Saturday, July 18, 2009

The Obama Bait and Switch

To me, elected Obama acts very different from the promises of candidate Obama. Personally, I'm not surprised, because I didn't believe candidate Obama since his historical actions didn't support his promises. However, some who believed in candidate Obama's promises may be disappointed now. Although probably not complete, here is my list of candidate Obama's comments (bait) and subsequent actions (switch).

Comparison of Candidate to Elected Obama
CategoryComments as candidateAction after elected
Attitude Hope and inspirationSlow and painful economic recovery
LegislationBipartisanPartisan
Taxes on health insuranceNo taxing of health insurance premiumsOpen to tax on employer paid health insurance premiums
BudgetEliminating earmarks (about $17 billion) will not have an impact on the budgetAsks for $100 million in cost savings for the 2009 budget
PorkWould eliminate pork in bills passed by CongressApproved a $787 billion stimulus package with a significant amount of pork

So far, the only promise President Obama seems to have kept is his payback to unions, as demonstrated by the bankruptcy proceedings and outcomes of GM and Chrysler, which put union priorities over legitimate bondholder claims.

Even after being elected, I continue to see bait and switch tactics from the Obama administration. To pass the $787 billion stimulus package, President Obama urged quick passage since the impact would be seen right away. Now, the story is that the stimulus will take up to two years to have an impact. If so, for Congress to spend a month to create a better economic stimulus package?

President Obama again urged quick action on the health care bill, because of the necessity to have an impact immediately. (Bait) However, in six months, I won't be surprised when Mr. Obama switches and says that it may take another term, and maybe two to three more :-), as President before any health care bill shows any effect. (Switch)

For more on Reflections and Musings, check back every Saturday for a new segment.

This is not financial or policy advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

Copyright © 2009 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

You may be interested in this site: Politifact.com. They're keeping close track of how Obama has (or hasn't) kept his promises.

Former Subscriber said...

Dir Sir,
I regret to say that I will no longer be subscribing to your blog. What was once a practical and insightful journal of financial prudence, has become [at least in some posts] a highly opinionated blog, big on politics, and small on substance.

Regards,
A former reader

Anonymous said...

Agreed. I'm done w/this blog. This was a pointless, petty post. Keep it on topic or to yourself. Goodbye.

Super Saver said...

@ Anonymous,

Thanks for the link to Politifact.com. It's non-partisan and very informative.

@ Former Subscriber,

Thanks for your comments and feedback. Sorry to lose you as a reader.

@ Anonymous (who agreed with Former Subscriber),

Thank you also for your comments and feedback. Sorry that you've also become an ex-reader.

The Replacement Subscriber said...

"highly opinionated blog" ?
All Blogs are opinions.

I know I won't agree with all posts. But I'm sure I'll learn something.

I'm not into politic. I never voted before Obama ran for the WH. He INSPIRED me to vote for the other guy (I forgot his name - the one that didn't promise to take people's earning to "spread the wealth").

The Replacement Subscriber.