Ruminations, November 1, 2009

Presidential salute

For a conservative, there is a lot for which President Obama can — and should – be criticized. But there are also things that he does and says that are above criticism and some things for which conservatives should bestow praise.

Last week, the President made a trip to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware. Dover is where the flag draped coffins of fallen troops are routed and their way to their final resting place. During the worst month for casualties during the war in Afghanistan, the President went to Dover to salute the fallen.

Some of his critics have impugned the Obama’s motives for going to Delaware. I don’t know his true motives and never will. What counts are his actions and not his thoughts.

As President, Obama went to Delaware and represented the American people. I, for one, would like to say thank you to the President for going to welcome home those gallant troops.

Enemies list

The phrase “enemies list” is one which implies a usurpation of power.

During the investigation of President Richard Nixon for the Watergate affair, it was disclosed that Nixon kept an “enemies list.” At first, the list identified 12 people who were unfriendly toward Nixon. Over time, Nixon and his staff got a little obsessive about it and the list grew to some 600 names.

All presidents have unfriendlies or enemies. What was surprising is not so much that Nixon’s list was written or that it was so large but the Administration’s intent to use, in the words of then White House Counsel John Dean, “available federal machinery to screw our political enemies,” through tax audits, federal grants and contracts, and litigation.

President Obama also has an enemies list. So Rush Limbaugh, Fox News, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and insurance companies, among others, are on his list. All presidents have enemies and mental, if not physical, lists.

The problem we have is when the White House, with its enormous power and prestige, begins to use that power and prestige to beat down their opponents. Obama has sought to eliminate Fox News access to the White House and launched an attack on their professionalism. The Administration has encouraged members of the Chamber of Commerce to abandon the organization.

Nixon, by his actions and his enemies list, became an enemy of the country. We hope that Obama learns from Nixon and halts this nonsense before he suffers the same fate.

End game

There has recently been pressure from the quasi-pacifists (those who oppose not all wars but almost all wars) for President Obama to define his end game. By “end game,” these folks are referring to benchmarks and a timetable for withdrawing the troops from Afghanistan.

Defining the end-game, benchmarks or timetables in a war is futile because once you complete such plans, you generally discover that your enemy will not cooperate – and that is especially true if the plans are widely published. The result of publishing end games is usually failure and withdrawal – which may be the objective for the quasi-pacifists.

To garner public support and silence his critics on the war in Afghanistan, Obama should borrow the precise statement of a previous American president, Ronald Reagan. In defining his end game vis-à-vis the Soviet Union, Reagan said it was simple: “We win, they lose.”

When a health care bill is not about health care

The debate over health care has devolved to the point where it has become unclear just what the issues are. Accounting slight-of-hand causes the financial costs of the issue to be just what is necessary to pass the bill. Illegal immigrants may or may not be covered depending on whose bill and your interpretation. Ethics panels, that advise seniors on acceptable medical procedures may or may not exist. Medicare payments may or may not be reduced. Taxes may increase or not. Does this make sense? Yes it does.

The issues surrounding the health care debate have become a political subtext to President Obama and his minions — and to the loyal opposition.

If a president can establish a winning political dominance for himself and his party early on, that dominance can become the template for other issues during the rest of his term. Conversely, if the loyal opposition can defeat the president and his party early on, then the loyal opposition will establish dominance. Obama has chosen to establish his dominance on the issue of health care and if he can “win” he will stand in good stead to implement more of his program – his minions will fall into line and the loyal opposition will back off. That’s why the battle over health care has become so important. That’s why winning over health care, regardless of what the final bill contains, has become politically more important than health care itself.

If Obama loses on health care, his “cap and trade” proposals, economic program and even foreign policy becomes more vulnerable.

If you are a liberal, it is politically important that Obama appears to win the battle over health care – regardless of what is in the final bill. If you are a conservative, it is politically important that Obama appears to lose. If you just want improved health care legislation, good luck.

Creative accounting

A guy walks into an interview looking for a job in accounting. The interviewer asks him, “If gross revenues are $100 million and gross expenses are $80 million, what is the profit?” They guy says “$20 million.”

The next guy walks in and the conversation goes exactly the same way. This goes on for a dozen interviewees and finally, the last guy walks in. The interviewer asks him, “If gross revenues are $100 million and gross expenses are $80 million, what is the profit?” They guy says, “What do you want it to be?” He got the job.

The same guy walks into an office in Washington and the interviewer asks him, “If the government takes over health care, offers insurance to 36 million more people and doesn’t charge for annual checkups, allows people with pre-existing conditions to buy insurance at the same rate as others, and allows trial lawyers to bring large law suits against doctors and hospitals, doesn’t increase insurance premiums and doesn’t raise taxes on people earning under $250,000 a year – what will be the effect on the U.S. deficit?”

The guy says, “What do you want it to be?” The interviewer says, “We’d like a surplus.” He got the job.