The Republicans, having persuaded themselves that their united opposition to the stimulus bill represented light at the end of the tunnel for their beleaguered party, are starting to wake up to the likelihood that it was just the light of an approaching juggernaut, in the shape of a powerful Democratic president determined to reshape the political landscape.
Right after Obama's speech to Congress on Tuesday, Rich Lowry, editor of the National Review and one of the sharpest minds in the conservative commentariat, wrote a brief post entitled "Scariest Passage?".
Probably this:
As soon as I took office, I asked this Congress to send me a recovery plan by President's Day that would put people back to work and put money in their pockets. Not because I believe in bigger government - I don't.
He’s trying to redefine extensive government activism as simple pragmatism, and if he succeeds, might well shift the center of American politics for a generation.
If there is any action or policy or law that has restricted gov't and helped the private sector that Obama has supported in getting passed, it would be great for you to highlight it.
Words and hot air on this subject from Obama are about as good as his pro-life talk to Catholics, or pro-gun rights talk to the NRA. Talk, in nice principles and generalities, followed by policies in direct opposition to the message feeling conveyed by the talk.
He essentially promised to shut down Guantanomo in the first 100 days ... but it ain't happening. His talk, especially, is cheap and will soon become known as cheaper than cheap.
One way to show his belief is smaller gov't is simple: Tax Cuts now -- so the taxpayer workers keep more of the wealth their work created, and their consumption / investment decisions democratically determine the future winners.
I believe Obama believes in Big Gov't, for every problem, but knows that saying so is unpopular. So the policies he supports are in contradiction to the "I don't believe in Big Gov't" words that he (so beautifully) says.
Posted by: Tom Grey | February 27, 2009 at 04:44 PM