Debt of a Salesman: Obama, Democrats Poised to Embrace Deal that May Slash Energy, Enviro Spending

[bananas]

http://thinkprogress.org/romm/2011/07/28/281675/debt-of-a-salesman-obama-democrats-deal-slash-energy-enviro-spending/

Debt of a Salesman: Obama, Democrats Poised to Embrace Deal that May Slash Energy, Enviro Spending for Many, Many Years

By Joe Romm on Jul 28, 2011 at 12:44 pm

In one of the biggest strategic blunders of his presidency, Obama has bought into the erroneous Republican frame that the biggest problem facing this country is our national debt. Worse, he has chosen to be a salesman for a centrist agenda of austerity, not the progressive one of investment.

In the past few weeks, Obama has used the presidential bully pulpit to its fully capacity for the first time since taking office. Sadly, he’s chosen to sell the public on the nonsensical notion that biggest short-term and long-term threat facing the nation is the national debt and over-spending.

Gone is any discussion of the things the public cares most about right now — creating jobs and restoring our manufacturing base, as a new poll makes clear (see figure). Gone is any discussion of the progressive policies Obama himself used to message on, albeit halfheartedly — an investment agenda, energy security, competing with China. Gone is this lofty rhetoric from a long, long time ago (well, 2010, actually): “The nation that leads the clean energy economy will be the nation that leads the global economy. And America must be that nation.”

I doubt most climate hawks and progressives outside of the DC Beltway fully appreciate what the emerging debt deal would likely mean for energy and environmental spending over the next decade. As E&E News (subs. req’d) bluntly explains this morning:

As the capital’s debt-limit drama enters its final act today, the last two solutions standing — one Democratic, one GOP — would slash long-term energy and environmental spending to a degree comparable with the fiscally austere deal struck to avert a springtime federal shutdown.

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[villager]

1. the increasingly shitty environmental track record of this admin becomes more and more telling

unfortunately

[enough]

2. This was the area where I held onto my hope the longest. But that's long gone by now. (nt)

[villager]

5. as soon as he appointed a rancher to Interior, I knew there'd be no "change"

n/t

[XemaSab]

13. To paraphrase Kanye:

"Barack Obama doesn't care about the environment." :(

I think that's the one issue that's probably going to push me towards a green vote in 2012. (I live in California, so nobody throw the "President Bachmann" crap in my direction.)

[mike_c]

3. worst democratic president in my memory....

Note to self: in tough negotiations, always try to get Barak Obama to negotiate for the OTHER side!

[Melissa G]

4. Clearly Barack Obama does not value Democratic ideals.

What a waste of a promising time in our history. What a waste of the presidency and both houses of Congress.

[kath]

8. make that "worse 'Democratic' president in my memory" -- it's no longer appropriate to use the word

"Democratic" in conjunction with president Obama without putting it in quotation marks (or HUGH freakin' air quotes if you're saying it out loud).

[kenny blankenship]

6. It's only a strategic blunder for HIM if his Wall Street buddies freeze him out

Either in 2012 fundraising, or after he leaves office.

"In the past few weeks, Obama has used the presidential bully pulpit to its fully capacity for the first time since taking office. Sadly, he’s chosen to sell the public on the nonsensical notion that biggest short-term and long-term threat facing the nation is the national debt and over-spending."

I don't see any evidence Barack H. Obama gives a flying fuck about the traditional values of the Democratic Party, or about its future (as anything separable and distinguishable from the Reagan Republican "Consensus"), or about the Democratic Party's voting constituencies.

Pragmatism = what works for ME, and what works for me right NOW.

[kath]

7. Two words -- Trojan. Horse.

It's becoming more and more clear that this, sadly, is the case.

[Divernan]

11. I referred to him as a Trojan Horse last April.

I was just pondering how he had managed to fool us so completely, and the great damage his presidency has wrought on traditional Democratic principles, and the classic example of the Trojan Horse sprang to mind.
I refer you, ladies and gentlemen, to the epic tale of the Trojan Horse.

Picture the traditional Democratic party, as the city of Troy, under siege.
Picture the 2008 election as presenting a very attractive gift (candidate) at the city gates.
The gates were opened, despite the warning of Troy's soothsayer, Cassandra, daughter of King Priam, who insists the horse would be the downfall of the city; and the Trojan priest, Laocoon, who guesses the plot and warns the Trojans in Virgil's famous line: "I fear Greeks, even those bearing gifts." (And of course, the Trojan Horse had no awareness it was being used. It had only the good intention of being a gift.)

The Trojan Horse is a tale from the Trojan War, as told in Virgil's Latin epic poem The Aeneid, also by Dionysius, Apollodorus and Quintus of Smyrna. The events in this story from the Bronze Age took place after Homer's Iliad, and before his Odyssey. It was the STRATAGEM that allowed the Greeks FINALLY to enter the city of Troy and end the conflict.

In one version, after a fruitless 10-year siege, the Greeks constructed a huge wooden horse, and hid a select force of 30 men inside. The Greeks pretended to sail away, and the Trojans pulled the horse into their city as a victory trophy. That night the Greek force crept out of the horse and opened the gates for the rest of the Greek army, which had sailed back under cover of night. The Greek army entered and destroyed the city of Troy, decisively ending the war.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

I analogize good old boys like Geithner & other Goldman Sacks alumni now enjoying presidential appointments/high level administration jobs to those Greek soldiers hiding inside the horse.

Now we have another election, and I'm getting phone calls from Trojan Horses Are Us, asking me to repeat my earlier donations. It's like that old SNL skit, where the shark knocks on the door and shouts, "Candygram!"

[kath]

14. A week or two back, several posts calling him a Trojan horse were deleted here.

Now as it becomes CRYSTAL clear that that's exactly what he is, maybe the mods are softening a bit. (and maybe eventually, as it becomes more and more clear that the so-called Democratic party has abandoned the working man and woman, this place will become "Progressive Underground" or "Liberal Underground"

You were ahead of the curve, Divernan.
I was so happy on election night 2008, but now I am so totally disgusted and enraged.

[Divernan]

17. 1st time I posted the analogy, some mod moved it to the 9/11 forum

And the Obama fans who had attacked me with really vile responses crowed that this was the place to send all the tinfoil conspiracy theories and that would show ME! But I kept using the analogy and it began showing up on other places in DU and also Huffington Post, where I had also posted the analogy. I think it's absolutely on point.

[Divernan]

9. Obama surprised Big Frackers with offer to "do everything we can to develop" resources.

Last December, Obama made natural gas drilling his "lead olive branch" to Captiol Hill GOP. Big Fracking didn't even have to ask him. With Obama and Big Donors, it's pay him now or pay him later, it's all good with him.

This country needs federal oversight/regulation of the fracking. Will we get it? Not based on this article in the New York Times from last November - that's when Obama came out in support of expanding fracking for gas, and the article also refers to Rahm's support for the natural gas industry. Let's face it - with the Citizens United decision, this industry is a huge source of campaign funding for politicians in both parties.

http://www.frackaction.com/content/obamas-enthusiasm-ga ...
(Headline)
Obama's Enthusiasm for Gas Drilling Raises Eyebrows

Published date:
Thu, 11/04/2010 (All day)
Publication:
The New York Times
By:
MIKE SORAGHAN

President Obama's newfound interest in expanded natural gas drilling yesterday surprised many on all sides of the drilling debate, from environmentalists to drillers and even the coal industry.

Representatives of drilling groups said they had no idea that Obama would make natural gas his lead olive branch to the newly empowered Capitol Hill Republicans. But they were pleased that he did.

Obama's remarks seemed to refer to vast new sources of shale gas in Pennsylvania, Texas and their neighboring states. Improvements in "hydraulic fracturing" technology have allowed production from formations under those states previously thought to be too expensive to exploit (E&ENews PM, Nov. 3).

"We've got, I think, broad agreement that we've got terrific natural gas resources in this country," Obama said when he was pressed for issues on which he could compromise with Republican leaders. "Are we doing everything we can to develop those?"

[enough]

10. That link isn't working. Here's the direct NYT link:

http://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2010/11/04/04greenwire-obamas-enthusiasm-for-gas-drilling-raises-eyeb-33483.html?scp=1&sq=Obama%27s%20Enthusiasm%20for%20Gas%20Drilling%20Raises%20Eyebrows&st=cse

Thanks for posting this.

[Divernan]

12. And thank you for the correct link.

[kath]

15. Wow. Jeebus H. Christ. I wasn't aware of this.

My disgust just grows and grows and grows...

I wish that real Democrats would protest enough that he would decide not to run again, like LBJ did -- "I shall not seek, and I will not accept..."

[NickB79]

16. And people wonder why I'm pessimistic about renewables

Without government backing, renewables will fall short of what we need, at the moment when it is most vital we invest HEAVILY in it. Sure, there will still be new wind farms built, and new solar panels installed, but not anywhere close to the scale we need.