Hugh Hewitt's piece on what an Obama presidency would look like got me thinking a bit. Most of it is a little too emotional (and right-wing wishful-thinking) for my taste but there was a core idea that I wanted to explore a little more.
Hewitt wrote:
The Left is planning for a huge sweep, and a big party, and...
Then what? Obama-Pelosi-Reid will not be able to resist the massive tax hikes that have lurked behind their every scheme for the past 28 years since Reagan wrested the government from the last group of statists. The unions have wanted protectionism since Bill Clinton signed on to NAFTA. The environmentalists want the sort of global warming regime that will not merely curb but positively punish economic growth, and the anti-nuclear reflex within the Democratic Party is so deep that while Obama can make a few noises about the need for new nuke plants, none would begin under his tenure. Obama said last night that we need new oil exploration off-shore. Does anyone really believe that will happen? Energy shortages would go from a predicament to a policy overnight.
High taxes, falling trade, declining energy use: These are the macro issues.
Now I find this very interesting on some levels, of course all this assumes a big win for Obama and solid growth in Congress for the Democrats. Chuck Schumer needs 9 big wins out of 12 for the Senate to be filibuster proof. If all that happens they have something. And the nation potentially has big problems. If Obama-Pelosi-Reid can work together. Luckily I don't think they can. [Excuse my emotionalism but Reid is a tool. I have no idea how he became Majority Leader]
The big question will be what type of president will Obama be. Is he the uniter? Bush ran on a very similar idea. Is he the centrist with the new ideas? If so please comment with some links as evidence, anyone. Or is he what the right-pundits like Hewitt fear, a statist with a good tailor and a smooth voice?
Let's go down Hewitt's list and then I want to add one of my own.
1) Taxes. I actually trust that we will see some sort of tax cut for the middle class. Obama has said this so much he has to at least try and the Dems in Congress will go for something. But at the same time they will make major changes elsewhere in the tax structure, i.e. raising them on the rich in numerous ways. I'm far from rich but the graduated income tax is and has been a gross inequality for almost a hundred years. That aside, can they raise taxes on investors and corporations (which simply passes them on to consumers via higher prices) without bursting our already unsound economic bubble? But without higher taxes Obama won't even begin to have the resources to fund any of the many plans he hopes to enlarge the powers and reach of the state i.e. universal health care.That will be a cherry on top. Can you imagine? Whew!
2) Protectionism. Now Obama has said quite a few things from each side of the issue. Who knows what he really thinks or how he will really act? My gut is he is not really a protectionist and only says these things to blindfold the Unions. Unions lust for tariffs. So he must lie to them and give them lip service, just like a politician (no change there). Tariffs are ridiculous and would be deadly to the economy. I hope Obama knows this. If Obama raises taxes and raises tariffs across the board I don't know how he gets re-elected.
3) Global Warming. I basically could repeat the last paragraph and replace Unions with environmentalists and tariffs with the numerous Green bills that could come and cripple our commercial and industrial capacity. If there is man-made global warming then it needs to be solved by private citizens and private corporations, not knee-jerk coercive reactions by big government that have dubious consequences in other areas (i.e. ethanol). I don't follow this issue enough so I really don't know what Obama-Pelosi-Reid would do. Probably a lot of pandering. Anyone?
4) Nuclear Power. The bottom line is this is the future. This has been the future for thirty years +, but we have sat on our collective hands on this one. Democrats and Republicans need to both get all over this and move now. Many in the GOP are getting on board. The Dems are too loosy-goosey on this one. Obama could make a difference if he believes in it. Drilling too. We'll see.
5) Foreign Policy. I'm adding this one because it is huge and since the war in Iraq has been doing well and the stock market not so much, most Americans have tuned it out even more so. There is too much to risk politically and militarily to pull out of Iraq. That's not going to happen. The moonbats will scream bloody murder, but Democrats have a way of being half-way responsible once in power. Destabilizing Iraq now at the brink of victory after so much struggle would simply be a crime. Also Obama would lose all credibility in the eyes of the military, especially the Petraeus and Odierno wing. Iraq probably will not be the glowing representation of democracy the idealistic Bush wanted but it can be a viable ally in the Middle East--along with Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan a firm buffer against the desires and expansion of Iran.
As I'm writing this there is so much more: the Afgan-Paki War, North Korea, China, the old big Bear Russia. The next president will have his hands very full. Regardless what Obama's ads say, the next president (whoever it is) is serving Bush's third term, if they like it or not.
I certainly don't fear President Obama, history has taught me too much to be paranoid, but President McCain would make me sleep a little easier. We as a political people have elected two untried and untested presidents in a row. Both have turned out to be mediocre at best and divisive hacks at worse. We don't need to go for a third.
Postnote: Tying Obama to Ayers and all that is a dead-end. McCain is wasting his time with this type of attack.
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