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Obama Should Focus On Executive Powers, Liberal Group Says
By MICHAEL D. SHEAR
President Obama should refocus his administration to concentrate on executive actions he can take independent of Congress, after two years in which voters have become disgusted with the sausage-makingof legislation, according to a report released today by a liberal policy group.
In the report by the Center for American Progress, John Podesta, a former chief of staff to President Bill Clinton, argues that the public is eager to see Mr. Obama be strong and decisive in ways that he cant be while negotiating and compromising with Congress.
President Obamas ability to govern the country as chief executive presents an opportunity to demonstrate strength, resolve and a capacity to get things done on a host of pressing challenges of importance to the public and our economy, writes Podesta, the groups president and chief executive. Progress, not positioning, is what the public wants and deserves.
The report, called Power of the President, identifies more than 30 specific areas where Podesta and his staff believe Mr. Obama could act.
Among them:
* On energy, they urge him to reduce oil imports, conserve federal lands, engage with hunters to develop a wildlife plan and install solar panels on the roofs of hangars owned by the Air Force.
* Domestically, the group suggests a new strategy to promote American competitiveness, an aggressive push to start the new consumer protection agency, efforts to promote mediation to avoid foreclosures and moves to simplify access to federal antipoverty programs.
* And on national security policy, the report calls for the use of executive authority to mitigate the impact of the militarys dont ask, dont tell policy, new support for a Palestinian state, a comprehensive policy on the Russia-Georgia conflict and a new focus on the strategic alliance with Turkey.
Soros Disses Obama
November 17, 2010 4:53 P.M.
By Andrew Stiles
The Huffington Post reports that liberal billionaire George Soros voiced harsh criticism of President Obama during a private meeting with Democratic donors on Tuesday, and came very close to suggesting that financial support for the president might be better directed elsewhere:
According to multiple sources with knowledge of his remarks, Soros told those in attendance that he is tired of fighting losing battles but hated even more losing without fighting.
We have just lost this election, we need to draw a line, he said, according to several Democratic sources. And if this president cant do what we need, it is time to start looking somewhere else.
Soross people were quickly on the defensive:
Michael Vachon, an adviser to Soros, did not dispute the comment, though he stressed that there was no transcript of a private gathering to check. Vachon also clarified that the longtime progressive giver was not referring to a primary challenge to the president.
Mr. Soros fully supports the president as the leader of the Democratic Party, said Vachon. He was not suggesting that we seek another candidate for 2012. His comments were made in a private, informal conversation that was about the need for progressives to be more forceful in promoting their agenda. He was stressing the importance of being heard by elected officials.
The Lefts dissatisfaction with the Obama administration is widely known, but mounting a primary challenge against Obama from the left in 2012 has never seemed like a realistic option. That said, if Soros decides to put his money where his mouth is, things could get interesting.
