With the very decisive election behind us and Barack Obama about 56 days away from his inauguration, there are a lot of questions about what he will do when he takes office. Our economy is in bad shape and although something needs to be done, it remains to be understood what can be done that will strengthen our economy. The bailouts have been tried and so far, they haven’t worked. I know these things take time; nothing can be accomplished overnight, no matter how much we want instant success. So, the question begs to be asked again, exactly what will Barack Obama do when he takes the oath of office on January 20, 2009? The answer is this; he isn’t waiting until January 20, he is beginning to take action now.

In a move that is unprecedented, Barack Obama is beginning to work with President Bush towards the goal of fixing the economic and financial crisis we find ourselves in today. They are communicating and trying to determine what the best course of action would be and I give them both kudos for that. From The Associated Press:

Pushing the calendar, and maybe his luck, President-elect Barack Obama is urging rapid approval of a massive economic stimulus package meant to calm turbulent financial markets.

He will not be president for another eight weeks, and the politically safer route might be to lie low as President George W. Bush finishes his rocky term. But in announcing his economic team Monday at a White House-style news conference, Obama has chosen to use the bully pulpit even before he assumes the office, gambling that he can soften the economy’s fall while he continues to fill out the rest of his cabinet.

“The truth is, we do not have a minute to waste. These extraordinary stresses on our financial system require extraordinary policy responses,” Obama said, introducing New York Federal Reserve Bank president Timothy Geithner as his treasury secretary and Lawrence Summers, a former treasury secretary under President Bill Clinton, to lead the National Economic Council.

Obama has said repeatedly there can be only one president at a time, and has kept a relatively low public profile as Bush and Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson have tried to address the mortgage and credit crisis that threaten a deep global recession. That changed at his news conference Monday, when the president-elect pressed for passage of a multibillion-dollar stimulus plan aimed at creating jobs, easing the home foreclosure crisis and rescuing the struggling auto industry.

Some people may think it would be best for Obama to stay low before taking the oath of office, but I am not so sure. Right now, the confidence of the American people is very low. Most of the people I talk to have a very bleak outlook for next year, economically speaking and we could all do with a little good news. I am not one of those people who believe we can think positively and bring ourselves out of this economic crisis, but if Barack Obama can do something that will give us all a little hope and confidence, is that such a bad thing? With President Bush at the end of his term, is it such a bad thing for Obama to begin working towards helping our country? From The Associated Press article:

By stepping out so forcefully, Obama signaled he was not following the example of another Democratic president, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who was elected in 1932 during another period of economic calamity. Roosevelt refused to cooperate during the transition with his vanquished predecessor, Republican Herbert Hoover, waiting instead to tackle the crisis after he was sworn in as president.

It’s no secret that I did not want Obama to be our President. I worked against him by writing articles and talking to everyone I met about him, trying to point out and explain the fears I had concerning what he would do, if elected. Concerning those fears, I still have major doubts and reservations about some of his policies, especially concerning taxes and abortion. That being said, he did win the election and he won it fair and square. That is what makes our country different, and dare I say better, than any other country on the Earth. We may lose an election, but we don’t go to war about it. Instead, we get behind our leaders and hope and pray they do the right thing for our country. If they fail, then we vote them out of office in four years. So, I am not hoping for failure from Obama, just to insure a Republican victory in 2012. I want him to succeed, because in doing so, he will help our country. If his policies fail, then we will have to start over in another four years, and I would just as soon this mess was straightened out now, instead of waiting until the problems are bigger than ever.

That’s my take!

Larry

Tags: Bailout, Barack Obama, Economy, President Bush

This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 25th, 2008 at 6:48 am and is filed under News/Politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.