Obama's Choice- model his presidency on Reagan or Clinton

[chieftain]

Although he took a lot of heat for it, Barack was correct in characterizing Reagan's tenure in office as transformational while Clinton's was not. Reagan confronted the conventional Liberal wisdom and supplanted what had been the ruling consensus since the thirties with a philosophy that scorned regulation, unionization and social welfare and replaced it with a deep seated and tragically mistaken faith in markets and self reliance. Reagan often ended up with less than he wanted from a legislative viewpoint and his supposed conservative orthodoxy didn't prevent him from running up massive deficits.But whatever any of us think about his disastrous time in office, he and the RW gained the upper hand in one of the debate over one of the essential questions facing any democracy, i.e. the role and size of government
Clinton focused on multiple extensions and modifications to the government as it existed. And there are many things that he accomplished for which he deserves high praise.But for all the good done, his white flag declaration that the era of big government is over haunts us still.
So now we have a new president, younger and probably even more brilliant than Clinton. I love him and support him. I recognize the burden the hapless W left him and the enormous difficulty that governing in a town populated with big money interests, nihilistic Republicans and weak kneed Democrats adds to the equation. Key legislative goals may not be met in this term. But if the President doesn't deploy his incredible gift for oratory and logic in support of the concepts that have bound Democrats together for decades, he will have squandered his opportunity to be the transformational figure he wants and clearly has the talent to be.He has maneuvered the Republicans into a very vulnerable position. The public knows that he has tried and tried to work with these lackeys of capital. If he articulates our beliefs, if he explains that government is the only instrument available to the great majority of people to channel and restrain the greed of big business, if he preaches the common responsibility we share with others to help those that need our help the most rather than those who need it the least, he will be who we have been waiting for.

[applegrove]

1. I think Boehner's face would be scarlett if Obama said those things. Something to look forward to.

Boehner's face could be the bellweather... you know tell us we are on the right track by how red it is.

[MannyGoldstein]

2. On track for Herbert Hoover

FDR might be a better goal.

[rurallib]

4. Yep - He was reading all those books on Roosevelt

was he absorbing anything?

[bertman]

3. REC. I can't argue with anything you said, chieftain. nt

[Captain Hilts]

5. RR had a cooperative Dem congress. Bubba and Bam have an obstinate bloc of Republicans.

'Bam's got a much larger majority than Clinton had, but it's still tough.

[Vidar]

6. FDR or Truman would be far better models: lots of spine.

[LWolf]

7. Why limit him to two bad choices? nt