An idealistic president sweeps into office against all odds, and is confronted with enormous economic and foreign policy challenges. Sound familiar?
Those old enough to remember will recall the Carter Presidency. Actually, those old enough to remember have probably blocked it out. The Carter years are best forgotten now, even as Jimmy Carter continues to poke his nose into a variety of global issues, generally screwing them up in a similar manner to the way he screwed up his term in office. Carter is a leading candidate for the daily presidential double: worst President and worst ex-President. Mercifully he was voted out after one term.
And now we have President Obama treading a familiar path. On the foreign stage, Obama’s olive branch to America’s enemies has proven to be both ineffective and naïve. In an attempt to demonstrate humility he has instead conveyed weakness. We don’t see Venezuela and Iran (to take two examples) moderating their belligerence. Sensing weakness, they will press their perceived advantage. RedStateVT has given Obama credit for (finally) surging troops in Afghanistan, but even that correct foreign policy decision was undermined by his endless dithering over what to do.
On the domestic front, the Obama Presidency is eerily mirroring that of Carter with an economy in disarray. Obama does not yet have the high inflation of the Carter years, but he does have the high unemployment. And yet, Obama’s overriding domestic policy concern is his health care overhaul. His solution on unemployment is “green” jobs.
Our friends on the left will say that Obama inherited Bush’s wars and economy. Even if we were to concede these points, the question quickly turns to: “If Bush was wrong, what did Obama do to fix it?
We wonder whether in their most private, reflective moments the Administration thinks about the Carter years and worries that history will judge them Worse Than Carter. For the rest of us, there is hope. Carter was followed, of course, by Ronald Reagan who restored American pride and strength.
Those old enough to remember will recall the Carter Presidency. Actually, those old enough to remember have probably blocked it out. The Carter years are best forgotten now, even as Jimmy Carter continues to poke his nose into a variety of global issues, generally screwing them up in a similar manner to the way he screwed up his term in office. Carter is a leading candidate for the daily presidential double: worst President and worst ex-President. Mercifully he was voted out after one term.
And now we have President Obama treading a familiar path. On the foreign stage, Obama’s olive branch to America’s enemies has proven to be both ineffective and naïve. In an attempt to demonstrate humility he has instead conveyed weakness. We don’t see Venezuela and Iran (to take two examples) moderating their belligerence. Sensing weakness, they will press their perceived advantage. RedStateVT has given Obama credit for (finally) surging troops in Afghanistan, but even that correct foreign policy decision was undermined by his endless dithering over what to do.
On the domestic front, the Obama Presidency is eerily mirroring that of Carter with an economy in disarray. Obama does not yet have the high inflation of the Carter years, but he does have the high unemployment. And yet, Obama’s overriding domestic policy concern is his health care overhaul. His solution on unemployment is “green” jobs.
Our friends on the left will say that Obama inherited Bush’s wars and economy. Even if we were to concede these points, the question quickly turns to: “If Bush was wrong, what did Obama do to fix it?
We wonder whether in their most private, reflective moments the Administration thinks about the Carter years and worries that history will judge them Worse Than Carter. For the rest of us, there is hope. Carter was followed, of course, by Ronald Reagan who restored American pride and strength.
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