Obama Repeating Bush 41's Mistake?

Originally posted by Soothfast
Yeah, I know definitions are inconvenient for your purposes of wielding the word "recession" against Obama as a pejorative.

Actually whether or not we are technically in a recession is rather off the point of my OP. The situation is similar to 1991 either way - a struggling economy, high unemployment, and a much ballyhooed upcoming speech before a joint session of Congress. The question I asked, recession or not, was: "What can Obama propose to avoid Bush senior's fate?"

Go.

Originally posted by Soothfast
I'll just say this: Those who do not know history are doomed to repeat it, and those who think history must repeat itself are likewise doomed to repeat it.

There are so many variables involved in a political experiment that to identify any small number of them as having values comparable to a previous experiment has virtually no predictive value whatso ...[text shortened]... sworn into office.

Bush 41's mistake was to break his "no new taxes" pledge, I think.

"The art of compromise has at long last been utterly lost, at least for now."

"Bush 41's mistake was to break his "no new taxes" pledge, I think."

Bush's compromise to raise taxes was artfully achieved by the opposition who promptly broke their half of the promise.

Compromises based on one side making a concession right now in exchange for something promised later is always a bad deal.

Originally posted by Soothfast
Unemployment is not predictive of a recession. The former is a consequence of the latter, but the presence of the former does not imply the latter.

Unemployment is high. It excites you, I know, because you see it as an opportunity to put someone else in the Oval Office; but in the meantime it's just plain unfortunate and the Republicans in Congress have evidenced absolutely no interest whatsoever in doing anything about it.

"Unemployment is not predictive of a recession."

Did I say that it was? Unemployment isn't even indicative of a slow recovery. It is almost always the last economic indicator to respond to either recession or growth.

I don't know what Republicans, especially those who believe in free markets are supposed to do. The best thing to do is allow the natural corrections to take place.

Originally posted by Sleepyguy
The question I asked, recession or not, was: "What can Obama propose to avoid Bush senior's fate?"

Go.

I don't know what proposition Obama can make that the Republicans in the House won't automatically vote against simply because it was proposed by Obama.

If I were Obama I would, at this point, do absolutely everything I could to bypass Congress and get things done by executive order. I would take to the streets to rally the base as if I were campaigning for re-election, and become as unyielding as the Republicans have become. Because when the opposition won't budge, to yield on anything is to surrender unconditionally. I would operate on the assumption that I was a one-termer and do whatever it took to advance a progressive agenda as far left as I could, veto everything the Republicans liked (unless it's something that makes sense), and once again take my case to the people as if I were campaigning for re-election so as to explain my actions and tell them why the Republicans are wrong -- wrong today, and on the wrong side of history. I would solicit plans from the best minds to come up with schemes to stimulate the economy by means that do not hinge on Republican approval in the House, and as Commander-in-Chief I would do the right thing -- as well as the popular thing -- and pull the military out of Afghanistan and Iraq as fast as logistically possible. I might go down as a one-termer, but I might also electrify the base and ride to a second term in a landslide. Time to gamble, and the only honorable way to do it is to knock the GOP's teeth down its throat and play nasty. And since I cannot get the Republicans to assent to tax increases on the wealthy and close glaring loopholes, I would work to get the IRS to ramp up audits of the top earners and biggest businesses by an order of magnitude to achieve much the same ends. And I would explain to my wealthy benefactors precisely why I have to do it. I could go on, but you get the idea. There's no point being president if you aren't going to be president.

That's what Obama could do to avoid Bush 41's mistake.

One term fighting is better than two terms failing -- though I hasten to add that I think the Obama administration, in concert with Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid, did in fact accomplish some great things in its first year.

What do you think Obama should propose?

Originally posted by Soothfast
What do you think Obama should propose?[/b]

He should have taken his own economic commission's advice. If he had proposed, in total, the simpson-bowles recommendations, he could have stuck it to republicans right there. He could still do it, that's the thing. It has lots of stuff that neither party is thrilled about which is a great indication that it's a good plan.