Obama Learns Jimmy Carter's Lesson and Signs an Imperfect Omnibus Spending Bill
By John Aloysius Farrell, Thomas Jefferson Street blog
I'm thinking today that somebody at the White House knows their US political history, and that is why President Barack Obama did the right thing yesterday, by signing the $410 billion omnibus spending bill—despite all those pesky earmarks.
Rob and I have noted here how some of the early missteps of the Obama administration reminded us of Jimmy Carter's presidency. In letting the Congress have its portions of pork this week, Audacity showed he may be studying the Carter years too.
After getting elected in 1976, Carter was barely in office before he began attacking the Democratic Congress for wasteful spending. In his first 18 months in office, he enraged congressional leaders by striking a series of water projects from the federal budget.
The water projects were the earmarks of their day. Members of Congress used these dams, reservoirs and irrigation canals to show the Chambers of Commerce, and the Rotary Clubs back home that they were working hard to get federal money for their districts.
"This is motherhood," said one congressional aide.
"In a democracy," vice president Walter Mondale cautioned Carter, "someone's waste is another person's treasure."
But Carter insisted on a showdown with his fellow Democrats. Word of his "hit list" spread across the Hill.
"The concern around the Senate is that you are naive or selfish or stubborn, perhaps all three....that you are hard-headed and, even worse, high-handed," the White House congressional lobbyist told his boss.
Carter would not listen. He refused to negotiate and brought on a long-running battle with his own troops over spending; he vetoed appropriation bills and split the Democratic Party. And the resultant paralysis in Congress helped bring on the Reagan era.
Times change. Maybe conditions are different. But I can't see how a veto fight, fifty days in, with a Democratic Congress, would help Obama, or the country.
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Reader Comments
Let's see......
Jimmy Carter created the unfunded mess called the EPA. Signed into law a bill that allows for illegal immigrants who have anchor babies to collect social security which they have never put one dime towards. Allowed the devaluation of the US dollar to the point where massive interest rates were the result, and did it all in just 4 years. No one wonders why the peanut farmer disappeared from political influence other than to see him and his unfailing support of terrorists.
Yeah I guess Old Barry (aka Barack) has learned his lesson all too well. He spent more in two months than the previous administration did in budgets over 8 years. Not an accomplishment I would want. How about his support of immediate passage of a Nixon era desire of the United Nations to control the inland water ways and coastal rights called the LOST treaty. The Law of the Sea Treaty. He must have picked up that boob mentality from Clinton. It was old Bill that signed into law paperwork proposed by the UN when Reagan was in office called GATT. NAFTA was just an ugly child he signed into law also. Look what it cost us in jobs so far.
Haters of America must be rejoicing.
Learn from Carter ?
A good President for his time, an even better "peanut tycoon",
the article claims a partial paralisis in Congress, that
brought Reagan. The achievement was Carters' insight in
argi-business ; Reagan became a typical, of what was left
over. In prosperity, their become those who become increasingly
comfortable with lax ; thats the group to watch-out for.
Ommnibus, appeared a genuine attempt to promote motivation ;
to tame the shrewd is appearing as the trade-marks of this
new administration. The labeling of California, by Govornor
Schwartznegger will prove much more of a timely occurence ;
if someone could pull the plug on my (income) life so easily,
I would be curious of what type of business our new thug-
mug mentality has choosen to occupy. Just say no to his
Rambo want-a-bee's ...rjh
Carter was right
Carter fought his own party. However, Carter's demise was his ineptitude in handling the Iranian hostage situation plus the bad economy.
The high unemployment was there as well as the other things noted in this article. However, if he showed backbone to Iran & the Russians, he would've been re-elected.
I remember when Reagan was elected. It was the saddest day of my life, as I thought he was a warmonger. I was wrong.
Reagan defeated the Communist menace, brought down the wall in Germany & curbed inflation. He was a great president.
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