The All Hat, No Cattle Obama Recovery Plan
-By Warner Todd Huston
The Caucus Blog of The New York Times says that Barack Obama’s transition staff are claiming that his so-called economic recovery plan will be a “paperless plan.” By that, they mean that there will be no “detailed documents, cost estimates” or the sort of announcements and “fanfare that capital watchers expect for the unveiling of major initiatives.”
It seems that, in Papal fashion, Obama plans to issue lofty rhetoric from the balcony to adoring crowds, then will retreat back inside his chambers to allow others to “fill in details.”
Forget the usual detailed documents, cost estimates and announcement fanfare that capital watchers expect for the unveiling of major initiatives. President-elect Barack Obama and his advisers suggested on Friday that he has provided the “framework” of a plan in recent public remarks; now Congress, coordinating with the Obama team, will flesh it out.
Mr. Obama and his advisers “wanted to set the broad outline and, very smartly, want Congress to sort of fill in some of the details,” Senator Charles E. Schumer, Democrat of New York, said in an interview. “It just makes sense. There’s a lot of knowledge here on the Hill.”
Like a true potentate, Obama plans to issue edicts and then to let Congress to fulfill his wishes.
When I first read this report, something struck me as familiar about the style. Then it hit me. Barack Obama is just like Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich!
One of the many jokes commonly said about Blago by Illinois legislators is that he “gives good press conference” but little else. The reason legislators were so fond of saying this is because Blago would come up with some wild idea, call a press conference, tell the state that he was going to “do” something or start some new program, then happily go home for a neighborhood jog. Blago, it appeared, felt that his job was to imagine every crazy program that he could come up with, announce it as a fact on TV, but leave it to everyone else to actually do the hard work of making laws.
Blago did not seem to think that he needed to craft an idea, work with legislators to garner support, oversee the writing of a bill, and arrange funding for those wonderful plans. He thought all he had to do was announce them on TV and *poof* we have new laws and programs.
Well, it appears that Obama is operating on an “all hat, no cattle” operating procedure similar to Blago’s style. Talk it up on TV in a sonorous voice and then go body surfing or something. Barack Obama has learned more from Blago than we thought.
Barack is a Blagoist. He’s Barack OBlago, even.
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Posted by Warner Todd Huston on January 11, 2009 8:44 am
» Filed Under Barack Obama, Democrats, Economy, Journalistic Malpractice, Liberal Media/Bias, News, liberalism
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4 Responses to “The All Hat, No Cattle Obama Recovery Plan”
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America is at a serious crossroads. In light of the fact that our economy is in the toilet, it’s time for our elected leaders to consider some new ideas to pull us out of the recession. The best way to make sure they do this is to make our voices heard. I encourage everyone to check out http://www.friendsoftheuschamber.com/takeaction/index.cfm?ID=76 and sign the petition – strength in numbers!
Obama is ’shovel-ready’ for the litter box of history. Four years of shuck and jive, hoodwinking and bamboozling is going to be really tough to take. The poor fellow with the ‘deer in the headlights gaze’, seems to think he is the smartest fellow in the room. That’s what happens when you spend your childhood under the Junta of Indonesia studying the Koran all day.
It’s as if he doesn’t understand people heard yesterday’s speech and today’s utterances seem not to square with what was said yesterday. Sort of like how it went with the Blago saga.
You do realize it is the job of Congress and not the President to legislate. Obama is correct to let his desires be known and expect Congress to fill in the details as he is the chief executive officer and they are the legislature. They also have the right to tell him no or altar his plan in a way they believe is best.
Kerwin, you did not read the piece if that is your reaction. I am saying that Obama is MERELY employing rhetoric and then doing NOTHING else. I am not saying Obama’s job is to “legislate,” but his job is ALSO not to make mere pronouncements and then go off on his merry way. He must work with Congress to develop the plan, stay involved as they write the legislation and arrange funding, and help birth the bill.
I used Blagojevich as the example because he failed to work WITH the legislature to create these wonderful programs he announced. Obama seems headed down that same road.
A president that only announces stuff then does nothing else is little else but a fool.