obama. He makes My President look like George Washington.
So we got this big-spending librul ready to blow all our taxes on doctoring for Those People and such. The best thing to do is nothing. Let the people that lost their job die off and we’ll all be better off. Cut taxes for the rich people so we can wait for Trickle Down again. Maybe a extra war will help get this economy going. If we’re about ready to get out of Iraq, it’s just a hop, skip and jump over to Iran and we already got the troops there.
That’s my opinion and it’s very true. The reason I’m such a good leader is because I’m not afraid to say what the rest of the Libraritarians and Republicans on this blog won’t say. They always crittersize Obama but don’t come up with what we need to do. Well, I just come up with it. I’m not afraid to say what they are thinking but won’t say. Bunch of weenies.
Rascal
March 2nd, 2009
7:28 am
Obama blew it when he came in and immediately began the Spendathon. He should have spent his initial capital on fixing Social Security and Medicaid and Medicare. He would have seen a real bounce in the economy with that move and then he could have addressed other areas. If I was one to pray, I would pray for one term.
TnGelding
March 2nd, 2009
7:45 am
Redneck Convert
March 2nd, 2009
7:17 am
My check is in the mail!
Taxpayer
March 2nd, 2009
7:57 am
Jay,
When you describe Obama as a liberal, is it safe to assume that you mean all those not in the post-Bush Republican party. Further, do you think it unfair to proclaim Obama to be a liberal given the economic crisis that he has to work to resolve and the extraordinary measures needed to get we the people through these times. Given his efforts thus far and his promise to return us to a state of fiscally responsible governance once the crisis has passed, I would be more inclined to consider him to be a compassionate man with a desire to govern in a fiscally conservative manner.
DB, Gwinnettian
March 2nd, 2009
7:58 am
“In some ways, that’s not a good number. Change is historically driven by liberalism, but conservatism has an essential role as well.
“It serves to discipline and correct the excesses of liberalism, and for that reason is invaluable. It is the interplay of those forces, their waxing and waning, that steers progress.”
Modern-day “conservatives”… they’re steers, all right. I’ll give you that much.
BDAtlanta
March 2nd, 2009
8:02 am
Rascal wants to rearrange the furniture while the ship is sinking.
You have to plug the holes first.
Don’t worry, Big O will get around to rearranging the furniture in due time.
BDAtlanta
March 2nd, 2009
8:04 am
Papa Rush trying to look sexy in his black jumpsuit yesterday?
I thought I saw some cleavage.
ugh
Observer
March 2nd, 2009
8:05 am
Jay’s headline: “Obama has the chance to make history”
I’ve got news for you Jay – he already has. During his brief 42 days in office, he has spent the $350 billion in TARP funds that Bush left him, $787 billion in the porkulus bill, another $410 billion in an omnibus bill (because apparently the porkulus bill didn’t cover everything) and then finally, he asks congress to approve a $3.6 trillion budget. That’s more than $122 billion per day in office.
Now, that’s change we can believe in. We can’t afford it, but we can believe in it.
Taxpayer
March 2nd, 2009
8:06 am
I thought I saw some cleavage.
Now, that is just too gross for words.
Observer
March 2nd, 2009
8:12 am
Jay – your article states that two months after 9/11, America rated Bush as the third best president ever. According to you, they were proven wrong. Curiously, after a mere 42 days in office you seem ready to anoint Obama as the savior of everything wrong with America. Methinks you might be making the same mistake.
I will give Obama high marks in one area. When it comes to his ability to spend other people’s money, the man has no peer.
G
March 2nd, 2009
8:19 am
Americans have spoken (and continue to speak considering President Obama’s approval ratings) yet Rushpubs continue their slash and burn ways when we all must stand together to push forth and adjust agendas that will revitalize our nation’s health. The health of the nation is our safety net in a very crazy world and it behooves us to work together so all of us can rise.
Remember, President Obama’s greatest strength is us.
Stand firm and speak out strongly when confronted with the smears, lies, and stink bombs that Rushpubs are so brillant at. Don’t get caught up in their fearful vitriol.
For the first time in a long time, Americans have finally awakened and are ready to participate and take back our country.
President Obama, continue to go to the people, and call on us to push your agendas forward. When we disagree we will let you know, but I believe in you.
Stay strong, we’ve got your back.
Observer
March 2nd, 2009
8:19 am
From Bloomberg this morning:
“Obama is not the anti-Bush. He is Bush on steroids.
Bush’s policies could be summarized in one sentence: Spend like a drunken sailor and don’t pay for it. Obama’s policies can be summarized by the same sentence, except that Obama goes beyond drunk to alcohol poisoning.
If Bush policies were disastrous, as Obama claims, then why is he continuing them?”
Now, there’s a great question for a responsible journalist to ask. Too bad we don’t seem to have any of those at the AJC.
Taxpayer
March 2nd, 2009
8:23 am
Well, the IRS is trying to help offset some of the government spending by going after the tax cheats out there but some of them are refusing to give up without a court fight. It turns out that a group of wealthy “Americans” have gone to Switzerland and filed a lawsuit against UBS in an attempt to keep them from divulging their identities to the IRS. Anyway, if some so-called “Americans” refuse to play by all the same rules as the rest of us, i.e, the laws of the land, then the real taxpaying residents of this great land are forced to pick up the tab of these cheats on top of their own share of the tax burden. Granted, it’s one matter if you are living below poverty level and trying to make ends meet and in need of a helping hand but it is a completely different scenario when you have so much wealth that you can afford to go to Switzerland and fund a lawsuit to hide from paying taxes in the land that you proclaim to call home. Why disgrace this great land with your presence. Just leave. Let us figure out how to make ends meet without the added burden of court costs and investigations, etc., to attempt to get you “wealthy” people to comply with the laws of the land.
Brad Steal
March 2nd, 2009
8:24 am
Dear GOP,
please, please, please… we’re begging you. Give us something that shows an iota of leadership. In the past six months you’ve given us a lifeless idealess Jindal, a labotomized puppet Palin, failure Bush, drug-addicted racist Rush, vengful Rove, hip-hop Steel, angry Bay Buchanan, the litany of AM radio hacks, and your same ‘ol Bush-era partisan nobs in congress. We need some help. Please give the world something they can start to beliveve in. Anything.
The GOP leaders are failing this country.
B. Steal
Bud Wiser
March 2nd, 2009
8:25 am
Isn’t this the second time you’ve written a column on this very poll?
Get some new material.
No wonder AJC (print) will soon be gone, focusing and refocusing. writing and rewriting, on the same worn out diatribes against Bush & Co. How long before you left wingnuts let him go? Or is that a flaw in your character to always focus on the past, never on the future?
My suggestion would be to focus more on this ’stimulus’ package, with its more than reported 5000 earmarks, which BO promised in debates against BruneHillary that he would screen each and every bill that would come before him, “line by line”, and veto any earmarks. Or are the Democrats redefining the meaning of earmarks now as well, calling them “stimulus portions” of a fatally flawed bill?
Wyld Byll Hyltnyr
March 2nd, 2009
8:31 am
Jay, reality is on the line for you. The Obama effect really started on 11 05 2008; the day after he won the election. Since the election, the Dow has fallen by almost 27%. Clearly the most imortant poll of all, the one in which we vote with ouyr money, has expressed a stunning lack of confidence in President Obama. It is time to stop blaming President Bush, this is Obama’s show and, to date, he has done a pretty poor job. Maybe things turn out well in the long run, but Obama should be judged on what he has done to date (and it sure hasn’t been to restore confidence to the system or some a plan for responsible government) and not on some “if “ifs and buts” were cand and nuts” kind of fantasy that Jay, Boob Herbert, & Rolofat Martin waive the pom poms over.
Observer
March 2nd, 2009
8:32 am
From the UK Times:
“GORDON BROWN hopes to forge a partnership with President Barack Obama in Washington this week, to call for a “global new deal” to lift the world out of recession.”
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article5822265.ece
The good news: There is a light at the end of the tunnel.
The bad news: It’s an oncoming train!
Would somebody please explain to these people that WE DON’T HAVE THE MONEY for all these “new deal” plans of theirs.
On the bright side, the market can only drop another 7,000 points. The bottom is in sight.
TnGelding
March 2nd, 2009
8:34 am
Observer
March 2nd, 2009
8:05 am
The $787 billion will be spent over 2 or 3 years. The $410 is left over from Bush, with an 8.3% increase over FY2008, just didn’t get passed on time. I don’t think the entire $350 billion has been spent yet, but it will be shortly.
http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2009/02/omb-director-bu.html
http://www.boomantribune.com/story/2009/2/26/15738/4050
Observer
March 2nd, 2009
8:40 am
TnGelding – The $410 billion WAS NOT left over from Bush. Indeed, it was a supplement to last year’s budget, but it was not drafted or proposed under Bush’s watch. Obama gets the credit for that one all by himself. I agree there would have been an omnibus bill regardless of who had won the election, but the amount and distribution of this bill have absolutely nothing to do with George Bush. I’m afraid the liberals will have to find a different scapegoat for that one.
TnGelding
March 2nd, 2009
8:41 am
Observer
March 2nd, 2009
8:19 am
I used that “Bush on steroids” line here a few days ago.
I’m disappointed that companies like Microsoft, that continue to show a profit, are laying off dedicated, highly-skilled workers. Gates alone could pay them for all eternity.
DB, Gwinnettian
March 2nd, 2009
8:42 am
“Clearly the most imortant poll of all, the one in which we vote with ouyr money”
I couldn’t summarize modern day “conservatism” better than our Wyld Byll just did. Typos and all.
TnGelding
March 2nd, 2009
8:44 am
Wyld Byll Hyltnyr
March 2nd, 2009
8:31 am
If that’s true, then I guess the Bush effect must have started right after he was elected in Y2K.
Taxpayer
March 2nd, 2009
8:46 am
TNGelding,
I read that Bush simply refuse to sign off on any budget at all in his waning days in the White House. He just left it for others to clean up.
TnGelding
March 2nd, 2009
8:49 am
Observer
March 2nd, 2009
8:40 am
I thought it was a supplement at first, too, but the departments were operating under a continuing resolution because their funds hadn’t been appropriated. It was left over from FY2009 when Bush was still there.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090226/pl_afp/uspoliticscongressbudget_20090226000655
TnGelding
March 2nd, 2009
8:50 am
Taxpayer
March 2nd, 2009
8:46 am
Yeah, they definitely had different priorities.
Copyleft
March 2nd, 2009
8:58 am
Regarding Jay’s actual COLUMN…
Yes, I’m glad to see America finally focusing on areas we’ve neglected for decades. Health care and energy policy are the key to a successful future.
Unsurprisingly, it took a Democratic leadership and majority to finally get our priorities straight. Over loud Republican objections, of course–but things are finally bad enough that nobody’s listening to the Party of Failed Ideas any more.
As for education… let’s get that fixed ASAP. The more people know, the less likely they are to vote for Republicans.
Observer
March 2nd, 2009
8:59 am
TnGelding – The article you linked to DOES NOT indicate anywhere that the omnibus bill came from Bush. As I stated in my earlier post, it is indeed a government continuation bill – that’s what an omnibus bill is – but the amount and distribution of the funds for this bill come from the current administration.
I Report/ You Whine
March 2nd, 2009
9:03 am
No earmarks, blah, blah, blah.”change”.gov-president One Term
president One Term Defends Approving Earmark Bill
duh
DB, Gwinnettian
March 2nd, 2009
9:09 am
I…Whine @ 9.03 gave us: “president One Term”
I’ll file that with our pet troll’s other astute predictions.
Anyone remember when it used to post as “Luckoduh” and signed off with the immortal “You’re gonna hate ‘08″?
Good times.
Later, all.
Observer
March 2nd, 2009
9:14 am
How does Obama plan to get his healthcare plan past the Senate when he doesn’t have a filibuster-proof majority?
“President Obama’s budget director said the White House would consider using a Senate procedural tactic so that only 50 votes would be required to pass major healthcare and energy reforms.”
“Peter Orszag, the director of the Office of Management and Budget, said the administration would prefer not to use the budget reconciliation process to push through its package.
But he added: ‘We have to keep everything on the table. We want to get these…. important things done this year.’”
http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/obama-considers-50-vote-strategy-on-energy-healthcare-2009-03-01.html
So I guess that “transparency” we were promised during the campaign comes in the form of hiding the liberal healthcare agenda in the budget bill.
More change we can believe in.
getalife
March 2nd, 2009
9:16 am
The President is going for it firing on all cylinders while the gop continue to destroy themselves.
He has moved on to battle the lobbyists in the budget and hope he ends up regulating them more.
Count me as another American not wanting him to fail.
Mrs. Godzilla
March 2nd, 2009
9:16 am
The socialists are coming say the facists.
The socialists are coming say the theocrats.
The socialists are coming say the coporatists.
The socialists are coming say the oligarchs.
The socialists are coming say the Rushpublicans.
In a word, “Jocularity” – Father Mulcahey
Taxpayer
March 2nd, 2009
9:18 am
So, what’s the latest Republican party count on the total number of earmarks in the stimulus bill. I recall reading that one Republican had identified 9000 earmarks. Wow. That took some work on someone’s part. If you were to assume that an average Joe could identify and document 100 earmarks per day, that would take this average Joe ninety work days to identify all 9000 earmarks. The Republicans clearly are not your average Joe though because they have somehow managed to scrub this document down from end to end (what was it, 10,000 pages worth) in a matter of days — not months. That’s just amazing. The things that this Republican party can do when it sets its mind to do a given task. I think they deserve a commendation — a Presidential medal even. I think, at the very least, that this clearly establishes a Guinness moment for the Republican party. Indeed, it’s the fastest they have ever whitewashed a fence while sitting on it since the days of old Abe himself. Bravo.
TnGelding
March 2nd, 2009
9:20 am
Observer
March 2nd, 2009
8:59 am
Like Taxpayer said, Bush refused to negotiate and just left it for Obama. It’s left over business that should have been completed by October 1, 2009. But bottom line, you’re right. It’s a lot of money we don’t have and will have to borrow. Well, we actually have it, about $40 trillion in household wealth, but how do you convey it to the U.S. Treasury without causing more turmoil in the economy? We could have paid off the entire national debt and then some with the wealth that has been lost in the last 16 months.
Dennis
March 2nd, 2009
9:22 am
The Socialist are not coming say the Socialist.
Citizen of the World
March 2nd, 2009
9:22 am
President Obama is focusing on three of our big problem areas — energy, healthcare, and education — and while progress may be slow, let’s hope it’s steady. One thing is for sure, we can’t fix these problems by ignoring them. The only one Bush even tried to approach with a plan was education, with No Child Left Behind, and that was chronically underfunded. But then, I guess it’s the Republican way to think you can implement programs and solve problems for free.
Bosch
March 2nd, 2009
9:23 am
Observer,
Well, if the GOP Senators are just going to hold their breath like children and filibuster just to make a point without offering anything, then, yeah, you have come up with something else.
Why don’t they work with people and compromise instead of constantly filibustering when they don’t get their way?
Observer
March 2nd, 2009
9:25 am
Taxpayer – What’s amazing is that the congressional democrats could write the 10,000 page bill in a matter of less than a week.
Also, I haven’t read the 9,000 earmarks estimate anywhere. Is there any chance you could cite that? I would like to read the article. If not, I understand – I read several things each day that I could never link to if asked later.
Observer
March 2nd, 2009
9:31 am
Bosch writes, “Well, if the GOP Senators are just going to hold their breath like children and filibuster just to make a point without offering anything, then, yeah, you have come up with something else.”
Funny, when the democrats were busy filibustering Bush’s judicial nominations – as was their right as the minority party – it was considered tactical fair play and the republicans lived with it.
Taxpayer
March 2nd, 2009
9:32 am
I hope Obama plays the role of Vlad the Impaler when he goes after some of these lobbyists and some of the “special interests” that they represent. Put the lobbyists and their backers on display for we the people to gawk at.