Is Barack Obama Like Dwight Eisenhower?
Reader Comments
Obama like Eisenhower?
No. Eisenhower served his country.
I would disagree in that Carter did not win with a large margin, certainly not one as large as Obama has won.
The important question is whether that margin was a personal triumph like Eisenhowers, meaning that electorate as such is still as ideologically conservative as it was ideologically liberal in Eisenhower's day, which was probably the real reason for Eisenhowers moderation and bipartisanship.
In that sense, Obama as Eisenhower is probably the best a conservative can hope for.
The answer is NO
I expect more from Barone, who I have been reading for years. Obama not campaiging in-person for Martin is the evidence? And just who is the annointed one distancing himself from ... How about Hilda Solis, Luis Gutierrez and other far-left open-border ethnic activists? And historically-speaking, unlike Obama IKE actually accomplished important things before he was elected president. Americans will discover that Obama's change pablum rings hollow and then we'll see about his ratings.
Captain of the Titanic
Eisenhower entered and left office during a time of extraordinary economic calm. When Obama steps into the WH, he inherits the job of stopping the unstoppable: the relentless destruction of wealth caused by the popping of the biggest credit bubble in history. A decadent populace will expect him to shield them from this process and he will fail as would any other mortal. No, I would say that Obama will most certainly not enjoy high approval ratings throughout his presidency.
Obama: Clinton or Carter?
I've thought more about whether Obama will be Carter, or Clinton. He could be Carter, as a smiling self-proclaimed outsider who won by a big margin with the stated goal of cleaning up a GOP mess; but then gets caught between the left and center of his party.
Then again, he could be Clinton, able to toss bread and circuses to the black community and buy it off with charm, symbolism, and certain personal affectations, while governing to the relative center on policy.
We'll find out soon enough.
I like Ike
Many moderate Republicans, Democrats, and Independents voted for Obama because he may be the one who can bring balance, use data and facts rather than pursuing a particular ideology, and bring results. During this global economic crisis, some are calling for the need for so-called “bold action” on Obama’s part, even if it’s not well thought out or even if it does not fully consider things such as economic impact of particular infrastructure projects fully or even if it favors and bails out particular sectors of the economy at the expense of others. A well-thought-out infrastructure program must create a great long run return on investment for taxpayers in the form of new business development. If we must go into debt, we need to make it worth while and try hard to refrain from excesses that could mean high inflation and an even worse fiscal crisis in the long run. It is very fortunate that Peter Orszag and Paul Volcker are close by and that Obama has consulted with center-right and center-left economists.
Milton Friedman and Ayn Rand have excesses on Economics and so do Paul Krugman and John Kenneth Galbraith. George W. Bush and Jimmy Carter had foreign policy excesses. If you read Ike’s farewell address, balance is a paramount concept. He spoke of balancing the need to build up the military AND the need to guard against excesses of the Military-Industrial Complex. He spoke of the need for the government to intervene in the economy at times and to engage in wise investment projects AND to not rely on it too much, trump or stifle the private economy, or to waste money. Americans voted for “change” – I believe the change is in the form of increased political civility, a celebration of our demographic diversity that is a lot more harmonious than in many other places in the world, and positive RESULTS on economic and foreign policy. We have many people in America who understand the economy and can contribute to our next expansion, we will get through it and be stronger. Egregious government excesses are about as useful as financial transactions that participants in a transaction don’t understand.
Is Barack Obama Like Dwight Eisenhower?
In the aspect of being aloof from his party, he is likely to be much like Ike. In maintaining his popularity for 8 years, let's see how he does for the first couple before we decide that. Ike had performed on the world stage at a level Obama has never seen. Obama is a well-spoken Black man. Not much comparison there.
