OBAMA’S STIMULUS PLAN WON’T STIMULATE
Published on TheHill.com on December 9, 2008
The economic stimulus plans unveiled by President-elect Obama over the weekend won’t do much to help the economy. But they will vindicate all the dreams of liberal Democrats for higher government spending.
Of course, the basic choice facing any politician seeking to stimulate a moribund economy is whether to catalyze the supply side with tax cuts on business or the demand side by way of spending increases. Obama obviously made that choice years ago: He will work the demand side.
OBAMA TRIES THE PARLIAMENTARY SYSTEM
Why has Barack Obama appointed three of his defeated opponents to top jobs? Why did he put Hillary in the State Department? And why has he filled other posts with people from other factions in the Democratic Party – and a Secretary of Defense from the Republicans? One even doubts that a majority of Obama’s cabinet voted for him in the primaries!
GEORGIA RESULTS POINT OUT STRATEGY FOR FUTURE
We have written before that the message of the November election results for us is simple: Conservatism and the free enterprise system are too important to leave their protection to the morons who run the Republican Party! So when even the ability to filibuster seemed on the verge of being taken from the forces of conservative government, we decided to act directly by helping to raise funds for independent expenditure groups who willing to run the kind of ads and do the sort of cyber-roots campaigning that it seemed to us was essential to stop the slide in conservative fortunes and to guarantee that the Democrats would not get the elusive but crucial 60th vote in the Senate. The challenge presented itself on Election Day when Republican incumbent Saxby Chambliss failed to win the 50% of the vote necessary to avoid a runoff. In the runoff, won by Chambliss this past Tuesday, the Democrats had their final shot at getting the 60 votes they will need in the Senate to cut off debate and jam through any legislation they wish.
OBAMA-HILLARY COALITION
Published on TheHill.com on December 3, 2008
To understand the central dynamic behind Obama’s unorthodox selection of Hillary Clinton as his secretary of State, one must look abroad to parliamentary political systems where the most powerful opposition figure routinely becomes prime minister when his party wins a majority, while the second most potent politician is usually named the foreign minister.
That’s the model. Obama’s selection of Hillary is by no means the act of a president tapping his favorite to hold the top portfolio in his administration. Instead, it is the appointment by the leader of the majority party – trying to hold it together behind his leadership -offering due deference to the woman he narrowly defeated.
OBAMA’S MYTHS: YOUNG VOTERS AND SMALL DONORS
Myths in politics take on a life of their own and the Obama campaign has been quick to cloak its incredible electoral success with a new coat of mythology. Two fantasies, in particular, pervade the amazing triumph of the Obama candidacy: That young people propelled him to victory by finally voting in large numbers and that small donors financed his campaign.
