It is a new phenomenon to listen to the person in charge and actually want to hear what they have to say instead of anticipating dread, which has been the case for the last eight years. Today's much publicized guest - President-Elect Barack Obama. Let's face it, for the average American, it's panic time - we're officially in a recession, we've been shown the worst job loss statistics in the last 24 years, and we're going to see an American institution - the U.S. auto industry - is on its deathbed... And as anyone would remind you - that's just on the home front.
But as the President-Elect stated, that is his No. 1 priority, an economic recovery plan. This column watches and reads a lot of interviews and we've never witnessed a definitive answer to any of the problems we're facing. With that said, it is slightly comforting to know that the next President has a firm grasp of the nuances and the problems but there is no quick fix, ready solution, easy answer, or word of encouragement right now.
Mr. Obama has increasingly said that even though a short term is essential, we have to focus on the long term so that we don't have a repeat these systemic problems. He stated that again today and there has been much talk of Infrastructure projects to put people back to work. It's about time. This sounds like a 'new' New Deal and this is what is needed. What we first must understand is that even though we may not be collectively in a place as bad as when we were in the Great Depression, today's potential for things being much worse is right at our doorstep. The financial industry is a much more complicated working beast than it was in the 1930's so the pitfalls are much more dangerous.
Also, with respect to this 'new' New Deal comparison, it must be said that America needs a collective change of attitude and we hope that the President-Elect will bring this to the country. Waiting this long to address infrastructure is typically American. Instead of practicing preventive medicine in the form of steady infrastructure maintenance, we've handled it like our own personal health - let it go until its way too late and then radical surgery is required. Instead of a daily dose of fitness, we forego it and eventually rely on cosmetic surgery. Now we're at that point where not even a plastic surgeon can help.
Mr. Obama frequently talks about resetting and it is exactly what we have to do. It seems counter-intuitive to spend through a recession but that's exactly what needs to be done and the government is the only one who has the money right now so rightly, the President-Elect stated that we can not worry about the deficit in the short term.
With this said, the President-Elect has been measured in his statements about the auto industry. He's said they've made mistakes but they are the backbone of American manufacturing. Eventually, he gets to a statement resembling - we want them to succeed but we don't want them coming back in six months with hats in hand, but it's one of the few things he doesn't on which he does not have a sound of conviction. We constantly hear about GM, Ford, and Chrysler as one - the big three as if they have always been a collective. This is simply not the case and they should be treated as individuals. When things were going well, they did not have this sense of collective identity, but now that they're in grave trouble... What they have collectively in common is poor management and having no sense of the future of industry. The deterioration of manufacturing, as a whole, in the U.S. has been occurring for years. What the President-Elect conveys in this interview and beyond is a calming effect that he understands the problem. This was the essence of the interview, void of no tangible solutions. Are these solutions that he speaks about coming on January 20th? The philosophy that shared success by all Americans is the key to long-term prosperity seems like an obvious notion now, but this has not been the case as exemplified by the current administration. The audacity of hope...
The domestic economic conundrum makes foreign policy almost seem cut and dry in terms of what to do - country by country. Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran, Russia, India, and Pakistan are collectively linked, yes, but all have their individual solutions as well. The President-Elect, in this interview, recognized this and has put a team in place, one which this column endorses, to handle these relations. The most complicated of which remains Iraq. On a campaign promise, Mr. Obama said that he would end the occupation of this country. We predict that it will never be fast enough for the hard left. However, there is a responsibility for the United States to do the right thing and not leave Iraq in chaos or with doubt about its own future. It will take longer than 16 months. Mr. Brokaw mentioned the term residual force... Become familiar and comfortable with this term as it will be with us for some time.
Mr. Obama has pulled together an all-star team for a cabinet and the names do inspire confidence - Clinton, Richardson, Holder, Geithner, Napolitano... our only worry is that the posts vacated by these individuals will not be replenished with the same talent in kind, but only time will tell.
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Now, with regard to the future of Meet The Press... After much speculation and a mid-week leak, all curiosity has been laid to rest and David Gregory will be taking over as host. The final four, as it were, consisted of Mr. Gregory, Chuck Todd, Andrea Mitchell, and Gwen Ifill. When looking at that list, the choice becomes obvious. As previously stated in this column, the drawback to Mr. Todd is that he doesn't have the interview experience, just crunching election numbers. Granted, he did bring a new precise calculus to it, but that's not enough to be Moderator. Andrea Mitchell has guest hosted MTP in the past and may do so in the future, but frankly, what a snooze fest when she does. Ms. Ifill, on the other hand, is more than qualified and ready to be Moderator, however, why would you want to leave PBS and the News Hour - our equivalent of BBC 1 News? You don't so it became a process of elimination.
In the most recent past, Mr. Gregory elevated his profile as NBC's combative White House Correspondent. In terms of network news, 'combative' is not considered a compliment. However, it was the only dose of sobriety that the public had seen from the White House Press Corps in the face of ridiculously misdirected statements coming from the White House at the time. What is key is that Mr. Gregory, at 38, will be the long-term Moderator and will grow into the desk. He talked about bringing a sense of purpose to his work on Meet The Press and as discussed, there is no other in which people are paying more attention. This column is looking on with its own sense of purpose and growing with him.
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