TPMDC Saturday Roundup
Obama Reaches Out To Flood Victims In Video Address
In this weekend's YouTube address, President Obama discussed the support the federal government is giving to people in flood-damaged areas of Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota:
"For at moments like these, we are reminded of the power of nature to disrupt lives and endanger communities," said Obama. "But we are also reminded of the power of individuals to make a difference."
Gregg In RNC Address: Obama's Budget An Extraordinary Move To The Left
In this weekend's Republican YouTube, Sen. Judd Gregg (R-NH) -- who very nearly became President Obama's Secretary of Commerce -- lays out the Republican case against Obama's proposed budget:
"These are staggering numbers and represent an extraordinary move of our government to the left," said Gregg.
Obama To Bankers: Show That You Get This Is A Crisis
In a preview of President Obama's interview with Bob Schieffer on Face The Nation, the president discussed his meeting on Friday with bank CEOs:
"Show some restraint. Show some -- show that you get that this is a crisis and everybody has to make sacrifices," the president said he told them. Obama added that "They agreed, and they recognized. Now, the proof of the pudding is in the eating."
Obama At Camp David; Biden Meeting World Leaders In Chile
President Obama does not have any public events today, but is spending Saturday at Camp David and will arrive back at the White House on Sunday afternoon. Vice President Biden is in Chile, attending the Progressive Governance Conference, attended by the presidents or prime ministers of Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Uruguay, plus the United Kingdom, Spain and Norway.
NYT: Afghanistan Strategy Came After Internal White House Debate
The New York Times reports that the new Obama strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan was the product of great debate within the White House, with military commanders arguing for more troops, Vice President Biden urging caution, and Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Joint Chiefs Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen tempering the requests from the commanders.
Afghan, Pakistani Leaders Praise Obama Strategy
Leaders In Both Afghanistan and Pakistan are praising President Obama's new plan for the region. "The U.S. presidency's new approach represents a positive change," Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari said in a speech to Parliament. And at a news conference, Afghan President Hamid Karzai said: "This is better than we were expecting as a matter of fact."
NYT: Orszag A Self-Proclaimed "Supernerd," But Also Much More
The New York Times profiles White House OMB Director Peter Orszag: "Mr. Orszag still plays the geek, passing out propeller hats and jokingly referring to himself as 'supernerd.' But nerds are socially inept, and he is anything but. He has worked in Washington on and off since he was 17 -- he interned under Pete Rouse, now a senior adviser to the president -- and he has intensely political instincts and aspirations."
Josh
Matt
Eric
I'd like to see that kind of internal debate about the financial rescue plan.
It seems like all Summers and his assistant Geithner want is an orchestra of Goldman Saxophones playing at Treasury Hall.
March 28, 2009 1:10 PM | Reply | Permalink
Agreed. Axelrod and Geithner debating the future of the economy doesn't exactly fill me with confidence. Axelrod?
March 28, 2009 1:36 PM | Reply | Permalink
Alexrod? Dunno. Maybe, but...
At least it's better than Geithner debating Summers. Those guys finish each other's sentences.
I just started reading an article by MIT Prof. Simon Johnson that Josh linked to on the front page yesterday. It's a long article, but wow, man, it just makes too much sense. I hugely recommend it. I wish I could get Axelrod to read it!
March 28, 2009 1:51 PM | Reply | Permalink
The question is who is debating and taking to task sumthner. Goldman Sachs was at the eye of the great depression and is at the eye of this one. It's very, very distressing.
March 28, 2009 1:58 PM | Reply | Permalink
Sumthner. Heh. Very good!
I'm guessing that an appropriate forum for a robust debate about bailout strategy would be the President's Council of Economic Advisors. It's headed up by Summers, but I don't know who else is on it nor how much knowledge and stature they have. With enough diversity of opinion and with Obama attending some of the bigger meetings, that could really make a difference.
The Obama model is about arguing for your ideas in front of your peers. Unlike Dickwad Cheney whispering in Dubya's ear, you might be less inclined to espouse your crazy ideas if you'd be embarrassed by exposing them to your peers for dissection.
It's nice to see that going on with foreign affairs. There's depressingly little evidence that that's going on with economic affairs.
March 28, 2009 2:21 PM | Reply | Permalink
Oh, yes- the last time we heard of a debate regarding the economy/banking crisis it was Geithner vs. Axelrod. Axelrod, a political strategist. Why not an economist/gov't financial official, etc- with opposing views? Struck me as weird at the time, after further thought it strikes me as disconcerting. In case you missed it:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/10/business/economy/10bailout.html?n=Top/Reference/Times%20Topics/People/L/Labaton,%20Stephen
March 28, 2009 3:50 PM | Reply | Permalink
Alaskan Rep. Mike Doogan "outs" the person behind the Mudflats blog out of spite - http://www.themudflats.net/2009/03/27/in-exposing-the-identity-of-mudflats-rep-mike-doogan-exposes-himself/
March 28, 2009 1:28 PM | Reply | Permalink
GOP Leadership To Replace Busted ShamWow Pitchman
http://satiricalpolitical.com/?p=6698
March 28, 2009 1:44 PM | Reply | Permalink
Well, I don't see a new strategy in afghanistan. It's same old, same old. Very depressing. I am starting to come around to the get out now philosophy. What is the strategic goal? I still don't see it. They are didling with minor tactics with no overall strategy. Also, they do not have enough troops, nor could they deploy enough in the country in any event. No strategy, then just get out.
March 28, 2009 1:56 PM | Reply | Permalink
The GOP will be off the path to extinction only when it stops believing that saying things like "move it to the left" and "an extraordinary move of our government to the left" will make people say "OHMIGODOHMIGODOHMIGOD!!!!!!!!!" instead of "about damn time!"
Though it would probably also be helpful if they could find somebody to do these things who didn't sound like he was reading his speech for the very first time off of old-fashioned cue cards.
March 28, 2009 2:23 PM | Reply | Permalink
Can someone tell Gregg that the Obama budget is not in anyway unprecedented? It is just a first step in the effort to recover from the last 30 years of conservative take-over of the government, and is required by the utter disaster that the conservative movement has caused for America in every area of government - the economy, foreign policy, race relations, and literally everywhere else the conservatives have placed their dirty hands since Reagan was elected.
FDR found that he had to do a very similar set of moves towards good sense after the Wall Street republicans similarly destroyed the American economy in the 1920's and left it to him to repair.
The moves that Obama are making are EXACTLY THE SAME MOVES any rational President is going to have to make after any extended period in which the strange anti-social and non-working policies espoused by conservative and their wealthy benefactors/leaders have effective control.
This kind of change is long overdue, and the longer conservatives get their way, the greater the corrective actions are going to have to be. Conservative right-wing policies are profoundly irrational and quickly reach a point of failure. This will always be true until the end of human society and human economies.
March 28, 2009 3:13 PM | Reply | Permalink
Judd had the chance to be inside the tent pissing out but he chose to stay outside pissing in. (To paraphrase LBJ.)
March 28, 2009 8:31 PM | Reply | Permalink
Peter Bergen has an opinion re Afghanistan in the NYT that is worth the read.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/28/opinion/28bergen.html?ref=opinion
He is one talking head that made sense after 9/11 IMO.
March 28, 2009 3:44 PM | Reply | Permalink
More troops, more troops, more troops. That's always the solution isn't it? How about training the Afghan people to farm something beyond heroin?
Things like this are the solution, not more troops and destroying Al Queda alone. Empower the people.
http://www.inquisitr.com/16431/tackling-the-afghan-heroin-problem-one-pomegranate-at-a-time/
March 28, 2009 3:56 PM | Reply | Permalink
Huh?
"Training the Afthan people to farm something beyond heroin" is a big part of the plan.
But keeping the people who throw acid into the faces of little girls for going to school and who forbid polio vaccinations because they think its part of some Crusader plot to sterilize Muslims from taking the place back over while we do that is also kind of important.
March 28, 2009 4:16 PM | Reply | Permalink
I know that's why I threw that "alone" in there.
March 28, 2009 5:00 PM | Reply | Permalink
I didn't mean to imply that this isn't being done, I just point this out because I think it needs to be the emphasis and certainly a "benchmark" for success.
Good article with Obama on Afghanistan here. He agrees it's important.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/afghanistan/5038357/Barack-Obama-US-needs-Afghanistan-exit-strategy.html
March 28, 2009 5:16 PM | Reply | Permalink
Evidently, I need to stop commenting when my brain is saying "nap time!"
March 29, 2009 10:48 AM | Reply | Permalink
Boy isn’t that ripe for this back stabbing asshole Sen. Gregg to say “Obama's Budget An Extraordinary Move To The Left.” Considering Bush and republicans like Gregg took us so far right that the country fell off a cliff. Now Gregg has gall to criticize the cleanup efforts. I don’t mind criticism, it’s to be expected, but criticism without other alternative solutions is offensive
March 28, 2009 6:34 PM | Reply | Permalink
Someone in the Obama administration needs to pull Biden up by his short hairs ...
He doesn't understand that we're in this mess today because of the free market. Lula of Brazil has it right when he said We are rejecting blind faith in the markets. Since South American has had more than its' share of Friedman's free market ideology shoved up their rears, they speak with the voice of experience. The last thing I want to see it the US go the way of Chile, Argentina, Poland, Russia and Korea just to keep the free market running for the sake of corporate America.
March 28, 2009 11:31 PM | Reply | Permalink
With the term "free market", Biden is most likely referring to a regulated market which guarantees fair competition, efficiency, and abidance to capitalistic principles, which is not quite the laissez-faire system promoted by the competition stifling, stockholder stiffing, insider benefitting, Enron Republicans.
Truly free markets, despite all the malarky Republicans have preached about them, require efficiency preserving oversight.
March 29, 2009 9:35 AM | Reply | Permalink
Go read The Shock Doctrine then come tell me your definition of free market. The book is all about Friedman's free market ideology ... that's what Lula was all fired up against. So if you don't understand the concept, go read up on it. IMO, you're just parroting what the repuglicans want you to believe.
March 29, 2009 1:07 PM | Reply | Permalink
Perhaps I was unclear. If you are referring to Naomi Klein's book, I have nothing but respect for what she says. I merely attempted to point out that Biden may be assigning a different meaning to the term "free markets" than that of the Republicans or the monetarists, sort of the way Obama has presented a definition of patriotism that is different from the touted Republican definition.
March 29, 2009 2:27 PM | Reply | Permalink
No. The free market was not the problem. An unregulated free market was the problem. Blind faith in the free market was the problem.
Biden is right that the free market needs to be able to function . . . but with oversight and regulations that keep those assholes in line.
March 29, 2009 9:51 AM | Reply | Permalink
By the way, the repuglican's concept of free markets is identical to Bu$h's concept of democracy ... dictatorship with Democracy trimmings.
March 29, 2009 1:12 PM | Reply | Permalink