Getting Things Done

As the finance reform bill made it out of House/Senate conference committee today somewhat stronger thanks to CSPAN coverage that took it out of the backroom, now on to almost certain passage by both houses of Congress, and with our President once again asserting his authority in no uncertain terms, it's time to take stock again of how much is actually getting accomplished.

This is no do-nothing Congress; you may not favor the legislation they are passing, but they're stimulating the economy while getting started on 21st Century infrastructure, reforming healthcare including the elimination of pre-existing conditions and the creation of exchanges, passing some campaign reform to counteract the Supreme Court blank check for corporate influence, creating a financial Consumer Protection Agency with real teeth (depending which party and leader is in power) and regulating bank involvement with derivatives, working on Don't Ask Don't Tell, working on a climate change / energy future bill, passing the Lilly Ledbetter Act...and lots more I don't even know or remember.

The President accomplished a significant milestone when he fired Gen. Stanley McChrystal and reasserted civilian control (Executive control) over our nation's military, he got $20B out of criminally negligent BP just at the end of last week, he took Russian President Dmitry Medvedev to Hell Burger and signed some technology deals, and is now at the G8/G20. There is no denying that he's getting things done. Per Taegan Goddard, "Not since FDR has a president done so much to transform the country." I'd argue that while some on the Left find the comparison to FDR wanting, he's on track to best every President since with essentially a (small-c) conservative form of Progressivism, very much a common sense form less interested in lofty ideology but still believing that it's the responsibility of government to lessen the suffering of its peoples and stand up against vicissitudes of nature, moneyed interests, criminal elements and global enemies.



With Republicans determined to stall another jobs bill, per 1930's W-shaped Depression Era history more than likely to cause another recovery stall, one can only imagine the Party as a whole is still betting on obstructionism in order to keep conditions from getting so good that they have no platform to run on. It's funny that they actually choose to do the opposite of what The Bible recommends, saving up during the seven fat years so as not to be boned in the seven lean ones (Genesis 41:27), i.e. cutting taxes on their wealthy patrons while spending insanely during the good times of the Bush Administration, then allowing the population to starve after the bubble burst.

I know they're feeling like their voter base is enthused and Tea'ed up, but I'm wondering what they actually will have to run on, especially if the jobs market continues to recover. Obama as Hitler?

Well, as of today, Palin's gone there.