The Most Important Economic Speech of His Presidency
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9:20 am, December 10th, 2011 - 40 comments
Categories: capitalism, class war, us politics -
Tags: 99%, Barak Obama
Truth-Out content is licensed for redistribution, so I’m going to repost this excellent piece in its entirety. It’s long, but it’s worth it. I agree with the author about the importance of the speech, though I might have called a post on this “Is Obama going to grow a pair at last?” — r0b
The Most Important Economic Speech of His Presidency
Tuesday 6 December 2011
by: Robert Reich, Robert Reich’s Blog | Op-Ed
The President’s speech today in Osawatomie, Kansas — where Teddy Roosevelt gave his “New Nationalism” speech in 1910 — is the most important economic speech of his presidency in terms of connecting the dots, laying out the reasons behind our economic and political crises, and asserting a willingness to take on the powerful and the privileged that have gamed the system to their advantage.
Here are the highlights (and, if you’ll pardon me, my annotations):
For most Americans, the basic bargain that made this country great has eroded. Long before the recession hit, hard work stopped paying off for too many people. Fewer and fewer of the folks who contributed to the success of our economy actually benefitted from that success. Those at the very top grew wealthier from their incomes and investments than ever before. But everyone else struggled with costs that were growing and paychecks that weren’t – and too many families found themselves racking up more and more debt just to keep up.
He’s absolutely right – and it’s the first time he or any other president has clearly stated the long-term structural problem that’s been widening the gap between the very top and everyone else for thirty years – the breaking of the basic bargain linking pay to productivity gains.
For many years, credit cards and home equity loans papered over the harsh realities of this new economy. But in 2008, the house of cards collapsed.
Exactly. But the first papering over was when large numbers of women went into paid work, starting the in the late 1970s and 1980s, in order to prop up family incomes that were stagnating or dropping because male wages were under siege – from globalization, technological change, and the decline of unions. Only when this coping mechanism was exhausted, and when housing prices started to climb, did Americans shift to credit cards and home equity loans as a means of papering over the new harsh reality of an economy that was working for a minority at the top but not for most of the middle class.
We all know the story by now: Mortgages sold to people who couldn’t afford them, or sometimes even understand them. Banks and investors allowed to keep packaging the risk and selling it off. Huge bets – and huge bonuses – made with other people’s money on the line. Regulators who were supposed to warn us about the dangers of all this, but looked the other way or didn’t have the authority to look at all.
It was wrong. It combined the breathtaking greed of a few with irresponsibility across the system. And it plunged our economy and the world into a crisis from which we are still fighting to recover. It claimed the jobs, homes, and the basic security of millions – innocent, hard-working Americans who had met their responsibilities, but were still left holding the bag.
Precisely – and it’s about time he used the term “wrong” to describe Wall Street’s antics, and the abject failure of regulators (led by Alan Greenspan and the Fed) to stop what was going on. But these “wrongs” were only the proximate cause of the economic crisis. The underlying cause was, as the President said before, the breaking of the basic bargain linking pay to productivity.
Ever since, there has been a raging debate over the best way to restore growth and prosperity; balance and fairness. Throughout the country, it has sparked protests and political movements – from the Tea Party to the people who have been occupying the streets of New York and other cities. It’s left Washington in a near-constant state of gridlock. And it’s been the topic of heated and sometimes colorful discussion among the men and women who are running for president.
But this isn’t just another political debate. This is the defining issue of our time. This is a make or break moment for the middle class, and all those who are fighting to get into the middle class. At stake is whether this will be a country where working people can earn enough to raise a family, build a modest savings, own a home, and secure their retirement.
Right again. It is the defining issue of our time. But I wish he wouldn’t lump the Tea Party in with the Occupiers. The former hates government; the latter focuses blame on Wall Street and corporate greed – just where the President did a moment ago.
Now, in the midst of this debate, there are some who seem to be suffering from a kind of collective amnesia. After all that’s happened, after the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, they want to return to the same practices that got us into this mess. In fact, they want to go back to the same policies that have stacked the deck against middle-class Americans for too many years. Their philosophy is simple: we are better off when everyone is left to fend for themselves and play by their own rules.
He might have been a bit stronger here. The “they” who are suffering collective amnesia include many of the privileged and powerful who have gained enormous wealth by using their political muscle to entrench their privilege and power. In other words, it’s not simply or even mainly amnesia. It’s a clear and concerted strategy.
Well, I’m here to say they are wrong. I’m here to reaffirm my deep conviction that we are greater together than we are on our own. I believe that this country succeeds when everyone gets a fair shot, when everyone does their fair share, and when everyone plays by the same rules. Those aren’t Democratic or Republican values; 1% values or 99% values. They’re American values, and we have to reclaim them.
Amen.
…
In 1910, Teddy Roosevelt came here, to Osawatomie, and laid out his vision for what he called a New Nationalism. “Our country,” he said, “…means nothing unless it means the triumph of a real democracy…of an economic system under which each man shall be guaranteed the opportunity to show the best that there is in him.”
Some background: In 1909, Herbert Croly, a young political philosopher and journalist, argued in his best-selling The Promise of American Life that the large American corporation should be regulated by the nation and directed toward national goals. “The constructive idea behind a policy of the recognition of the semi-monopolistic corporation is, of course, the idea that they can be converted into economic agents…for the national economic interest,” Croly wrote. Teddy Roosevelt’s New Nationalism embraced Croly’s idea.
For this, Roosevelt was called a radical, a socialist, even a communist. But today, we are a richer nation and a stronger democracy because of what he fought for in his last campaign: an eight hour work day and a minimum wage for women; insurance for the unemployed, the elderly, and those with disabilities; political reform and a progressive income tax.
Today, over one hundred years later, our economy has gone through another transformation. Over the last few decades, huge advances in technology have allowed businesses to do more with less, and made it easier for them to set up shop and hire workers anywhere in the world. And many of you know firsthand the painful disruptions this has caused for a lot of Americans.
Factories where people thought they would retire suddenly picked up and went overseas, where the workers were cheaper. Steel mills that needed 1,000 employees are now able to do the same work with 100, so that layoffs were too often permanent, not just a temporary part of the business cycle. These changes didn’t just affect blue-collar workers. If you were a bank teller or a phone operator or a travel agent, you saw many in your profession replaced by ATMs or the internet. Today, even higher-skilled jobs like accountants and middle management can be outsourced to countries like China and India. And if you’re someone whose job can be done cheaper by a computer or someone in another country, you don’t have a lot of leverage with your employer when it comes to asking for better wages and benefits – especially since fewer Americans today are part of a union.
Now, just as there was in Teddy Roosevelt’s time, there’s been a certain crowd in Washington for the last few decades who respond to this economic challenge with the same old tune. “The market will take care of everything,” they tell us. If only we cut more regulations and cut more taxes – especially for the wealthy – our economy will grow stronger. Sure, there will be winners and losers. But if the winners do really well, jobs and prosperity will eventually trickle down to everyone else. And even if prosperity doesn’t trickle down, they argue, that’s the price of liberty.
It’s a simple theory – one that speaks to our rugged individualism and healthy skepticism of too much government. It fits well on a bumper sticker. Here’s the problem: It doesn’t work. It’s never worked. It didn’t work when it was tried in the decade before the Great Depression. It’s not what led to the incredible post-war boom of the 50s and 60s. And it didn’t work when we tried it during the last decade.
Obama is advocating Croly’s proposal that large corporations be regulated for the nation’s good. But he’s updating Croly. The next paragraphs are important.
Remember that in those years, in 2001 and 2003, Congress passed two of the most expensive tax cuts for the wealthy in history, and what did they get us? The slowest job growth in half a century. Massive deficits that have made it much harder to pay for the investments that built this country and provided the basic security that helped millions of Americans reach and stay in the middle class – things like education and infrastructure; science and technology; Medicare and Social Security.
Remember that in those years, thanks to some of the same folks who are running Congress now, we had weak regulation and little oversight, and what did that get us? Insurance companies that jacked up people’s premiums with impunity, and denied care to the patients who were sick. Mortgage lenders that tricked families into buying homes they couldn’t afford. A financial sector where irresponsibility and lack of basic oversight nearly destroyed our entire economy.
We simply cannot return to this brand of your-on-your-own economics if we’re serious about rebuilding the middle class in this country. We know that it doesn’t result in a strong economy. It results in an economy that invests too little in its people and its future. It doesn’t result in a prosperity that trickles down. It results in a prosperity that’s enjoyed by fewer and fewer of our citizens.
Look at the statistics. In the last few decades, the average income of the top one percent has gone up by more than 250%, to $1.2 million per year. For the top one hundredth of one percent, the average income is now $27 million per year. The typical CEO who used to earn about 30 times more than his or her workers now earns 110 times more. And yet, over the last decade, the incomes of most Americans have actually fallen by about six percent.
The very first time the President has emphasized this grotesque trend. Now listen for how he connects this with the deterioration of our economy and democracy:
This kind of inequality – a level we haven’t seen since the Great Depression – hurts us all. When middle-class families can no longer afford to buy the goods and services that businesses are selling, it drags down the entire economy, from top to bottom. America was built on the idea of broad-based prosperity – that’s why a CEO like Henry Ford made it his mission to pay his workers enough so that they could buy the cars they made. It’s also why a recent study showed that countries with less inequality tend to have stronger and steadier economic growth over the long run.
Inequality also distorts our democracy. It gives an outsized voice to the few who can afford high-priced lobbyists and unlimited campaign contributions, and runs the risk of selling out our democracy to the highest bidder. And it leaves everyone else rightly suspicious that the system in Washington is rigged against them – that our elected representatives aren’t looking out for the interests of most Americans.
More fundamentally, this kind of gaping inequality gives lie to the promise at the very heart of America: that this is the place where you can make it if you try. We tell people that in this country, even if you’re born with nothing, hard work can get you into the middle class; and that your children will have the chance to do even better than you. That’s why immigrants from around the world flocked to our shores.
And what it’s done to equal opportunity, and how it’s eroded upward mobility:
And yet, over the last few decades, the rungs on the ladder of opportunity have grown farther and farther apart, and the middle class has shrunk. A few years after World War II, a child who was born into poverty had a slightly better than 50-50 chance of becoming middle class as an adult. By 1980, that chance fell to around 40%. And if the trend of rising inequality over the last few decades continues, it’s estimated that a child born today will only have a 1 in 3 chance of making it to the middle class.
It’s heartbreaking enough that there are millions of working families in this country who are now forced to take their children to food banks for a decent meal. But the idea that those children might not have a chance to climb out of that situation and back into the middle class, no matter how hard they work? That’s inexcusable. It’s wrong. It flies in the face of everything we stand for.
What should we do about this? Not turn to protectionism or become neo-Luddites. Nor turn to some version of government planning.
Fortunately, that’s not a future we have to accept. Because there’s another view about how we build a strong middle class in this country – a view that’s truer to our history; a vision that’s been embraced by people of both parties for more than two hundred years.
It’s not a view that we should somehow turn back technology or put up walls around America. It’s not a view that says we should punish profit or success or pretend that government knows how to fix all society’s problems. It’s a view that says in America, we are greater together – when everyone engages in fair play, everyone gets a fair shot, everyone does their fair share.
So what does that mean for restoring middle-class security in today’s economy?
It starts by making sure that everyone in America gets a fair shot at success. The truth is, we’ll never be able to compete with other countries when it comes to who’s best at letting their businesses pay the lowest wages or pollute as much as they want. That’s a race to the bottom that we can’t win – and shouldn’t want to win. Those countries don’t have a strong middle-class. They don’t have our standard of living.
In 1910, Teddy Roosevelt came here, to Osawatomie, and laid out his vision for what he called a New Nationalism. …
The fact is, this crisis has left a deficit of trust between Main Street and Wall Street. And major banks that were rescued by the taxpayers have an obligation to go the extra mile in helping to close that deficit. At minimum, they should be remedying past mortgage abuses that led to the financial crisis, and working to keep responsible homeowners in their home. We’re going to keep pushing them to provide more time for unemployed homeowners to look for work without having to worry about immediately losing their house.
I wish the Obama administration had made this a condition for the banks receiving bailouts.
But there’s far more to the speech. Read it in full. It lays out the basis for what could be the platform Obama will run on in 2012 — increasing taxes on the rich, investing in the rest us, requiring corporations and Wall Street banks that reap benefits from being in America create good jobs for Americans, and protecting our democracy from being corrupted by money — a new New Nationalism.
Here, finally, is the Barack Obama many of us thought we had elected in 2008. Since then we’ve had a president who has only reluctantly stood up to the moneyed interests Teddy Roosevelt and his cousin Franklin stood up to.
Hopefully Obama will carry this message through 2012, and gain a mandate to use his second term to take on the growing inequities and game-rigging practices that have been undermining the American economy and American democracy for years.
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Completed reads for November: A Modern Utopia, by H.G. Wells The Vampire (poem), by Heinrich August Ossenfelder The Corpus Hermeticum The Corpus Hermeticum is Mead’s translation. Now, this is indeed a very quiet month for reading. But there is a reason for that… You see, ...6 days ago - Forward to 2017
The coalition party agreements are mainly about returning to 2017 when National lost power. They show commonalities but also some serious divergencies.The two coalition agreements – one National and ACT, the other National and New Zealand First – are more than policy documents. They also describe the processes of the ...6 days ago - Questions a nine year old might ask the new Prime Minister
First QuestionYou’re going to crack down on people ram-raiding dairies, because you say hard-working dairy owners shouldn’t have to worry about getting ram-raided.But once the chemist shops have pseudoephedrine in them again, they're going to get ram-raided all the time. Do chemists not work as hard as dairy owners?Second QuestionYou ...7 days ago - Questions a nine year old might ask the new Prime MinisterFirst QuestionYou’re going to crack down on people ram-raiding dairies, because you say hard-working dairy owners shouldn’t have to worry about getting ram-raided.But once the chemist shops have pseudoephedrine in them again, they're going to get ram-raided all the time. Do chemists not work as hard as dairy owners?Second QuestionYou ...7 days ago
- FinallyHenry Kissinger is finally dead. Good fucking riddance. While Americans loved him, he was a war criminal, responsible for most of the atrocities of the final quarter of the twentieth century. Cambodia. Bangladesh. Chile. East Timor. All Kissinger. Because of these crimes, Americans revere him as a "statesman" (which says ...7 days ago
- Government in a hurry – Luxon lists 49 priorities in 100-day plan while Peters pledges to strength...Buzz from the Beehive Yes, ministers in the new government are delivering speeches and releasing press statements. But the message on the government’s official website was the same as it has been for the past several days, when Point of Order went looking for news from the Beehive that had ...7 days ago
- DAVID FARRAR: Luxon is absolutely rightDavid Farrar writes – 1 News reports: Christopher Luxon says he was told by some Kiwis on the campaign trail they “didn’t know” the difference between Waka Kotahi, Te Pūkenga and Te Whatu Ora. Speaking to Breakfast, the incoming prime minister said having English first on government agencies will “make sure” ...7 days ago
- Top 10 at 10 am for Thursday, Nov 30
There are fears that mooted changes to building consent liability could end up driving the building industry into an uninsured hole. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Here’s my pick of the top 10 news and analysis links elsewhere as of 10 am on Thursday, November 30, including:The new Government’s ...7 days ago - Gordon Campbell on how climate change threatens cricket‘s futureWell that didn’t last long, did it? Mere days after taking on what he called the “awesome responsibility” of being Prime Minister, M Christopher Luxon has started blaming everyone else, and complaining that he has inherited “economic vandalism on an unprecedented scale” – which is how most of us are ...7 days ago
- We need to talk about Tory.
The first I knew of the news about Tory Whanau was when a tweet came up in my feed.The sort of tweet that makes you question humanity, or at least why you bother with Twitter. Which is increasingly a cesspit of vile inhabitants who lurk spreading negativity, hate, and every ...7 days ago - Dangling Transport SolutionsCable Cars, Gondolas, Ropeways and Aerial Trams are all names for essentially the same technology and the world’s biggest maker of them are here to sell them as an public transport solution. Stuff reports: Austrian cable car company Doppelmayr has launched its case for adding aerial cable cars to New ...7 days ago
- November AMA
Hi,It’s been awhile since I’ve done an Ask-Me-Anything on here, so today’s the day. Ask anything you like in the comments section, and I’ll be checking in today and tomorrow to answer.Leave a commentNext week I’ll be giving away a bunch of these Mister Organ blu-rays for readers in New ...7 days ago - National’s early moves adding to cost of living pressureThe cost of living grind continues, and the economic and inflation honeymoon is over before it began. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: PM Christopher Luxon unveiled his 100 day plan yesterday with an avowed focus of reducing cost-of-living pressures, but his Government’s initial moves and promises are actually elevating ...1 week ago
- Backwards to the futurePrime Minister Christopher Luxon has confirmed that it will be back to the future on planning legislation. This will be just one of a number of moves which will see the new government go backwards as it repeals and cost-cuts its way into power. They will completely repeal one ...1 week ago
- New initiatives in science and technology could point the way ahead for Luxon governmentAs the new government settles into the Beehive, expectations are high that it can sort out some of the economic issues confronting New Zealand. It may take time for some new ministers to get to grips with the range of their portfolio work and responsibilities before they can launch the changes that ...1 week ago
- Treaty pledge to secure funding is contentious – but is Peters being pursued by a lynch mob after ...TV3 political editor Jenna Lynch was among the corps of political reporters who bridled, when Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters told them what he thinks of them (which is not much). She was unabashed about letting her audience know she had bridled. More usefully, she drew attention to something which ...1 week ago
- How long does this last?
I have a clear memory of every election since 1969 in this plucky little nation of ours. I swear I cannot recall a single one where the question being asked repeatedly in the first week of the new government was: how long do you reckon they’ll last? And that includes all ...1 week ago - National’s giveaway politicsWe already know that national plans to boost smoking rates to collect more tobacco tax so they can give huge tax-cuts to mega-landlords. But this morning that policy got even more obscene - because it turns out that the tax cut is retrospective: Residential landlords will be able to ...1 week ago
- CHRIS TROTTER: Who’s driving the right-wing bus?Who’s At The Wheel? The electorate’s message, as aggregated in the polling booths on 14 October, turned out to be a conservative political agenda stronger than anything New Zealand has seen in five decades. In 1975, Bill Rowling was run over by just one bus, with Rob Muldoon at the wheel. In 2023, ...1 week ago
- Release: Labour calls on Government to give visas to Kiwis’ families stuck in Gaza
Labour’s immigration spokesperson Phil Twyford is calling on the Government to follow the example of Australia and help New Zealanders’ close family members stuck in Gaza to escape and take shelter here. ...2 days ago - Now, more than ever, we must whakamana Te Tiriti o Waitangi
The Green Party is urging the Government to recognise its commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi so our tamariki and mokopuna can grow up in an Aotearoa where their language is celebrated, their health is prioritised, and their whenua is protected. ...2 days ago - Release: Labour team ready to take on the coalition of chaosLabour’s strong line-up for the 54th Parliament brings experience and energy to the job of Opposition. ...7 days ago
- The future of Aotearoa is at stakeThe next 100 days will be a fight for our future. ...1 week ago
- Māori will die to fund tax cutsBy scrapping Aotearoa’s world-leading smokefree laws, this government is sacrificing Māori lives to fund tax cuts for the wealthy. Not only is this plan revolting, but it doesn’t add up. Treasury has estimated that the reversal of smokefree laws to pay for tax cuts will cost our health system $5.25bn, ...1 week ago
- Release: National’s fiscal plans dealt another blowFigures showing National needs to find another $900 million for landlords highlights the mess this coalition Government is in less than a week into the job. ...1 week ago
- Green Party unveils portfolio spokespeople for the 54th ParliamentThe Green Party is pleased to announce the allocation of portfolios across its largest caucus ever. ...1 week ago
- The Time is Now for Oceans ProtectionCommunity organisations, mana whenua and the Greens have written to the incoming Minister of Oceans and Fisheries to call for the progression without delay of the Hauraki Gulf/Tīkapa Moana Marine Protection Bill. ...1 week ago
- Greenpeace nitrates research proves need for strong freshwater regulationThe Green Party is welcoming the release of an interactive map which enables people to monitor nitrate levels in their drinking water. ...1 week ago
- Release: Chris Hipkins congratulates Christopher Luxon"On behalf of the Labour Party I would like to congratulate Christopher Luxon on his appointment as Prime Minister,” Labour Party Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...1 week ago
- Greens launch petition to save oil and gas banThe Green Party has launched a petition to save the ban on oil and gas exploration. ...1 week ago
- Luxon’s Government will whitewash AotearoaNZ First has gotten their wish to ‘take our country back’ to the 1800s with a policy program that will white-wash Aotearoa and erase tangata whenua rights. By disestablishing the Māori Health Authority this Government has condemned Māori to die seven years earlier than Pākehā. By removing Treaty obligations from ...2 weeks ago
- Green Party a strong opposition to divisive governmentThe Green Party will keep up the fight for an Aotearoa that works for everyone. ...2 weeks ago
- Te Pāti Māori call for Foreign Affairs CEO to be sackedTe Pāti Māori have called for the resignation of the Ministry of Foreign and Trade chief executive Chris Seed following his decision to erase te reo Māori from government communications. While the country still waits for a new government to be formed, Mr Seed took it upon himself to undermine ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Labour Party calls for immediate ceasefireThe New Zealand Labour Party is urgently calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and Israel to put a halt to the appalling attacks and violence, so that a journey to a lasting peace can begin, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...3 weeks ago
- Minister sets expectations of Commissioner
Today I met with Police Commissioner Andrew Coster to set out my expectations, which he has agreed to, says Police Minister Mark Mitchell. Under section 16(1) of the Policing Act 2008, the Minister can expect the Police Commissioner to deliver on the Government’s direction and priorities, as now outlined in ...11 hours ago - New Zealand needs a strong and stable ETSNew Zealand needs a strong and stable Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) that is well placed for the future, after emission units failed to sell for the fourth and final auction of the year, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. At today’s auction, 15 million New Zealand units (NZUs) – each ...13 hours ago
- PISA results show urgent need to teach the basicsWith 2022 PISA results showing a decline in achievement, Education Minister Erica Stanford is confident that the Coalition Government’s 100-day plan for education will improve outcomes for Kiwi kids. The 2022 PISA results show a significant decline in the performance of 15-year-old students in maths compared to 2018 and confirms ...1 day ago
- Collins leaves for Pacific defence meetingDefence Minister Judith Collins today departed for New Caledonia to attend the 8th annual South Pacific Defence Ministers’ meeting (SPDMM). “This meeting is an excellent opportunity to meet face-to-face with my Pacific counterparts to discuss regional security matters and to demonstrate our ongoing commitment to the Pacific,” Judith Collins says. ...3 days ago
- Working for Families gets cost of living boostPutting more money in the pockets of hard-working families is a priority of this Coalition Government, starting with an increase to Working for Families, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says. “We are starting our 100-day plan with a laser focus on bringing down the cost of living, because that is what ...3 days ago
- Lake Onslow pumped hydro scheme scrappedThe Government has axed the $16 billion Lake Onslow pumped hydro scheme championed by the previous government, Energy Minister Simeon Brown says. “This hugely wasteful project was pouring money down the drain at a time when we need to be reining in spending and focussing on rebuilding the economy and ...4 days ago
- NZ welcomes further pause in fighting in GazaNew Zealand welcomes the further one-day extension of the pause in fighting, which will allow the delivery of more urgently-needed humanitarian aid into Gaza and the release of more hostages, Foreign Minister Winston Peters said. “The human cost of the conflict is horrific, and New Zealand wants to see the violence ...6 days ago
- Condolences on passing of Henry KissingerForeign Minister Winston Peters today expressed on behalf of the New Zealand Government his condolences to the family of former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, who has passed away at the age of 100 at his home in Connecticut. “While opinions on his legacy are varied, Secretary Kissinger was ...6 days ago
- Backing our kids to learn the basicsEvery child deserves a world-leading education, and the Coalition Government is making that a priority as part of its 100-day plan. Education Minister Erica Stanford says that will start with banning cellphone use at school and ensuring all primary students spend one hour on reading, writing, and maths each day. ...6 days ago
- US Business Summit Speech – Regional stability through tradeI would like to begin by echoing the Prime Minister’s thanks to the organisers of this Summit, Fran O’Sullivan and the Auckland Business Chamber. I want to also acknowledge the many leading exporters, sector representatives, diplomats, and other leaders we have joining us in the room. In particular, I would like ...7 days ago
- Keynote Address to the United States Business Summit, AucklandGood morning. Thank you, Rosemary, for your warm introduction, and to Fran and Simon for this opportunity to make some brief comments about New Zealand’s relationship with the United States. This is also a chance to acknowledge my colleague, Minister for Trade Todd McClay, Ambassador Tom Udall, Secretary of Foreign ...7 days ago
- India New Zealand Business Council Speech, India as a Strategic PriorityGood morning, tēnā koutou and namaskar. Many thanks, Michael, for your warm welcome. I would like to acknowledge the work of the India New Zealand Business Council in facilitating today’s event and for the Council’s broader work in supporting a coordinated approach for lifting New Zealand-India relations. I want to also ...1 week ago
- Coalition Government unveils 100-day planPrime Minister Christopher Luxon has laid out the Coalition Government’s plan for its first 100 days from today. “The last few years have been incredibly tough for so many New Zealanders. People have put their trust in National, ACT and NZ First to steer them towards a better, more prosperous ...1 week ago
- New Zealand welcomes European Parliament vote on the NZ-EU Free Trade AgreementA significant milestone in ratifying the NZ-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA) was reached last night, with 524 of the 705 member European Parliament voting in favour to approve the agreement. “I’m delighted to hear of the successful vote to approve the NZ-EU FTA in the European Parliament overnight. This is ...2 weeks ago
- Further humanitarian support for Gaza, the West Bank and IsraelThe Government is contributing a further $5 million to support the response to urgent humanitarian needs in Gaza, the West Bank and Israel, bringing New Zealand’s total contribution to the humanitarian response so far to $10 million. “New Zealand is deeply saddened by the loss of civilian life and the ...3 weeks ago
- Misleading packaging claims headed to ComCom
An animal rights group will ask the Commerce Commission to investigate claims chicken meat producers are misleading consumers The post Misleading packaging claims headed to ComCom appeared first on Newsroom. ...1 hour ago - The alcohol conundrumWellington mayor Tory Whanau’s admission that she has a drinking problem is another new headline for a not-so-new issue. The New Zealand Health Survey says that 4 in 5 Kiwi adults have had a drink in the past year, and 1 in 5 have a hazardous drinking pattern. So ...1 hour ago
- The destructive diabetes blame gameOpinion: People don’t choose to get diabetes, yet there is a perception that they do, that their condition is a ‘lifestyle disease’, that it’s all their own fault, purely a consequence of eating an unhealthy diet , of not getting enough exercise. Diabetes stigma is alive, and unfortunately, kicking where ...1 hour ago
- Daily crossword, Thursday 7 DecemberThe post Daily crossword, Thursday 7 December appeared first on Newsroom. ...1 hour ago
- PM can’t just dismantle Labour policiesLuxon's plan for Govt's first 100 days in office looks more like a work programme set out by a chief executive The post PM can’t just dismantle Labour policies appeared first on Newsroom. ...1 hour ago
- One woman, two chairs at top of NZ sportStanding on the edge of Suzie Bates Oval in Dunedin, Diana Puketapu-Lyndon clutches a black cap emblazoned with a golden fern and the number 300. She’s thrilled that her first job as chair of New Zealand Cricket is to present White Ferns legend Suzie Bates with the cap commemorating ...1 hour ago
- Port company pleads guilty over worker’s deathStevedore Don Grant was found dead on a ship at Lyttelton Port last year, after being crushed by coal The post Port company pleads guilty over worker’s death appeared first on Newsroom. ...1 hour ago
- A non-solution in search of a non-problem – changing the Reserve BankWhen you don't have much else to offer, reach for the cynical political expediency, writes associate professor Chris Eichbaum The post A non-solution in search of a non-problem – changing the Reserve Bank appeared first on Newsroom. ...1 hour ago
- Todd Energy applies for offshore gas mining permitCompany stresses it has no 'firm' plans to develop the field The post Todd Energy applies for offshore gas mining permit appeared first on Newsroom. ...1 hour ago
- What is the government’s preventative detention bill? Here’s how the laws will work and what the...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Peterie, Research Fellow, University of Sydney After a week of non-stop headlines, the government’s preventative detention legislation is being debated in the lower house, just in time for the end of the sitting year. It’s likely to pass on Thursday. The ...6 hours ago - Police Minister Mark Mitchell sets out expectations of commissioner
Mitchell has set his expectations of police commissioner Andrew Coster, laying out the government's direction and priorities. Mitchell has repeatedly refused to declare his confidence in Coster. ...10 hours ago - States agree to do more heavy lifting on disability, in exchange for extra health and GST fundingSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The Albanese government has promised extra funding for health and to extend its top-up of the GST, in exchange for the states undertaking more of the heavy lifting on disability to help curb the National ...10 hours ago
- Swearing like a Parliament: Photo EssayThe House editor Phil Smith showcases this year's Parliament opening and the work behind the scenes. ...11 hours ago
- Councillors fear future fund fuelled by asset-stripping Auckland’s councillors have supported Mayor Wayne Brown’s proposal for a ten-year budget to go through to public consultation, despite significant backlash to leasing out port land and putting airport shares into a trust. Brown’s wide-reaching proposal will receive feedback from Aucklanders from February to March next year to see ...11 hours ago
- Why Yemen’s Houthis are getting involved in the Israel-Hamas war and how it could disrupt global s...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Leena Adel, PhD Candidate, Political Science and International Relations, Curtin University In recent days, three Israeli-linked commercial vessels were targeted by ballistic missiles and drones launched by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, marking a clear escalation in maritime attacks in the critical Bab el ...11 hours ago
- The 7 charts that show Australians struggling as saving falls to near zeroSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Bartos, Professor of Economics, University of Canberra Shutterstock The national accounts released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics show economic growth slid to a measly 0.2% in the last quarter. That’s well down from a low 0.4% in ...11 hours ago
- Chris Hipkins and Christopher Luxon trade barbs from unfamiliar seatsHipkins used his first speech of the 54th Parliament to accuse the new government of "trashing" NZ's reputation, while Luxon called him an "arsonist". ...12 hours ago
- National MPs talk upbringing and astrology in Parliament debutThe first of the new crop of MPs have made their debuts at Parliament, with two very different maiden speeches from National MPs. ...12 hours ago
- Port Waikato by-election official results confirm large margin for BaylyThe Electoral Commission has confirmed the final results of the Port Waikato by-election won by National's Andrew Bayly. ...13 hours ago
- Te reo Māori bonuses acceptable for 'relevant' roles – Minister Nicola WillisPublic Service Minister Nicola Willis is softening her comments to RNZ suggesting the government would prevent bonuses being negotiated for te reo Māori proficiency. ...13 hours ago
- Can the government’s new market mechanism help save nature? Yes – if we get the devil out of th...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Patrick O’Connor, Associate Professor, University of Adelaide Shutterstock Australians woke up this morning to discover they had a nature repair market, after the legislation passed late last night. Except it won’t be called a market, after amendments by the ...13 hours ago
- It’s extremely hot and I’m feeling weak and dizzy. Could I have heat stroke?Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lily Hospers, PhD Candidate, University of Sydney Shutterstock Australia is braced for a hot, dry summer. El Nino is back, and this year it will occur alongside an Indian Ocean dipole, a climate pattern which will further amplify this hot ...14 hours ago
- State Opening of Parliament, in photosDame Cindy Kiro's Speech from the Throne marks the State Opening of Parliament, an event of pomp and ceremony captured here by RNZ's visual journalists. ...14 hours ago
- NZ First urges Speaker to enforce rules over Te Pāti Māori behaviourNew Zealand First is asking new Speaker Gerry Brownlee to lay down the letter of the law, after Te Pāti Māori varied the ways they swore in at Parliament. ...14 hours ago
- ‘We must pivot’: Why What Now will look different in 2024
The changing media habits of young New Zealanders means our longest running kids’ show is undergoing its biggest change in years. Tara Ward finds out more. When What Now returns in 2024, things may look a little different. Young viewers will still enjoy a fun hour-long episode of gunge and ...15 hours ago - Labour caucus should have ‘survivors guilt’ – PM LuxonChristopher Luxon has hit back at the opposition during his first speech in the House as prime minister, comparing Chris Hipkins to an “arsonist” who set fire to his party. According to the new PM, Hipkins should have quit after the election result but was instead “loitering around” at the ...15 hours ago
- Government buying into conspiracies, embarrassing NZ on world stage – HipkinsLabour leader Chris Hipkins has taken aim at the new government during a debate to respond to this morning’s speech from the throne. Addressing the 123 MPs of the 54th parliament for the first time, Chris Hipkins said all he had heard from the government was a “plan to take ...15 hours ago
- Julia Whaipooti To Take Up Shared Leadership Role At Te Kāhui Tika Tangata Human Rights Commission
'E kore e hekeheke he kākano rangatira' - 'A noble heritage will never perish'. Te Kāhui Tika Tangata Human Rights Commission proudly announces the appointment of Julia Amua Whaipooti (Ngāti Porou) as Tatau-Urutahi|shared leader. Julia brings ...15 hours ago - Astronomers finally caught radio waves from 40 large galaxies in the nearby universeSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael J. I. Brown, Associate Professor in Astronomy, Monash University The Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder in the Western Australian desert. CSIRO Supermassive black holes reside in some of the biggest galaxies in the universe. They tend to be billions of times ...16 hours ago
- Aotearoa books to look forward to in 2024Books editor Claire Mabey has scoured the local publishing landscape to find what’s coming in the first half of next year. If you thought 2023 was a ripper of a year for books (it was) then get a load of what 2024 has tucked up its futuristic sounding sleeve. Here’s ...16 hours ago
- The government hopes private investors will fund social services – the evidence isn’t so optimis...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tom Baker, Associate Professor in Human Geography, University of Auckland It was scarcely mentioned during the election campaign, but we will undoubtedly be hearing more about “social investment”. As the National Party’s election platform stated, it will be the “organising framework” for ...17 hours ago
- Greens want to make National coalition a ‘one-term government’The Greens have responded to this morning’s speech from the throne with a simple message to their followers: “Make this a one-term government”. The formalities at parliament today included the governor-general, Dame Cindy Kiro, laying out the priorities of the incoming government via a lengthy speech provided by the prime ...17 hours ago
- Curious Kids: why do some farts smell and some don’t? And why do some farts feel hot?Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Collins, Laureate Professor in Nutrition and Dietetics, University of Newcastle Shutterstock Why do some farts smell and some don’t, and some feel hot? – Kian, age 6, from Maleny in Queensland Hi Kian, thanks for your interesting ...17 hours ago
- Government Must Remove Price Controls From Carbon Credits To Ease Cost Of LivingThe Taxpayers’ Union is calling on the Government to remove all price controls from carbon credits following today’s auction failing to clear the minimum reserve price for the fourth quarter in a row. Taxpayers’ Union Campaigns Manager, ...17 hours ago
- Asher Keddie is outstanding in Strife – but the show gives us an uneven look at girlboss feminismSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Arrow, Professor of History, Macquarie University Kane Skennar/Binge The inner workings of magazines, television stations and newspapers have been rich fodder for film and television for decades. From All the President’s Men (1976) to Frontline (1994–7), Paper Giants: The ...17 hours ago
- Labor down but still has large lead in federal Resolve poll; it’s close in QueenslandSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne A federal Resolve poll for Nine newspapers, conducted November 29 to December 3 from a sample of 1,605, gave Labor 35% of ...18 hours ago
- New Zealand’s History Reveals Wilful Blindness To Political Corruption And Organised CrimeAsia Pacific AML – Written By Kerry Grass* Since 2010, I Have Been Operating As An Anti-money Laundering Consultant. In This Role, I Enjoy Reporting On The Principles Of Anti-corruption And Anti-bribery Laws. Being A Citizen Of New Zealand, I Follow ...18 hours ago
- Why is there mint on my halloumi?A devotee of the squeaky cheese investigates why his favourite brand has started speckling its halloumi with a dried herb. Halloumi is one of the purest joys in this world. It takes one of the best foods, cheese, and makes it just that little bit better by paradoxically allowing it ...18 hours ago
- Wikipedia’s volunteer editors are fleeing online abuse. Here’s what that could mean for the inte...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ivan Smirnov, Research Fellow, University of Technology Sydney Shutterstock We’re now sadly used to seeing toxic exchanges play out on social media platforms like X (formerly Twitter), Facebook and TikTok. But Wikipedia is a reference work. How heated can ...18 hours ago
- Governor-General Dame Cindy Kiro highlights government's 'extensive, ambitious' agend...Governor-General Dame Cindy Kiro has given her first Speech from the Throne, laying out the government's agenda for the coming three years. ...18 hours ago
- Public Service Te Reo Bonuses Should Be Resigned To The Scrap HeapCommenting on the incoming Government exploring plans to scrap Māori language bonuses for public servants , Taxpayers’ Union Policy Adviser, James Ross, said: “If a role requires proficiency in te Reo Māori, then of course fluent speakers should ...19 hours ago
- ‘People outside parliament’ the focus of new governmentAddressing all MPs of the 54th parliament, the speech from the throne delivered by Dame Cindy Kiro, the governor-general, noted that New Zealanders had “voted for change” on October 14. “The government enjoys the confidence of a clear majority of members in the 123-seat House of Representatives, but it is ...19 hours ago
- What Did Lockwood Smith, Ann Tolley, Hekia Parata, Trevor Mallard, And Erica Stanford All Have In Co......19 hours ago
- Government priorities to be laid out in speech from the throneThe governor-general Dame Cindy Kiro is about to deliver the official speech from the throne at this morning’s state opening of parliament. Written by the incoming government, the speech lays out priorities and policies for the term ahead. As noted by Luke Malpass in The Post this morning, as the ...19 hours ago
- Workplace Relations Minister Is Misleading New Zealanders, Say UnionsThe new Workplace Relations Minister Brooke van Velden must be upfront with the public, say the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions. NZCTU President Richard Wagstaff said yesterday’s Newstalk ZB interview with Minister van Velden contained false ...19 hours ago
- Why overturning the oil and gas ban is a fool’s errandDanny Rood challenges the arguments in favour of allowing offshore oil and gas exploration in Aotearoa. In the National and Act coalition agreement, a quick CTRL + F for “climate” will give you zero results. Not a jot. The National and NZ First agreement gives just one: Ensure that climate ...20 hours ago
- Watch live: The state opening of parliamentThe pomp and ceremony continues at parliament today, with the official state opening of parliament. It includes the ceremonial speech from the throne, written by the government and delivered by the governor-general, along with the first debate of the 54th parliament. You can tune into the live stream below: ...20 hours ago
- Watch: State opening of ParliamentThe Governor-General Dame Cindy Kiro will deliver a speech outlining the government's priorities for the term. ...20 hours ago
- Watch: State opening of ParliamentThe Governor-General Dame Cindy Kiro will deliver a speech outlining the government's priorities for the term. ...20 hours ago
- Nicola Willis Threat To Back Track On Te Reo Allowances Will Be Strongly ResistedThe PSA is deeply disappointed by the threat from new Public Services Minister Nicola Willis to remove allowances recognising competency in Te Reo across the public sector. "We will resist any backtracking on the progress we have made in recognising ...20 hours ago
- Government's move to discourage use of te reo Māori 'backwards', 'disappointing...Labour leader Chris Hipkins says the new government is taking a backwards step by discouraging the use of te reo Māori. ...20 hours ago
- Government's move to discourage use of te reo Māori 'backwards', 'disappointing...Labour leader Chris Hipkins says the new government is taking a backwards step by discouraging the use of te reo Māori. ...20 hours ago
- Union Fights Back Against Threat To Remove Māori Language Teaching AllowancesTeachers will resist the new Government’s threat to remove remove allowances that recognise teachers with skills and specialist knowledge of te reo and Māori tikanga, their union NZEI Te Riu Roa says. Under their collective agreements, teachers teaching ...20 hours ago
- Clean Car Discount Drives Emissions To Record LowNewly released Ministry of Transport data shows the emissions of newly registered cars hit a record low in November as Kiwis flocked to buy hybrids and EVs, says Better New Zealand Trust Chairperson Kathryn Trounson. The average emissions of light passenger ...20 hours ago
- MS patients lining up for new drugA shortage of neurologists is leaving West Coasters with multiple sclerosis waiting months for a newly funded drug that can stop the debilitating disease in its tracks. Pharmac agreed in September to fund ocrelizumab, branded as Ocrevus, for people with primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS), giving hope to hundreds ...20 hours ago
- COP28: A room fit for a King. Or not?Laura Gemmell, chief executive of Eco Choice Aotearoa, writes: The organisers of COP28 (the Conference of the Parties) have billed it as the most inclusive yet; and there’s certainly a huge number of countries represented and a technicolor of cultural dress amid the boring suits. But getting an invite, and ...20 hours ago
- Kiingi Tuheitia To Host National Hui For UnityKiingi Tuheitia Pootatau Te Wherowhero VII is calling a national hui, for Te Iwi Maaori, next year to unify the nation and ensure all voices are heard when holding the new Coalition Government to account. Kiingi Tuheitia received a very clear message ...20 hours ago
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Obama has certainly named the problem. But the forces aligned against him are immense. In the time of Teddy Roosevelt Conservatives and Liberals could at least agree on what the goal of political life was… the betterment and progress of the nation more or less as a whole.
And while they may have disagreed on exactly how to achieve that, the real work of politics got done in the country clubs and golf courses where opponents could compromise; to negotiate and horse-trade. Politicians understood that things only got done if you built a broad consensus for them.
But 30 years of neo-liberal extremism has dismantled not only the social contract, but the political one as well. As Obama states in the speech, Washington is now in a state of permanent grid-lock… nothing significant gets done.
How can Obama single-handledly break this impasse? The US Constitution explicitly balances the power of Presidency against that of Congress and the Supreme Court…. and both are oburately aligned to the interests of the corporates and wealthy. The sheer impact of the money and power being wielded against Obama compells us to ask … what is the possible circuit-breaker?
From my point of view in the US, it starts with
– Getting corporate money out of Washington. For instance, campaign finance reform (public funding of election campaigns, tight caps on donations and strict spending limits).
– Electoral reform. For instance, increasing the proportionality of their electoral system and taking steps to increase voter participation.
– Breaking up and regulating the TBTF financial system.
None of that is ever going to happen IMO. My worry is that there will be a false-flag event and things will actually go the other way in the US.
Lets face it. When a person most people had never even heard of a year before gets propelled into the top job you know he was put there by the elites to carry out their agenda. (Corporate doantions confirm it.)
American bankers and corporations have been ‘in love’ with fascism since the 1920s but have had to erode the structure of US society and undermine the constitution gradually.
They now have the bulk of the American public where they want them -confused, fearful and dependent. High unemployment means military (or private security) recruitment is so much easier than it was. Give a hungry man three square meals a day and a uniform ….
The next couple of years are going to be rather nasty for most people.
It’s going to be a hard thing to push against because at the same time you have to push against their economic power and idealogical power.
The good thing is that there are some fairly rigorous critiques being built up of the elegantly simple framework of free market capitalism, so hopefully if they can gain enough agency and form a fairly singular framework that is an alternative to the current one it might have a shot.
Who knows if it will be too late or not.
It’s always going to be ideas/people against ideas/capital, at least now there pretty effective ways to get these to a lot of people, it just has to be the right idea – I’m thinking ecological economics etc might have a real shot.
Ahhh, election year, 2012.
When you examine the detail of Obama’s presidency, including the massive number of drone killings in foreign countries without any oversight or consideration for international law, ongoing trillion dollar support for the bankers while ordinary Americans sink below the poverty line (46M on foodstamps and counting), and the new law just passed allowing for the indefinite detention of any US citizen without charge as a measure of the ‘War on Terror’, I think its safe to say that “change you can hope for” is a long way gone.
Another measure of the “war on terror” is that fewer people have died in military actions in the last decade than in any prior decade of the last hundred years. Oh look, a change for the better.
Dunno about that, the estimates of increased Iraqi civilian deaths in the years immediately after Iraq was invaded were high. A million plus IIRC. Many of them not due to direct military action, but the ongoing negative effects of US occupation and loss of US control of the structures of Iraqi society.
Yes, it seems counter-intuitive doesn’t it? Nonetheless I have found this reported by several different sources within the research community. Debate, of course, continues to rage about methodology, but so far as I can tell there has been no serious rebuttal of the finding. cf: Steven Pinker et al
This is forward looking of course, but deep economic, financial and debt crises were a major driver of big wars in the 20th century.
So Obama is not in the clear yet, even on this count.
I’ve given up trying to figure out what Obama’s administration stands for. This speech is all very well, but what (if anything) are they actually going to do?
The worst possible president apart from all the other ones?
CV
If all goes according to plan O’bomber will soon be able to say: “I didn’t know any of it was happening. There was a communication breakdown between government departments and the private contractors.”
Well, that would be the case if the world really worked on the basis of a gigantic secret conspiracy, rather than simply being SNAFU.
The idea that wealthy men would conspire to make themsleves and their associates wealthier does not occur to some people.
This speech is very much like the ‘hope and change’ bullshit that Obama churned out in order to become president -he is from the Chicago ‘school’ after all.
Sure, the money-lenders and corporations are in control. They are in control throughout the western world. The breakup of the Rockerfeller Standard Oil empire in the early 1900s was only a temporary setback on the path to near-total control they have now achieved.
What Obama failed to mention is the underlying reason for the fall in the American standard of living and why the American standard of living must inevitably continue to fall. Well, he couldn’t, could he?
http://www.econbrowser.com/archives/2007/05/peak_oil_in_ame.html
No need to read the text, just look at the graph.
Money ain’t comin’ out the ground like it used to.
Energy ain’t coming out of the ground like it used to.
Money still seems to be flowing out of printing presses and electronic accounts fine however. As you well know (but not many others) the former is critical but the latter is fairly useless.
the world is coming to the end of an era if not an epoch.
the forces at large are beyond the control of mere mortals.
that might sound pretentious but wait and see.
Obama is doing the best he can with a deck that is just about stacked against him, especially the noo noo head republicans who think that money equates to intelligence.
CV
Good point.
I tried to simplify it, rather than going into all the details about how the US was the biggest exporter of oil in the world through the 1930s to the 1960s and still had so much oil left over it could be sold domestically for a few cents a gallon, as the prime energy source for citizens and much of industry.
Ah, the 1950s, when cars began to resemble Flash Gordon space rockets and fuel economy was the last thing on anybody’s mind.
Jimmy Carter was the last president to speak honestly about the long term energy situation. (He was even honest about the need to for America to take control of Middle East oil.)
Since his time the world has been subjected to a series of buffoons, sabotuers and criminals of the highest order as presidents.
I see that the EU has come up with a new scam to restore confidence in financial systems for a few more months (weeks?), while the in the real world ‘everything turns to custard’.
There’s no getting round declining Energy Return On Energy Invested whatever the clowns in high office might tell the proles.
Perhaps 1-2 weeks. Probably only days.
You see, all the big market players already know that these bail out facilities are only ‘optical backstops’, mirages in other words, with very little substantial behind them.
Typical social democrat.
Identify the problem then do nothing about it.
This is why people give up on voting. Only the right have the courage of their convictions.
Whether its in Greece, Spain the US, the UK or here in NZ social democrats have consistently let their supporters down by talking like socialists and acting like neo liberals.
They act as a roadblock to the formation of political movements that might challenge the ruling class but won’t do the job themselves.
They are the biggest contributors to alienation from the voting system and undermine democracy far more than the right who at least have the honesty to talk like bastards and act like bastards.
Its time for the social democrats like Obama and the Labour/Socialist parties in the developed world to either piss or get off the pot.
+1
the 4th Labour Government brought in neo-liberalism which is the cause of the countries problems, The 5th Labour Government did SFA to fix to fix the problems and actually actively supported most of them, and the leadership of Labour over the last three years promised more of the same. The Greens are now following the same path.
The people who want to make a difference and correct the problems caused by over exploitation have no one to vote for.
@lefty
“Typical social democrat.
“Identify the problem…….”
At least an American President has’identified the problem’, and given an articulate and powerful voice to it. Big step. One needs to identify the problem before it can be solved. It is more than a Republican would be able, or prepared, to do.
Oh give me a break.
Obama is financed and owned by Goldman Sachs, is going to sign the S. 1867 act which will turn the entire US of A into a battlefield allowing the army to arrest anyone, anytime and for as long as they want without a trial and has committed more war crimes than Bush. He is not going to do anything his masters don’t want him to do/ In fact I would go as far as saying that he is a narcissistic teleprompter reading puppet while the committee of five including Hillary Clinton and Panetta rule globally with impunity.
Moore: “Wall Street Has Their Man And His Name Is Barack Obama”
Wrong, the underlying cause is capitalism. Capitalism will always create poverty and thus collapse.
Not runs the risk, it’s already been sold.
Meh, A speech that basically promises to keep doing what we’ve always done.
Meh, A speech that basically promises to keep doing what we’ve always done.
The speech itself contains little that hasn’t been said elsewhere; it the fact that the President of the USA who is saying it that makes it … almost remarkable.
The largest investment banks and corporates have already made sure that Obama has far more money in his 2012 campaign accounts than the 8 Republican candidates put together.
Obama does good speeches; now what else is he going to do.
Doesn’t matter WTF said it, it promises not to change the status quo and that’s the bit that needs changing.
Maybe Obama offers a final hope before the radical polarisation and disintegration of the American commonwealth?
As do others, I see little hope for any resolution of the issues he traverses: the opportunity cost of the last decades is yet to be paid in full, and the resources to remediate things have largely been squandered.
I think that those perceived to be ‘rich mfos’ may soon need more than gated communities to protect their slice of the Dream.
Heaven forbid we become similarly polarised in NZ.
Gal.
‘Maybe Obama offers a final hope’
Did you read the previos comments?
The neo-fascists have their man in position, and he is doing exactly what anyone would expect a puppet of Wall St to do.
What Obama says is largely irrelevant. cf. 2008 “hope and change you can believe in.”
Yes I did read the comments.
I don’t know anyone who’s happy with Obama (no need to denigrate the man by contortions of wit upon his name) but most are able to differentiate the man from the system, and attribute blame accordingly.
Andif he fails to make others support his change, well, what was it I wrote in the rest of the sentence?….( you know, the bit you omitted that followed ‘hope’?)
Downthread posts are on the money.
“Here, finally, is the Barack Obama many of us thought we had elected in 2008.”
So what exactly happened to that guy? Obama seems to have a special talent for making rousing speeches that hit on exactly what people want to hear – come election time. Pretty words are well and good, but actions speak louder.
My dear mum was so impressed with Obama when he was elected, as if he was the guy that was going to save the world. I pointed out to her then that he hadn’t actually done anything. I thought even he looked a little embarrassed when he accepted his Nobel peace prize before having done anything.
I seem to recall him promising very similiar hope and change four years ago. Four business as usual years ago. If he gets re-elected on this populist line and nothing changes, I think hope itself will be declared dead in the US.
This will be a fascinating election for sure. If he’s serious about doing something to fix these problems, he will face very powerful forces against him. If he’s not, if won’t matter much whether the Americans pick the psychopath from the blue team, or the psychopath from the red team.
Yes the Obama Administration has fallen WAY short of the man’s rhetoric.
At the same time Obama’s entire Presidency has been blighted, initially by the 2008 fiscal crisis, and then by a Congress unhinged in it’s opposition to him. Even so in the first two years significant health-care reforms were achieved despite a HUGE politial battle that consumed immense amounts of political capital and good will.
But in the aftermath of that the American public elected a Congress dominated by an insane GOP Party that has not only rejected every possible opportunity for bi-partisanship, but sought at all times to destroy the Obama Presidency. Even to the point of failing to confirm routine senior public service appointments.
The Republicans have made it virtually impossible for Obama to achieve anything. Their behaviour is unprecendented in all US history; at times bordering on the traitorous. (Consider their attempt to bankrupt the Federal govt by threatening to not vote for a routine increase of the debt ceiling limit.)
I doubt any President has faced not only such challenging times globally…but certainly none who have had to contend with such a hostile, rejectionist political environment… utterly determined to destroy him regardless almost of the cost… even to the nation.
Yes I agree Red, that’s the narrative that has come out, of a president who can’t pass anything legislation because congress quashes it just because it can. If it’s true it’s borderline traitorous as you say. Not that I have any good reason to doubt it, we just have no real way of knowing what on Earth is really going on there.
People will say though, “He promised the same change we could believe in in 2008, why should we believe it now?” (Though it’s probably not enough for his supporters to switch their vote to the Republican insanity.) I’m glad he’s saying it, I’m just saying that talk is cheap.
He’s also up against the Fox news propaganda machine, look for them to amp up the hate coverage to unprecedented levels this year.
Also, like most Obama speeches, I see a lot of “Just like you America, I don’t like x, y, and z. What I do like is American ideals and values a, b, and c. In my vision of America blah blah blah” But no concrete pledges or ideas about what exactly he intends to do.
And people wonder why I’m so against having a bicameral parliament.
Derrick Jensen ‘nailed it’ when he said: ‘Hope is the problem.’
I hope global corporations are not going to log more of the last remaining tropical jungles.
I hope BP doesn’t start drilling in the Arctic.
I hope deep-sea trawlers aren’t going to overfish the last of the fish stocks.
I hope governments decide to do something about global warming.
Hope is one of the greatest obstacles to personal action ….. especially when you are hoping someone else will do something.
see whether you like him or not, or his party, or his achievements he is the best we have got and he doesn’t fix parking tickets.
the world is changing faster than mortgage rates and someone has to be at the helm and BO is it and a million times better than the republican party grotesques.
Exactly randal. Yes we hoped for better; we could well have had much, much worse.
True, true, randal and RedLogix.
I wish Obama’s speechwriter would run for the Presidency. He seems like a cool guy.