The Trim Tab Factor
Are you tired of all the hope and glee and analysis yet? Actually, the outpouring of relief and joy was newsworthy, not just nationally, among Democrats, but worldwide. Many around the globe think our nation seems to have recovered our senses, and in something of an American style, jumped forward in an important human rights kinda way. Anyway, lots of people are purring.
A whole bunch of folks are less happy. Republicans like Gingrich, Palin, Huckabee, Romney, Jindal, Pawlenty, and others are having to insist that they aren’t looking ahead to 2012. My goodness, it hasn’t been a week yet that Barack Obama was elected president and we’re two months off until he’s inaugurated, but that’s hardly enough to curb some ambitions.
Many of The Beltway Players are lining up to push their own agendas, both appointees and policies. Those most likely to succeed will be those who can help to put out the fires and heal the wounds to be healed from eight disastrous years of the Bush-Cheney reign. They’ll be competing with other high priorities and a paucity of resources.
Ironically, a considerable amount of the damage the new president will be able to fix himself, quickly and without waiting for Congress. The irony is because the folks on Capitol Hill were in such a state of supplication for the past eight years, and the Bush White House made so many unilateral executive decisions – there were over 700 signing statements – that many of the sins can be undone by his successor, for instance on stem cell research and the environment.
Changing the nation’s direction is probably comparable to turning around a super-tanker. But those huge ships have what’s called the trim tab which can shift the main rudder more quickly than the giant blade could move by itself.
Perhaps the new administration, backed by an anxious citizenry, can leverage the 2008 elections and put America back on track...con brio.
©2008 SetonnoteS
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