Does the Obama Administration Even Want to Win in November? (Simon Johnson)

Does the Obama Administration Even Want to Win in November?

Simon Johnson

MIT Professor and co-author of 13 Bankers
Posted: March 5, 2010 11:25 AM

Increasingly, senior administration officials shrug when you mention the November mid-term elections. "We did all we could," and "it's not our fault" is the line; their point being that if jobs (miraculously at this point) come back quickly, the Democrats have a fighting chance -- but not otherwise.

It may be true, at this point, that there is little fiscal policy can do that would have effects fast enough; and monetary policy is out of the administration's hands.

But ever so quietly, you get the impression the Obama team itself is not so very unhappy -- they know the jobs will come back by 2012, they feel that Republican control of the House will just energize the Democratic base, and no one will be able to blame the White House for getting nothing done from 2010 on.

When you push them on this issue, they snap back, "Well, what do you want us to do? What's the policy proposal that we are not pursuing?" But this is exactly the wrong way to think about the issue.

The point is that the administration has lost control over the narrative. Why have we lost 8 million jobs since December 2007? Why will debt-GDP rise by 40 percentage points relative to what the CBO baseline would have been? Who is responsible for this deep global disaster?

The president has only addressed this head-on once -- when he launched the Volcker Rule in January. That was a good moment, grabbing attention and focusing it in a productive direction. But it proved fleeting -- Secretary Geithner was spinning it away within 7 hours -- and there has been no follow-up in terms of clear political messages.

There's no story in the culture about what the big banks did and why. There is no attempt from the top to push through the key message for the day -- financial reform -- and to explain what this can do and how. The administration, in effect, is not even trying.

The inner team apparently thinks that 2012 will go just fine -- as long as unemployment is down around 6 percent. And, they reason, the people who lose their seats this November won't be around to complain.

Really?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/simon-johnson/does-the-obama-administra_b_487342.html

There is just something odd about how they are playing things right now. We are going to TANK in the midterms at this rate -- especially if we pass this insurance bill -- the GOP are going to east us alive on that.

If they think they are going to "energize" the base for 2012 by allowing the GOPers to gain the majority in the midterms they have got to have their heads checked.

the current administration hasn't accomplished much of anything before the mid-term elections and it has become abundantly clear that they do not support a progressive agenda. Job creation will lag far behind their expectations - though it is likely they will figure a way to fudge the official numbers. No fucking way the millions of lost jobs will be replaced before the 2012 elections - or enough new jobs created to employ those entering the workforce. The population is growing and there are lots of long-term unemployed, part-time, underemployed and discouraged workers who are not included in those unemployment numbers.

I'd be none too disappointed to see the current administration replaced by an administration that seeks a progressive agenda. I'm pretty much done with the current arrogant, ivory tower, bipartisian, do nothing, lost opportunity, bought and paid for, self-seeking, corporatist administration.

well at least they think they won`t lose enough to lose the house and the senate.....good luck after they pissed off the unions.

oh well they know we have no where else to go....

Do they have a crystal ball? I'm 50 and have been out of work for two years, the longest stretch of unemployment I've had in 35 years of working. With (at least) six applicants for every job, do they think some magical spell will bring back jobs? I don't blame the Obama administration for this mess, but they definitely could be doing things like making it very bad for business if companies try to outsource work to India, Poland, China, wherever the next race to the bottom place is. I'm in the tech industry (online advertising) and the terrible economy has tanked that business along with the increase in sending jobs elsewhere.

I too think they don't care about losing in November. If we lose one or both chambers, that'll give them enough cover to blame Rethugs on thwarting the next two years of Obama's agenda. How that translates to winning in 2012, I have no idea. It kills me that our fellow Americans will think it's OK to vote the R's back in this fall since the memories of the massive fails of 2000-2008 should still be fresh in their minds.

that they know they can get them to RAMP up Fake Numbers to jig the reporting numbers so that all looks GREAT..and the latest BOOM IS JUST AROUND THE CORNER. "CHICKEN IN EVERY POT" and EMPLOYMENT BACK To the BUSH II or CLINTON BOOM YEARS!

I wish I could believe all this well-orchestrated HYPE...but having lived through these "BOOM/BUST CYCLES" ...I'm worn out and figure it all will go to the TOP 1% like the rest of the BOOMS have gone to.

COLOR ME CYNICAL...the way I see it these days...for all of us "little folks" under their boots of the TOP 1% with a President who seems to think REPUBLICANS deserve more Credibility than the folks who are paying for his shoes, suits, and Golf.

Not helping people, not moving the country in a new direction. Just success. And in Rahm's world, the only success that counts is winning elections.

what has he gotten so far?

Bush Policies on Bank Bailouts, No Prosecution for War Crimes of Bushites, EPA has some success but we have GUNS in National Parks so that Citizens can "protect themselves from the wildlife" and now it's "military Tribunales" over Civilian Courts and On and On and On and On.

I wake up every day and think: "WHAT IS OBAMA GOING TO DO NEXT to APPEASE THE REPUBLICANS!" I feel like I did during the "Cheney/Bush Years" where EVERY DAY was a NEW ASSAULT on OUR FREEDOMS as AMERICANS!

No wonder GUN MAKER, "Smith & Wesson" is one of the TOP Wall St. Stocks for GROWTH! Back to the "Wild West" of American History! GUN OWNERS...and the CRAZIES who are TAKING OUT Innocent CITIZENS all over America in incident after incident!

I'll never understand why Obama hired this loser. Hopefully, he'll be out on his ass in a few months.

We could hope. But, the PUSH BACK against Geithner, Summers has been STRONGER from the LEFT/CENTRAL Financial Bloggers since Bush II gave Bank Bailouts!

So If the Financial Community on the Centrist and Left can't even get our Dems in Congress and Obama to listen to them...how can we think that WE who ELECTED HIM could even have a VOICE AGAINST RAHM and the DLC?

It's Mind-Boggling! How did we END UP LIKE THIS? SCRABBLING FOR CRUMBS off the TABLE OF THE MOST WEALTHY WHO WE ARE FUNDING with OUR BAILOUTS of TAX DOLLARS? :shrug:

good will alone will carry them through 2010. Its an outrageous gamble. It is lose/lose for us regular people -

1. If dems carry 2010 it means you can fuck over liberals and there are no consequences.

2. If dems blow 2010, the republicans will unleash hell's fury and you can bet your ass there will be no more talk about bipartisanship.

We had a limited time to strike hard and fast and take control of the narrative with principals set to legislative victory and put a positiv e spin on liberal politics through success and achievement and wall street reform. But no.

Democratic leadership is filled with spineless pandering cowards. They will never have a majority even when they control congress and whitehouse.

We elected a bunch of Herbert Hoovers.

and I don't mean the average citizen,have decided a change is in order,they feel with a republican congress they can steal everything thats not nailed down,and if they can rip it up its not nailed down.The demise of america will be complete.The 1% will own 100% of everything.