Then And Now: The Price Of A Lack Of Audacity

By Big Tent Democrat, Section Other Politics
Posted on Fri Aug 06, 2010 at 11:00:29 AM EST
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TPM, February 2009:

A Win is a Win

Longtime reader commenting on the stimulus deal:

Like everyone else, I'm waiting for the details. But from what I've heard so far, this seems to be a remarkable triumph for the new president. A month ago, Obama economists Romer and Bernstein released job-creation projections that "assumed a package just slightly over the $775 billion currently under discussion." Lo and behold, the final bill comes in at $789 billion. It reportedly includes Obama's proposed tax cuts, comprising almost exactly the same proportion of the overall package. For the past month, media attention has focused on all the changes to the package, and on the controversies it has engendered. Obama has been criticized for failing to forge a bipartisan consensus, for not safeguarding his priorities, and for not taking a sufficiently aggressive role in the negotiations on the Hill. So it's worth stepping back to take note of the fact that the final package looks remarkably like what Obama has wanted all along. In fact, it's closer to that original proposal than to either the House or Senate versions of the bill. Remarkable.

FTR, TalkLeft in February 2009. Now, Josh Marshall today:

People grouse a lot about the shortcomings of the Health Care Reform bill or Wall Street Reform. Myself, not so much. But that's because my politics are a little different. From the perspective of someone who believes in single payer, certainly the Reform bill doesn't go far enough. All that said, though, I think we're seeing that the critical misjudgments -- both political and in policy terms were made well, well before. All the way back to the first months of the administration, when Tea Parties were still about tea and the president's approval ratings were still sky high. It was the Stimulus Bill. It just wasn't big enough. Something a whole lot of people said at the time.

[. . . I]t was always clear there was only going to be one real bite at this apple. And it just wasn't enough. Why the White House predicted a max out at 8.5% unemployment I'll never know since that was not only a politically unhelpful number, it was also deeply unrealistic. I suspect a lot of Democrats are going to go down to defeat because of it.

Speaking for me only

< Christina Romer Leaving Obama Administration | Obama To Help Under Water Homeowners? >

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Then And Now: The Price Of A Lack Of Audacity | 21 comments (21 topical)

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Marshall is still in denial though (5.00 / 3) (#4)
by Dadler on Fri Aug 06, 2010 at 11:14:49 AM EST

His stuff about how hard it was to pass the inadequate stimulus bill is disengenous. Since Obama played pure softball and his team "blew it" from the get-go (assuming that isn't really what they wanted all along), he got exactly what you can expect when you are a terrible negotiator and more concerned with appearances than results -- you get the inadequate.

Lots of people said this at the time (5.00 / 2) (#5)
by andgarden on Fri Aug 06, 2010 at 11:16:44 AM EST

But remember, early 2009 was the height of 11 dimensional chess.


Or, Obama got what he wanted. (5.00 / 5) (#9)
by dk on Fri Aug 06, 2010 at 11:19:15 AM EST

His friends and major donors are doing fine, right?


From the February 2009 quote: (5.00 / 4) (#11)
by MO Blue on Fri Aug 06, 2010 at 12:01:42 PM EST

So it's worth stepping back to take note of the fact that the final package looks remarkably like what Obama has wanted all along. In fact, it's closer to that original proposal than to either the House or Senate versions of the bill. Remarkable.

Blue, good to hear from you. (none / 0) (#12)
by KeysDan on Fri Aug 06, 2010 at 12:16:08 PM EST

Trust all is well.


Thanks (4.67 / 3) (#14)
by MO Blue on Fri Aug 06, 2010 at 12:56:05 PM EST

Doing well now after an operation mid June. Been mainly lurking here at Talk Left last couple of months. Only so many ways to say that I don't like the direction both parties want to take this country. I felt like I was just being repetitious.


Glad to hear you're doing (5.00 / 2) (#15)
by dk on Fri Aug 06, 2010 at 12:58:20 PM EST

better, MO Blue.


: Me too, MO Blue (none / 0) (#17)
by jeffinalabama on Fri Aug 06, 2010 at 02:13:28 PM EST

Missed you, MO Blue (5.00 / 1) (#19)
by Cream City on Fri Aug 06, 2010 at 05:41:56 PM EST

and I may be back more, too, if your comments again will appear. Some threads sorely needed your sanity.


Best wishes MO Blue. (none / 0) (#18)
by Dr Molly on Fri Aug 06, 2010 at 02:24:35 PM EST

I've missed you. I find your comments to be much-needed and welcome doses of reality and actual (not pretend) liberalim, repetitous or not.

Hope you're feeling better.


And I'm glad to see you too (none / 0) (#20)
by ruffian on Fri Aug 06, 2010 at 07:15:25 PM EST

Hope you keep getting better.


The "centrists" (none / 0) (#6)
by david mizner on Fri Aug 06, 2010 at 11:17:16 AM EST

how shaved 100 bill or so off the proposal had no fixed number, because they have no beliefs. They would've just tried to cut whatever Obama proposed. 1.5 would've become 1.4 etc.


I said at the time, (5.00 / 1) (#8)
by andgarden on Fri Aug 06, 2010 at 11:18:49 AM EST

based on what Krugman said we needed, that the starting "offer" should have been between $3T and $5T.


don't remember 3-5 Tr. (none / 0) (#13)
by NYShooter on Fri Aug 06, 2010 at 12:33:33 PM EST

I thought the number was 1.4 Tr.

or was that the "drop dead"# ?


: I think he means he would have started (none / 0) (#21)
by ruffian on Fri Aug 06, 2010 at 07:17:57 PM EST

Bargaining a 2-5 trill and been content to give in at 1.5 trill.
That's what I would have liked anyway.

Yeah, most neo-progressives (none / 0) (#1)
by david mizner on Fri Aug 06, 2010 at 11:10:49 AM EST

loved the stimulus package. Maybe they'll admit they were wrong. Just kidding.

Yglesias:

The first and most important thing about the Obama stimulus plan is that it's about the size we need. That's absolutely critical. And while I shared many progressives' initial flinch away from the idea of having so much of the stimulus be tax cuts, I checked in with some folks and came to the conclusion that Obama's has the balance about right and they have perfectly valid reasons for relying on a hefty dose of tax cuts.

http://yglesias.thinkprogress.org/2009/01/boring_into_the_obama_stimulus_plan/

Later he changed his tune (none / 0) (#7)
by Big Tent Democrat on Fri Aug 06, 2010 at 11:17:23 AM EST

To be fair. I mean like in March 2009.


: Well then I stand semi-corrected (none / 0) (#10)
by david mizner on Fri Aug 06, 2010 at 11:19:53 AM EST

In light of this (none / 0) (#2)
by andgarden on Fri Aug 06, 2010 at 11:13:00 AM EST

I hope that Justice Ginsburg reconsiders her retirement plants.

*plans (none / 0) (#3)
by andgarden on Fri Aug 06, 2010 at 11:13:16 AM EST

: i think you had it right (5.00 / 1) (#16)
by The Addams Family on Fri Aug 06, 2010 at 01:48:22 PM EST

w/"retirement plants" if not for Justice Ginsburg then for the rest of us
retirement plants = community gardens so maybe we can eat more than cat food