E.J. Dionne Jr., in The Washington Post, follows up on Paul Krugman’s advice to Barack Obama with some of his own — and it is not all that different from what the Nobel Prize-winning economist had to say: Be bold.
Dionne said “Obama’s situation closely resembles (Ronald) Reagan’s.”
Like our 40th president, Obama has been authorized to move in a new direction. If Reagan had the voters’ permission to move away from strategies associated with liberalism, Obama has sanction to move away from conservative policies. Reagan was judged by the results of his choices, and Obama will be, too.
Yet Reagan offers another lesson: His first moves were bold, and Obama should not fear following his example. The president-elect is hearing that his greatest mistake would be something called “overreach.” Democrats in Congress, it’s implied, are hungry to impose wacky left-wing schemes that Obama must resist.
In fact, timidity is a far greater danger than overreaching, simply because it’s quite easy to be cautious.
Obama’s goals, as outlined by new chief of staff, Rahm Emanuelinclude health care reform, energy, tax reform and education. “All,” says Dionne, “are issues on which Obama should not be afraid to be audacious.”
The economic crisis, Emanuel said, provides “an opportunity to finally do what Washington has for years postponed.” Here, the model is Franklin Roosevelt, who in the 1930s saw the objectives of economic recovery and greater social justice as closely linked.
President-elect Obama can spend most of his time fretting warily about the shortcomings of past presidents and how to avoid their errors. Or he can think hopefully about truly successful presidents and how their daring changed the country. Is there any doubt as to which of these would more usefully engage his imagination?
Or which would best reverse the decline that has been gripping the nation for decades.
Hank Kalet 