"Undermining my electoral viability since 2001."

The Oval Office is for Closers (Redux)

This is what you call the closing argument. I expect the big 30-minute show on Wednesday to be a more intricate version of the same. By all indications, Barry is pulling away, which is just great to see. Hopefully w/all the early voting, the big GOTV push can take it to the next level and we'll get a serious mandate to do all these things.

The reality is that it's going to take several years to turn around the Bush momentum. Four years is enough to start to see a shift and hopefully earn another term to bring it on home. The big gamble is whether or not Obama will be able to govern, and whether or not the House and Senate will start to act w/purpose, and just how far out into the wilderness the ultra-political end of the GOP rump will end up. Hopefully the infighting there will hamper their ability to foul up an Obama administration (for reference see Clinton, Bill, years 1992 - 1994), and hopefully also the signs that Obama is a much more capable leader than the old Clenis will bear out.

The proof is in the pudding. Economically speaking we're gonna have to spend money to make money, and there's a big trifecta out there with infrastructure renewal, rehabilitating existing housing stock to be energy efficient, and this notion of a "National Venture Fund" for renewable energy. Basically we need to build the physical foundations for a 21st Century economy which (suprise!) isn't entirely based on made-up financial derivatives and speculative sprawl-building in various deserts. We actually need some real shit.

If that starts to happen, and it starts to work, we could really actually honestly see something like a new New Deal.

Which would be sweet.

Bonus Links

Responses

Well, one obstacle to Senate cooperation is hopefully, and seemingly, out of the way:

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/10/27/stevens.jurors/index.html

Farewell to the Emperor

I was heartened to see some of the GOP clapping at Obama's address on Tuesday. This is not a time for petty partisan politics. This country needs to pull together.

You're right - it is going to take a few years to recover - and even then we're not going to be at the hey day of the first part of 2000. But if Obama keeps focus can start energy initiatives to make this country a stronger one, we may come out of this stronger and more responsbile.

But there are more things that could have been done with the Homeowners Affordability and Stability plan. I would have given incentives to investors buying homes now and keeping them as rentals. With so many people being foreclosed on, we have a desperate need for good quality rental properties.

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