Quick Hit for Tuesday

INTERESTING TIMES

During the election Obama's doubters main concern with the possibility of an Obama presidency was that no one seemed to really know all that much about the man, especially how he would govern. Given that he had only been in the Senate for four years, hadn't held an executive position in government, didn't have a very long resume, and wasn't exactly consistent on certain positions led some to be very wary of his candidacy. Because of that doubt, everyone is watching what he is doing  very closely.  Each new cabinet appointment, each new press junket, reveals something new about the man behind the politics. And what has happened recently has been very interesting.

LIBERAL OR NOT?

The greatest question about the man, Barack Obama.  In the primaries he campaigned as a liberal (the National Journal reported that his voting record was the most liberal in the Senate, even left of Bernie Sanders, a self-proclaimed socialist), moved to center-left during his campaign against McCain, and so far seems to be staying there. Stealing a page from Abraham Lincoln's playbook, the President-elect is appointing people to his cabinet that don't necessarily match his views. Being inspired while reading Team of Rivals, he has pulled together a team of people ideologically opposed to each other in hopes of creating an environment rich with debate. A long held liberal criticism of President Bush was that they viewed his cabinet as being filled with nothing more than glorified yes-men.  As such, the President-elect has reached out to people with opposing viewpoints, and ever appointed his formal rivals to cabinet positions.

The President-elect's theory isn't without its risks, as he could find himself with a cabinet rank with bickering rather than healthy debate.  We'll let time tell that story, but what is interesting is watching people's reactions to his picks.  

THE CONSERVATIVES

  The President-elect is a Democrat, so no Conservative or Republicans were expecting him to appoint people with Conservative ideas.  So far, they have been pleasantly surprised, calling Hillary's appointment a 'best of the worst' type scenario.  The only person who really riles Conservatives is Eric Holder, the man appointed to be the next Attorney General.  If the President-elect was trying to pick a cabinet that wouldn't alienate Conservatives, he did a pretty good job.  He did promise during he campaign to appoint Conservatives to his cabinet as well, and so far we're still waiting for that to happen.  

  He also is going to keep Defense Secretary Robert Gates for at least one year.  That is pleasing to Conservatives, since he is one of the men who pulled The Surge together.   

THE LIBERALS

He isn't pleasing liberals, which could be the most interesting thing coming out of his appointments.  Underlining the point that no one really knows what Obama is all about is the fact that some of his most loyal supporters, those on the extreme left, are being left a little frustrated.  While Obama's cabinet is being filled with center-left appointments, Obama's foundational support was from the far left.  At a time when Hillary was dominating the primaries, then-Senator Obama was able to court the far left with promises of tough gun control, a 16-month timeline for Iraq withdrawal, support for Embryonic Destruction Research and the Freedom of Choice Act, a refund to every American taxed directly from Oil Company Profits, raising taxes on the top income earners, among other things.

  With Obama recently stating he won't repeal the Bush tax cuts, instead will wait for them to expire in 2010, Obama has irked his earliest supporters.  In addition, he has reneged on his pledge to tax Oil Company profits (they are already taxed at 50%) to supply a refund check to every American, has publicly supported gun rights, and lightened up on his Iraq pledge by keeping Sec. Def. Gates and saying he'll withdraw when the time is right.  While these moves might be indicative of the President-elect getting advice that the economy couldn't sustain his policies right now, thus giving Conservatives hope that Obama is susceptible to what they would view as good advice, it does nothing to please those on the left.  

  However, Liberals are encouraged by the President-elect's proposal of a new stimulus plan, that would go towards creating government jobs to re-build our infrastructure, and hopefully create new green jobs in a new green energy production industry.  

THE MODERATES

  Perhaps the people most calm right now are the people who voted for Obama out of hope, not knowing for sure what he was all about but trusting that he'll be better than the alternative.  Everything he has indicated since he won the election points to his attempt to be middle of the road as much as he can.  He will never please Conservatives, that should be obvious.  It's perplexing to Liberals that he is moving so much to the center.  But the Moderates are probably the happiest group, because in their minds they know both Liberals and Conservatives are frustrated, so Obama must be doing something right.

WHAT CAN BE CONCLUDED?

  It is fun to talk about, but I don't know that we can draw any conclusions about Obama yet.  The only thing that does seem clear is that Conservatives weren't being alarmist when they labeled Obama as an enigma.  It should seem clear that with everyone seemingly surprised by his appointments and his reversal on certain policies, no one really knew much about the man to begin with.

  As someone who claimed before the election that I didn't think Obama would have a successful administration if he didn't reverse some of his economic policies, I am pleasantly surprised that he has.  I don't know where he will be going from here, but I'm sure that it will be interesting to watch.