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Washington Post columnist Eugene Robinson has always believed that politics and culture are intertwined, and uses his syndicated column to take new...
Read more about Eugene Robinson.
Washington Post columnist Eugene Robinson has always believed that politics and culture are intertwined, and uses his syndicated column to take new...
Read more about Eugene Robinson.
A Record You Can Believe In
Eugene Robinson
WASHINGTON -- It's been a year since a healthy majority of American
voters elected Barack Obama to change the world. Which is precisely
what he's doing.
Like many people who desperately want to see the country take a more progressive course, I quibble and quarrel with some of President Obama's actions. I wish he'd been tougher on Wall Street, quicker to close Guantanamo, more willing to investigate Bush-era excesses, bolder in seeking truly universal health care. I wish he could summon more of the rhetorical magic that spoke so compellingly to the better angels of our nature.
But he's a president, not a Hollywood action hero. Most of my frustration is really with the process of getting anything done in Washington, which is not something Obama can unilaterally change, nimbly circumvent or blithely ignore. One thing the new administration clearly did not anticipate was that Republicans in Congress would be so consistently and unanimously obstructionist -- or that Democrats would have to be introduced to the alien concept of party discipline. It took the White House too long to realize that bipartisanship is a tango and that there's no point in dancing alone.
Step back for a moment, though, and look at Obama's record so far. His biggest accomplishment has been keeping the worst financial and economic crisis in decades from turning into another Great Depression. Yes, the $787 billion stimulus package was messy, but most economists believe it was absolutely necessary -- and some believe it should have been even bigger. Yes, Obama continued the Bush-era policy of showering irresponsible financial institutions with billions in public funds. Yes, the administration bailed out the auto industry -- and we actually heard the president of the United States reassure Americans that General Motors warranties would be honored.
But these and other actions convinced the financial markets that the White House would do anything to avoid a complete meltdown. The economy grew at a rate of 3.5 percent in the third quarter and, while unemployment may not yet have peaked, the odds of a strong and fairly swift recovery have greatly improved.
Responding to the crisis required creating an enormous fiscal deficit that Obama will spend years trying to cut down to size. But not even the most conservative economists recommend attacking the deficit before the economy is stabilized on a path of growth. Only Republican demagogues think that's a good idea.
On national security, Obama moved at once to categorically renounce torture -- a big step toward removing the ugly stain that George W. Bush and Dick Cheney left on our national honor. It looks as if Obama will miss his self-imposed one-year deadline for closing the Guantanamo prison, but a delay of a few weeks or months will be worth it if the administration succeeds in developing a comprehensive legal framework -- consistent with our ideals and traditions -- for bringing terrorism suspects to justice.
Obama should have supported a full-blown investigation into apparent Bush-era violations of national and international law. And, at a minimum, he should allow the limited torture probe ordered by Attorney General Eric Holder to follow the evidence wherever it might lead.
But at least the administration is on schedule in withdrawing combat troops from Iraq. I don't think Obama knows the right answer on Afghanistan; I'm not sure anybody does.
Obama's months in office have been so action-packed that it's easy to forget some of the historic steps he has taken: Nominating Justice Sonia Sotomayor, the first Hispanic, to the Supreme Court. Going to Egypt and speaking directly to the Muslim world about cooperation rather than conflict. Embracing multilateralism as the template for U.S. foreign policy in the new century. Accepting the scientific consensus on climate change. Investing in "green" jobs and education reform as key engines of economic development.
And then there's health care reform. I've been impatient with Obama's strategy of letting Congress take the lead on writing legislation, but he's brought us to the brink of truly meaningful reform much faster than anyone could have imagined a year ago. We still have some fighting to do over two words -- "public" and "option" -- but it looks clear that the principle that everyone is entitled to health insurance, a Democratic Party goal for at least six decades, is about to become law.
Quite a record for 287 days: All that, and a Nobel Peace Prize, too.
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Eugene Robinson's e-mail address is eugenerobinson@washpost.com
Copyright 2009 Washington Post Writers Group
This news arrived on: 11/03/2009
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Posted Comments:
11-08-2009 08:55
SC wrote:
Manning, I do not have a side. Show me a honest politican and I will vote for him left or right. I just get tired of people who will follow Obama or Bush off of a clif. Bush and company should stand trial for what they did .But that will not happen because Obama and company will not will not let it happen, why? Each side may have a few good men but no names come to mind. You could grab the first congress man you see and throw him or her in jail and not be far wrong. Let Bush stand trial then in a few years it would be Obamas turn. Mabey thats the real reason.
11-08-2009 08:49
ssss wrote:
Lets stop ALL welfare, corperate or public. I dont think you should take anyones money and give it to someone else. Lets stop these public/private partnerships with all the governments. Here in PA, the gov keeps bribing people to come here on our dime. Once the dime is spent they leave. Make it or break it one your own. For everyone.
11-08-2009 08:46
wrote:
sk manning
You told a great big lie. Republicans are the ones that beleive in education, you dems beleive in only one education, the PUBLIC system where you can indoctrinate the children. If you really believed in education you would allow vouchers. You are the ones that will be happy to keep them dumb and voting democrat. As long as teachers get paid you people could care less what comes out of high schools. We have been dummying them down for 20 years now so the teachers look good.
Dems never tell the truth.
You told a great big lie. Republicans are the ones that beleive in education, you dems beleive in only one education, the PUBLIC system where you can indoctrinate the children. If you really believed in education you would allow vouchers. You are the ones that will be happy to keep them dumb and voting democrat. As long as teachers get paid you people could care less what comes out of high schools. We have been dummying them down for 20 years now so the teachers look good.
Dems never tell the truth.
11-07-2009 23:41
SKManning wrote:
SC,
When it comes to "scamming the system" Repulicans always point to the abuses in the entitlement programs, welfare, food stamps, etc., and yes there is abuse there. But they never want to talk about the abuses of the corporate welfare system. Tax breaks, loopholes, taxpayer money going to the very rich. The milking of Medicare and Medicaid by the healthcare and pharmaceutical industries. Healthcare costs and prescription drug prices rose at record levels during the Bush/Cheney/Republican years. So, when you bring up "scamming the system", I suggest that you think about what your side does on a much broader scale. How easy it seems to be for Republicans to look the other way when it comes to their abuses of the system.
My God, man,the Bush/Cheney/Republican/Hailburton administration started two wars and used the resources of the US government to line their own pockets with taxpayer dollars. And the Bush family, the oil industry and the Saudi Royal family used the hard earned dollars of the working people of America to line their pockets...Hundreds of billions of dollars worth of taxpayer and working family dollars, and brought the country to the brink of another depression, and the Republican congress paved the way for all of that. These abuses are what I think of when you say, "scamming the system". But you Republicans call that "free enterprise"...
When it comes to "scamming the system" Repulicans always point to the abuses in the entitlement programs, welfare, food stamps, etc., and yes there is abuse there. But they never want to talk about the abuses of the corporate welfare system. Tax breaks, loopholes, taxpayer money going to the very rich. The milking of Medicare and Medicaid by the healthcare and pharmaceutical industries. Healthcare costs and prescription drug prices rose at record levels during the Bush/Cheney/Republican years. So, when you bring up "scamming the system", I suggest that you think about what your side does on a much broader scale. How easy it seems to be for Republicans to look the other way when it comes to their abuses of the system.
My God, man,the Bush/Cheney/Republican/Hailburton administration started two wars and used the resources of the US government to line their own pockets with taxpayer dollars. And the Bush family, the oil industry and the Saudi Royal family used the hard earned dollars of the working people of America to line their pockets...Hundreds of billions of dollars worth of taxpayer and working family dollars, and brought the country to the brink of another depression, and the Republican congress paved the way for all of that. These abuses are what I think of when you say, "scamming the system". But you Republicans call that "free enterprise"...
11-07-2009 21:08
SC wrote:
Manning I did not insult FDR just trying to inject a little truth. I also did not say that he did not do a lot of good. So please calm down. I am also sure that you have more book learning than I do but ignorant I aint. Helping people in need is a fine thing but takeing care of people who are scamming the system is something different. Bush started the bailouts and Obana picked up the ball and ran with it. He has only been in charge for one year and he has dug a hole for all of us. Its his game now not Bushes. Have fun for the next three years. But socialism is dieing, as it should.
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