Obama's Pattern of Accommodation

On issue after issue, Barack Obama has shown a strong reluctance to challenge established thinking and to confront powerful interests. Just the opposite. He instinctively tips his hat to every establishment he encounters -- be it Wall Street, the military, the intelligence community, or the health care industry. He is little more aggressive in pressing Congress. Obama is demonstrably someone whose loud bark is not followed but much bite. Retreat from positions boldly declared has become the hallmark of his administration. At times, the retreat follows brief skirmishes. At other times, it is preemptive -- prompted by skirmishes in the president's own mind.

This is the singular Obama style evident on major domestic issues. The process begins with a firm statement of the problem, a clarion call for action, and a pledge to force change. Then, there is the period of eerie calm -- no plan is unveiled, no campaign strategy executed. There ensues an opaque, slow-motion free-for-all involving a fractured Congress, advocates, lobbies and the media with the White House staff operating in the shadows behind the scenes. Among the protagonists are the very parties that are the cause of the problem.

The very idea of a compelling national interest gets lost in the melee. Obama makes brief public appearances punctuated by further proclamations of the imperative to act, still without any specifics or sustained effort. Whatever comes out of this muddle is declared historic and promising. Thus the ramshackle approach taken toward the financial crisis.

Comments

[BrotherOrchid]

Obama has a lot of style, and little substance. Feet of clay are leading the way.

[1088]

Bob Woodward who is writing a book about the Obama Admin would disagree with you. He said he's amaze on how much the President has done in 5 months. Many that we the people haven't seen or heard. The President has 140 enactments done, with many involvement on the Hill to bring everything together for his agenda. Sorry, the President need the Reps right now to get things done, and down the road he can step on their necks. But, right now he cannot afford to lose support. Sorry, nice try, but you see, many of us are way ahead of the curb.

[Poboy]

Well, is Bob Woodward writing this comment?

If not, then let Bob Woodward speak for himself.

What say you?

[1088]

Don't you worry, Palin will take care of all the problems in 2012, starting with all the Liberal and progressive.

[wyntka]

Wow, you mean she'll be elected president?

How many months will she serve before quitting?

[Idytme]

And this is news to you? He campaigned on being a "consensus builder" a "middle man" someone who would go for the center, no matter how skewed that center was. It was why I wasn't an Obamamaniac. He is delivering *exactly* as promised and I do not see how some people I respected in the political arena didn't understand that. His Presidency is going to be full of comprise, compromise, compromise. And while that isn't a bad thing to itself, it is when everyone knows that there is no line to be drawn. Everyone should know how statistics can be skewed when there are deviations from the norm. He was never on the left. He was always further right than the other major candidates. People in the democratic party wanted that. They are now getting exactly what they wished for.

[realpolitic]

Yes, Barack Obama has acted more like our professor-in-chief than our president. When elected he inspired so many. Unlike Bush, he told us exactly what he wanted to do. It took guts for him to say he would raise taxes on the rich, leave Iraq, close Guantanamo, and perhaps investigate criminally the excesses of the Bush administration. By contrast, Bush just seemed like an amiable bumbler when he ran, never mentioning he would like to invade Iraq or steer us so completely to the right.

Then when Obama gets in office he seems to back off for some reason. His re-election will be determined by the economy in 2012, but he let Congress write the entire stimulus package and made many concessions to Republicans who only gave him two or three votes anyway. Then he still said he wants bi-partisanship. He did not forcfully get in front of his climate change legislation, which may die in the Senate, and is conducting Town Halls on the subject of health care, but seems ready to let Congress lead the way and perhaps abandon a public option.

Obama is the opposite of Rove's politics who divided us seeking out just enough votes to win an election. Obama seems to want 100% of the vote and by seeking to please everyone, he perhaps may please no one and all his lofty ambitions may be shot down by conservatives who have always been successful at shooting down progress in the past.

[allpeopleunite]

What do you expect, he is a puppet of his capitalist masters?

[Gotchoo]

Voted for Obama in the primary and NEXT day he reversed himself on a slew of PROMISED top issues. He didn't even wait for his victory to settle in. Don't you remember? How can anyone forget! Thousands of us saw the light and did NOT vote for him again. Why would he lie to his supporters? Because he's not who he says he is. Face reality he lied. It was a screaming moment of truth. What more do you want, a smack on the head?
I knew this was coming and have a six month old prepared statement. "I told you so and he didn't fool me twice." Totally agree with you Michael Brenner.

[Luvial]

When Bush/Cheney took office they had a well-planned agenda and implemented many changes on day one. Obama made little but symbolic changes because...­Obama=Bush

[sawbuck]

continuing the wiretaps, continuing detentions without recourse, caving on public health care, hundreds of taxpayer money used for bailouts that gave us nothing but a boot in the behind, this guy has been a complete dud. my fourth of july analogy...­.
maybe hillary was right. all he has is a speech.

[nancytheragingliberal]

Sawbuck, I said the same thing too. Hillary is looking more profound with each passing day. He looks like all blow and no go. I am thinking that Hillary would have been a kick a** , great President. Chomp, chomp,....­...I am eating crow.

[Poboy]

No, she wouldn't have.

Obama is weak and ineffectual BECAUSE he is leading Clinton Democrats.

The same Democrats Clinton would have been leading.

In other words, a CORRUPT Party.

[Luvial]

Hillary=Obama=Bush, She is part of his administration, why would you think she would be any different?

[gemswinc]

Me thinks Obama is more Machiavelian
than is perceived. He seems to me to be a master manipulator, with eerie callm, of the Party of No and the Dithercrat­s..

[thehoopoe]

Mr. President,

you have great political capital which you are squandering. Grow a pair and stop worrying about getting people to like you. SINGLE PAYER NOW!!

thehoopoe

[Luvial]

He is not squandering anything. He is triangulating. Obama is trading progressive support for center-right support for his reelection in 2012.

[3015551212]

Also, perhaps you don't appreciate the importance of the Lily Ledbetter act (?). That was signed days after he took office. Maybe you don't care so much that women workers have a chance at equal pay in our country?

[twofish]

There was no opposition to that act, so it doesn't break the pattern. It was passed to correct a Supreme Court decision that everyone found repulsive (that people who have been screwed by their employers have 6 months to protest, even if they don't discover the wage discrepancy for years). Those who would think this is a great ruling, like big corporations, didn't bother to put up a fight.

[edweird]

Yes there was overwhelming support in Congress and in the Country to right the wrong done to Lilly Ledbetter. No political capital required.

[Christian]

Well said, my feeling exactly. One wonders if he has real fight and backbone in him. Frankly, a leader needs to show some once in a while and as of yet, I'm not impressed.

[alpaig]

duh- this is exactly why I didn't support Obama in the Democratic primaries - this is all a surprise?
anyone who had ever bothered to look at his record in the State senate would have seen and predicted that how he operated there would be how he operates as President- Exelon? that spoke for itself in Illinois- I'm not a McCain supporter but of the two McCain had the record of going after corporations and biting the hand that feeds him when so inclined- he was the one not afraid to stick up to his party at some point in his Senate history- he also got less money from Wall Street then Obama did, gee- I wonder why? Obama is a symbol of change, not an agent of change and anyone who couldv'e seen past the media bias and symbolism wouldv've known that- it's a joke- regulatory reform is a joke that he's doing when there are loopholes wide enough to drive a truck through- I'd rather have a Democrat in office then the GOP, but Obama was not the right Democrat

[TaosJohn]

Very astute, sir. Quite well put, and I agree with every word.

[billysviez]

I Voted for Obama but, i am begining to see Him in a different Light. He is continueing most of the bush Policy and i truely think He is Scarred for His Life. Why is He Proctecting bush, cheney and all of the other Criminals? Lobbiest and special interist Own Our House and Senate and that includes the Spinless DemoRats. i don't know the answer but, We The PEOPLE sure have a problem.

[Luvial]

How can Obama prosecute Bush when Obama is continuing Bush's policies?

[MarcusT]

It has been a wonderful change and not only was the bar so very low but Obama truly is smooth and intelligent. But where's the TARP? Remember? Paulsen abandoned his and now Obama can't get any takers. By allowing the banks to move away from mark-to-market he took away the incentive necessary to create any kind of secondary market for all the toxic waste on the bank's books. This is coming back and it will bite very hard, and possibly very soon. And we're out of bullets. Health reform will not happen unless he gets it through very quick. Cap and trade already does not matter-in its present form. The administration will be caught in the headlights and nothing short of nationalizing the banks will work-and even that will at best hold in place for 10 years. So THEN we'll see what he's is capable of. The entire world wants him to succeed but we are all just programmed to believe there are relatively quick fixes. This time is fundamentally different and it's not clear that he or his team, or the American public, are willing to respond appropriately.

[rflctammt]

While it's true that Obama does seem to have the support of many foreign countries and global citizens, I think you miss an important point when you say, "The entire world wants him to succeed...­"

The problem isn't the rest of the world, it's the people right there in Washington with him who are hoping and planning for his failure. Led by their cheerleaders Rush and Cheney, the GOP has worked AGAINST his every action. I challenge anyone to come up with one single example where they uniformly decided to support any idea he's proposed. Can you imagine actually hearing them say, "Oh, that's a sound idea. We're with you on that, Mr. President.­" Instead, they have made it party policy to oppose him on every issue, large or small. They lay the blame on him for the most outrageous things, (the census?) unimpressed by the fact that wanting our president to fail is tantamount to wanting America to fail.

And now we have to listen to Mr. Brenner whine along with everyone else who didn't get all their wishes granted at morning's first light. I have news for you. You better figure out which side your on, the side that's tearing down or the side that's building up. We ALL need get busy making this country work because no single man or woman can do it alone. Certainly not with the kind of help Obama's getting. As they say, with friends like that, who needs enemies.