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100 - DAY SILLINESS continued from page 7
The other big problem with the whimsical 100 day fixation is that it can force a president, in this case Obama, to feel that he must move
sprint out the gate to fulfill campaign promises, pass legislation, and burnish up his media and public credentials as a top leader. This carries
risks; risks of acting too hastily and making missteps that invite intense criticism.
Obama’s dash to padlock Guantanamo, announce big sweeping plans for health care, financial and banking regulation reform, his much
ado about nothing handshake with Hugo Chavez, his outstretch to Iran, and Cuba, and hint at dumping nuclear weapons from the world’s
arsenals has drawn heat fire from the right that he’s a reckless tax and spend, debt burdening, free market wrecker, and enemy conciliator.
His mixed signals on prosecuting CIA torture cases and retaining virtually intact the faith based initiative, and ladling out billions to the
banks have drawn heat from the left that he’s a backslider and Beltway politician.
Obama, though, is no different than other every other president modern era. He is pulled and tugged at by corporate and defense industry
lobbyists, the oil and nuclear power industry, government regulators, environmental watchdog groups, conservative family values groups,
moderate and conservative GOP senators and house members, foreign diplomats and leaders. They all have their priorities and agendas and
all vie for White House support for their pet legislation, or to kill or
cripple legislation that threatens their interests. They’ll applaud him
when they get their way and bash him when they don’t.
Obama did another smart thing in his first presidential interview with
60 Minutes in November. He told the interviewer that he took a close
look at FDR’s first 100 days and he was struck not by the avalanche of
legislation and programs that FDR rammed through Congress his first
100 days but his willingness to do things that were different and that
made lasting change. This will take far more than 100 days for that to
happen and for it to be remembered.
Earl Ofari Hutchinson is an author and political analyst. His weekly
radio show, “The Hutchinson Report” can be heard on weekly on
Fridays 9:30 to 10:00 AM in Los Angeles on KTYM Radio 1460 AM
and nationally on ktym.com and blogtalkradio.com