Barack Obama and the Democratic Party took control of Congress in 2008 with a mandate from the American people and a brilliant opportunity to change America for the better. Then something happened, or -- didn't happen. They failed to seize the moment and now find that their agenda is unraveling and heading downhill. A lack of strong leadership and an inability to convince the American people of the value of their agenda has eroded their power and put them on the defensive. They have been unable to recover.
Strong leadership is what makes things happen, the force leading to success and achievement. Whether it's in the field of business, education, medicine, theology, or even sports, there is no substitute for leadership. Sure, it's people who get things done, but it's leaders who project the vision and provide the motivation. That's a tried-and-true recipe for success but that concept has never caught on with this president nor with those he picked to assist him in addressing America's critical problems.
While Professor Obama and his class of confused and wayward Democrats continue to wander in the ethical wasteland of Washington, there is a monumental electoral tsunami that is forming on the horizon, heading directly for them and threatening their control over Congress. That rapidly approaching tidal wave of dissatisfaction is scheduled to hit with its full force on November 2, 2010.
This president cannot continue to blandly repeat "We must create jobs" or "jobs are America's number one priority." Please, tell us something new. Create what jobs? Create them how? No, those same old, worn out generalities are falling on deaf ears. Americans want to know exactly how he intends to create those millions of needed jobs. What new industries will be created? How does he plan to stop the outsourcing of jobs to foreign nations and return them to America? So far lots of questions and no real answers.
In a better late than never attempt to save his weakened party from an election disaster, the president has proposed a $50 billion program for investment in America's infrastructure; roads, railways and runways. That's fine and good but just how hard will he fight to get the legislation enacted? Is he finally willing to go to the mat with the opposition by initiating a very bold and extensive nationwide campaign to get Americans solidly behind him? His track record of fighting for such initiatives is dismal indeed so we need not get our hopes up too high.
Our founders faced tremendous obstacles and great danger, but they persisted and America gained its independence. President Abraham Lincoln was faced with the disintegration of our nation but he met the challenge. He led the nation through its greatest internal crisis -- the Civil War -- to preserve the Union. FDR came into office with the ravages of the Great Depression all around him; did he throw up his hands and give up in frustration? No, he developed a series of economic programs -- the New Deal -- that provided relief for the unemployed and poor, paved the way for a recovery of the economy to normal levels, and brought reform to the financial system to prevent a repeat Depression.
An article by Martin Kelly, "Significant New Deal Programs to Combat the Great Depression" included these positive, constructive actions taken during those tenuous times by President Franklin D. Roosevelt:
*CCC - Civilian Conservation
Corps: created in 1933 to combat
unemployment.
*FHA - Federal Housing Administration: a government
agency to combat the housing crisis of the Great Depression.
*NRA - National Recovery Act: An act designed to bring the interests of working class Americans and business together.
*PWA - Public Works Administration: a program created to provide economic stimulus and jobs during the Great Depression.
*SSA - Social Security Act: an act designed to combat the widespread poverty among senior citizens. The government program provided income to retired wage earners.
*VA - Tennessee Valley Authority: established in 1933 to develop the economy in the Tennessee Valley region, which had been hit extremely hard by the Great Depression.
*WPA - Works Progress Administration: created in 1935. As the largest New Deal Agency, the WPA impacted millions of Americans. It provided jobs across the nation.
*HOLC - Home Owner's Loan Corporation: created in 1933 to assist in the refinancing of homes. This program provided long-term loans that saved one million homes from foreclosures.
Someone please tell me what President Obama's equivalent crisis management program includes. Is it the massive bailouts of Wall Street, and the ruthless banking industry that now refuses to lend money to taxpayers who bailed them out? Has he created any ambitious, innovative programs that directly address the problems of the masses of Americans who are unemployed, who are losing their homes in foreclosure, who have lost their savings and are barely hanging on? Unemployment checks are only a temporary measure; real manufacturing jobs are the ultimate answer.
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