News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Fri. Sept. 20, 2013: We are stuck with Barack Obama for the next 3 years so while we look past Obama as I did in last week’s episode, (and will again and again), we might as well try and get as much value from the next three years of his failed Presidency as we can.
Time to turn this lemon into some lemonade !
And low and behold some Democrats are FINALLY waking up to that possibility. Three examples are instructive. One has occurred, another is currently occurring and the third needs to occur. We can give them names. They are known Larry Summers, Syria and the Keystone Pipeline. Let them be just the start.
Barack had his mind and heart set on appointing his soul mate the discredited and big business loving fellow Harvard “man” (sic) Larry Summers as the next chairman of the Federal Reserve. Key members of the DC Inner Circle who are members of the 4th Estate in recent weeks were thrown bones by The White House letting them know they could spread the word in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and up and down the big luscious political Grape Vine that Larry was Barack’s “man.” That the President felt strongly that Summers was the “man” who had the experience and the intelligence to steer our financial system into the future not that ‘other’ woman – Janet Yellen.
The deal was done – all that was left was the celebrating. That is until public sentiment in some Democratic circles and especially among some Democratic members of Congress made it crystal clear they would not support the appointment of Larry Summers to be the next Federal Reserve chairman. And that ended that. Nobody fears Obama.
The new bone The White House was forced to throw certain members of the media is the fact that Larry Summers has withdrawn his name from consideration, and that surprise Barack did indeed like the idea of that woman Janet Yellen becoming the new Fed chair.
Here is what the New York Times had to say …
“After weeks of opposition to his candidacy from an array of progressives, the president’s inability to rally Congressional Democrats on Syria persuaded Mr. Summers that his most important audience — the Senate, which must confirm a Fed chairman — probably could not be won over.”
“He concluded that the White House was also unlikely to overcome opposition to his candidacy from many of the same Democrats, who view him as an opponent of stronger financial regulation, according to supporters who insisted on anonymity to describe confidential conversations with him.”
And here’s the Kicker …
“ Mr. Summers’ decision, which he shared with the president in a phone call Sunday followed by a letter, was described as reluctantly made and reluctantly accepted. Mr. Summers wanted the job and Mr. Obama wanted to pick him. But the public opposition of three Democrats on the Senate banking committee, the first step in the confirmation process, surprised the White House and forced a calculation that this was a battle the administration could not afford to fight.”
SURPRISE! How sad Barack and Larry won’t be able to play together because some Democrats finally figured out how to treat Obama just say NO.
It is interesting Summers mentioned Syria in some convoluted way as his excuse for withdrawing from consideration because Syria is the next example of how best to deal with Obama the next 3 years.
Obama at the behest of the royal family excuse me the Oil Family of Saudi Arabia was all set to bomb the crap out of Syria not because it made any sense for the U.S. to do so even if Assad is a low life but rather to please America’s “friends” in the Middle East.
Fortunately again enlightened Democrats came to the rescue. First Democrats in general across the land by their opposition forced Barack to look for cover by trying to get Congress to do his dirty work of approving the bombings. As we know that led to the conclusion that Obama could not get a majority vote to bomb Syria. Then his Secretary of State John Kerry in desperation suggested if Syria gave up its chemical weapons Obama won’t bomb them. That is what is being negotiated as a result rather than bombing targets as much as that upsets the Saudi despots and others dreaming of American bombs.
Now Summers and Syria are two done deals – one complete, the other working, that Barack Obama would never have accepted except he had no choice because some Democrats FINALLY called this loser’s bluff.
YES can get some value from this weakling President. What we need to do is push him in the right direct as hard as each situation demands. Now my third example in its own way is even more important in fact pivotal to this strategy. It is still unfolding.
There is no doubt – NONE – that Barack Obama wants to approve the Keystone Pipeline. He’s got a lot on the line the Big Boys with all the $$$ Barack and Michelle so desperately want to get their share of once they exit The White House in the form of book contracts, appearance fees, board memberships, investment deals, etc. – the Rich White Big Boys are making Keystone Obama’s litmus test for him to join the Club.
The Big Boys could easily live without the Keystone Pipeline carrying the dirtiest coal of all that would ever be seen here, from Canada to the U.S. and which we have no need for at all for except to cause horrendous amounts of pollution for decades to come but Keystone now has become this all important symbol that powerful business interests have latched on to as the ultimate test of wills with those of us who want a non-carbon future and a clean environment. Or as the Big Boys would label us the Whackos.
So Obama has been delaying and delaying the approval as long as he can but he is going to have to announce his decision soon and we need to bring maximum pressure on Obama again to force him to do the right thing just say NO as much as this hypocrite President wants to say YES to Keystone and please the Big Boys for later value.
So this is the powerful message we must never forget for the next 3 years the only way to make the rest of the Obama Presidency worthwhile is for progressive Democrats and other enlightened Americans to FORCE Obama to make the right decisions.
At last an answer to our Obama problem that works!
About The Writer: Arthur Piccolo is a professional writer and commentator and often writes about Latin America for New Americas.
