Early Impressions of Obama

President-elect Barak Obama must be doing something right because the far-left radical arm of the Democratic Party is already upset with him.    The radicals who supported Obama and helped him get elected are complaining that his Cabinet appointments represent more of the same rather than change.  They are also complaining that Obama may delay his promised tax increases on the evil rich because of fears that a tax increase would cause further problems for an already badly damaged economy.   In my opinion, these early complaints about Obama should be taken with a grain of salt because the people who are complaining about him would not be happy if Karl Marx himself was running the country.   The complaints give me some hope that Obama is not going to cater to the radicals who were among his initial supporters.

Of course, the far-right conservatives are also complaining about Obama.   There is probably nothing Obama could do to please people like Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity.   In all likelihood, they will instinctively object to everything Obama says or does just as many Democrats have spent the last eight years objecting to everything said or done by President Bush. 

If you have been reading this blog, you know I did not support Obama during his campaign for President because I disagreed with him on most of the major issues.   I felt then—and still do—that the positions on which Obama based his campaign would lead the country further down the road to socialism and would result in slower economic growth, fewer new jobs, and higher unemployment.   I disagreed—and still do—with Obama’s basic philosophy of “spreading the wealth around.”                      

Although I did not support Obama, I am somewhat reassured by the steps he has taken since winning the election.   He appears to be surrounding himself with well-qualified advisers who are practical and pragmatic rather than ideological.    He appears to realize that some of his campaign promises may need to be delayed if not forgotten as a result of the current economic environment.    Early indications suggest that Obama is going to make an effort to govern in a bipartisan manner and to reach out to those who opposed him.   To me, all of these signs are encouraging. 

I like Obama’s selection of Timothy Geithner as Secretary of the Treasury and Lawrence Summers as Chairman of the White House’s National Economic Council.    Summers, who himself is a former Treasury Secretary, has been a mentor for Geithner, so the two should work well together.   As the President of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, Geithner has been heavily involved in the Bush Administration’s efforts to deal with the current meltdown in the financial markets, and he has worked closely with Henry Paulson, the current Treasury Secretary, and with Ben Bernanke, the Chairman of the Federal Reserve Board.   As a result, Geithner’s selection as the new Treasury Secretary ensures continuity and a smooth transition.   Both Geithner and Summers are described as pragmatic centrists rather than liberal ideologues.  

Now consider the rumors that Obama will appoint Hilary Clinton as the next Secretary of State.   I have never been a fan of Bill or Hilary Clinton.  In fact, I start feeling a little nauseous when either one of them is mentioned.  Nevertheless, I think Obama would be making a brilliant move if he names Hilary as his Secretary of State.   He would be taking his biggest political rival in the Democratic Party and making her a part of his Administration, where she will not be able to criticize him.   In addition, Hilary is already well-known throughout the world, and her foreign policy philosophy is much more moderate that Obama’s, which would mean that Obama again would be moving to the center rather than to the left by naming Hilary as Secretary of State.     

Finally, there are rumors that Obama will retain Robert Gates as Secretary of Defense.  Again, this would be another smart move on Obama’s part.   Gates has done an excellent job as Secretary of Defense.  Retaining him in the same position would ensure continuity at a time when the country is engaged in two wars.    Republicans would have a difficult time criticizing this decision. 

I am not so happy with some of the other rumors that are circulating about Obama’s Cabinet, including the rumor that former Senator Tom Daschle will become Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services and the rumor that Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano will become Secretary of the Homeland Security Department.   I still have a bad taste in my mouth from Daschle’s non-stop whining when he was Senate Minority Leader, and it is hard for me to believe that Gov. Napolitano is the most qualified person to be in charge of Homeland Security.   But I can’t expect to be pleased with everyone on Obama’s team. 

It is inevitable that Obama is going to disappoint a lot of people during the next four years.   He will disappoint those on the far left who will not be happy until the government owns and runs everything, capitalism is dead, and everyone is equally miserable.   He will disappoint conservatives who will watch helplessly as the government they think should be smaller gets larger.   He will disappoint those who think he is the messiah with magical powers to feed the hungry, heal the sick (or at least provide them with free healthcare), end all wars, and bring about everlasting peace.   And he will even disappoint members of the news media who have already honored him as one of the nation’s greatest presidents even before his first day in office. 

As for me, I can only say I am pleasantly surprised with most of the decisions made by Obama up to this point.   Don’t get me wrong.   I am still don’t know who Obama really is or what he really thinks, and it is still hard for me to believe the citizens of the United States of America have elected a President about whom we know so little.   Based on his background and history, and based on words from his own mouth, I still believe Obama shares a far-left ideology, and I still believe some of his proposed policies, if implemented, would be very detrimental to the country.  I know I will disagree with many things Obama does during the next four years.   At this very early point, however, I have to admit that my worst fears have not been realized so far.    I hope I will be able to say the same thing four years from now.