Obama on 60 Minutes
On Sunday night President-elect Obama participated in his first TV interview, giving us a glimpse of the type of President he might be. At some level, an Obama presidency is still a mystery, because no one really knows how much he will be able to (or willing to) change the political atmosphere in Washington and the rest of the country.
The thing is, if McCain had gotten elected, he would have been forced to work in a bipartisan way, since he would have faced a democratic House and Senate. Obama, however, will face a choice. He could stress bipartisanship and attempt to unite the country by focusing on issues where we may find common ground (as he said he would throughout the campaign)–of course, this would probably require a few compromises as far as the liberal/democratic agenda goes. But Obama doesn’t HAVE to lead this way, at least, not until the next midterm election. He could, instead–and a number of democratic leaders are bound to put pressure on him to do this–take full advantage of the Democratic majorities in Washington and shove every big liberal issue at a politically weak Republican party.
The second option, while it would offer a big change in policy, would represent much less of a change in the way politics is done, and that is why I don’t THINK Obama would approach his presidency in such a way. It appears to be a nearsighted option, while Obama seems to understand that real “change” doesn’t happen overnight.
There were a few moments in the 60 Minutes interview that supported this view. At least in these early stages, Obama seems to be focusing on a less partisan, common-sense approach to the problems we face.
On The Financial Crisis:
Kroft: How high a priority are you placing on re-regulation of the financial markets?
Mr. Obama: I think it’s a top priority. I think that we have to restore a sense of trust, transparency, openness in our financial system. And keep in mind that the deregulation process, it wasn’t just one party. I think there’s a lot of blame to spread around.
But, hopefully, everybody’s learned their lesson. And the answer is not heavy-handed regulations that crush the entrepreneurial spirit and risk taking of American capitalism. That’s what’s made our economy great. But it is to restore a sense of balance.
The Lincoln exchange:
Mr. Obama: Yeah. I’ve been spending a lot of time reading Lincoln. There is a wisdom there and a humility about his approach to government, even before he was president, that I just find very helpful.
Kroft: Put a lot of his political enemies in his cabinet.
Mr. Obama: He did.
Kroft: Is that something you’re considering?
Mr. Obama: Well, I tell you what, I find him a very wise man.
On the “New” New Deal:
Kroft: There’s been talk on Capitol Hill and a number of Democratic congressmen have proposed programs that are part of sort of a new New Deal. The possibility of reviving agencies like the Home Ownership Loan Corporation.
Mr. Obama: Two points I’d make on this. Number one, although there are some parallels to the problems that we’re seeing now and what we say back in the ’30s, no period is exactly the same. For us to simply recreate what existed back in the ’30s in the 21st century, I think would be missing the boat. We’ve gotta come up with solutions that are true to our times and true to this moment. And that’s gonna be our job. I think the basic principle that government has a role to play in kick starting an economy that has ground to a halt is sound.
I think our basic principle that this is a free market system and that that has worked for us, that it creates innovation and risk taking, I think that’s a principle that we’ve gotta hold to as well. But what I don’t wanna do is get bottled up in a lot of ideology and is this conservative or liberal. My interest is finding something that works.
And whether it’s coming from FDR or it’s coming from Ronald Reagan, if the idea is right for the times then we’re gonna apply it. And things that don’t work we’re gonna get rid of.
Here’s a fun moment:
HA HA HA!!! That video at the end was great! “I’m not stupid that’s why I got elected president man.”
But in all seriousness, I found the statements Obama made in this interview, especially the ones you highlighted, extremely informative on how he will handle the presidency. I think he will be bipartisan and that’s all I could ask for. It is very easy to kick a party when it’s down like the Republican Party is right now. However, it is extremely hard to not do that. If that it was Obama wants to do, and from the looks of it he does, it will be an up-hill struggle but it will benefit the country in the long run.
I think it would mean a lot to the American people if Obama didn’t take advantage of the majority in congress. I’m sure he’ll hold true to his campaign statements. funny vid also!
Change, Change, Change…
A campaign based on bipartisan policy ideals doesn’t seem, to me, to be a position that differs much from other smart candidates vying for office. President-elect Obama is still in campaign mode. He isn’t going to completely state his policy when he doesn’t yet have the ability to implement it. Obama is still working out his staff and although I think he is going to place people with differing opinions in the White House, he has also made Rahm Emmanuel, a liberal “bulldog”, his chief of staff. I think he is prepared to do whatever he needs to fix the country. He would be a fool not to practice bipartisanship on some level. However, when he runs into opposition about Iraq, eliminating tax cuts for the rich and the economy (i.e. taxing pensions), don’t be surprised if he becomes a “super liberal” for the sake of getting the job done and, in his mind, doing what is best for the country.
Let me say first that I do believe Obama will promote a bipartisan effort in his first four years in office. However, I also believe that Obama and the democrat-concentrated congress could end up running away with a liberal agenda and not even know it.
For instance, let’s imagine the initiative that will reach Obama’s desk in the Oval Office in the next two or four years. First of all, because of the composition of the senate and house of representatives, any bill or initiative that reaches approval of the President will more likely be left-center than right-center. Secondly, what left-center initiatives will Obama veto – will he exercise a devil’s advocate position by vetoing any or some of the democrat’s agendas? Thirdly, should a right-center initiative reach his desk, will he agree with it? After being attacked as one of the most liberal democrats in the senate, will he show discretion by passing laws that he doesn’t agree with, yet reached him in the first place?
He has a tough position to take. He’ll have a greater opportunity to turn down laws that are left-center, but he may not want to. Then, in the rare times he’s faced with right-center initiative, will he pass something he may not believe in himself?
I have no doubt that Obama will support Republicans at times for the sake of being bipartisan, but the truth is that his beliefs won’t change. When he faces decisions that will effect the future of our country, why wouldn’t he go with his gut, or his heart? He may have to do more than he believes necessary to convince people that he will be a bipartisan leader of this country.
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