Electric Politics | Another Crummy Pick

businessman with noose necktie It's pretty mind-boggling to read the court eunuch David Brooks' column this morning, where he blames Mr. Obama's falling poll numbers on the latter's "liberal" orientation. I have to believe that not even Brooks could be so cynical, but must be completely confused. What exactly has Mr. Obama done that's "liberal"? Perhaps on health care he's belated realized that anemic reform, or no reform, may become a serious political liability but until the last few days he's shown little to no interest in the issue. So let's recap: Mr. Obama is digging in deeper in Iraq, "surging" in Afghanistan/Pakistan; he's bailing out Wall Street to the tune of trillions but failing to provide substantial assistance to main street; he's leaving the Pentagon spending machine intact; he's placing business lobbyists in senior positions throughout government... And just to pick up the latter point, look at yesterday's nomination of Bob Hormats to be the Under Secretary of State for Economic Affairs. (That is, by the way, the top economic job at State.)

Another former Goldman Sachs man, Bob had a previous career at the State Department where he excelled at doing television interviews. A favorite of the varyingly eponymous PBS "NewsHour," Bob could be counted on to sing the virtues of free trade and of American economic hegemony without fear of self-contradiction. Having subsequently imbibed international financial grand theft at Goldman, presumably Lady Hillary means for him to resurrect a U.S. led international financial cartel, subsidized in part by the further off-shoring of U.S. industry.

Except that the times they have a-changed and I doubt the rest of the world will be having any of it. Or if they do, the taste of the next financial bubble will be very bitter, indeed.

As to Mr. Obama's falling poll numbers, the explanation is quite simple. By moving sharply to the right Mr. Obama is rapidly losing his liberal base.



Home FAQ Contact Archive EP Store EP Alerts © 2012 ElectricPolitics	Another Crummy Pick It's pretty mind-boggling to read the court eunuch David Brooks' column this morning, where he blames Mr. Obama's falling poll numbers on the latter's "liberal" orientation. I have to believe that not even Brooks could be so cynical, but must be completely confused. What exactly has Mr. Obama done that's "liberal"? Perhaps on health care he's belated realized that anemic reform, or no reform, may become a serious political liability but until the last few days he's shown little to no interest in the issue. So let's recap: Mr. Obama is digging in deeper in Iraq, "surging" in Afghanistan/Pakistan; he's bailing out Wall Street to the tune of trillions but failing to provide substantial assistance to main street; he's leaving the Pentagon spending machine intact; he's placing business lobbyists in senior positions throughout government... And just to pick up the latter point, look at yesterday's nomination of Bob Hormats to be the Under Secretary of State for Economic Affairs. (That is, by the way, the top economic job at State.) Another former Goldman Sachs man, Bob had a previous career at the State Department where he excelled at doing television interviews. A favorite of the varyingly eponymous PBS "NewsHour," Bob could be counted on to sing the virtues of free trade and of American economic hegemony without fear of self-contradiction. Having subsequently imbibed international financial grand theft at Goldman, presumably Lady Hillary means for him to resurrect a U.S. led international financial cartel, subsidized in part by the further off-shoring of U.S. industry. Except that the times they have a-changed and I doubt the rest of the world will be having any of it. Or if they do, the taste of the next financial bubble will be very bitter, indeed. As to Mr. Obama's falling poll numbers, the explanation is quite simple. By moving sharply to the right Mr. Obama is rapidly losing his liberal base. Posted by George Kenney on July 21, 2009 6:02 AM « A Note re In These Times \| Main \| A Dark Hole of Darkness: The Federal Reserve » Share this post: Leave a comment Name Email Address URL Remember personal info? Comments (You may use HTML tags for style)

Another Crummy Pick

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