A President Worthy of the Title

I had mentioned in an earlier post that I thought Obama's election brought with it a sense of strength -- bringing the possibility that the mass of people might find themselves with a friend in Washington, one who can counterbalance the many, many friends that the wealthy have, in spades. In watching what he is doing now - the actions he's taking, the people that he's appointing - I feel that even more strongly. There is certainly a sense of gloom, depression, despair, and even panic in the air. I can't ignore that. Many people, including me, feel that what is happening to our world is virtually unprecedented. Even though the wise men say that this is nothing like the Great Depression, it is close enough to it for my generation, and the one just ahead of mine as well as the two or three alive now behind it, to be shaken and scared. To see someone acting with calm intelligence and confidence in this environment is a stabilizing image.

I would like very much to believe that Obama can, by his own actions, personal and those he directs, halt this train wreck. It will certainly be harder than it has to be. Even in the current climate, there are still weasels who are angling for the best deal for themselves, and to hell with the public as a whole. He has to face and overcome that. I am not sure that he can. I would like to think that he recognizes this, and that he will make, not the best deals possible from a purist standpoint, but the best possible from a pragmatic standpoint. Some of those deals will definitely come back to bite him, and once things stabilize, the carpers and finger-pointers will come out of the woodwork, carping and finger-pointing. Its what they do.

But the heavy lifting will be his, and I am glad that we will have him to do it. We're not anywhere close to being out of the woods -- as he said, in effect, we're not even halfway into the woods -- but his approach is intelligent and forceful, and I like it. This isn't the change I wanted, from a financial and economic standpoint, but from the political standpoint, it's exactly what I wanted.