The air seems to be slowly leaking out of Obama’s balloon--or was it another bubble? One obvious dilemma is plain: big expansions of government require a major crisis, hence Obama and Company’s crisis talk of the early weeks. But it became evident that such talk was making the economic situation worse, such that Obama had to turn on a dime and become a cheerleader for the nation’s economy, even as centrist members of his own party begin rebelling against huge spending, card check, cap and trade, etc. Still, we are in a contest to see whether the government can attain even more mastery over the private sector, and the private sector is starting to fight back.
Now, if I was in a conspiratorial frame of mind, and thought Obama was an evil genius, I’d wonder whether the murky TARP II provision that allowed the AIG bonuses was deliberately calculated to provoke outrage in order to justify greater government control over executive salaries across the board, as indeed Barney Frank has intimated is his desire. Nah. Can’t be that clever, can they?
If it walks like a duck . . .
Stevie,
If Presidents have as much control over economic situations as you suggest Obama has had, why did Bush let everything fall apart at the end of his term?
Why indeed?????
Obama's handlers are evil geniusses but this is less about asserting their power over the bankers as pitting the lower middle class against the upper middle class. They want us to blame the few executives and not the people who move from congress to the boards of these corporate entitees and back again. It is just a misdrerection and a dangerous policy going on right now. Obama signed this thing then said he did not know...meaning that he admits to signing laws he does not understand in the name of doing it quick. Try breaking a law and saying that you never got time to find out it was a law. I doubt this would work out, the ex post facto tax is also going to be usefull to the robbers who will bankrupt and destroy the nation in the name of social control. Now they can say you should have payed 60% taxes on all your income all your life and demand the money or then sieze everything you have.
I even saw Mr. Boltan last night on glenn beck talking about (gasp) global government and saying that has been in the works for years.