ALREADY THERE ARE MAJOR CHANGES
It is difficult not to reach for superlatives in reacting to the Obama administration taking form as we talk. A frequent charge leveled at him during the presidential campaign was that he and his 'cronies' were elitists. The term elitism was not intended to be complimentary implying egotistical, snobby, know-it-all-ism, smugly condescending and the likes. This view of elitism is perfectly understandable when viewing the expressed values of those who tagged Obama an 'elitist.'
The anti elitists - in the negative sense of the term - have valued the appearance of 'nice-guy ism', one-liner-isms, dumb down, over simplify complex issues, extremism over balance, secrecy over transparency, crisis intervention, shoot from the hip-ism, over valuing feelings while devaluing objective thinking, faith over facts, reaction over reflection.
Elitism is the belief or attitude that those individuals who are considered members of the elite — a select group of people with outstanding personal abilities, intellect, wealth, specialized training or experience, or other distinctive attributes — are those whose views on a matter are to be taken the most seriously or carry the most weight; whose views and/or actions are most likely to be constructive to society as a whole; or whose extraordinary skills, abilities or wisdom render them especially fit to govern [1]"
Applying this definition of elitism to the evolving Obama cabinet it is obvious that there have already occurred significant changes. How remarkable it is that virtually every cabinet choice so far has been a person of demonstrated experience, high character, well liked and respected, relatively non partisan, extraordinarily well educated, sensitive, open to alternative points of view, clear senses of themselves, decent, pragmatic, humorous, and professional in the finest sense of this term.
We have in the makings the start of an important psychological, philosophical, sociological, political, and scientific experiment. We know too well the pathetic, poor results of the present administrations lame attempts to govern utilizing an decidedly anti elitist - in the best sense - mentality. They will leave office with the worst rating of any administration in our history.
Now we will see what can happen when there is a true elitist administration - in the best sense of this term - planning, and administrating, the government. The cynics among us will argue that they are all a bunch of crooks. I would suggest they hold their fire and watch what unfolds.
All people are created equal but there are significant differences. We will be a witness to whther or not those qualities associated with the positive definition of elitism does or does not result in meaningful changes - changes which most of us haqve been hungering for for the last seven plus years.
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Comments: 62
link to the hand shaking snub (the appearance of snubbing)
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/11/20/world-leaders-dont-shake_n_145141.html
Gee gibbs,
Before you prostrate yourself before these guys you gotta remember that they are all polticians, and you shouldn't be lavishing so much praise upon them because we all know that politicians are, greedy, self serving, self centered, money grubbing SOBs.
Unless you really think these politicians are different than all the rest of the politicians?
If as I hope the Obama presidency turns out to be the mirror image of the Bush administration it will be a major turning point for all of us - including the two of you. Yet to be seen. At 71 amost 72 I am delighted to rekindle my youthful idealism. Will there be set backs and disappointments, of course. However , so far including a grueling campaign this man and his advisors have played their cards with flair.
I think you are being overly gracious in your praise of Obama's appointees and don't think any of them deserve all of that praise or even a fraction of it.
You could of course explain why you think they deserve such praise by pointing out what they have done or how they have acted to deserve such praise.
"All politicians is a bit over generalized don't you think?"
Could you give me a half a dozen politicians of the last half a dozen years that you think should not fall into the category of, "greedy, self serving, self centered, money grubbing SOBs."?
On the national scene please, I think they still exist locally but by the time they are candidates for anything above state office they are to beholden to to many people and groups to be considered outside that classification.
Yes there maybe appointees not of the political class worthy of praise MAYBE.
question..."How do you tell if a politician is lying? answer..."Their mouth is open." ;-)
But...we must allow for the exception to the rule. Obama is seemingly exerting a huge amount of time and effort in his quest to find the best and make the best selections of his staff and political appointees...more so than any president I can remember. For this he must be given due credit. Another positive aspect of Obama's selection process, I believe, is that he is willing to listen to advice that does not match his exact purpose or method...rather than simply selecting those who will agree with him on all topics.
The only appointee I have looked at is his Chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel and from what I have read he has a pretty bad reputation all around, a viscous attack dog from what I hear.
Overall, I think this pick will serve Obama well. The first role of the Chief of Staff is to manage. As Senator Lindsay Graham, a Republican and supporter of McCain, stated earlier today, ”This is a wise choice by President-elect Obama, he’s tough but fair — honest, direct and candid…” These are all qualities that one needs in a manager. My hope is that Obama is picking Emanual with this in mind; that he is a manager and not the de facto prime minister that we have come to see in the Chief’s of Staff over the past several decades.
. Cited in a blog author unknown: "
Gotta love your spin man, don't you know who James Carville is? James Carville is one of the most hateful & vitriolic democratic advisors on the planet, If James Carville is calling Raham "somewhat abrasive" then you can multiply that by 5.
What's it mean when your pissed at someone and send them a rotting fish in newspaper?
http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1856965,00.html
Or stab your steak knife into the dinner table while after saying an opponents name then screaming Dead?
http://gawker.com/5077567/obamas-knife+wielding-political-killer
Or he tells the prime minister of Great Britian Toney Blair as he is about to appear with then President Bill Clinton "Don't FU** it up!
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/uselection2008/3390625/Rahm-Emanuel-A-profile-of-Barack-Obamas-enforcer.html
I'm sure you could find more if you looked.
By the way...one thing I appreciate about James Carville is that you never have to wonder where he stands on the issues.
I like James Carville, too, Michael.
Some of the comments made me laugh. Apparently, some people are never going to understand that "reaching across the aisle" does not mean giving in to people with ridiculous ideas, or that experienced people cannot bring about change.
Okay, I was going to say something before that hit. I agree with you, Gibbs, but I prefer Nick Kristof's phrasing: Obama is an intellectual, while many (not all) in the Republican Party are anti-intellectuals. I don't think we should just accept the "elitist" label the right uses as a slur, when in fact they are the ones who serve the interests of the economic elite. Here's a history of the spin they've been putting on the word "elite" for the past few decades, by Geoff Nunberg.
Well then why not just accept them for what they are?
Instead of trying of posting B.S. saying these are men of character when they are not?
"Okay, I was going to say something before that hit."
Aniko, That was a hit?
Michael,
You are welcome to your OPINION. And time will tell if President-Elect Obama will even try to bring any change, so far it looks like the same ole left wing Democrat thing which will drive our economy deeper into recession
You are welcome to your OPINION. And time will tell if President-Elect Obama will even try to bring any change, so far it looks like the same ole left wing Democrat thing which will drive our economy deeper into recession"
Thanks Dan. Its good to know that you grant me a right to my opinion. :-)
All of us are giving our opinions here. But "time will tell if President-Elect Obama will even try to bring any change" is not an accurate statement. It is overwhelmingly evident that Obama will try to bring change...he is already doing that. I believe an accurate statement would be that "time will tell if Obama's changes and efforts to
produce positive change are effective."
"so far it looks like the same ole left wing Democrat thing which will drive our economy deeper into recession"
You are welcome to that OPINION Dan.
But actually that response was to Michael Harvey, sorry I should have specified.
We already know that some of Obama's professed change will have a negative impact on our society and it is doubtful that his changes that may have a positive impact on our society will even balance the negatives out.
example:
Obama has promised to invest billions of dollars in alternative energy which is a great idea great change! It can build thousands of new jobs in our country, reduce our reliance on fossil fuel and help build a cleaner environment.
If he however implements an aggressive carbon cap and trade program as he has expressed that he will do then all is for naught he will be trading jobs not creating them prices in our country will skyrocket and our economy will falter.
"You are welcome to that OPINION Dan."
Thank you Michael H. I appreciate the consideration.
Unlike you I am willing to place the blame squarely where it deserves to be placed and that is on everyone in congress, on both sides of the aisle, and eventhough the records show that President Bush and Senator McCain tried to raise some red flags they didn't do enough! Their efforts were nothing more than token efforts and they should have pushed harder.
Joe, Obama has his chance and just like our current President I will be watching him and I will let him know when I think he is doing something stupid. As a matter of fact I've already messaged President-Elect Obama to let him know what I think of his carbon cap and trade program and encouraged him to not enact it.
President Obama has already made positive changes. You might want to reconsider your uninformed statement in that regard as well.
From a previous post.
"Thanks, Gibbs. Those aren't words I hear often. It sounds nice."
It's not hard to understand why you hear these words so infrequently.
The picayuneness of your criticism stands on it's own.
"That is when he enacted these regressive policies that got us into trouble. It is not a bipartisan mistake. It falls squarely on Republican ideas of deregulation and traditional values"
If you care to be more specific I can show you where you are mistaken.
I have heard the complaints of environmentalists but it is not usually as they present it.
I believe this is what you are referring to;
"This rule will establish permit application requirements and review procedures for applications that propose to place excess spoil or coal mine waste from surface coal mining operations into waters of the United States. Among other things, it will require that mine operators minimize the creation of excess spoil and the adverse environmental impacts resulting from the construction of excess spoil fills. In addition, it will apply the buffer requirement to all waters of the United States, not just perennial and intermittent streams, clearly specify the activities to which that requirement does and does not apply, and revise the findings required for a variance from the buffer requirement to more closely track the underlying statutory provisions. "
http://www.propublica.org/special/midnight-regulations/
I don't know if these proposed regulations actually allow an increase in pollution, sometimes allowing the regulating body more discression leads to less pollution.
My interest at the moment and my greatest concerns relate directly to the repair of the damage that eight years of Bush have caused. I have enough blame for all of Congress to go around the Senate and the House floors many times over...both parties included.
Obama has initiated (in my opinion) one of the most detailed and effective processes of selecting a "team" that I have ever witnessed. His method seems to be an open one (unless he is hiding a bunch of stuff of which we are not aware) and he has promised that the transparency of his administration will set new standards in an open forum style government.
But above all this...we were offered two choices for our new president. Obama is the one selected by an overwhelming margin. It seems that the majority of our nation..and not all of this majority was Democrats..have decided that Obama is our best choice. I think so too. (opinion again)
http://www.truthout.org/112308Z
Removing the regulations of the financial industry brought the country down to a serious recession because the industry did just what they all do. It created financial products that bilked the average citizen rather than create profitable products that serve the average citizen. So, here we are - getting a mortgage is practically impossible because the banks can't borrow the funds. This deregulation harmed the country for many years to come, Dan.
Are you suggesting that the Democrats were in no way complicit in the deregulation of the financial industry?
Remember this process started with Carter then was escalated by Clinton, the record is full of Democrats supporting the deregulation and even rebuking any attempt to impose additional regulations on the financial institutions who we are now bailing out.
I don't know where you get your information but you must have some serious 'we hate Republicans' filters on your browser to get such biased information. LOL!
How many of those bills had NO Democrat party member support?
Didn't Bush go to congress asking them to increase regulations on the industry? Didn't McCain co-sponsor legislation to do the same thing?
Weren't they both rebuffed by the Democratic controlled congress?
Answer to all three Yes!
gibbs,
No matter the dream world you and Joe live in you can't give your party a pass on this issue....well you can try but it won't work because the facts are there for all to see.
"New Agency Proposed to Oversee Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae 9/11/2003
The Bush administration today recommended the most significant regulatory overhaul in the housing finance industry since the savings and loan crisis a decade ago."
"The plan is an acknowledgment by the administration that oversight of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac -- which together have issued more than $1.5 trillion in outstanding debt -- is broken. A report by outside investigators in July concluded that Freddie Mac manipulated its accounting to mislead investors, and critics have said Fannie Mae does not adequately hedge against rising interest rates."
And Barney Frank's response;
"''These two entities -- Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac -- are not facing any kind of financial crisis,'' said Representative Barney Frank of Massachusetts, the ranking Democrat on the Financial Services Committee. ''The more people exaggerate these problems, the more pressure there is on these companies, the less we will see in terms of affordable housing.''
Representative Melvin L. Watt, Democrat of North Carolina, agreed.
''I don't see much other than a shell game going on here, moving something from one agency to another and in the process weakening the bargaining power of poorer families and their ability to get affordable housing,'' Mr. Watt said."
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E06E3D6123BF932A2575AC0A9659C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all
The current Administration neither enforced regulations nor publicized the actions which we all can see in retrospect were the source of this economic situation. I think they cannot excape responsibility for their actions and lack of action. Were there Democrats also bought off by lobiests and campaign contributions and local benefits? Of course. But the Republican Party did have the reigns of power and unless you credit "liberals" or some such vague group with near mystical powers, the Republicans should also get the blame.
It's time to hold the Democrats responsible for what they do with the power they now have. One would hope they would learn from the errors of the Republicans but I expect them to fall prey to the same temptations and pressures and screw up in the same ways.
Sigh.
If you read the entire thread you would see that I in no way give The Republicans a pass.
My postings are in response to gibbs and joe who seem to believe their party is blameless in the whole affair.
In the words of my favorite news commentator Bill O'Reilly "you can't justify bad behavior by pointing to other bad behavior".
And you can not show that the Democrats are less to blame in this financial mess, you can only wish and hope so.
Your argument that elitism (in Obama's case) is fine seems one sided. These self same selectees are part of the same governing machine that has done so much to homogenize the economy over the last century. Regardless of party, many have their fingerprints in past policies that have done so much to screw our economy and foreign policy. The change so far seems to be in the lettering not in substance.
That said, he's picking people who are not the foaming at the mouth progressives many of us feared he'd bring in. If he actually listens to Volker and cuts back on government spending/taxes/regulation then he'll do something not done in decades-reverses the lurch towards the repudiation of the debt. I'm hoping he will but there is no way he can do so and fulfill ANY of his other promises.
The Star trek's concept of a world federation is not science fiction it is where we as an evolutionary species must go if we are to survive by expanding the boundaries of earth like habitat into and beyound our solar system. In the near future currency may well be obsolet, travel and live anywhere within your regional grid or to another one, if chose to do so.
Governmental systems will be making a fundmental paradigm shift within the next century. Got my ticket on this train heading towards the future. So question is to be within the grid or outside, it is what the world is comming too one way or another