Posted by
Andrews on Thursday, February 26, 2009 12:04:32 PM
Some have asked why Obama is enacting everything all at once. Even I asked why he would inflict cap and trade on a weak economy. But a little thought gave me the explanation, both Obama and congress are acting from perfectly sensible motives.
Obama is the easier to explain. He has seen his poll numbers, he knows the initial euphoria is fading fast. He is also aware, even if he believes in his silly stimulus plan, that the economy might not turn around in a few months. So, facing continuing problems, he knows his approval numbers could very well tank in the next six months, or even less. So whatever he wants to enact, he has to enact now, before he is so unpopular that even the Democrats in congress will oppose him. (Actually, if the economy
DOES recover he is in worse shape, as he lacks the crisis he needs to push through some of his ideas. So he is in a lose/lose situation regarding future legislation.)
Congress, on the other hand, is making use of
a popular figurehead they can control to enact all their pet projects. Since Obama is so pliable, they are pushing through everything they can. Of course, they will have him for four years, but they too know his popularity is falling, so they will need to oppose him before the next elections if they want to hold their seats. Thus they are using him to enact their agenda in the next few months, until he becomes too unpopular, at which point they will blame him for all their own misdeeds, and begin to oppose his every act in order to secure reelection in 2010.
Of course, I could be wrong. Maybe Obama wants so many changes he will be trying to shove through a fistful of "reforms" every week from now until 2012. But that seems unlikely. He is shoving all his major reforms through right now, without a break between them to see what impact they have. That suggests a desperate man aware he is running out of time already.
I suppose time will tell. Maybe I am wrong and Obama thinks he is going to restore the economy and recover from the dropping polls. But his actions don't fit that as well as my description.