Obama: no, he can't?
The first months of Obama’s administration have been a unprecedented disaster, argues Bartle Bull in this month’s Prospect. Instead of trying to fix the economy, Obama is using the crisis to push an revolutionary (and unpopular) social agenda, and his plans to radically reform healthcare, education and environmental policy are bound to fail, predicts Bull. America is still a majority centre-right nation and, in massively expanding the role of the state, Obama is giving Americans the opposite of what they thought they were getting when they voted for him. Combine this with the administration’s ongoing staffing crisis, an ineffective leader at the helm of the treasury and a weak foreign policy, and this president could turn out to be as ineffective as Jimmy Carter.
So has Bull, who was among the first western journalists to call the turn in the Iraq war, now done the same with the Obama presidency? Or is this essay just another example of the right-wing ad-hominems we heard during the election campaign? Weigh in here with your views.
Share
Comments
Print
Add Comment
You’re obviously not paying much attention, Mr. Bull. Or perhaps your brain is on holiday.
Bartle Bull has captured Obama’s essence. It is disappointing that someone who so perfectly captures the essence of Obama is so wide of the mark when discussing the Clintons.
The major successes of Bill Clinton were largely failures to carry out his wishes, or the result of co-opting Republican priorities in order to jump out in front and lead Americans where they were going to go anyway.
Hillary Clinton may not lean as far to the left as Obama, and I emphasize MAY, but she is very much a product Saul Alinsky, as is Obama. She loathes the American military and has demonstrated enthusiasm for large-scale government intrusion into our lives and businesses.She is not the smooth liar her husband is, but she is a liar. She has proven to be monumentally incompetent when engaged in the public’s business, and ruthless and shrewd when settling political or personal scores.
Obama is a mistake, but there is no reason to think Hillary would be much better.
What a load of absolute rubbish. Bull’s article is just that–bull. And he uses a right-wing Rasmussen poll (!) to “prove” Obama is unpopular. I guess the surveys that show 64%-67% support are all wrong. This article is right-wing slop of the worst kind, the product of someone who hates Obama on a personal, ugly, visceral level, and who has, idiotically, declared a presidency two months old a failure. None of Obama’s reforms has even been given a chance to take effect, and this gibbering fool has declared them a failure. ENOUGH!
Oh, and another thing–the idea that America is a “center-right” nation is a total, unmitigated lie. Survey after survey has indicated broad support for a strong government role in health care, the right of workers to unionize, government regulation of the financial sector, full economic and social equality for women, and a whole range of other progressive positions. But I guess to a lying right-wing propagandist none of that matters. People like Bull think that if you repeat the lies often enough you can fool a lot of other people.
Lovely piece Bartle, well observed and articulated. A few of small points, though:
“The US stock market has lost a quarter of its value since Obama’s election.”
That’s a cheap shot that leads to the sort of short-term, politically showmanlike actions that make crises into tragedies. That has nothing to do with him. And your later time frames are nonsensical: “over 10,000 banks failed in 1931-32 compared to a few score in 2008-09.” The time to compare will be 2010-11. The number that failed in 1929-30 is the only honest comparison possible now.
“No advances on any known front can generate anything like an economically compelling alternative to fossil fuels”
Nuclear? You know that’s where they’ll all end up in the end. Lovelock is right.
“Today’s recession is in severity and duration (only three or four quarters of negative growth) a normal economic contraction by historical standards.”
No. No. No. In severity it is only comparable to ’29’s aftermath. What is more, none of the others had a concommitant banking crisis.
Finally, when it comes to the Clintons, I’m with Hitchens.
Mr. Bull–Uh Huh. Nice essay for an alternative universe. The truth? Obama is still comfortably above 60% on approval ratings. People are nervous about the debt required to finance stimulus necessary to correct this Reagonomics/Bushanomics disaster created over the last eight years, but they are willing to do it. And Republicans’ chances of picking up seats in either house in the next off-year election? About the same as one of the Bush daughters getting a Nobel Prize for physics. But keep up the good work.
Mr. Bull-
ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
ha ha.
Thanks, I needed a good laugh.
Steve-
Don’t let reality get in the way of a good rant. Immigration laws that call for illegals to be deported are valid and should be enforced. Oh I forgot they are a loyal Dem. special interest group.
As far as businesses that knowingly use illegals, jail time and forfeiture of the business is a law enforcement issue. It has nothing to do with the ever present liberal government attitude that the people are too stupid to know what’s best for them so we need them to help us blow our noses and wipe our butts.
The major downfall of the Obama’s presidence will be he just tries to do too much and end up failing everything. Just think, he tries to solve the following: the financial and banking crisis; the housing crisis; the recession; health care; education; energy; re-distribution of wealth etc. etc. Any normal president who can successfully solve any one of the above will be remembered as great, and Mr. Obama tries to them all, in 4 years.
Most of the “criticisms” are outright distortions.
Obama never claimed that health care, education, and energy “caused” the housing crisis, as you claim. What he said was that these were areas that stood in the way of long-term economic stability. For instance, the cost of health care is growing rapidly, 47 million people are currently uninsured, and 2 million are added to that number every year. The U.S. spends more on health care than any other developed nation in the world; we are ranked 39th in quality of care, many people, even those with insurance, go into debt because they cannot afford the cost of care, and again, many are uncovered. If that problem seems to you unrelated to long-term economic stability, I don’t know exactly what to say to you. France, which has just a partly private, partly public system similar to what Obama is recommending but which is actually has universal care, has the lowest costs and is ranked among the best in the world in terms of quality care. Point to tax rates in France all you want, but those are not simply a result of health care, but government subsidized child care, college education, and much else. And that is nothing near to what Obama is recommending.
You claim that the economy is now in a “cyclical contraction,” dismissing its severity by historical comparison. But the parallel to the Great Depression was based, by many economists not just Obama, on what could happen if problems were not address directly, particularly in finding away to address the trillions lost in bad securities, unfreezing the credit market. That it recovery will arrive in a year is an optimistic prediction based on exactly the kind of government spending for public works projects (to keep people working) and much else that you oppose. It is a cheap criticism that 80% of the stimulus bill money won’t be used this year–that is how government spending works, and if things do get worse, there needs to be resources and plans ready to go. Incidentally, how, exactly, do you imagine the causes of “boom and bust” cycles? You can’t fix a problem unless you know what’s wrong, and “boom and bust cycle” is simply a non-answer, because it is the explanatory equivalent of “this stuff just happens.”
I do not agree with all the details of the President’s economic policies, particularly the new private-public coop for absorbing toxic assets, but at least he has an actual plan and accounted for the cost of his budget in terms of long term deficits, spanning a period of a decade. Bush never did that. It was also drafted to respond directly to the current troubles in the market–anyone familiar with the actual plan can see that. Indicative of this fact is the 150 page policy you indicate. The current Republican plan is 19 pages and contains no figures, no deficit numbers. That is a joke.
Where in the U.S. constitution does it stipulate that the Federal government should play no role in education?
I have criticism aplenty of many of the President’s ACTUAL policies–but those are based on a factual assessment of what his actual policies are and the circumstance to which they are response. This article is so tendentious that the word “vile smear” is understatement.
The guilt ridden white people of this country have no one to blame for the problems with America except for themselves. Any who voted for the socialist fraud obama needs to reap all that they sewed. The downfall of America began in the 60’s with the great society and has continued with the continued allowance of illegal aliens into America. This is heading to one big explosion within the US.
I loved this article. Sadly, I voted for Obama. What was I thinking?
Anybody who is still holding on to approval rating above 60% is dreaming. The latest poll has him at 50% but wait until gas hits 3 USD a gallon and most peoples electric bill will double. At that point he will be lucky if he can keep his ratings above 20%. This guy is truly Bush III.
Right on, Mr. Bull. The Obama presidency is a disaster and I don’t expect the American economy to get better anytime soon, especially not with Geithner’s economic plan. The writing is on the wall. America has started its decline in the world and China will take over as superpower in a few years. America had a chance to vote a superb candidate into power – Hillary Clinton – but upper-class white liberals chose to “wash their sins away” by voting for Obama without carefully studying his past voting record and Chicago associations to make their decision. Clinton would have been much more prepared to deal with the economic crisis. Now the country is being steered by a leader who knows how to do little else but read from a teleprompter.
Anyone who thinks that business as usual as per the Bush regime, and extended by McCain/Palin was an answer to anything wouldnt know their butt from a hole in the ground.
It would have been an unmitigated disaster.
Obama at least represented the possibility of something new emerged—the possibility.
Meanwhile Obama inherited a country which is effectively a lunatic asylum. In which the social capital and even the physical infastructure was more of less systematically ruined starting with the Reagan years.
Plus a world which is facing unprecedented multiple inter-related crises, any one of which could cause a world-wide catastrophe–even world war three.
For instance the very real and getter worse by the minute water shortages all over the planet.
So somehow after only three months Obama is supposed to have fixed the destructive results of 30 years (plus a lot more) of systematic and deliberate malfeasance.
I would argue that the multiple world-wide crises that Obama has inherited have DEEP historical and cultural roots with an almost unstoppable momentum behind them. Try reading The Pentagon of Power by Lewis Mumford for some clues as to the power of the Invisible Megamachine.
Meanwhile there are powerful forces on the right of the USA culture wars divide who are doing everything that they possibly can to prevent the necessary changes that have to be made if Earthkind altogether is to survive.
Some are even muttering (invoking) about the possibility, even necessity, of armed rebellion.
America knows why BHO does not respond in any way to the troubling news coming out of DC. It’s all good to him.
As long as he keeps smiling his “what? me worry?” smile, America, as we know it, is undergoing a revolution, being made to fit the utopian visions of mid-twentieth century leftist radicals.
The audacity of deceit.
Mr. Bull:
All we can hope for is that you and poorly informed, poorly educated people like you, Michelle Malkin, Bill O’Lielly, Rush Limbaugh, and the rest continue to act the way you do (I’ll be polite). Unfortunately for you, the American populace was so devastated by 8 years of president cheney that they woke up, like the sleeping giant. Add that to the beyond-spectacular intelligence and communication skills of Barack HUSSEIN Obama and you have a perfect storm for the right.
The American people now are observing and judging their politicians in a way they never have before.
Obama, with his community organizer background, Harvard undergrad, Harvard Law, Harvard Law Review, teaching experience, etc. etc., etc. has raised the bar quite high for what the people expect in their leaders. Lies about Acorn, etc. might fool your idiots who listen to rush and ann and sean who do not think independently might believe their garbage, but no one with an education would.
PLEASE nominate Sarah Palin or Bobby Jindal in 2012… PLEASE! It really is so sad (but fun in a wrong way) to watch them make such utter fools of themselves. My personal favorite from the campaign was the deer-in-the-headlights look in Palin’s eyes when Couric asked her to name a newspaper (ANY newspaper!) AND SHE COULDN’T! In fairness, I know it was a tough question!
Oh, almost forgot, regarding America being a center right nation…. Clinton devastated Bush and Dole, and we all know Bush did not win in 2000 or 2004 (YES we know what Diebold did to the machines in Ohio).
Contrarily, Obama won red repube states no Democrat has one since, well since, well, ever?
We also know Baracj Hussein Obama won by more than was shown on election day.
But again, PLEASE nominate Palin or Jindal (or BOTH) for 2012. We’re really looking forward to seeing Tina and Co. come up with some priceless new material on SNL. BYE Y’ALL!
Bull:
All we can hope for is that you and poorly informed, poorly educated people like you, Michelle Malkin, Bill O’Lielly, Rush Limbaugh, and the rest continue to act the way you do (I’ll be polite). Unfortunately for you, the American populace was so devastated by 8 years of president cheney that they woke up, like the sleeping giant. Add that to the beyond-spectacular intelligence and communication skills of Barack HUSSEIN Obama and you have a perfect storm for the right.
The American people now are observing and judging their politicians in a way they never have before.
Obama, with his community organizer background, Harvard undergrad, Harvard Law, Harvard Law Review, teaching experience, etc. etc., etc. has raised the bar quite high for what the people expect in their leaders. Lies about Acorn, etc. might fool your idiots who listen to rush and ann and sean who do not think independently might believe their garbage, but no one with an education would.
PLEASE nominate Sarah Palin or Bobby Jindal in 2012… PLEASE! It really is so sad (but fun in a wrong way) to watch them make such utter fools of themselves. My personal favorite from the campaign was the deer-in-the-headlights look in Palin’s eyes when Couric asked her to name a newspaper (ANY newspaper!) AND SHE COULDN’T! In fairness, I know it was a tough question!
Oh, almost forgot, regarding America being a center right nation…. Clinton devastated Bush and Dole, and we all know Bush did not win in 2000 or 2004 (YES we know what Diebold did to the machines in Ohio).
Contrarily, Obama won red repube states no Democrat has one since, well since, well, ever?
We also know Baracj Hussein Obama won by more than was shown on election day.
But again, PLEASE nominate Palin or Jindal (or BOTH) for 2012. We’re really looking forward to seeing Tina and Co. come up with some priceless new material on SNL. BYE Y’ALL!
I am amazed at how many have bought into the hopey change that they were promised. You are going to get change all right, and you had better hope you can survive it.
Name me any previous administration where nominees are dropping like flies, or any administration that did not have it’s people in place before Inauguration Day. Name just one. Timothy Geithner, himself a tax cheat, has stated he is going after tax cheats as he sits in an empty office, unable to fill chairs with bodies willing to work for him. Oh, wait, he did hire one person; the financial guru for Citibank.
So Obama says he will tap the best and the brightest as he appoints Andy Stern of the corrupt SEIU, Jeffery Immelt, of the failing GE, Penny Pritzer who still owes the U.S. government millions from her family’s corrupt bank, all appointees to Obama’s “Economic Recovery Advisory Board” and all who should be in jail.
Obama will drive America into such debt that even the Chinese are starting to back off, and it is to China’s advantage to own as much as they can.
So the lemmings here bring up Palin (who scares the bejesus out of them), Jinal, another man of color who has at least run a state and has started making that state profitable after years of Democratic corruption stemming all the way back to Huey Long, or any talk show host they feel threatens the socialism that Obama is trying to foist upon America.
When left wingers react this way, you can bet someone hit a nerve.
They know that for 8 years they screamed about the most “secretive” administration in history. Now they voted one in that refuses to release so much as his university records, or the financial transfer sheet to his tony Chicago mansion. They turn a blind eye when the administration out right lies, telling us that Timothy Geithner knew nothing about the AIG bonuses although Geithner was the author of the AIG bailout.
Keep fooling yourselves. But when you get hit by the oncoming socialist train, don’t cry about how you were not warned.
Mr. Bull:
I have submitted my commentary. I do not see it published with your article which I think is excellent “No, he can’t!” Your sentiments are my sentiments . . .
I’ve e-mailed it to all whom I care about.
Lady Theodora D. Abazis
MR. BULL
THANK YOU! I’M SO TOUCHED BY YOUR PUTTING MY NAME WHERE EVERYONE CAN READ W/YOUR ARTICLE.
THEODORA D. ABAZIS
I’d like to take Bartle Bull up on his claim that the healthcare system is not related to the US economy.
The current US healthcare system is expensive and puts a high burden not only on individuals, but also on employers. This has a direct impact on America’s competativeness.
Much of the motor industry’s debt comes from pension and healthcare liabilities, and these debts are making it that much harder for the industry to get through the economic downturn. The motor industry is a major provider of jobs – jobs which must be protected not only for the sake fo those involved, but because of the effect that rising US unemployment has on global demand.
What an awful article – a Prospect version of a Rush Limbaugh piece. It is the sort of writing that gives America a bad name for its populist visceral hatred of a man alone: but Bartle Bull (at least he makes his nationality clear through his name) allies it with a defence on a way of life that he is clearly wedded to for life. If Bull and his like do not realise that recent capitalist aberrations are closely allied to energy availability/cost then there is no hope for the rest of us. Obama is the world’s greatest hope that unrestricted greed and the sustained assault on the world’s resources can be trammelled and sense seen by moving away from oil into renewables. No doubt this is going to be deeply painful in principle for the sort of Republicans that have brought that word into deep disrepute and we shall almost certainly hear more Bull-shit emerging from frothing mouths over the next couple of years. Mr Bull, many of us do not wish to be associated with your vision of the world.
Haiku: Is Prospect’s perspective the bile of Bull? Or only provocation?
Bull clearly has personal issues about Obama and about the fact that the election was somehow “stolen” from Hilary Clinton. And he judges Obama to be a disaster after 70 days: excellent punditry there, based on a long-term track record. A thoroughly ill-informed and nasty piece of work masquerading as intelligent journalism in a high-brow magazine.
An incredibly right wing article which I had not suspected would be representative of Prospect’s editorial stance.
The US ought to be proud that its president is trying to redress the inegalitarian nature of its society. How much longer was it supposed to stand by and watch while oil companies and other large TNCs pocketed record profits? Isn’t it right that these profits should go towards the inception of a solid healthcare system, as recommended by major economists of world reknown such as Joseph Stiglitz?
Isn’t it also worth attempting to rebuild the economy with healthcare, education and green technology as are the avowed aims of the stimulus packages? This is surely better than trying to recreate an aberrant financial services industry based on gambling and speculation, whose captains’ earnings were/are decoupled from the real contribution to the US economy made by these activities.
This piece was a shrill attack on a president who is attempting to disprove TINA, to show that there is an alternative to the right wing neoliberal corporate agenda which has been placed at the heart of western government policies since the 1980s.
Shame on Bull for his provocative and ill-informed journalism, and for Prospects to allow him to get away with his shoddy research and journalism.
The second paragraph tries to pin the financial crises onto Obama it really isn’t worth reading further. the rest of the article may have some good points, but I will never know.
One of the most ridiculous articles ive read on the Obama presidency, chock full of the usual consoling right wing cliches that Obama’s election threw into question. First time ive checked into prospect for about four months – reminds me why i dont spend money on a hard copy. Lazy, complacent elitist smuggery.
This is superb. And I’m impressed by the number of comments you’ve received from those enlightened enough to recognize your diagnosis is correct.
Thought the virus has a very long way to go – the media seem by and large utterly innoculated to seeing any aspect of duplicity about Obama’s agenda. It will take a good deal more pain to mobilize an effective antidote to all this.
All the more reason why Prospect is to be congratulated to being willing to buck a seemingly universal consensus.
Devon Cross