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President Obama is a Horrible Negotiator

 24 July 2011

This week it was reported the President was ready to agree to a "compromise".  This compromise consisted of $3 trillion dollars in cuts to Democratic programs in exchange for the possibility the tax code might be improved sometime before 2013. 

This is consistent with every other major policy implemented by this administration.  The crown jewel is "Obama Care".  Obama Care of course is the Republican conceived health care plan.  Somehow the President managed to get Democrats to abandon trying to establish a healthcare program true to the Democratic Party's ideals.  Instead the President conceived a compromise which consisted of a full adaptation of the Republican plan which he and the Democrats somehow get vilified for cramming down Republican throats.  

The President also gets vilified for finishing the bailout legislation started by President Bush.  True in this case there was some money in the package for teachers, police and firemen.  But about half of this "bailout" was in the form of tax cuts.   

Was there any difference in the approach toward the wars in Afghanistan or Iraq between the last two Presidents?  Hasn't this administration deported almost 3 times the number of illegal immigrants per year than the previous administration deported?

Don't get me wrong I don't believe "Dole Care", "Romney Care", "Obama Care", "Republican Care" or whatever it is you want to call it today does anything to improve our healthcare system.  I don't believe the Democrats would have done any better composing their own solution to our healthcare crisis.  If you've read anything I've written you know I believe both TARP and the follow-on stimulus package have prevented our economic recovery. But no honest assessment of the President's performance can conclude he has done anything but try and accommodate and reach out to Republicans.   Often on his own initiative he has self compromised and adopted Republican policies only to be bashed by opponents as a far left socialist.   

I make these points because I have been hoping the Tea Party movement could turn into something to help improve the way our government operates.  In order for that to happen the movement needs to be able to look at the political arguments objectively.  I can remember 22 years ago while in navigator training talking with my roommate and saying "The difference between Republicans and Democrats is that Republicans steal your money, Democrats waste it.  Either way you don't have it".  This current debate highlights how entrenched the thievery runs within the Republican party.  Although, they have driven this country to near financial disaster they still will not approach their contributors and ask them to come up with ideas to shore up the country's finances.  Instead they keep promoting this idea that if they could just drive the tax rate to 0% the Easter Bunny would come around and pay our debts.  When of course the real reason they want to drive the tax rate to 0% is because they believe this will help them, as individuals, get rich.  

Fundamentally, capitalism is the economic system that will in the long run provide the best standard of living for our society.  Too many taxes and out dated regulations hinder that system.  But the tax rate can not be zero in order for us to pay our bills.

This article hasn't progressed they way I intended.  Points I had wanted to make was to point out President Obama has been at least honorable.  One of the things I hear people who spend too much time watching Fox news say is how the debt has exploded since President Obama took office.  Everyone forgets that we all knew the Bush administration was not counting the cost of the wars in their budget or debt calculations.  President Obama has put those cost on the books in his administration.  Even though he now reports the total debt he hasn't gone out of his way to keep reminding us how much of an adjustment had to be made to correct the accounting tricks of the previous 8 years.  That's why the Republicans all of a sudden abandoned wanting to freeze spending at 2008 levels and all started talking about 2004 levels.  They know that there isn't much savings at the "real" 2008 levels.  Look at everything objectively and we see a President who for the most part is trying to find solutions to our problems. I commend the President for not being as partisan an opponent as the Republicans deserve.  If the President really wanted to make the Republicans cave when he directs the treasury to spend money after Aug 2nd he could have them pay the debt, military, SS recipients and federal workers.  This would mean government contractors would not get paid.  An approach like this would be consistent with Democratic values.  This would definitely put Republicans under pressure.  But in all the discussions the President has focused on what he believes should be a real solution.  He hasn't proposed punitive measures just because it would hurt the other party. 

Fundamentally, the President has the Democratic characteristic which tends to waste our money.  But I don't understand how it is that the Tea party members have abandoned working with the Political party that is at least honestly attempting to address the problems just so they can gain favor of the party taking advantage of them for the benefit a select few.