A CRISIS WITHOUT LEADERSHIP
By
Attorney Jonathan Emord
Author of "The
Rise of Tyranny" and
"Global
Censorship of Health Information" and
"Restore
The Republic"
December 17, 2012
NewsWithViews.com
One of the reasons why Barrack Obama will go down in American history as one of the worst presidents is his utter failure to lead. Whether it is because he is paralyzed with indecision, is ambivalent, or is dedicated to the destruction of free enterprise, Barrack Obama has proven that he cannot ascend beyond the competent reading of a teleprompter to courageous leadership of the American ship of state. As America assumes the posture of the Titanic, Obama, the putative captain of the ship, has chosen to float alongside in a dingy as he watches the ship sink.
It requires little brain power and courage to be a demagogue, to recite lines from a political campaign as if they were suitable substitutes for a detailed plan for the resuscitation of an America on the brink of collapse. Confronted with business so petrified about political indecision that it dare not expand, invest, or employ; a national debt rising past $16 trillion; commitments to entitlements that exceed $62 trillion without prospects for revenue to cover obligations; a GDP that barely shows economic growth; and over 23 million Americans out of work, President Obama does nothing more than bang his political drum. He bangs out the promise that no matter what happens to America taxes will rise for all those earning $250,000 per year. He bangs out the promise that no matter what happens to America there will be $80 billion in more stimulus spending. He bangs out the promise that no matter what happens to America he will not reform Social Security and Medicare. He bangs out the promise that no matter what happens to America he will not roll back Obamacare. He bangs out the promise that no matter what happens to America he will keep the regulatory state in place. In short, no matter what happens to America, he will do nothing to save it.
With hubris, he redirects criticism for his failure to lead to Congress. He asks, why have they not offered the President a detailed plan to rescue the nation, a plan that the President can accept? Why have they not led? He behaves childishly, intimating that If taxes are not raised, he is going into the private quarters of the white house, slamming the door, turning on the sports channel, and remaining out of touch come what may.
Rather than convene serious meetings at the White House with top congressional leaders, economists, and business leaders to come up with a bi-partisan plan to rescue the nation, Obama goes out on the campaign trail, reads more from the teleprompter, and continues with his same old demagogic calls for soaking the rich and keeping the welfare state in place no matter what.
Obama is a pol who achieved re-election without a mandate. He is not a leader. He has no detailed plan to rescue America. While the nation faces certain insolvency--unless specific and significant cuts are made in spending and entitlements--together with a consequential collapse of the American empire, Obama prefers political bickering to a courageous plan to balance the budget and restore economic growth.
Imagine what Ronald Reagan would do in this situation. Faced with a Democratic Congress headed by a deeply partisan Tip O’Neill, Reagan would have brought David Stockman from OMB, Bill Niskanen from the Council of Economic Advisors, and Donald Regan and Bruce Bartlett from Treasury, among others together with O’Neill and his compatriots and advisors. They would meet privately in a cordial setting away from the media, and they would openly discuss all means to bring about economic recovery. They would have their disagreements, but would remain respectful throughout. The President would come away from the meeting with an appreciation for just how far his opposition would bend. He would make some hard choices. He would not abandon principle. He would then put together his plan for economic recovery, and he would go on television to explain it to the American people and ask them for help to achieve its passage.
Wait a minute, Reagan did just that. It was called the Economic Recovery Tax Act of 1981. The House of Representatives was controlled by the Democrats; the Senate was controlled by Republicans (precisely the reverse of today). President Reagan called member after member, met with members from both sides, and pressed mightily to achieve passage of the bill. In the end, he appealed to the American people to send letters and make calls to their representatives, demanding passage of that historic piece of legislation. It was evidence of true presidential leadership.
By contrast, Obama has no detailed plan to rescue the nation. He is a loner who prefers not to interact with members of Congress, even those of his own party. He has no detailed plan for economic recovery, let alone legislation including it. He has not appealed to the American people for passage of such legislation. He lacks what it takes to be the President of the United States, let alone President of the United States in a crisis. He is not a leader.
The sad reality is that unlike in 1981 when the national debt stood at $1.7 trillion, today the national debt is $16.3 trillion. Unlike 1981 when the government spent $1.2 trillion, it now spends $6.3 trillion. If ever there was a time that called for Reagan-like leadership of the nation, that time is now.
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The divide that separates America is bridgeable, but in Obama we have no Moses. Consequently, the Bush era tax cuts will likely disappear come January 1, resulting in the largest tax increase in American history, and the automatic spending cuts will also take effect, to the Democrats’ chagrin. Unemployment will rise by about 700 million people, the market will spin into a deep recession, and GDP will decline to zero growth, all the while deficit spending and the national debt will soar. The nation will feel the sting associated with re-election of a man who refuses to lead.
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