February 05, 2009
Obama is Clear
Speaking at the Department of Energy today, President Obama spoke strongly about why we cannot return to the Bush-era policies that got us into the mess we are in today.
...So let me be clear: Those ideas have been tested, and they have failed. They've taken us from surpluses to an annual deficit of over a trillion dollars, and they've brought our economy to a halt. And that's precisely what the election we just had was all about. The American people have rendered their judgment. And now is the time to move forward, not back. Now is the time for action....
He explained how the stimulus bill is going to begin to change our energy economy.
"...[T]his plan will begin to end the tyranny of oil in our time.
After decades of dragging our feet, this plan will finally spark the creation of a clean energy industry that will create hundreds of thousands of jobs over the next few years, manufacturing wind turbines and solar cells, for example -- millions more after that. These jobs and these investments will double our capacity to generate renewable energy over the next few years.
We'll fund a better, smarter electricity grid and train workers to build it -- a grid that will help us ship wind and solar power from one end of this country to another. Think about it. The grid that powers the tools of modern life -- computers, appliances, even BlackBerrys -- (laughter) -- looks largely the same as it did half a century ago...."
I hear that the Senate might vote tonight. I hope they pass this bill swiftly.
Posted by jnfr at 05:37 PM | Comments (0)
February 04, 2009
Obama Understands
President Obama had several interviews yesterday. This bit is from his interview on ABC News. He's talking with Charlie Gibson about the stimulus bill.
...The criticisms have generally been around some policy initiatives that were placed in the bill that I think are actually good policy, but some people may say is not going to actually stimulate jobs quickly enough. I think that there's legitimate room for working through those issues over the next several weeks to make sure that we get the best possible bill. But here's the thing that I think we have to understand. The economy is in desperate straits. What I won't do is adopt the same economic theories that helped land us in the worst economy since the Great Depression. What I will do is work with anybody of good faith to make sure that we can come up with the best possible package to not only create jobs and provide support to families, but also to lay the groundwork for long-term economic growth....
Emphasis added. Here's another bit.
Well, I think what Speaker Pelosi also said was that she wanted to sit down with them and talk to them and, in fact, included some of their ideas in the package. I mean, keep in mind, when I first released the framework for our plan, we were complimented by the Republicans for the fact that about $300 billion of the package was in the form of tax cuts. I was criticized by members of my own party.
Now, that hasn't changed much. The only thing that's changed is the politics of it. And I'm less concerned about bipartisanship for bipartisanship's sake. I'm interested in solving the problem for the American people as quickly as possible. And I think that we have an obligation to make sure this money is spent wisely. I want this thing to move through the Senate. I want the House and the Senate bills to be reconciled....
It's good that he is reality-based. But the Administration has made some definite errors in rolling out this stimulus bill. For one thing, they gave the Republicans far too much, far too fast, and didn't play enough hardball in negotiating various provisions. And while I agree with most of the longer-term provisions in the bill, they might have played out better if brought up separately.
But primarily they let the Republicans get far too much attention for their whining in the early news cycles around this bill. Think Progress has documented twice as many Republicans in the media in the days immediately after the bill was introduced. The Democrats should never have let that happen, and I hope they'll do better in the future with defining the contours of the discussion as it unfolds.
Posted by jnfr at 07:44 AM | Comments (0)
January 26, 2009
Bipartisanship
Someone needs to remind the media that when Obama says he wants to change the tone in Washington and relieve some of the bickering, that doesn't mean he's going to change his own ideas about policy, and give the Republicans what they want just because they stamp their little feet.
He has said, clearly and more than once, that he wants ideas that will work. And he will make the judgment about what works based on his own criteria. The reason the Republicans don't have a lot of input into this stimulus bill is that they have no good, workable ideas. The results of their thinking is right in front of us, played out over the past four years. It has been a tremendous, complete, failure.
I don't think this bill is perfect - I'd like more emphasis on mass transit, for one thing - but I do believe it will be the best that can be had on such short notice. Perhaps the Republicans can control their urge to be obstructionist, though after what I've seen the past couple of years, I am not hopeful.
Posted by jnfr at 10:38 AM | Comments (0)
January 22, 2009
The Right to Choose
Statement of President Obama on the 36th Anniversary of Roe v. Wade
On the 36th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, we are reminded that this decision not only protects women's health and reproductive freedom, but stands for a broader principle: that government should not intrude on our most private family matters. I remain committed to protecting a woman's right to choose.
While this is a sensitive and often divisive issue, no matter what our views, we are united in our determination to prevent unintended pregnancies, reduce the need for abortion, and support women and families in the choices they make. To accomplish these goals, we must work to find common ground to expand access to affordable contraception, accurate health information, and preventative services.
On this anniversary, we must also recommit ourselves more broadly to ensuring that our daughters have the same rights and opportunities as our sons: the chance to attain a world-class education; to have fulfilling careers in any industry; to be treated fairly and paid equally for their work; and to have no limits on their dreams. That is what I want for women everywhere.
Posted by jnfr at 03:33 PM | Comments (0)
January 21, 2009
Getting Down to Business
This is good stuff, from Obama's remarks today.
I will also hold myself as President to a new standard of openness. Going forward, anytime the American people want to know something that I or a former President wants to withhold, we will have to consult with the Attorney General and the White House Counsel, whose business it is to ensure compliance with the rule of law. Information will not be withheld just because I say so. It will be withheld because a separate authority believes my request is well grounded in the Constitution.
Let me say it as simply as I can: Transparency and the rule of law will be the touchstones of this presidency.
That said, the new White House web site still says that the President hasn't issued any executive orders, and I know from news sources that he has. I hope they start getting info up faster than this once they're rolling.
Posted by jnfr at 02:26 PM | Comments (0)
January 20, 2009
Grace
Posted by jnfr at 10:14 PM | Comments (0)
Openness
From BoingBoing:Yesterday, the robots.txt file for whitehouse.gov had ca. 2400 lines worth of files and directories that search engines were not allowed to index. Today, the file is two lines long: "User-agent: *" and "Disallow: /includes/"
Score one for transparency and accountability.
Posted by jnfr at 05:26 PM | Comments (0)
Pwned!
Posted by jnfr at 11:38 AM | Comments (0)
January 18, 2009
Change Gonna Come
Frakking HBO.
Posted by jnfr at 08:23 PM | Comments (0)
January 17, 2009
I hear that train a comin'
From Obama's speech in Philadelphia, before boarding the train to Washington.
...we should never forget that we are the heirs of that first band of patriots, ordinary men and women who refused to give up when it all seemed so improbable; and who somehow believed that they had the power to make the world anew. That is the spirit that we must reclaim today.
For the American Revolution did not end when British guns fell silent. It was never something to be won only on a battlefield or fulfilled only in our founding documents. It was not simply a struggle to break free from empire and declare independence. The American Revolution was - and remains - an ongoing struggle "in the minds and hearts of the people" to live up to our founding creed.
Starting now, let's take up in our own lives the work of perfecting our union.
Let's build a government that is responsible to the people, and accept our own responsibilities as citizens to hold our government accountable.
Let's all of us do our part to rebuild this country.
Let's make sure this election is not the end of what we do to change America, but the beginning.
Posted by jnfr at 12:53 PM | Comments (0)