Obama, the Compleat Politician

Here is an interesting post by David Dayen on the firedoglake blog:

I’ve noticed a disturbing trend of the White House ramping up its rhetorical machinery only after a gain has been secured. Organizing for America is becoming famous for sending out emails on votes where the outcome is pre-ordained; they did it last week with the Wall Street reform vote in the Senate, after enough Senators made their positions known to get to 60 votes. Now it’s happening again on unemployment insurance. President Obama’s weekly address was hard-hitting and actually welcome, slamming Republicans for opting to “filibuster our recovery and obstruct our progress.” David Axelrod followed up with an email to supporters.

The White House on Saturday deployed senior advisor David Axelrod to bolster President Barack Obama’s political attack on Senate Republicans for blocking extension of unemployment benefits.

Axelrod, echoing Obama’s weekly radio address, circulated an email that calls on Republicans to allow an up-or-down vote.

“Unemployment insurance is a vital lifeline for many families struggling to find work in these tough times. Over the past few weeks, that lifeline has disappeared for more than 2 million Americans, and if Congress doesn’t act, that number will grow to 3.2 million people by the end of this month,” Axelrod writes.

I’m happy to see the White House enter the playing field on unemployment benefits, but this is a fait accompli. Fifteen minutes after Carte Goodwin gets sworn in on Tuesday as West Virginia’s newest Senator, the Senate will vote to proceed on the unemployment bill, and they will have the votes for passage. Obama also mentioned a small business lending bill, but I’m dubious that such a measure will make much of a dent in anything – credible reports show that small businesses aren’t expanding because they have a demand problem for their goods and services, not a supply problem with lending.

People who follow this stuff understand that the White House is very late to the game and only getting involved once the outcome has been decided. But the email list includes millions of people who don’t track this so closely. And because of that, this maneuver is the worst kind of cynicism. It creates the illusion that the White House is fighting for something when the fight has concluded. Those unaware supporters will think that Obama and Axelrod made a difference somehow, but they didn’t. The move won’t change one vote in the Congress, nor does it need to. Furthermore, the unemployment fight has played out for three months. Why step up now, when it’s reached its endgame. Why wasn’t Obama’s address, which is quite good, televised live the first day that Republicans blocked the bill?

Also, if the President wanted to advocate for the unemployed, he could demand that Congress did something for the 99ers who have seen their benefits run out, and who won’t be helped by this bill.

I want the President to pound on Republicans for their obstructionism. But this is worse than being too late to the game; it’s deciding not to play at all until the game ends.

Obama is a slick politician. But the woes of the US requires something other than a politician. It requires a patriot and a statesman. Somebody with a passion, a voice, and a commitment. Politicians are only in it for "Number 1". A patriot and a statesman would be willing to risk his career to lead the public. Obama is cleverly letting others cut down the underbrush then he boldly steps out as if he conquered the territory. What a fake! I've lost patience with Obama. He has sold out on his promise of "change you can believe in". He is just a politician.

The Republicans are politicians that would gut the country for their political advantage. At least Obama is not that corrupt.

I pity the US. It is in a time of need, but there is no patriot and statesman stepping forward to lead it out of its travail.