A decade has passed in the New Millennium, and as Paul Krugman pointed out, we are back to where we started. We learned nothing. As not to totally quote a Nine Inch Nails album...but we are back at Year Zero.
2009 is a goner. KO'd without as much as a complaint or obstruction. It left us in an eco-friendly, universally-covered, surge-inspired, financially-reformed, slow-to-recover backlog of problems, dropped into the lap of the new decade.
But, I don't want to be completely pessimistic about the end of the first year of one of the most anticipated administrations in United States history. But, as many Americans celebrated the election of the first black president, many political strategists began to lose sleep over the burden that they were about to take on. Here we have it:
Deficit
The Economy
War in Afghanistan
War in Iraq
Guantanamo Bay
Health Care
Climate Change
Housing Bubble
Credit Crisis
Unemployment
Stimulus
Torture
While some of these were campaign promises, many were legacies of the last couple months of the Bush administration. Of course one cannot harp forever about the problems of the Bush administration, as that would not produce any results.
Let's take a look at the current situation:
Deficit - Even higher (about 1/7 of GDP)
The Economy - Recession done, slow recovery commencing, emphasis on SLOW
War in Afghanistan - +30,000 more troops w/end date, still out of control
War in Iraq - first month without a single death, surge worked!
Guantanamo Bay - Not closed, prisoners successfully moved to Illinois, deadline for closure 01/20/10
Health Care - Bill passed Senate and House, going to Committee, then to Prez desk for passage
Climate Change - Energy bill passed house, waiting for Kerry-Graham-Lieberman rewrite in Senate, Copenhagen produced iffy results, IE Politically binding agreement
Housing Bubble - First time buyer credit extended, new rules still circulating
Credit Crisis - CARD Act in place, Banks bought out, TARP extended, TARP mostly paid back, banks continue to fail, Reg Reform pushed
Unemployment - 10.2% and rising
Stimulus - Passed, 2-yr plan for total implementation, job stimulus on the way
Torture - Memos released, on back burner?
This means?
Obama will face the same amount of work he did coming into the job. And, I will bet dollars-to-donuts that he will face harsher challenges, and more obstacles in getting his domestic and international legislation passed.
This also means that there will be a low-down-and-dirty, no-holds-bar, mudslingin' Wild West shootout/bar fight (can I give you anymore hyphenated anecdotes?) when the 2010 midterm elections arrive. If the Dems lose control of Congress, its going to be an uphill battle for the administration, fraught with compromise.
But, for 2010, compromise will be the name of the game.
