Big Lizards:Blog:Entry “Sound and Fury, Signifying... Something”

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November 6, 2010

Sound and Fury, Signifying... Something

Hatched by Dafydd

Since I'm speaking about national issues, as opposed to Californian, I'm going to be the glass-half-full guy today.

I'm somewhat optimistic (just a bit) that maybe Barack H. Obama will be able to change course, at least a little, so that we don't have complete civil war for the next two years -- which might well turn off the electorate that just elected the GOP.

In the wake of the midterm elections, the president -- after hilariously proclaiming that the Democrats only lost because the TOTUS* didn't do a good enough job explaining to voters how Obama plans to radicalize America -- has actually offered two very substantial concessions to traditional American values:

Mr. Obama this week already has moved, at least slightly, on two major issues.

He said he no longer believes he can pass a broad energy bill that would impose limits on greenhouse gas emissions, and instead called for all sides to work on renewable and clean energy sources, such as nuclear power.

The White House also signaled movement on tax cuts -- the issue that deeply divided Congress just before it left town in September, and that will await lawmakers when they return this month.

Mr. Obama earlier said the Bush tax cuts that went to wealthier Americans must be allowed to lapse. But asked about a temporary extension, Mr. Gibbs said Thursday that Mr. Obama would "be open to having that discussion and open to listening to what the debate is on both sides of that."

One possibility I've seen floated would be to extend the Bush tax cuts until -- drum roll -- early 2013. The point is clear: If Obama loses reelection in 2012, then the next Republican president can try to make the tax-cuts permanent, if he can overcome the Democrats in the Senate.

But if B.O. is reelected, he will have a substantial argument that the American people don't want them to become permanent, else they would have elected the Republican -- who will, naturally, run on a platform that includes permanizing the tax cuts.

And of course Republicans on Capitol Hill would be overjoyed to work with the president and many Democrats in expanding our nuclear reactor force to take the place of as many coal- and oil-powered electricity plants as possible.

All it really would take would be to dramatically streamline the approval process and grant partial legal immunity to nuclear projects, to protect them from baseless lawsuits by environmentalists, which could stymie construction forever. As it happens, a number of environmentalists have already rationally concluded that nuclear power is less damaging to the environment than burning oil and coal; so the opposition is already divided.

I see these as much more significant than does the Washington Times' Stephen Dinan. By throwing both Cap and Tax and the Hands-Free Tax Increase under the bus, I think the Obamacle augurs that the era of big transformation has ended -- for a time, at least. It's hard to imagine him permanently giving up his ultimate goal of remaking America as a Eurosocialist welfare state; but Obama is obviously gobsmacked at the moment, unable to conjure a scheme to pull it off.

I still don't see him as a Clintonian triangulator; but perhaps he is so unused to defeat that, for a while at least, he will be too stunned to resist the pressure to make concessions. Another way of looking at it: Maybe for a few months -- before he shakes himself, like a cartoon victim of an explosion, and returns to his natural self -- the One will find himself bowing at the waist and kow-towing to his personal, American "enemies," the way he's already used to doing to America's foreign enemies.

Quick, let's take advantage while it lasts! When Obama comes back to his old, arrogant, messianic self, then Republicans can return to fighting him, hammer and tooth. But perhaps by then we'll have some substantive and substantial accomplishes under our belts... all the better to head into the 2012 showdown.

* TOTUS: Teleprompter of the United States

Cross-posted on Hot Air's rogues' gallery...

Hatched by Dafydd on this day, November 6, 2010, at the time of 1:47 PM

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Since I’m speaking about national issues, as opposed to Californian, I’m going to be the glass-half-full guy today. I’m somewhat optimistic (just a bit) that maybe Barack H. Obama will be able to change course, at least a little, so t... [Read More]

Tracked on November 6, 2010 1:22 PM

Comments

The following hissed in response by: MarkJM

Obama is a full-blown marxist. He will lie to 'play along', all the while through executive action do the opposite to what he says, then blame the results on 'failed ideas of the past'. There will be no 'movement' from this marxist jackass, just more deceipt and deception. It will 'fool' the establishment GOP, as they still don't 'get it', but only to add fuel to their demonization of conservativsm and free market principles, and their 'fight' to remain in the Republican party. The MSM will help with enthusiasm. The acceptible 'reaching across the isle' should be with a baseball bat named the U.S. Constitution. If they compromise, they will become the whigs... The media will need to be exposed for the agenda driven propaganda hacks that they are, which will help to re-educate the rest of the American public. All it takes is a brief look through history to expose their often reported lies concerning tax policy. It should be easy for a true conservative to use just that issue to expose the left (and media) for the propagandists they are. The real truth: Lower taxes (all income levels) generates more IRS revenue every time it's tried because it releases entrepreneures to get MORE people working, paying taxes, therefore increasing revenue!

The above hissed in response by: MarkJM at November 6, 2010 4:55 PM

The following hissed in response by: char

Obama gobsmacked? That's just curry on his upper lip. He's the same as always, hiding overseas when he could be facing up to the Dem debacle here. In a few days he'll arrive back as if nothing game-changing transpired in the meanwhile, only a graceless election in which the American People let him down, for now. Either they'll come around or will obsolete themselves as unnecessary to power his agenda by Executive fiat and the Department of JustUs.

The above hissed in response by: char at November 8, 2010 1:15 PM

The following hissed in response by: LarryD

Keeping the tax cuts from expiring at the end of this year, has a fair chance of being passed during the lame-duck session of Congress. Obama was already on record as being open to some sort of extension.

Obama has given a little lip service to nuclear power before, while at the same time his regulatory agencies have been sitting on approvals.

I don't really see any movement here on his part. But let us exploit even his faux offers, get the tax cuts extended to at least 2013, see what we can get done to smooth the path for nuclear power.

The above hissed in response by: LarryD at November 9, 2010 8:39 AM