Bob Herbert: The Source of Obama’s Trouble

[Fozzledick]

By BOB HERBERT
Published: March 8, 2010

The Obama administration and Democrats in general are in trouble because they are not urgently and effectively addressing the issue that most Americans want them to: the frightening economic insecurity that has put a chokehold on millions of American families.

The economy shed 36,000 jobs last month, and that was trumpeted in the press as good news. Well, after your house has burned down I suppose it’s good news that the flames may finally be flickering out. But once you realize that it will take 11 million or more new jobs to get us back to where we were when the recession began, you begin to understand that we’re not really making any headway at all.

...

Health care reform is important. But what the public has wanted and still badly needs above all else from Mr. Obama and the Democrats are bold efforts to put people back to work. A major employment rebound is the only real way to alleviate the deep economic anxiety that has gripped so many Americans. Unaddressed, that anxiety inevitably evolves into dread and then anger.

But while the nation is desperate for jobs, jobs, jobs, the Democrats have spent most of the Obama era chanting health care, health care, health care.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/09/opinion/09herbert.htm...

Personally I see health care reform as a critical element of job restoration because of the heavy burden of insurance premiums on small businesses, the effect of age discrimination caused by exorbitantly higher premiums for older workers, and the insecurity of job-based insurance, but from both a political and a practical viewpoint focusing on just this one issue at the expense of the bigger picture may be ignoring the forest for a tree.

[Skittles]

1. at work my company sent out pictures of a grand new building - in India

not only does corporate America f*** us - they want us to LIKE IT too - it is this kind of economic treason, sanctioned by both parties, that is killing America

[golfguru]

8. I just don't see how Americans can compete with China & India

Their wages are less than a quarter of American wages and they now have
all the manufacturing technology we have. We are screwed! And the downtrend
will not stop until the standard of living & wages here drops to their level.

[LooseWilly]

14. On the bright side, once wages and standard of living here drop low enough... we'll get some jobs.

We may not be able to buy anything much with the wages we earn, but at least we'll have the "satisfaction" of knowing we're "earning" the scraps that we are able to buy.

[pampango]

18. The same way that Europe and Canada do. They trade more than we do and have more progrsessive

governments. They obviously believe that being open to the rest of the world is consistent with progressive government.

What makes life better for people is having effective national health care, progressive taxation, strong legislation protecting unions and workers' rights, meaningful regulation of the financial industry and corporations, and a strong social safety net, not cutting off trade with other countries.

I hope that one day, long after I'm gone, Indians, Chinese, Kenyans, and Peruvians will have standards of living and wages comparable to ours. They, and all people, deserve that. The question is "At what level will that be?" The higher the level the better for everyone except for the impact that would have on the global environment. The tradeoff between increased prosperity for everyone and the impact on the environment is one that all should have a say in.

The option of keeping most of the world's people poor so that the global environment will allow the West to live in the life style to which we have become accustomed, is not really a serious one. It seems to be that the "make the world go away" strategy of putting up walls to keep foreigners and their products out is just such an option. "Pull yourselves up by your own boot straps. We're not helping you. We have our own problems."

[golfguru]

20. I did a European vacation a few months back

Restaurants are expensive, hotels are expensive, clothes are expensive.
Most people live in apartments, not single family homes. If my American
income is not enough to live in Europe at my current standard of living,
I wonder how the Europeans cope. While we eat out every week, I bet
Europeans will be lucky to eat out once a month.

The countries I visited were England (london & Southampton), Portugal (Lisbon & Sintra),
Spain (Vigo, Barcelona), Italy (Rome via Civitavechhia), Livorno for Tower of Pisa), and
France (Nice for Grench Riviera) and Monaco. Loved the French Riviera area but the guide
told us homes start at $1 Million+! She showed us a magnificent property jutting into
the Mediterranean which was sold to a Russian for $500 Million (US dollars).

[bluestateguy]

2. Now Herbert the Establishmentarian has bought into the MSM tripe too

Health care is a major economic issue. Anyone who can't see that is just repeating Georgetown/Manhattan cocktail party nonsense.

[paulk]

7. it's under the bus with you, Bob Herbert!

how dare you criticize Obama!

[Name removed]

12. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[FrenchieCat]

3. They just passed a job bills, and I believe are working on Jobs, jobs, jobs...

But jobs can't just get pulled out of the Administration's ass...

There isn't gonna be a Dot.Com bubble that comes and saves our asses....
it's gonna be a long hard slog getting us back on sure footing,
but I have faith that it will get done, just not on orders.....

Pass the health bill, and let's get her done by late March.

[xchrom]

4. Is Obama? Nt

[FrenchieCat]

6. Is Obama what?

[xchrom]

10. The source of obama's troubles.

I realize not to you of course.

[FrenchieCat]

11. I'll judge that at a later time.....

as he still has time on the clock.

I don't need to make his job harder by throwing stones,
just cause other folks do. I realize that coming to this
place makes it easy for folks to lose heart.....
which is why I'm glad I don't just come here.
Or I'd be depressed right about now,
as opposed to taking the long view
like I have always done.

[xchrom]

13. What ever. Nt

[peacebird]

5. my brother has a company in Florida that employs 20 people.

He was forced to drop health care for the employees of his company last year because the drop in sales was so severe. He took out loans on his home to keep his folks employed while he and his wife (who works also) had to buy private health insurance at over $1800 a month. It was truly a choice between firing people or offering insurance...
He was absolutely gutted by the experience, and I doubt his employees have any idea about the personal risks he is taking (putting his own home at risk through a second mortgage to keep the company afloat). He could have sold the company, or closed it - and NOT put his own home and retirement in jeopardy, but that would not be him.

We need a public option.

[TomCADem]

9. Its The Left Equivalent Of Using The Word "Terrorism" More Often...

If President Obama spends more time doing what exactly on unemployment? Another stimulus, which would just encourage more deficit hypocrisy from the Republicans?

HCR is not just political theater. It can be done, and it should be done now.

[girl gone mad]

15. 1. Tobin tax with the revenue going to pay back taxpayers for bailing out Wall St.

2. Break the balls of the parasitic finance sector so that people are no longer paying out 1/3 of their income to service loans and credit card debt plus all of the added on fees that come with keeping and accessing money in a bank.

3. Stop trying to prop up the housing bubble by encouraging people to stay in homes they can't afford. We've seen how just a small number of foreclosures and strategic mortgage defaults is giving retail a much needed boost in the arm because people have more money in their pockets when they stop making payments on underwater housing. Get a workable cramdown provision in force, yesterday.

4. Get to work on meaningful fair trade agreements.

5. A one year hiatus on the payroll tax.

6. Genuine health reform that is simply a thinly veiled attempt to bailout the insurance industry and cover federal revenue shortfalls.

7. End the wars. Wars are and have always been enormous economic drains that destroy jobs rather than creating them.

8. Stop subsidizing higher ed in a manner that simply allows schools to raise the costs of education to increasingly astronomical levels.

These are just quick ideas off of the top of my head. It's not like I'm getting paid $500K a year plus millions in bennies to solve the unemployment crisis or anything. If only the man who was felt some kind of obligation to the people instead of just his corporate sponsors.

[FrenchieCat]

16. Quick ideas! LOL!

You funny!

[girl gone mad]

17. I think I need a translator.

Or maybe an electron microscope to help find your point.

[paulk]

19. the argument could be made that the healthcare problem

is a critical element of job restoration - but it's a hard one to make to someone who's lost their job, or their home, or see their children and/or friends in that situation. The relationship is too abstract - and it's the economy that's going to impact this next election, not the health insurance reform that the Dems have spent so much of their political capital on. Especially when the majority of the bill doesn't even kick in for four years...

Herbert gets it right, and the Obama administration has gotten it wrong.

[HughMoran]

21. 1) we can't hire due to cost of insurance 2) passed Jobs bill today 3) another 100B jobs bill was

introduced today.

It would help your point if you had any idea what you were talking about.

[Fozzledick]

22. 1) that's one of my points 2) too little too late 3) see 2

The author's main point, which I agree with, is that Democrats would be in a much better position politically today if they had put more effort and emphasis into job creation for the past year.

[SoxFan]

23. If Obama did the jobs bill first...

...the Bloviators would be kvetching that the American people really need help with health care.