CE Week #5: “The Limits of Charisma” Oct. 5th
Mr. President, please stay off TV.
By Howard Fineman | NEWSWEEK
Published Sep 26, 2009 From the magazine issue dated Oct 5, 2009
If ubiquity were the measure of a presidency, Barack Obama would already be grinning at us from Mount Rushmore. But of course it is not. Despite his many words and television appearances, our elegant and eloquent president remains more an emblem of change than an agent of it. He’s a man with an endless, worthy to-do list—health care, climate change, bank reform, global capital regulation, AfPak, the Middle East, you name it—but, as yet, no boxes checked “done.” This is a problem that style will not fix. Unless Obama learns to rely less on charm, rhetoric, and good intentions and more on picking his spots and winning in political combat, he’s not going to be reelected, let alone enshrined in South Dakota.
The president’s problem isn’t that he is too visible; it’s the lack of content in what he says when he keeps showing up on the tube. Obama can seem a mite too impressed with his own aura, as if his presence on the stage is the Answer. There is, at times, a self-referential (even self-reverential) tone in his big speeches. They are heavily salted with the words “I” and “my.” (He used the former 11 times in the first few paragraphs of his address to the U.N. last week.) Obama is a historic figure, but that is the beginning, not the end, of the story.
There is only so much political mileage that can still be had by his reminding the world that he is not George W. Bush. It was the winning theme of the 2008 campaign, but that race ended nearly a year ago. The ex-president is now more ex than ever, yet the current president, who vowed to look forward, is still reaching back to Bush as bogeyman.
He did it again in that U.N. speech. The delegates wanted to know what the president was going to do about Israel and the Palestinian territories. He answered by telling them what his predecessor had failed to do. This was effective for his first month or two. Now it is starting to sound more like an excuse than an explanation.
Members of Obama’s own party know who Obama is not; they still sometimes wonder who he really is. In Washington, the appearance of uncertainty is taken as weakness—especially on Capitol Hill, where a president is only as revered as he is feared. Being the cool, convivial late-night-guest in chief won’t cut it with Congress, an institution impervious to charm (especially the charm of a president with wavering poll numbers). Members of both parties are taking Obama’s measure with their defiant and sometimes hostile response to his desires on health care. Never much of a legislator (and not long a senator), Obama underestimated the complexity of enacting a major “reform” bill. Letting Congress try to write it on its own was an awful idea. As a balkanized land of microfiefdoms, each loyal to its own lobbyists and consultants, Congress is incapable of being led by its “leadership.” It’s not like Chicago, where you call a guy who calls a guy who calls Daley, who makes the call. The president himself must make his wishes clear—along with the consequences for those who fail to grant them.
The model is a man whose political effectiveness Obama repeatedly says he admires: Ronald Reagan. There was never doubt about what he wanted. The Gipper made his simple, dramatic tax cuts the centerpiece not only of his campaign but also of the entire first year of his presidency.
Obama seems to think he’ll get credit for the breathtaking scope of his ambition. But unless he sees results, it will have the opposite effect—diluting his clout, exhausting his allies, and emboldening his enemies.
That may be starting to happen. Health-care legislation is still weeks, if not months, from passage, and the bill as it stands could well be a windfall for the very insurance and drug companies it was supposed to rein in. Climate-change legislation (a.k.a. cap-and-trade) is almost certainly dead for this year, which means that American negotiators will go empty-handed to the Copenhagen summit in December —pushing the goal of limiting carbon emissions even farther into the distance. In the spring Obama privately told the big banks that he was going to change the way they do business. It was going to be his way or the highway. But the complex legislation he wants to submit to Congress has little chance of passage this year. Doing Letterman again won’t help. It may boost the host’s ratings, Mr. President, but probably not your own.
Howard Fineman is also the author of The Thirteen American Arguments: Enduring Debates That Define and Inspire Our Country .
What do I know?
When it comes to Obama, I know-um, he’s likeable? Okay, so I’m not an expert but I’m catching on. In fact, this article represents where I’m at with Obama and my own life, oddly enough. I was really excited to hear about all the changes he was going to make, but I haven’t seen many of those great ideas realized. I feel like his predicament parallels that of our ASB at times: we have the best of intentions and really great ideas; it’s making those things happen where it gets difficult. That’s what I know: sympathy and empathy. I get Mr. O.
What do I think?
I think our system is often unfair. We expect immediate, if not radical, alterations made by our leaders when our system itself prevents this from happening. I understand he’s been in office for a fair amount of time and the fruits of his labor really haven’t been tasted, but I also empathize with the obstacles a leader must overcome. At every turn, Obama faces opposition from one side or the other, the left or the right, the Democrats or the Republicans, or a jumble of all above. It’s hard. I honestly believe Obama believed in everything he said needed to be done. Did he know what it would take to get those things done? That I can’t answer. But I feel comfortable knowing that right now he’s doing everything he can to make his promises reality. I’m confident in his ability as a leader and that belief is based off more than just exterior charisma.
What do I want to know?
This article talked a lot about wavering presidential polls. I want to know what P.Obama’s approval rating was when he was elected and what it is now. I’d be much obliged.
I like how it basically says ‘Obama is a do-gooder who’s only out to help this country.’ I believe that’s true, and I like how the writer speaks so highly of our President. However, you get a little further in the reading and you see stuff like, “Unless Obama learns to rely less on charm, rhetoric, and good intentions and more on picking his spots and winning in political combat, he’s not going to be reelected, let alone enshrined in South Dakota,” I thought that was fascinating how he spoke so highly of Obama, yet has no faith in him for reelection. As for charm, rhetoric, and good intention how could someone even say anything bad about those traits? Those traits, that personality, draws others towards you and makes them want to support you.
He later wrote about how Obama doesn’t make his wishes clear. Maybe he can’t, or maybe he’s trying to solve one problem at a time. His main concern now is Health Care, and how I see it that’s a good concern to invest your time into. I wouldn’t want a President who goes from one goal to the next without finishing the last one first. When you start something you shouldn’t stop until it’s complete. However, if he can’t perform his daily duties as President, and can’t take charge of the situation maybe he should assign someone else to that position to do so.
As for the bank ordeal, what changes did Obama have in mind and why didn’t the writer say more about these changes. This article sounds like some old man running-off at the moth because he has nothing to talk about. It looks like a big-o letter of complaints. If I could say something to the writer it would be, ‘Dude if you don’t like what’s going on, if you can do a better job, if you can, why aren’t you?’
A. What have you learned?
There were many terms used in this article that made no sense to me. An example being ‘AfPak’ which I found was President Obama’s “Afghanistan-Pakistan Strategy” aka a “theater of operations”. Just as I also found that Obama uses “I” more times than I do… some of the time.
B. What do you think?
I agree up to 99.9% with this article. Yes, Obama is mostly talk, but he lacks in giving the details. An example of this is the current health care debate. Nothing majorly good has been passed as of yet, he’s still working. However this has become a political issue between the democrats and republicans as seen on TV with the various televised town hall meetings. President Obama, has a lot of big ideas, as the article mentions, but he doesn’t give details to the public. Therefore distrust in his politics or agenda have been growing stronger in the American public.
But the rest is right, the President spends more time on TV then I do watching it. I do have to admire the president in his ability to give speeches. He is always so grammatically correct, and has a way of carrying himself, or presenting his ideas, that look and sound impressive, but lacks the meat and potatoes. As for the coined term “AfPak”, well it sounds like a pun on Aflack and Afghanistan-Pakistan.
C. Here’s the Question
How many times did President Obama refer to George W. Bush in his United Nations address? And who is the “The Gipper” in third to last paragraph?
A. I learned that this particular journalist, Howard Fineman, sees the President as the kind of man that only promises and fails to deliver. I learned that, according to Fineman, health-care legislation isn’t likely to pass this year, and that Cap-and-Trade will also have to wait.
B. As much as the President has yet to accomplish, Fineman seems to be a bit too much of a critic. While Obama could easily make a final decision without waffling and using his eloquence to keep America at bay, the reforms presented are huge, and I don’t blame the President for taking his time. Even if he isn’t finding answers to the problems, he’ll either learn to find them and fast, or he’ll be facing the public. As a symbol and representative of change, Obama has a lot to accomplish.
C. All the reforms and issues stated in this blog—health care, climate change, bank reform, global capital regulation, AfPak, the Middle East—have to have some kind of idea behind how they can be handled and taken care of, whether immediately or over a period of time. I want to know what President Obama has planned for each of these, specifically. I’m quite vague on what AfPak is, honestly. Just last night, I learned about Cap-and-Trade on the Daily Show with Jon Stewart, but I want to know specifics on each of these issues.
“THE LIMITS OF CHARISMA”
What I Know:
Every president has their legacy; positive or negative. Nixon had his Watergate, FDR had his New Deal, etc. But what major action will we remember our current President for? I know he passed a bill discouraging smoking through its advertising labels. I also know about the proposed bill concerning Healthcare, but then again does this effort for medical reform count as a job done? The gist of it- I know that I could not name 5 things our President Obama has accomplished while he’s been president.
What I Think:
I felt this article had a biased slant against President Obama from his use of diction. But through this cloud, I did see some good points. What does pointing fingers accomplish? Blaming issues on past presidents shows a lack of leadership. If we put this on our own scale (city mayor to even ASB), think about your reaction if in November, our ASB President started apologizing for the issues of last year’s leaders. If we wouldn’t stoop to that immaturity, than I think the President of the United States has no need to either. I would like to see change for the good, not a change back to a middle-school attitude.
? :
As this article addresses the subject of change, or rather the lack of, I began thinking about Obama’s choices to his administration. If he so wanted change to traditional politics, why did he chose oldies like Joe Biden and Hilary Clinton? Food for thought….
A. What you learned?
I have not paid much attention to the issues that this article argued upon. I never really observed the way Obama really presents himself as well. Once I read this, I was intrigued and watched some videos on the internet of him talking to the public at some of his appearances. The article does prove some valid points along the lines of how he presents himself and his overall rhetoric.
B. What you think?
I think Obama does have a very appealing way of presentation and his overall language and such. However, I do think that with the way things are going and are hatching out to be, progression is going to be slow. Well, at least for the near future of his presidency. I am sure he will stick to what he said. To me, he does seem to be an honest man. Also, as president, why would anyone make promises of change in certain forms if he knows he cannot execute it? I am sure the promised duties will be performed and such, but as most things, it takes a good amount of time to do so.
C. What you would like to know?
I would like to know what the “climate change” thing is exactly. I have heard of it, but I have not really heard of what it totally consists of. Can anyone educate me more on this?
A. I learned something very valuable once reading this article, but it wasn’t an easily stated fact, it was more a self-discovery of sorts. Okay, are you ready? I, gulp, may be more of a Republican than I thought! I know, a terrifying thought for my fellow liberals and me, but calm down. I have rationalized this so that I don’t have to start watching Fox and voting “Palin 2012”. Although I do see the legitimacy in these concerns I’m far too enamored with President to care, and that fact says it all.
B. I think that even though this journalist is certainly tapping into real concerns about Obama I also think that he fails to see it from the President’s view. When he and his campaign team were planning his whole journey to the White House I know they thought “Hm, we need to market him and make him represent something the opposite of Bush… how about hope! How about change.” And now Obama is upholding that image to the best of his ability. He thinks that for once in a very long time we should have a president that we feel at ease and safe with. One that we can see on the television and think, “Yeah, we’re going to be alright.”
C. I would like to know how far the climate-change legislation has come and why it is “almost certainly dead for this year.”
Russ Commenting on Jeremy Urann
Right-on brother, that’s basically the same thing I was implying. I like Obama and I think his ideas and plans are hard and have many obstacles to overcome. The American Public expects to much and gives too little. I’m just hoping for some improvement in the near future, even if he doesn’t complete his goal he can say he tried and did more than any other American on this subject, and for that many will have a great respect for him.
P.S. I like your diction. It was awesome to read your blog. I hope to read more like this in the future. Piece.
I knew that there was a lot of criticism happening among people who may dislike or disagree with Obama, but I did not realize that it had reached this level already. People seem to have lost hope in him already and he hasn’t even been in office for a full year. I also found it interesting that Fineman discussed the fact that we live in America, where the President has the power to get things done swiftly, or at least make his requests known.
I think it is premature to accuse President Obama of not carrying out the tasks he says he is going to. Most things take a fair amount of time to accomplish. Criticizing Obama for being “more an emblem of change than an agent of it” outlines a sole characteristic and problem that America has with being too pushy and impatient. Obama was elected because he wants to see change in this country, and he will make it happen.
If the President can make his requests known and clear to Congress, then why doesn’t he do that, and if he has done that, wouldn’t it now be under Congress’ power to get it done? Whose fault is it that nothing seems to be getting finished?
A. I already knew Obama was good at speaking and people liked the way he sounded as he spoke. I knew some people were not happy with him, and this author certainly is not happy with the way he is starting off as our new president.
B. I mostly disagree with the author. Yes, Obama has had about a year into his office, but a year is not that long of time to change a country or the world. He is making progress by letting America know what they can choose, like a health reform and climate change.
C. How long did people estimate until Obama would make a major change when they elected him president?
NO CREDIT: WORD COUNT
In responce to Carley~
Obama isn’t pointing fingers left and right, he is looking back at the history of our presidents and building and thinking of their actions. I think by the end of his 4 year office there will be atleast 5 chnges to the U.S. It is jsut a matter of time, and this first year is just the beginning.
Russ~
Obama has a few projects going on right now, such as yes the health care reform, but also the climate change protocal. Focusing on one topic is a good thing, but it takes too much time most of the time. Taking on more than one project is very hard at times and stressful, but it gets everything done faster in the long run. I think we haven’t seen many changes because he is weighing all his options and taking the country into concideration on every topic.
What I learned:
This article was very interesting and really made me become more aware on what the president is doing. It was interesting to hear that “the president’s problem isn’t that he is too visible; it’s the lack of content in what he says when he keeps showing up on the tube.” I learned that a lot of the problems Obama has promised to fix don’t seem to have any real content to resolve them. I also learned that people, even those in Obama’s own party, see his uncertainty as a major weakness. I also learned that Obama wants to model his political effectiveness after Ronald Reagan. I also discovered that health care legislation could take weeks, or even months before it is approved, and the climate-change legislation will not be talked about for the rest of the year.
What I think:
I think Obama is doing a good job as president, but I agree with Fineman, who said that Obama need to be more decisive and tell people what he wants and what will happen if the things he wants are not done. His first year as president is not over yet and he still has a chance to make a major change before the year is over. I think if he is more aggressive and tell others what he wants, the health care legislation may be able to pass more quickly.
What I would like to know more about:
I know this is off topic, but why did they call Ronald Reagan “The Gipper”?
A. Obama’s many public appearances aren’t helping his popularity. When he ran for president he had hope on his side, people wanted change and he promised to deliver it. Now that nothing substantial has occurred his ratings are taking a plunge. He wants to reform health care, solve problems in the Middle East, and fix the economy. So far it seems that he has only delivered charismatic yet mildly narcissistic speeches.
B. Politicians aren’t idiots, not in the modern sense of the word, nor the Greek sense. (Funny! and a great connection to a vocab term – Cudos! – Kautzman) It’s easy to pile blame and make someone out to be a stupid oaf, but in reality Obama is a very smart man. He might be lacking legislator experience but he is the president for the next four years. He has time to improve. He also has time to reform and change things. Results can’t be realistically expected after eight months. Granted, Obama has promised a lot, but I think the changes he wants are possible and in the mean time he should try to keep the public hopeful. It just seems he will have to find a new tactic to replace his “cool, convivial late-night-guest” strategy.
C. What is the path of Obama’s approval rating from his inauguration until now? What are the main differences in each of the proposed health care plans? What popular shows has Obama been on? And has Obama over stepped professional boundaries by commenting on things like Kayne, or does that make him more relatable?
Recently, I saw an SNL sketch (http://www.hulu.com/watch/99945/saturday-night-live-obama-address), the president’s address, it said just what the first paragraph of this article did. Therefore, I assume that watching SNL is both entertaining and informational (although the humor could be cleaner). After reading “The Limits of Charisma,” which has a cool title, I found out that President Obama really hasn’t accomplished much yet. I also saw Obama’s flaws: he likes to hear himself speak about change more than enact change, he doesn’t have much experience, having spent little time in the Senate, and he doesn’t act decisively.
I think that Howard Fineman is right in the regard that Obama should have done something that he promised by now, and that he should be more specific in his speeches. However, I believe that our country needed Obama’s charisma and promise of change to become more optimistic. Now the president needs to deliver, he needs to lead more. Public appearances have to be cut, maybe then he will have time to actually do his work. Still, I think that we need to give Mr. Obama some more time to do his thing. Maybe he envisioned the first year of his presidency to be for planning, and the rest for enacting of the legislature?
I would like to find out what that reference to South Dakota, at the end of the first paragraph, was all about. Also, what things has Obama accomplished so far?
A. Obama certainly has plenty of charisma to go around. The writer cuts to the chase in saying that Obama is a smooth talker, but has shown a great struggle in actually doing anything. Since his Inauguration, there have been many big changes proposed, but none of the American people have felt any positive effects as of yet. The health care plan seems to be racing at turtle speed. The cap-and-trade legislation has not seemed to gain an ounce of momentum.
B. I agree that Obama looks great on stage. His ideas are worded in such ways that they sound both verbose and Utopian. The man can talk! However, maybe this has clouded our judgment. Did the American people vote for him based upon his true capabilities and ideas? Or did they take his poetic-like speeches and run with them? Maybe Obama will get us on the right foot with time, but his progress seems to slowing to a long, painful halt. A Crest toothpaste model needs to look good and speak well. A President requires a bit more. I would also like to add that Obama admires Ronald Reagan. Reagan’s Presidency was based upon cutting and lowering taxes. I noted that, and then looked at what Obama is doing with our money and taxes. It is a bit odd…
C. I would like to know what all Obama has “blamed” on President Bush.
Before reading this article I had never really thought about what Obama has said and what he has actually done. Now, after reading this article I realize that they are right. Obama has said he was going to do all these different things and to this day none of them have been accomplished. I do think he is a good leader for the United States but I agree with the author on these issues. Obama needs to step it up and start sticking to what he says. If his to-do-list is such a good one why aren’t there any checks on it? Why have none of these things been fixed? I feel like Obama is too worried about looking good and saying good things than actually doing those good things. Don’t get me wrong, I do like Obama, but after reading this my views on what he has accomplished and “changed” are a lot different. If his whole campaign was based on change and the future why is it that nothing has changed? Good question. I think it would be interesting to read some of the speeches he gives and see exactly what he is saying, then compare it to what he is actually doing, I feel like they may be a lot different. I want to know why none of these things have been taken care of. Why is it that Obama continues to make empty promises to us? When are there going to be some real changes?
A. First of all, I learned that I am not the only person who sees through Obama’s charming words and smile. Other than that, I learned about his Presidential speech saturated in “I” and “me.” I have not heard about that at all, most likely because I haven’t heard the UN speech. Also, I did know that he has referred to Reagan in the past; however I did not know that he seems to hold the former President in such a high regard.
B. I think that some major media source should put up an official “checklist” of what Obama should do and what he has claimed he will do. That would help put in perspective how his “goals” and accomplishments compare. Another thought is that if the President is on TV then it should be for a speech or a professional purpose, not for the Today Show. Although it seems as if I’m bashing our dear Mr. President, I don’t hate him by any means. He is a respectable figure and he probably has several items he could check off of his “list.” I just think that he has raised himself up so much that actuality can’t catch up with him.
C. I would love to know about how much Obama actually talks about Reagan. Maybe some instances or something of the sort.
A. From reading this article I learned that Obama is perhaps dealing with two many problems at once. I was also unaware that Obama had recently given a speech to the U.N. concerning the issues in Israel and Palestine.
B. I agree wholeheartedly with this article. Obama has always appeared to me as a man who knows how to charm a crowd. He is great at giving speeches that elicit hope and confidence. Ever since he was sworn in, Obama has come up with plan after plan to create a new and better America. But how many of these ideas have made it past Congress? I honestly don’t have as much faith in the President as I did in 2008. It is one thing to walk onto a stage and talk about all of your great plans but it is entirely different trying to make those plans a reality. I understand the fact that reform takes time and the issues Obama faces are challenging. But like Howard Fineman said, Obama seems to think his mere presence is enough to diffuse any frustration the American public may be feeling. I compliment the President for being so ambitious but I also fear that his “to-do list” may only get him into trouble.
C. I would like to know more about “cap-and-trade” legislation and why it is “dead for this year”?
Chrisman, pose and the ability to bring a crowd to its feet is what make a great president. The first had to do a public and personal announcement but they were chosen as our president because they could please a crowed and that got passed around to friends and family when we didn’t have the radio. FDR did it over the radio, but he got people’s attention, and if the president couldn’t bring people over to his side to see how he sees, then he never would have been elected. I believe that getting the people to see you is only the first step in becoming the president. You must then get people to agree with you and keep it that way. As far as all the different plans that Obama is introducing only a select few will ever be granted so I agree with his bombarding Congress with his plans. I believe that he is just taking a different route then what’s smiled on. He is just doing what he thinks is the best way to make America a better place.
NO CREDIT: LATE
In response to Jeremy Urann:
Obama’s approval rating when he was inaugurated was around 68% and his disapproval rating was at around 12%. However, his current approval rating has dropped to 53% and his disapproval rating has risen to 40%. I read that media has drastically overplayed the severe drop of his approval rating, since it has been hovering around the low-50s range throughout September. Overall though, his approval rating is either dropping or remaining moderately static while his disapproval rating continues to rise.
Here is my source:
http://www.gallup.com/poll/113980/Gallup-Daily-Obama-Job-Approval.aspx
In response to Katie Pizow Preston:
I was wondering the same thing as to why Ronald Reagan was called “the Gipper,” so I felt the need to research it and answer both of our questions. While researching the internet I found our answer on the ever so worthy and wonderful Wikipedia! However I was somewhat skeptical because, don’t get me wrong I love Wikipedia, but I felt like I needed to confirm it and guess what? I got the same answer, sweet. So in 1940 Ronald Reagan played a real-life American Football player named George “The Gipper” Gipp in the movie Knute Rockne, All American. In this movie there was a line “win one for the Gipper” and from that Ronald Reagan acquired the lifelong nickname of “The Gipper.” I personally thought it was going to be a better story than that but I didn’t know Ronald Reagan was an actor so I guess we learn something new every day, yay
@Katie Preston
“why did they call Ronald Reagan ‘The Gipper’?”
George Gipp was a famous football player for Notre Dame in 1918, 1919, 1920, and the school’s first All-American player. When he died in 1920 at age 25, he told coach Knute Rockne to tell the team to “win one for the Gipper.” This phrase has since become famous.
In 1940, Ronald Reagan played George Gipp in a movie called Knute Rockne, All American. Since then, Reagan has become famous as “The Gipper.” In 1988, he told George H. W. Bush , “George, go out there and win one for the Gipper.”
Source: the ever-useful Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Gipp
Commenting Nicole McMurray
Wow, I must be lazy…ok…really, really lazy! It’s awesome you searched for your answer when it wasn’t given to you. Must people would rather ask for answer rather than go find one. I just wanted to say I respect that, and I hope to hear more interesting facts from you in the future.
In response to Jeremy Urann. As I’ve been reading, in the beginning of President Obama’s term he was at 86% approval rating, then within a week the rating dropped 15%. Though the current rating is hard to pinpoint, my estimation (through reading the stats) is that he’s around 50%, and many others estimate that by the end of October he might be at 45%. As for your comment that maybe he’s doing something right now to help the country, I say false. He’s probably just going on TV again to try and boost his ratings.
In Response to Jenna Alaskar: I like how you thought about the presidents’ perspective when you read this article. However, there a few things that I disagree with. It is true that Obama has been a symbol of hope for many Americans and he used that to his advantage when campaigning. But it seems to me that many a politician has used that tactic when running for election. We as Americans don’t want someone who is going to be a pessimist and tell us the hard facts. We want someone who tells us that the future is bright and sunny. You said that Obama thinks “we should have a president that we feel at ease and safe with.” But do the people really feel safe? Obama can make all the promises he wants but that does not necessarily make our country any better than it was when Bush was president. I’m not saying Obama is not working as hard as he can. I will say, however, that he should stop getting our hopes up only have us wait and wait and not see any results! I am all for a President who makes us feel better about our future and wants to make the United States a greater country. In the end, though, it’s not about what Obama and his administration say, but what they do.
In Response to Jenna Alaskar:
Environmentalists were ecstatic when the House of Representatives passed the carbon cap-and-trade bill, led by Democratic Representatives Henry Waxman and Edward Markey, in June. Certainly, the legislation to limit national greenhouse-gas emissions could have been stronger, but the very possibility that the House would pass any such bill would have been unimaginable a year ago. And the timing was perfect. With do-or-die climate negotiations set for the U.N.’s global-warming summit in Copenhagen at the end of the year, the U.S. needed to show the world that it was ready to act on carbon emissions. All that was left was passage by the Senate.
But that’s the problem. Despite hopes — and promises by the Democratic leadership — that the Senate would tackle cap-and-trade legislation this fall, it’s looking increasingly as if the U.S. will go to Copenhagen with no national carbon caps in place. Senate majority leader Harry Reid told reporters on Sept. 15 that the Senate might have to wait to act on cap and trade until after tackling health care and banking reform. “We still have next year to complete things if we have to,” he said.
Reid’s spokesperson backed off those comments the next day, indicating that the schedule hadn’t yet been set, but with the health-care debate threatening to stretch from now until the end of the world, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to see how cap and trade could be finalized before the Copenhagen summit begins in December. And given how controversial cap and trade remains even among many Democrats in the Senate — Republicans remain almost unanimously opposed — action in the election year of 2010 might be even tougher.
The more immediate concern will be the negotiations in Copenhagen. Since Reid’s comments, environmental groups have been getting calls from foreign embassies suddenly unsure of where the U.S. stands on a global deal. What they want to avoid is a replay of the negotiations over the Kyoto Protocol back in 1997 — the U.S., led by then Vice President Al Gore, agreed to long-term carbon-emission reductions, only to be repudiated later 95-0 by the U.S. Senate.
Even though President Barack Obama has taken almost a 180° turn from former President George W. Bush on climate change, Obama’s negotiators will be hamstrung if Congress can’t deliver emissions cuts in time. The White House can point to unilateral steps it has taken — like the Sept. 15 move to place the first-ever national limits on greenhouse-gas emissions from automobiles — but that might not be enough. “U.S. negotiators have made it pretty clear they won’t get ahead of the stated will of Congress,” says Jonathan Lash, the president of the World Resources Institute. “Without action from the U.S., it’s hard to imagine a comprehensive agreement in Copenhagen.”
As it stands, the chances of a new global deal being achieved in Copenhagen — one that would succeed the expiring Kyoto Protocol and include both the U.S. and major developing nations like China — are already looking dim. There are still major differences between the developed and developing nations over how the responsibility for cutting carbon should be divided — and how much the rich world should devote to poor countries that will need to adapt to climate change. “It’s going to be a very difficult situation at Copenhagen,” says Annie Petsonk, the international counsel for the Environmental Defense Fund.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will try to get the negotiation process jump-started next week in New York City, when he hosts a daylong session dedicated to climate change with heads of state. But Washington — and, ultimately, President Obama — still holds the key. As he told delegates at a California climate summit last November, when he was still President-elect: “Now is the time to confront this challenge once and for all. Delay is no longer an option. Denial is no longer an acceptable response. The stakes are too high.”
I got this from http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1924295,00.html
Hope it helps!
In response to Bailey: Obama has to bombard congress with his plans because that is truely the only way things are going to change and/or get done. Like I have stated in a earlier post (EPA), most things need extra drive, especially in our government system where things are hard to change.
In Response to Kesslan Hall:
There is a video in which President Obama explains his admiration for Ronald Reagan, here is the transcribed text:
I don’t want to present myself as some sort of singular figure. I think part of what’s different are the times. I do think that for example the 1980 was different. I think Ronald Reagan changed the trajectory of America in a way that Richard Nixon did not and in a way that Bill Clinton did not. He put us on a fundamentally different path because the country was ready for it. I think they felt like with all the excesses of the 1960s and 1970s and government had grown and grown but there wasn’t much sense of accountability in terms of how it was operating. I think people, he just tapped into what people were already feeling, which was we want clarity we want optimism, we want a return to that sense of dynamism and entrepreneurship that had been missing.
We can see why he admires the “Great Communicator”, as Obama has he has a great charisma as well. I also find it very dynamic that he admires a very republican president, considering their almost opposite beliefs in big government and the distribution of government spending. I wonder if there will be any parallels of administrations after our current President’s term is over.
http://www.openleft.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=3263
Katie Preston!
Ronald Reagan is referred to as “The Gipper” because of a role he played in the 1940’s film “Knute Rockne, All American”. In this movie, his character’s name was George “The Gipper” Gipp. Apparently, the name stuck and his being called that in the third paragraph was an allusion to his career before politics. Consider yourself informed.
NO CREDIT: LATE
For Devon Preedy:
In response to Kesslan Hall:
I feel that, in a sense, yes you were bashing on President Obama. I realize that people are having a hard time liking him right now but put yourself in his shoes for a nanosecond and you’d probably be overwhelmed! Just give him a break and see what comes of his term.
In response to Alyson Nicol:
Here is what I found on “cap and trade” legislation-
The very basics of cap and trade are as follows:
• Companies apply for emissions permits, from a governing body, wherein their pollutants are “capped” as a specific amount.
• If they pollute more than this cap, they must PAY for credits/allowances to do so.
• If they reduce their emissions, they can SELL their allowances for a profit.
Therefore, there is a marriage of market-based and environmental resolutions that start the process of controlling and reducing global warming pollution. Companies have incentives to do the right thing (stopping their polluting of the environment) and we, as consumers, benefit from the reduction of pollution in our society. We also benefit from the cost savings generated by the distributions of the profits and energy efficiency measures created by this system. (www.clf.org/cap&trade)
A. I already knew Obama was good at speaking and people liked the way he
sounded as he spoke. There was some controversy on why we elected him as president. Voters that did not really know what Obama wanted to do with our county just decided to vote for him because of the way he sounded, not for political reasons. I knew some people were not happy with him, and this author certainly is certainly not happy with the way Obama is starting off as our new president. He doesn’t feel as if the president is making any significant changes to our county like he said he would.
B. I mostly disagree with the author. Yes, Obama has had about a year
into his office, but a year is not that long of time to change a country
or the world. He is making progress by letting America know what they
can choose, like a health reform and climate change. He is taking everyone and everything into consideration before he makes an executive decision about anything, which is what our country wants our president to do, whom ever it may be.
C. How long did people estimate until Obama would make a major change
when they elected him president?