Where is our Leader?

Just like I thought... small rumbles of discontent among Obama supporters and progressives in general about what appears to be a glaring lack of leadership. (See for example Paul Krugman's recent article and Clive Crook's Financial Times Op-Ed.) Didn't we have high hopes for this guy, a new sort of politician, wildly popular? Wasn't he going to save the country from economic ruin at our time of peril? Although I was not among the euphoric throngs last November, I did hold up hopes that Obama would be able to really change something for the better, after eight years of disastrous policies. The economic and housing crisis showed us that reform was desperately needed, particularly once huge financial institutions began going bankrupt and disappearing from the scene, taking our 401Ks with them. Although things were (and still are) in a huge mess, I wondered if Obama could take this opportunity presented to him to not only bring us out of the crisis but also making much-needed reforms to the system, to strengthen it against future crises.

At the same time, I was only too aware that he is a savvy politician, like all the others, and a newbie to boot. That's why I didn't rush out and immediately proclaim Obama our Savior. He may be The One, at least to many, but it isn't too hard for a jaded, grizzled, political scientist like me to see the signs of carefully constructed image-making in progress.

The history of the Obama Administration has been admittedly short, but so far, it has been a history of wasted opportunities. Obama seems to have a very ambitious agenda - stimulus, financial regulatory reform, health care reform, climate change - all of which are important, but important to do well. But what we are getting are truly half-assed attempts to do a lot, and not getting any of it right. What good is a stimulus plan that doesn't spend enough to put a dent in unemployment, but spends enough to pile on to the national debt and create international worries about the strength of the dollar and the worth of US treasury bonds? Does it help us to pass a bill "reforming" health care that leaves unsolved most of the problems that currently plague our health care system? (see yesterday's NY Times for an excellent article about widespread bankruptcies among the insured!)

Of course, compromises are necessary in politics, and no policy emerges from the policy process perfect. But it seems that a leader as talented and popular as Obama, coming at a time when people look to him for answers, could use the enormous political capital he inherited to stand up for a select few crucial reform packages. He has the bully pulpit, and he has phenomenal communication skills at his disposal. He should use them to explain to the American public, and to Congress, what needs to be done, and why. He can stand up for a few principles, not just the idea of getting a bill passed. Sub-contracting the bill-writing process to Congress may be a great way to get Congress on board, but it's a terrible way to construct a coherent policy. A bad bill doesn't solve problems.

In fact, some of the solutions may not be cheap - or at least they could require an eventual tax increase, depending on the particular path chosen. Obama may need to defend some unpopular solutions - a good idea if they will work - so that he can bang enough heads together to get a bill passed that will actually solve some tough problems we are facing. We need to stop medically-induced bankruptcies, the shrinking of our retirement funds, and the unsustainable and unbalanced consumption of resources leading to dangerous climate change.

So, I am asking Obama to do a tough job, but so far it looks like he is not up to the task.

(image: Financial Times)