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

[tjfxh]

Obama is wasting his political capital, alienating his base, and confusing the country, while his wishy-washy approach threatens to turn what was the Bush recession into a debacle for Democrats as jobs blow up, debit deleveraging escalates, and a deflationary spiral looms. Meanwhile, the party of whack-jobs stands in the wings laughing, waiting for the Dems to self-destruct, opposing every program put forward, and proposing the monetary and fiscal tightening that would be disastrous for the fragile economy.

Mr. President, get a grip, tell it like it is, assign blame, propose necessary remedial measures even though painful and unpopular with wealth and power, and take charge. After all, the buck stops with you. And stop making a travesty of the Constitution by turning a blind eye to torture, war crimes, and other malfeasance of the previous administration that is rotting the foundations of the country.

[WritusMaximus]

Folks, stop complaining about what Obama our prez should and shouldn't be doing. Obama is very transparent. What you see is what you get. He's already in office, and that should suffice all of you progressives/liberals/dems.

"People may doubt what you say, but believe what you do."

[paixa3]

Mr. Brenner; Thank you for the most astute and spot on blog. However, the president's lack of real courage should NOT be a surprise. Why? Before Mr. Obama even took office he caved on FISA, OFF SHORE DRILLING, RETROACTIVE IMMUNITY and STOOD WITH BUSH for the bank bailout. Heck, he even beat McCain to Washington to do that.

You will doomed more if you do NOT get business out of government.

[jsehgal]

Obama seems to personify Parkison's principle of rising to the level of incompetence. He knows where to go, but not how to get there. This is maddening. It makes me think perhaps Hillary Clinton was a better choice.

[edweird]

Hillary WAS the better choice.

[youknow]

There are pitfalls to the burning desire of "Wanting to be loved". Obama obviously bright and intelligent appears not to have the spine of steel that some people predicted. Sad. I am suspicious that he may not be aware of opposing views presented by the people that elected him or else does not care. If that is the case then he is defaulting on his oath of office. Please Mr. President start paying attention to the people and do not worry so much about your advisors, they are not President and do not worry about upsetting them, the power needs to flow back to you. Do not let the flies in the marketplace of political opinions bite your hand.

[SiberianRat]

Are you writing to Congress and the WH regularly to express your views?

[vividnature]

He is truly a painful disappointment. He is a Harry Reid/Alan Colmes Democrat. He has no spine, and is indeed a coward in many respects. Now we are stuck with him for 3 and a half to 7 and a half years. Absolutely better than the Republican alternative it is true, but Progressives need to fight him every inch of the way. Don't back down. Pressure him and the Blue Dogs constantly. We must fight for the things he speaks about so eloquently, yet will not himself truly fight for.

[edweird]

The Appeaser in Chief.

[pissedmichael]

I just don't know. I can't pretend to know any more than the writer does regarding Obama's motives and intent. What I do know for a fact. I prefer this president and his approach above any that has gone before in my lifetime (beginning with Truman). If the only legacy he leaves upon leaving office is that he treated people decently and dealt with restraint his enemies, then he far surpasses the others. I remain supportive of him, but understand that it's still too early to say with any degree of certainty how I will view him 4 years from now. So far, I have to be content that he has not embarrassed me as a citizen--a far cry from what I could ever have said about Bush/Cheney.

[paixa3]

The way the demowits have caved, including Mr. Obama in 5 months, it is not too early to say. Your president has caved on EVERY important issue, such as justice, economics and now health care.

I hope your left tells him to piss off.

[SiberianRat]

I hope our message is more productive than "piss off."

[SiberianRat]

I totally agree. I am a bit concerned though with some of the issues mentioned in the article, however I write to him on whitehouse.gov regularly and I have faith that someone is reading the messages and at least passing on some sort of summary of messages to the Prez. I do believe he truly wants to know what we think. I do agree with the article though that it is at least a danger that he might not take stands he needs to in an effort to be a President to all, not just progressives; that said, the non-progressives have run our country into the dirt, and he knows that. I'm gonna give it another 6 months to a year though before I start forming any more solidified opinions about him--his presidency is only 6 months old so far.

[Tackora]

Isn't that the behavioral pattern of agents, traitors, swindlers and all sorts of cooks, who with words and appearances project one sort of stand and preference, while in truth they act in the interest of something quite different?

[SiberianRat]

Are you talking about your boy Bush?

[johnmorris]

I agree and its utterly maddening. I watched Truman throw away his approvals doing the right thing as he saw it, Kennedy charming the pants off of the world to get some progress and LBJ twisting arms and threatening every kind of retribution to get his Great Society. Obama's apparent style is to understand the problem, define it and then wait for someone else to solve it. It would be so easy for him to ask the Senate Blue Dogs to agree to vote for cloture and he, as near as I can tell, just won't. Instead, he asks the progressive groups to stop pressuring them to do it. I despair.

[WorkingClass]

Yes we can. But no we wont.

[Glenn1441]

Yes, his request that progressives cease putting pressure on moderate democrats to instead focus energy and monies on pushing legislation through is simply insulting. From my point of view, pressure from progressives is energy and money well spent as they attempt to embarrass and strong-arm bought-and-sold 'moderates' into doing the right thing.

[cominginsecond]

How on Earth is it "insulting?" It's common sense. Don't attack people, focus on getting legislation passed! If we didn't have the Blue Dogs the Republicans would still be in charge. It's as if you people don't realize that compromise and tact are necessary in getting things done given our legislative process.

[Kenji]

I'm very sorry to agree, but I do.

[Citizen-Jane]

Agree.

[Bernique]

LBJ got us Medicare, johnmorris. That's pretty momentous in my book. If Obama gives us Medicare for All, he'll be lionized for generations.

I don't like his pandering to the Blue Dogs and Gops.

[Tecumseh]

Obama isn't even trying to get Medicare for all, like he should, but instead he took it off the table! The problem is not just Obama, but all of Washington, which is a city lost in time. I just watched Washington pundits talking about Obama's first 180 days at the Aspen Ideas Festival. They were all out of touch with the real world. Dems in Washington are acting like it's 1993, instead of a time of historic world change, like 1933 or the present. Our country and the world economic system are bankrupt, and the criminal bankers who did it are still in control in the White House. Anyone who has lived through the last 50 years or who has studied history sees this as an opportunity for fundamental change. FDR railed against the economic royalists, and created 50 years of financial stability. Obama invited the economic royalists to run the White House and to protect the wealth they never deserved. The needs of the people are willfully ignored in Washington by everyone with power. As Sen. Durbin said, the bankers own the place. Happy 4th of July.

[confuseddemocrat]

Well said