My progressive libertarian view of the inauguration and the first 30 days

Even with these Obama miscues, Americans are ten times better off now than we were with the incompetence of the Bush Administration and the deceptive "Joe the Plumber" Republican economic policies forced on us for too long

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By Rocky Boschert

It seems everyone somehow got tickets to President Obama’s Inauguration but me. Charles O’Dell was there. And two Sundays ago a couple of those leftie WimDems types presented accounts of their own in-person attendance at the Obama Inaugural. Well, I have something to say about the Obama phenomenon too, although mine is from a “progressive libertarian” perspective, watching it all unfold on pay per view commercial media, also known as cable television.

First of all, as I was watching the massive Inauguration crowd accumulating around mid-morning, I had to wonder if they were really there to see our first African American President Barack Obama get sworn in – or to see George W. Bush get away without being impeached. I have to say it was like a big weight had been lifted while I watched Dubya leave in that helicopter. However, I began to worry at one point as the helicopter started to circle back. I thought maybe Dick Cheney had somehow organized a coup d’etat and Mr. Bush got word that he was back in the saddle.

And speaking of Dick Cheney, didn’t he look wonderful in that wheelchair dressed up like a Truman Capote version of Dr. Strangelove, the ominous post-Nazi scientist from the famous Stanley Kubrick film. I kept waiting for Cheney to uncontrollably extend his right arm out in a Gestapo-like salute while his other hand tried desperately to pull the extended arm back -- so not to expose his true sentiments. You have to admit Dick Cheney was a macho man’s Vice-President. He was indignant to the end, refusing to admit he was in part responsible for the death of over 4000 American soldiers and tens of thousands of Iraqi civilian woman and children.

Some things have a happy ending though. Five years after invading Iraq, Halliburton’s stock price has collapsed to a recent multi-year low of around 20, after hitting a high of 53 not too long after the invasion. Hopefully Cheney is still holding his HAL stock shares. Now that would be a bit of poetic justice (and hopefully the end of a political career that benefited few and harmed many) .

Obama gets off to a weak start

Once everyone took a big sigh of relief that Goofball and Darth Vader were gone for sure, everyone settled in to observe the new President in action. As for me, I had to take a break from MSNBC once the election was over. Frankly I was exhausted from watching the “liberal triumvirate” programming on MSNBC that ran during the early evening just so I could feel like I have a life. And when I knew the Democrats weren’t going to blow it once more, I even started exercising again. I felt hope, relief, and some peace. But it didn’t last long.

The first thing I noticed after the Obama victory is his best effort trying to be bi-partisan to a bunch of Republicans who would probably still make him sit at the back of the bus if they could get away with it. For me, I would have told Senator McCain to go have his post-election loser party up in Mystery, Alaska where he could hang with “Mr. Intellectual” Todd Palin and his Saturday Night Live wife and have some really heavy conversations about secessionism and voodoo Christianity. But then, I’m a guy.

My wife, being much more forgiving and sensible than me, thought it was great that Obama was trying to mend wounds and turn the mood of America around from ugly divisiveness to cooperation and national problem solving. I hope she’s right. Most guys I know think Obama is acting like a typical liberal: trying to be nice and fair to people who are self-righteous and sometimes mean spirited -- even though it won’t do any good.

Cabinet appointments and other mistakes

Of course Obama and his team had to start off with controversy. First, he nominates three very qualified tax cheats to run two Cabinet posts and one top department. The Treasury guy makes it though the nomination process but the other two withdraw their nominations. Oops! Well, maybe we just have to accept that sometimes smart, competent politicians cheat on their taxes. I guess it’s the American way. Or in this case top Democratic Party Americans.

Regarding foreign affairs, Obama not surprisingly appoints Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State. I expect it will be hard for Clinton to offer fair and balanced diplomacy concerning the Palestinians. Hillary Clinton has received so much lobby money from Jewish special interest groups that it will be difficult for her to see the Israeli attack on the Palestinians in Gaza for what is was – part religious war and part first steps to a land grab. But Clinton’s appointment may not make much difference, since most Americans have no idea what is really going on in Gaza. Americans seem to ignore the fact that Gaza is essentially an Israeli-controlled concentration camp.

Last but not least, almost all of Obama’s economic advisors seem to be Wall Street centrists. Although the stimulus package is designed primarily to expand and foster the most sensible aspects of American free enterprise such as re-installing prudent regulatory powers, enhancing opportunities for the American small businessperson, and creating jobs through education and infrastructure spending, Obama also seems inclined to continue bailing out some of the crony parts of Wall Street. When will we finally see the Federal Reserve Board for what it really is?

Let’s not forget where we came from

On the other hand, even with these Obama miscues, Americans are ten times better off now than we were with the incompetence of the Bush Administration and the deceptive “Joe the Plumber” Republican economic policies forced on us for much too long. Even now we see some of the same mindless, conservative free markets delirium of the Bush years, although currently it is forcing its slow ruination more at the state and local level now that Obama and the Democrats are running the Federal government.

After all their recent failures and deception, the so-called free market conservatives are still successfully convincing local voters that it is in the community’s best interest to use tax dollars for special interest projects. These “projects” include roads, highways, water and septic infrastructure systems – mainly for more business expansion and future real estate development – which our deteriorating economy and overstretched property tax revenues can hardly support.

Call me old-fashioned but...

What I want to know is whatever happened to “muckraker” journalism, whistleblowers, boycotts, Wall Street crooks going to jail, government leaders being prosecuted for unethical behavior, and regulators going after corporations who are poisoning children and families living downstream or downwind from the company’s dioxin-producing plants?

And what ever happened to local residents questioning why it is so essential to have “growth” when we have a pretty good idea unfettered growth will inevitably destroy a town’s spirit? It’s embarrassing how it seems at least half of the citizenry of our once great country have become so senseless they allow themselves to be complacent to a mode of thinking that trashes our water and environment, willingly abdicates personal rights to corporations, and buys junk they can’t even pay for with cash.

Oh yes, back to bi-partisanship

A few days ago all the House Republicans voted against President Obama’s economic stimulus package – even though they voted for almost all of President Bush’s massive deficit spending bills. For some reason, now they have principles. They are all of a sudden fiscal conservatives again because borrowing and spending tax dollars to bolster the American economy and limit the length of soup lines would be bad government.

Clearly the Obama economic stimulus package isn’t perfect. It is written mostly by upper income Democrat politicians and economists who are smart and say the right things but are still trying too much to protect their corporate masters. In a small way, because of the bi-partisan effort, we are seeing more of the same from Obama. But it is still ten times better than what we got from the Republicans for almost a decade.

Political funnies

Finally, the Republican National Committee (RNC) recently appointed the chameleon-like ex-Lieutenant Governor of Maryland Michael Steele as the new head of the GOP. You remember Steele. He was the patronizing loudmouth who yelled out at the last Republican Convention “drill baby drill.” The most interesting part of the Steele nomination is that he is African-American. Gee, it’s good to see that the Republicans are not obviously copying the Democrats. And I’m sure they are not trying to use race as a political tool.

And kudos to Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison in her upcoming Texas Gubernatorial race. It appears Governor Rick Perry got the black widow endorsement of Sarah Palin, which goes to show that Mr. Perry is not the brightest light to shine in the Governor’s mansion. Palin’s endorsement of Perry, or Perry’s willingness to be endorsed by her, is a sure sign he needs to go.

God Save America and Texas at this point. Hope for the best and plan for the worst. It will get more interesting from here.

Rocky Boschert has resided in Wimberley since 1993. He currently serves as board president of the Katherine Anne Porter School (KAPS) in Wimberley. Mr. Boschert owns and manages Arrowhead Asset Management.