Predict the Obama Presidency

[Torie]

Obama for his first two years will be consumed with dealing with the financial crisis, and won't be carrying out any of his promises. His get out of Iraq in 16 months won't happen either, although he will claim he did by getting the troop levels down to just under a 100,000 maybe. Osama won't be killed (he might be dead anyway).

[Torie]

JS, you are just such a hopeless optimist. I suspect you are a believing Christian, as a wild guess. This stuff about conversations and the like, to reach some golden mean of wisdom, just isn't the way things are done. What is realistic, is that Obama will be in a policy strait jacket, as his more rabid supporters bite at his heels. His real challenge will be to persuade his true believers that there is no there, there.

I do believe that Obama will be determined not to be a failed president, and he has the discipline and smarts to avoid that, if he has the courage to anger his base. We  shall see.

One thing that does give me joy, is that elite Dems now take economists and financial theory, seriously. They know, that indulging in what the bulk of their supporters want, is the road to financial ruin, and will never go there.

[Torie]

Two of the first acts of an Obama Presidency + Democratic Congress will be a significant increase in the minimum wage and passage of the Employee Free Choice Act.

Other than force a few folks out of work, and unionize a few folks down the road given doing away with elections and a private ballot, and this rolling card sign up thing (heck even George McGovern thinks that is a disgrace), without much if any economic impact, but maybe some political impact, that will mean next to zero.