Cracks in the Facade
Posted By Victor Davis Hanson On May 14, 2009 @ 8:33 am In Uncategorized | 170 Comments
Fissures in the Obama Totem
Oh, I know that President Obama’s approval ratings are still around 62%. But I also remember that George Bush’s at the end of 2001 got even higher — and stayed at or above 60% through most of 2002, explaining why he increased his congressional majority in the midterm elections.
Nevertheless, I think we are beginning — after less than four months — to see fissures in Obama’s Pentelic statuary. And the cracks will widen, because in about six areas he has taken on human nature itself, age-old logic, and common sense-opponents that even a Harvard Law degree and Chicago organizing are no match for.
1) The Rule of Law. We are on dangerous ground here with the reordering of the bankruptcy statutes with Chrysler and the UAW; with the strong-arming of stimulus money for California predicated on the protection of unions; with the serial disdain for paying taxes on the part of Geithner, Solis, Daschle and others; and with the selective release of CIA memos, to denigrate those out of office as veritable torturers (they should reread the transcript of Eric HolderÂ’s 2002 CNN interview with Paula Zahn in which he grandly denies that the Gitmo detainees have any recourse to the Geneva Convention accords and can be held there for as long as we think the war lasts). What separates the U.S. from Mexico, Cuba, or Haiti is the rule of law, the protection of capital and property, the evenhanded treatment of investment, and the faith in a fair media to uncover abuse. I think that is now all in question, as the Utopian ends justify the tawdry means.
2) Energy. We are finding more natural gas than ever. There are billions of barrels of U.S. oil in Alaska, offshore, and in shale. Yet rigs sit idle and government leases are constricting rather than expanding — and for reasons other than the economy....
There's only one problem with investing yet more in our own potential oil supply: We will once more become complacent and ignore on the whole the very real possibilities of alternatives. Obviously, we can never do completely without oil, since it is the base for so many other products, not just energy.
3) Debt. Obama has somehow already used the tax last resort. That is, his figures assume taking off FICA caps, watching the states increase their own tax rates, upping the federal rate to 40%, curbing deductions, and effectively increasing the total state and federal bite to above 65% on top incomes...
Isn't that effectively what Bush did? By level-funding, or de-funding certain grants to the states to carry on their domestic programs, the states wound up increasing taxes, fees, etc., just to keep above water. By law, states must balance their budgets. The jury is still out on how it all will play out this time, but in my mind, there is no doubt whatsoever that the tax favoritism for the most wealthy is long overdue, and tax evaders as well as those who can legally itemize to the point they have no tax obligation should be forced to pay their fair share.
4) Security. Very schizophrenic. WE keep FISA, Patriot Act, rendition, military tribunals (Gitmo for now?), Predator attacks, Iraq and Afghanistan, while we trash their Bush origins, apologize abroad, and try to out CIA memos to embarrass the country between 2001-8....
Rather than schitzo, consider that Obama wasn't privy to all the classified information until he became the chief executive. I happen to admire the fact that he changes his mind as better information becomes available. And releasing the memos was as a result of the ACLU winning on it's FOIA request, not an Obama spur-of-the-moment decision to "embarrass" anyone.
5). Civil Discord. In just three months Obama has caused more disunity than most presidents in recent memory....
Very predictable that the far right would hate him no matter what. But Obama still polls well over 60% so where's the general "disunity"?? It's not there. Prior to this election, more and more people proclaimed to be very concerned the direction the country had taken and that we needed a NEW direction. Those same people are willing to give this NEW direction a chance. If it falls flat, you'll have your chance to make a difference.
6). Race relations. Here I am worried. Far from bringing us together, I think Obama’s serial emphasis on race may achieve the unintended opposite of polarization. He should have learned in the campaign (Rev. Wright, Trinity Church, typical white person, clingers, call for reparations, his grandmother — the purported prejudicial stereotyper, etc.), the perils of seeing the world through skin color. ...
See #5. You must not have a very wide range of Internet browsing. Compound the basic anger among Republicans/conservatives/other far right fringes with the election of a black president, and you see gun sales that have spiked by 70%. A little worrisome indeed
Missed opportunity? Obama could have had a one-time stimulus, then vowed to balance the budget. He might have praised wind and solar as he asked the carbon industry to ‘get us through.’ He could have politely disagreed with Bush, but framing differences in the tragic notion of no good choices. He might have cooled the overseas apologies, savvy that other nations have more to apologize for than his own. Obama should have established zero-tolerance for tax avoidance at a time of record tax increases. He could have remonstrated with Wall Street, and sought to rein in excess without Europeanizing the financial sector. He could have proactively reformed entitlements with bipartisan support, rather than, as will happen, drastically address them in the 11th hour. But then to do all that would be to assume he never went to Trinity Church, knew no Rev. Wright, Ayers, Khalidi, etc., did not run mysterious campaigns that eliminated opponents before the elections, was not the most partisan Senator in Congress, and avoided rather crude social and racial stereotyping while campaigning. Most who read this will not agree, given the mesmerizing effect of the Obama charisma. But in time, unless there are radical changes, I think the nation will come to learn that such talent was not put in service to our collective welfare.