Hope and change are turning into fear and loathing

I am going to have to admit that when Obama first took office I was cautiously optimistic. Like many others, the implanted notions of hope and change started to shine through the skepticism. After all he seems like a well spoken, educated, pleasant man.

My original skepticism was well founded and a month into this presidency it has become inherently obvious that these people have no idea what they are doing. I don’t mean that they are incompetent in executing a plan, I mean that they literally have no idea what they are doing. Here are just a few reasons hope and change are turning into fear and loathing.

At Obama’s first press conference, the young President won’t take questions about the “economic rescue plan” deferring to Tim Geithner’s announcement the next day. But the next day Tim Geithner’s plan is short on details, to be kind. He essentially delivers no content whatsoever, and even says “we are soliciting public feedback on how to solve this problem.” This supposedly “uniquely qualified” tax cheat has been at the helm of this crisis since the fall of last year and now he wants the public to give him ideas? How can anyone have confidence in this clown. The answer of course is, many don’t and he should be sacked immediately.

Second example… This housing plan that Obama presented.  Read about it here.

$75 billion will go to banks participating in new programs that will restructure the borrowers’ loans, lowering their interest rates and extending the length of their mortgage.

The cost? $75 Billion to the tax payers. Ridiculous, not to mention government interference in valid and binding business contracts between two parties in the private market place.

Third Example… What happened to hope and change in the White House itself, in particular Obama’s promise not to hire lobbyists. Obama lied. Sorry, that may be hard for many of you to hear.  Here is Obama talking about his executive order on ethics. “If you are a lobbyist you will not be able to lobby for the issue that you lobbied”

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0D3IWl37ng

Below is a list of lobbyists that are now working in the Obama administration. Thanks to Adam Curry for sourcing up this information.

Administration Employee Position Lobbbyist Position
Eric Holder attorney general lobby until 2004 on behalf of clients including Global Crossing, a bankrupt telecommunications firm.
Tom Vilsack secretary of agriculture was registered to lobby as recently as last year on behalf of the National Education Association
William Lynn deputy defense secretary was registered to lobby as recently as last year for defense contractor Raytheon, where he was a top executive.
William Corr deputy health and human services secretary was registered to lobby until last year for the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, a non-profit that pushes to limit tobacco use.
David Hayes deputy interior secretary was registered to lobby until 2006 for clients, including the regional utility San Diego Gas & Electric.
Mark Patterson chief of staff to Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner was registered to lobby as recently as last year for financial giant Goldman Sachs.
Ron Klain chief of staff to Vice President Joe Biden was registered to lobby until 2005 for clients, including the Coalition for Asbestos Resolution, U.S. Airways, Airborne Express and drug-maker ImClone.
Mona Sutphen deputy White House chief of staff was registered to lobby for clients, including Angliss International in 2003.
Melody Barnes domestic policy council director lobbied in 2003 and 2004 for liberal advocacy groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union, the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, the American Constitution Society and the Center for Reproductive Rights.
Cecilia Munoz White House director of intergovernmental affairs was a lobbyist as recently as last year for the National Council of La Raza, a Hispanic advocacy group.
Patrick Gaspard White House political affairs director was a lobbyist for the Service Employees International Union.
Michael Strautmanis chief of staff to the president’s assistant for intergovernmental relations lobbied for the American Association of Justice from 2001 until 2005.
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Erik Blazynski

8 Comments

  1. davis on February 21, 2009 at 8:13 am

    Erik, I am a bit surprised at your eagerness to throw the President under the bus,  and how do you suppose he is going to sacked immediately? You know what is required to get to that before the next election (and at least he said that if his plans fail we'll have a new president). As to the lobbyists, though I don't like them being there, at least look at your list vs the statement: “If you are a lobbyist you will not be able to lobby for the issue that you lobbied”.

    And, I should also say that everybody except the people in charge have great alternative plans. It's nice to be able to always play Monday morn QB.



    • Erik Blazynski on February 22, 2009 at 10:55 am

      Vilsack may seem dissociated from that which he was lobbying but it should be pointed out that Vilsack has a tight relationship with Monsanto when he was Gov of Iowa.  So more frankenfood for us!!!

      Davis, I listened closely to what Obama had to say. I don't think that it takes time to NOT hire lobbyists, you either do what you said you were going to do or you don't, and he's not.  With regard to Geithner, he has been working on the financial crisis for longer than a year, Jim changed my post to make it factually incorrect. If this genius has to ask the public for ideas at this point then he is clearly not the man for the job and should be sacked. I am not suggesting that Obama be impeached or anything like that. Sorry for the confusion.

      -Erik



  2. Dimsdale on February 21, 2009 at 4:10 pm

    'Tis better to be a Monday morning quarterback than the fool that dropped the ball on Sunday night.  As for the great alternative plans, they weren't offered on "Monday," they were offered on "Sunday" or even "Saturday," but the president and the Democrat Congress chose to ignore them.  Thus, alternative plays that would have worked were ignored for old, tired, predicatable plays, proven not to work, in order to fulfill political debts and objectives.

    I did look at the list, and with the exception of Vilsack, most of these appointments are not too dissociated from their former lobbying positions.   Could the be another example of liberal do as I say, not as I do?  What are the odds?

    When Erik says "young" president, he means "naïve" as in "deficient in worldly wisdom or informed judgment"  (Thank you, Mirriam Webster).  I like "unseasoned" orOne would presuppose that a person as allegedly intelligent as Obama would be smart enough to, well, do the research, before throwing caution and good sense to the four winds and progress a bit more slowly and carefully. 

    I guess we are seeing the results of that singularly thin resume.  Well spoken is not enough.  It may be fine for used car salesmen, but I expect more of a president.  Biden was supposed to bring gravitas to the ticket.  Fat chance.  Hillary, while only slightly more experienced, seems to be considerably more pragmatic, and likely would have been the better choice of the two.  C'est la vie.

    Hope and change?  The hope is gone (in a remarkably short time) and the change is all for the worst.  All due to the audacity of a dope.  Nice.



  3. davis on February 22, 2009 at 1:49 am

    Unfortunately, neither Monday morn QB or dropping the ball on Sun night can change what is going on today. Additionally the assertion that the alternative plays of Sat would have worked is simply an assertion with no base in current fact, since they did not came to pass (as Wall Street keeps reminding us of: "Past performance is no assurance of future success", and they are SO right).

    So we are left again discussing woulds, coulds, might haves etc. all conjectures, wishes, hopes and educated guesses at best. Talk about same old, same old. And he's a dope? He is President, as Chevy Chase used to say on SNL: '"And you are not".



  4. davis on February 22, 2009 at 3:50 am

    BTW, if you are looking for instant gratification/immediate results, you should at least have listened to what Pres. Obama said: it will take time, it will be difficult….. What part of those remarks did you not understand? As for me, I have been waiting for years for the end of the billions being spent in Iraq and Afganistan, still waiting; and I don't expect Pres. Obama to be able to end that fiasco soon either.



  5. Bill on February 22, 2009 at 4:18 am

    Isn't he still a Socialist, with a Socialist agenda?



  6. davis on February 22, 2009 at 7:00 am

    He is a Democrat and elected by Democrats, formerly Independents and probably some Republicans. What part of that sentence don't you understand? Or are we someplace other than the US, proud to have a two party system.



  7. Rick-WH on February 22, 2009 at 8:20 am

    Erik, you were really cautiously optimistic?

    Obama has returned to the oval office many of the worst of the Clinton's administration's henchmen.   Just as is the case with our representatives and senators, these appointees and staff members are not the best people for the jobs that they are assigned to – that is, if they are supposed to protect the interests of the American people.  They are all insiders – serving private interests both inside and outside of our country.

    It is long past time to clean house and to approach government with a different paradigm.



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