The Obama Honeymoon

Presidential honeymoons are opportunities for bold action. President-Elect Obama -- with the winds of hope behind his back -- has given every indication that he plans to land running to confront the extraordinary challenges we face.

Bill Clinton signed the stalled Family Medical Leave Act on February 5, 1993. But his First Hundred Days Agenda was distracted by controversial cabinet appointments, a firestorm of protest from military officers against allowing gays to serve openly in the military and the ATF disaster in Waco, Texas.

The honeymoons of FDR and LBJ were bold strokes, marked by big accomplishments and new directions. FDR faced economic collapse. LBJ, a turbulent civil rights movement demanding equality, crushing urban poverty and pent-up demands to make progress on the unfinished business of the New Deal -- health care for all. Here's just a sampling of the rapid-fire days of their first months in the White House.

Roosevelt and the New Deal (1933)
At the edge of financial collapse Roosevelt used his power and influence to change the course of the nation:
March 4 Inauguration Day
March 5 National Bank Holiday declared
March 9 Banking Reform Bill passed
March 22 Roosevelt signed bill ending Prohibition
March 31 Civilian Conservation Corps created
May 18 Tennessee Valley Authority Created
June 13 Homeowners Loan Corporation created
June 16 Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) created

Johnson and the Great Society (1965)
Johnson's landslide victory over Barry Goldwater paved the way for some of the most significant social legislation of the 20th Century.
January 4 Great Society program in State of the Union Address
January 20 Inauguration Day
July 30 Johnson signed Medicare and Medicaid bills
August 6 Voting Rights bill signed
August 31 HUD created

Barack Obama has the chance to create an equally impressive and paradigm-shifting package of legislation and new public programs. Today's economic, environmental and global challenges are huge and create a political imperative for new ideas that match the magnitude of moment. People voted for change. Now let's do it.

Read more reaction from HuffPost bloggers to Barack Obama's victory in the 2008 presidential election

Comments

[zanzig]

Doesn't the honeymoon start after the wedding? An isn't the wedding scheduled for Jan 20 2009? Anticipating the marriage bed is doomed to disappoint, my friends.

[mikey76]

When President Obama releases his programs, they will knock the Republicans socks off. They are going to be nay-sayers, louder than ever. When they open their mouths just say, "eight years".

It is OUR time and we are going to have Change!

[bayside]

Look at his cabinet, do you really expect change when he is putting the same people in charge..Think they want change?

[JambaziJangiliJeuri]

Same people?

[Mildmannered]

Yes, people voted for change. Let's do it!

[brodon]

This Paragon of "Change" is filling his cabinet and advisory staff with the same old retreads, including those with Fannie Mae ties.

How about the plan to bring the troops back from Iraq to pay for all of his spending programs? Funny. . . . . . it seems we haven't heard that lately.

Change?

This is getting better all the time.

I'm Lovin IT.

[tompoe]

Obama names Brennan, Tenet's right hand war criminal to head up security transition? Jami Malik, personally setting up intelligence reports for Congress/Powell lies and crimes? His team floating possibility of replacing Guantanamo with "preventive detention" and national security court? What honeymoon does he think he's entitled to? Christ, we just spent eight years with this crap, and now Obama's first moves are to find the war criminals, and assign them responsibility for how his administration should look in January? Does he really think nothing will come out with impeachment hearings? His entire transition team is about to be indicted.

I really love the way he snuggled up with the Bush/Paulson $1 trillion dollar going away present for their cronies. $2 trillion in secret loans, the public isn't entitled to know about. $300 billion dollars down the black hole without a nickel spent to stop the mortgage/bad debts, other than to transfer them to taxpayers. The rest being set up to merge banks and control banks in other countries. And, Obama says, we need the men responsible for the Great Depression we're entering to continue on. Our free market that failed so miserably needs to continue on.

[Pulemerci]

If Obama is treated by the press anything like his 2 year campaign for POTUS, I would look for a 4 year honeymoon.

[ez14livin]

considering the press was a GOP lapdog for 8 years, that would almost make it even

[sticksnstones]

Still feelin cranky after two weeks of those pesky happy celebrants? Well, get over it. Barack Obama won. You have to share your toys and you don't get to soil the sandbox.

[Pulemerci]

Not cranky at all. I hope my President-elect has all the success in the world as he leads our country. He has had a free ride by the press you must admit though.