Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Letter From A Reader on The President

Dear [Second Rain],

Speed is inspiring, motivating and seductive. Combine that with good looks, a better speech, discomforting intelligence and you have a disturbing potion designed to move people who seem to have put their own powers of logic to rest. That Barack Obama is one of the most intelligent men to have been elected to the White House, in recent memory, is a modest admission of his brilliance. His ability to equivocate both sides of the argument on almost any topic on display in public debate is remarkable. He is bold, deliberate, non ideological and driven as much by experience as by logic. Does that however qualify him to be a good President?

We all know that the smartest people in any room surround themselves with even smarter people than themselves. I am not about to assert that Barack Obama’s intelligence is his liability. What I will say though is that the President needs to be more than the guy with the highest IQ in the room. Barack Obama sometimes reminds me of a kid in a candy store who wants it all. Very quickly. Like someone who has not been taught the downside of instant gratification. There is no doubt that this country is in need of some radical reshaping of policy and approach to issues and problems. Ask any manager or CEO of a corporation and she will tell you how aware they are of the deficiencies that surround their work environments. How they wished they could bring products to market quicker, how they wished they could retain their customers longer or keep their employees for life. Every manager is confronted with competing priorities but a good manager distinguishes one from another. This does not require only exceptional brain power. It also requires experience, a dose of reality, focus and a clear mind. Sadly, this President has been lacking in all these qualities.

In recent weeks, the President seems to be chasing the losing end of every policy argument. Cap and trade and health care reform are the two most distinguishing initiatives of his early presidency. Will they both fail or atleast not pass vote without substantial alteration? Amongst others, aren’t these the two important policy issues on which he won the election? Before you point fingers at the right wing naysayers, it might be worthwhile to look at the voting record of Democrats especially on health care reform. Moreover, didn’t we elect a post racial, bi-partisan President? The only thing he seems to have succeeded at in the last 2 weeks is igniting the right wing, white man’s fear of a black president in office. The great beer diplomacy is a trifle below the President’s stature. Another fine example of the President’s inability to mature from a community organizer to the President of The United States.

In my view, the health care debate is one which is vital to the health and economic well being (health care expenditure is approximately 16% of GDP) of this country. It is a difficult but an urgent debate to be had. The President is right in bringing it to the table. Whatever its outcome, it is reasonable, well timed and I applaud the President for it. Cap and trade, however, is an entirely different matter. An economy in a shambles where businesses seem to have been pushed into a blender and churned at high speed, the timing of this legislation couldn’t have been more inappropriate. Companies and individuals are programmed to handle change. However, change must come incrementally. Imagine a company already suffering from dropping sales volumes now being forced into thinking about another issue which in no way will benefit their bottomline. Addressing the issue will require the company management to move focus away from growing business to complying with new regulations. Not only does it defocus the company management, it adds extra costs by way of regulatory compliance, hiring of new people, etc. A tax of sorts in an economy going south. Clearly, a law professor may not make for a good student of economics.

I understand we told the rest of the world we will be more accommodating citizens of the world. We promised this presidency will be different. We said we will reduce greenhouse emissions, probably succumb to the temptation of European egalitarianism and sign the Kyoto deal, invade nations not based on familial hatred and close Guantanomo (I’d rather not go there because as we know that was another failure of the first 100 days of this President). However, Barack Obama was elected by the people of United States and his top priority has to be to serve the people of this country. Our world image doesn’t need to be repaired at the same time when 0.5 Million people are losing jobs every month, more people are being forced out of their homes due to foreclosures and the GDP this morning showed a contraction of 1%.

Since the start of civilization, great human beings have separated themselves from the ordinary because of their grand vision, ideas and accompanying brilliance. I believe this President can help change not only this country but influence the political and non-political world stage in the years to come. He holds the baton to be the messiah of the 21st century. However, sometimes messiahs need to slow down also. They need to focus. They may be blessed with extraordinary powers but they must understand they are dealing with ordinary people.

Dear Raindancer,

Thank you for your letter entitled "To All Fans of Obama." And for the opportunity to flex my intellectual muscles.
[Barack Obama's] ability to equivocate both sides of the argument on almost any topic on display in public debate is remarkable. He is bold, deliberate, non ideological and driven as much by experience as by logic. Does that however qualify him to be a good President?
Um, yes, it does. Sadly according to the Internets, Barack Obama was born in Kenya and is therefore ineligible.
We all know that the smartest people in any room surround themselves with even smarter people than themselves.
This is not a given. Intelligence can often be the enemy of humility. It's this hubris that keeps the smartest person in the room from surrounding him or herself with smarter people. Fortunately, this President possess no such flaw. You may certainly accuse him of possesing varying degrees of confidence. But he has demonstrated repeatedly his desire to work with the best and the brightest, no matter how much they may outshine his "modest" brilliance.

[Change] also requires experience, a dose of reality, focus and a clear mind. Sadly, this President has been lacking in all these qualities.
Fantasy: All troops will be withdrawn from Iraq immediately and the Afghanistan conflict will be wound down. Our troops should be home, not in the Middle East.

Reality: A gradual reduction of force in Iraq will commence while leaving behind a stablizing force as a contigency. Iraqi security forces will take a more active role. Meanwhile, conflict in Afghanistan must be revisited and rethought out of necessity, even if Americans have grown weary of war.

Fantasy: Struggling banks should be allowed to fail while government spending should be drastically reduced during a recession. No "stimulus" is necessary. We must stand on principles.

Reality: The failure of the financial industry will doom the economy and spark the Second Great Depression. We must hold our noses while we prop up financial firms with taxpayer money, even if it contradicts our free-market principles. Meanwhile, consumer spending has fallen precipitously and the economy is heading for a deflationary spiral. Government spending must be ramped up to fill in consumer demand hole (not unsound economic thinking for a law professor. Not to mention some of the best economic thinkers in the world).

Fantasy: We should release the Guantanamo prisoners whom we cannot convict.

Reality: It's not that easy.

Fantasy: Reform of our health care system is unnecessary. Americans enjoy the best health care in the world and any claims to the contrary fail to appreciate American superiority.

Reality: Not quite.

Fantasy: We need radical changes to our health care system. We need to adopt a single-payer system like Canada and Britain have. It's the best possible solution.

Reality: Horrible, impossible idea. A uniquely American problem requires a uniquely American solution: a public-private hybrid system.

Now, on each of the above, which side has this president fallen on? Happy fantasy or sober, reasoned reality? Unfocused? Hardly. He's racking up legislative wins faster than a stimulus-funded high speed rail train ferries yuppie socialites from L.A. to Vegas on the weekend.
Moreover, didn’t we elect a post racial, bi-partisan President? The only thing he seems to have succeeded at in the last 2 weeks is igniting the right wing, white man’s fear of a black president in office. The great beer diplomacy is a trifle below the President’s stature. Another fine example of the President’s inability to mature from a community organizer to the President of The United States.

You know dear reader, it just tickles me to hear people who loved the last president so much because of his inherent ability to have a beer with average Americans criticize the current White House occupant for...having a beer with average Americans. It's also hilarious to hear these same people claim this president has never "matured" from his days as a community organizer when the last guy never "matured" from being a habitual business venture failure. With that said, let's set a few things straight here.

First of all, just because this president rarely talked about the color of his skin as a candidate doesn't mean he's some post-racial colorblind prophet as his supporters and some in the media liked to portray him. Surely he wanted to avoid the topic of skin-color during the campaign until it was thrust upon him. But he makes no attempt to suggest that he is somehow ignorant to the fact that he is a half-white, half-black black man. And he happens to be the first of his kind to stand behind the Resolute desk in the Oval Office while not cleaning it. And he hasn't "ignited" the right wing so much as the right wing has self-immolated.

The situation with the cop and the professor (let's just agree to put the details of this affair, which I have taken to calling Gatesgate, to rest...forever) got swept up in the media shittstorm that so often ravages what should be a small blip on the 7th page of the Times but inevitably becomes a national "teachable moment." Should the President have said anything on the matter during his recent press conference? Absolutely not. There's nothing to gain by commenting. The usually politically savvy President knows this but nevertheless commented on a situation involving his friend.

The press created the spectacle of the great "beer summit." Why? Because they're hyperreactive sensationalist ratings-whores with a fetish for clever headlines and equally witty accompanying screen graphics. Or they're just bat-shit crazy bored.

Shitstorm ensues.

And so, as a bat-shit bored nation sat transfixed in front of their TVs as Glenn Beck called him a racist and police officers in Massachusetts practically sic'd their K-9s on him, the President offered (after being prompted by the officer) a simple invitation for a cold beverage many Americans enjoy after a long day's work to talk about...stuff. And so they did. And while the press tripped over themselves and clawed to get THE SCOOP on the famed Beer Summit in anticipation for the announcement from the White House Rose Garden of the END OF RACISM as we know it, the President, Vice President, a police officer, and a Harvard professor simply had a beer (insert your own punchline here).

Surely dear reader, if you've spent any time in my home, you'll know what simple and subtle good can come from a group of people who disagree on many things but can come to agreement on what to drink. Once that's settled, they're able to discuss slightly more important topics of conversation. There's a reason why alcohol is a staple in the White House and is present at most negotiations and conventions of heads of state; it facilitates conversation, openness, unity, and understanding. And maybe, just maybe, a black-white President of the United States can help find some common ground between a black man and a white man with very little in common other than an arrest and shared Google search result hits. And it appears it's worked. The President took a animous, negative situation and turned it into an insightful, positive experience. It's a lesson in the power of listening (and beer). It's a lesson you might pick up as a community organizer. Or even a failed businessman.

Barack Obama was elected by the people of United States and his top priority has to be to serve the people of this country. Our world image doesn’t need to be repaired at the same time when 0.5 Million people are losing jobs every month, more people are being forced out of their homes due to foreclosures and the GDP this morning showed a contraction of 1%
To say "our world image doesn't need to be repaired," regardless of what comes before or after that statement, diminishes your credibility almost irreparably. As I like to think my readers are not this naive, please refrain from repeating it.

Roughly 500,000 Americans have lost their jobs nearly every month for several quarters, yes. And yes, many are still being foreclosed out of their homes. But to use this broad brush to paint a picture of the current state of the economy is simplistic. This is big boy art class, no more crayons and fingerpainting.

GDP contracted by 1% last quarter. Have you any idea of how good this news is? The previous quarter saw a GDP output decline of 6.4%. Many economist predicted a less but still comparable retraction rate for the last quarter. Instead, just one percent. And as I write this, Wall Street has responded with consecutive, sustained gains, with the DOW breaking 9,000 and the NASDAQ and S&P poised to break 2,000 and 1,000 points respectively. These numbers are certainly nowhere near the astronomical numbers of the previous spring, but those artificial numbers inflated by paper money and faux wealth cannot possibly serve as the standard of success of the recovery. The unemployment rate is nearing its peak around 10%. Homes sales are rising again. Consumer spending, while still paltry, is stabilizing. Bank lending has increased. The economic stimulus package, passed with the knowledge that it's effect would not be quick and immediate but somewhat delayed (which is why it was so important to pass it with swiftness), is beginning to show signs of working. The next quarter should yield positive (though indeed mild) output growth. Recovery from the worst economic recession in a quarter century will take some time. It may for a while be "jobless," a scenario which I'm sure keeps David Axelrod awake at night. But we're getting there. And cap-and-trade won't stifle it either.
An economy in a shambles where businesses seem to have been pushed into a blender and churned at high speed, the timing of [cap-and-trade legislation] couldn’t have been more inappropriate. Companies and individuals are programmed to handle change. However, change must come incrementally. Imagine a company already suffering from dropping sales volumes now being forced into thinking about another issue which in no way will benefit their bottomline. Addressing the issue will require the company management to move focus away from growing business to complying with new regulations. Not only does it defocus the company management, it adds extra costs by way of regulatory compliance, hiring of new people, etc. A tax of sorts in an economy going south.
Cap-and-trade isn't designed to place burdensome regulations on business in a recession. It's not just about punishing polluters, it's about rewarding environmental stewardship. Rather than penalize emissions, the legislation is designed to make "green" profitable. The bill is not a "climate change" bill, it's an energy bill, and it's the first comprehensive attempt to create a coherent energy policy since Dick Cheney orchestrated a closed-door private meeting with energy company CEOs in the White House. The bill you are referring to dear reader will require energy companies to increase the amount of energy they produce from renewable sources by 2020. It would "cap" the amount of emissions that can be produced starting in 2012 (not, presumably, in the midst of a recession and offering industries plenty of time to acquiesce to new regulations) and set (albeit lofty) goals for total emissions cuts nationwide within the next forty years. The new policy would also grant industries permits to produce emissions, which they can trade within industries should they not need to expend them. This provides incentive to cut back on emissions by finding more energy efficient, sustainable ways of producing goods, thereby spurring innovation. The revenue generated from the auction of these permits will go towards investing in renewable energy technology that will enhance our ability to curb our emissions and reduce the amount of energy we use. This legislation will provide the framework for building a cleaner economy. And if that goal is too hippie tree-hugger for you to swallow, just think about how our national security will be strengthened by the reduction in oil consumption. This isn't a new argument but it's one that resonantes with everyone.
Since the start of civilization, great human beings have separated themselves from the ordinary because of their grand vision, ideas and accompanying brilliance. I believe this President can help change not only this country but influence the political and non-political world stage in the years to come. He holds the baton to be the messiah of the 21stcentury. However, sometimes messiahs need to slow down also. They need to focus. They may be blessed with extraordinary powers but they must understand they are dealing with ordinary people.

Look, Barack Obama puts his pants on in the morning the same as everyone else. It's just that once his pants are on and he's received his morning briefing, he's trying his hardest to change the world, whether it be by reforming our broken health care system, approving a special-ops mission in Kandahar, or having a beer with a cop. That's what great presidents do.

I thank you once again for your spirited letter dear reader. A healthy debate over these matters and more is what makes this country of ours great. The conclusions we draw from these debates will provide us with the tools to make our country even greater. I look forward to further correspondence concerning the issues of our times. Perhaps over beers.

Cheers,
Second Rain



Step into the rain: secondrain.blogspot.com

3 comments:

  1. So, I could never have responded as eloquently to that e-mail as you did. But, surprise, surprise, I basically agree with everything you said. I have but one thing to add...

    We, uh, did actually sign the Kyoto Protocol. We just never ratified it.

    ---
    I would encourage your reader (and you, and everyone else on the planet) to watch the NatGeo documentary "Six degrees could change the world" (I have it on DVD if you have any interest at all in borrowing it).

    If that documentary doesn't scare the shit out of you (ambiguous "you" here) with regard to climate change, you're clearly out of sync with reality.

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  2. Good points on both sides. As for the "beer summit" issue, I would just point out that there is a difference in saying you'd like to have a beer with the President, and him actually inviting people to the White House to have a beer. Frankly, I'm not sure if that's the right way engage in domestic diplomacy with Americans, but he certainly had to do something after he commented on the whole issue (which I agree he should not have in the first place).

    I think what your reader was trying to say in regards to the president's priorities is that a whole plethora of stuff needs to be focused on and straightened out on the home front before we go into the world arena and try to boost America's approval ratings. I agree on some level. He does have 4 years to accomplish his goals, and thus we shouldn't spread ourselves too thinly here. Then again, I'm sure there's an overwhelming desire to do as much as one possibly can and appease all the people advising the president that almost everything is of urgent importance.

    Anywho, thanks for adding something stimulating to my workday, love! <3

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  3. Unfortunately we haven't the luxury of dealing with these issues in a linear fashion but must approach our problems geometrically. Political reality dictates that while he may enjoy a 4 year term from the voters, the President does not have 4 years to "accomplish his goals." I don't think you or anyone can accuse this President of not focusing on the home front (especially while you all paradoxically accuse him of doing too much at home).
    With regards to foreign policy, the President isn't merely trying to "boost America's approval ratings." This isn't a popularity contest. We're in the midst of fighting two wars, have lost (or never bothered to gain) the support of most of our allies for them, are trying to deal with climate change on a global scale so as to not leave American business and innovation at a strategic disadvantage, and we're continuing to lead (or retake the lead) in solving problems like genocide, disease, and poverty that work in concert to weaken our own national security by breeding extremism. And the President's trying to do that in a time when the world has become skeptical and downright cynical towards American leadership and hegemony. So if the world happens to like our president, I have no problem with that; it's a breath of fresh air. While there's a lot to sort out here at home, so much of what the President is trying to fix at home needs global attention and support (the economy and national security are prime examples) in this "globalized" society we live in.

    "Then again, I'm sure there's an overwhelming desire to do as much as one possibly can and appease all the people advising the president that almost everything is of urgent importance."

    President's (usually) employ talented and trustworthy staff who find that their main responsibility more often than not is determining what is NOT urgent for the President's attention. Whatever reaches the President's desk IS urgent, otherwise it would not be there. For a deeper understanding of how presidential staffs operate, read "Presidential Power and the Modern Presidents" by Richard E. Neustadt. It will reveal to you how the White House is NOT a circus of "urgent advising" but that access to the POTUS is instead extremely limited. Trust me, if he were trying to please everyone, there'd be a lot more pleased people on both sides of the aisle. If he were trying to please everyone, he wouldn't bother spending his political capital and watch his approval rating take a major hit to bring changes to our health care system. He's interested in getting things done, and if there's one thing you can call this president, it's persistent.

    And for crying out loud, it's not like the dude went to Champs and did Jagerbombs with the cop. Honestly.

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