Obama's Inaugural Address

“As times change, so must we,” President Barack Obama said in his eloquent and inspiring inaugural address, delivered to several hundred thousand witnesses gathered in front of the U.S. Capitol.  He continued, “Fidelity to our founding principles requires new responses to new challenges; that preserving our individual freedoms ultimately requires collective action.”

Mr. Obama’s address marked the beginning of his second term as president.  The remarks fell on Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, and focused heavily on civil rights, equality and fairness for all.  “We, the people, declare today that the most evident of truths – that all of us are created equal,” he said, “just as it guided our forebears through Seneca Falls, and Selma, and Stonewall.”   

The president, citing and end of a decade of war, and the nascent economic recovery, said, “America’s possibilities are limitless.”  He then gave the nation a clarion call, “My fellow Americans, we are made for this moment, and we will seize it – so long as we seize it together. “

House Speaker John Boehner and Republican Majority Leader Eric Cantor, who were seated on the platform near President Obama, showed no emotion during the address.  But the president delivered a message intended for his opposition.  “The commitments we make to each other – through Medicare, and Medicaid, and Social Security – these things do not sap our initiative; they strengthen us.  They do not make us a nation of takers; they free us to take the risks that make this country great. “

And, in reference to the partisan divisiveness that has created great turmoil in the halls of Congress for the past four years, Mr. Obama said, “We cannot mistake absolutism for principle, or substitute spectacle for politics, or treat name-calling as reasoned debate.”

Yet some of the issues the president highlighted, in his nineteen-minute address, are sure to meet resistance from Republicans in Congress.  Mr. Obama devoted a paragraph to climate change, which wasn’t even debated during the presidential campaign.    Speaking of gun control, the president said, “Our journey is not complete until all our children, from the streets of Detroit to the hills of Appalachia to the quiet lanes of Newtown, know that they are cared for, and cherished, and always safe from harm.” 

Mr. Obama took on criticism of his handling of Iran’s nuclear program, “We will show the courage to try and resolve our differences with other nations peacefully – not because we are naïve about the dangers we face, but because engagement can more durably lift suspicion and fear.”

In many ways, President Obama’s speech was a continuation of his campaign to engage women, gays, immigrants and the middle class.  “For we, the people, understand that our country cannot succeed when a shrinking few do very well and a growing many barely make it.  We believe that America’s prosperity must rest upon the broad shoulders of a rising middle class.”  But he warned of tough choices ahead to reduce health care costs and the deficits.  Nonetheless, he said,  “But we reject the belief that America must choose between caring for the generation that built this country and investing in the generation that will build its future.”

The president spoke confidently, with clarity and purpose.  His speech laid out a progressive agenda, yet it was grounded in the values and intentions of America’s Founding Fathers.  “Being true to our founding documents does not require us to agree on every contour of life,” he said, “Progress does not compel us to settle centuries-long debates about the role of government for all time – but it does require us to act in our time.”

As President Barack Obama entered the Capitol building, following his address, he turned and looked out at the crowd, and the Washington Monument in the distance.  He then smiled.

It's Not My Default

Republicans and Democrats are on a collision course over raising the nation's debt ceiling. Failure to do so will have dire consequences on all Americans and the global economy. Regretfully, it is politics as usual in Washington.

Most experts agree that failure to raise the debt ceiling will cause the United States to default. The consequences of a default will be catastrophic on the already frail American economy. Government payrolls and entitlement programs will not be funded. Interest rates on loans will increase. More people will be thrown out of work. And such a failure will send a tsunami through world economic markets, which are already teetering because of Greece, Italy and Ireland. The global standing of America will be rocked and confidence in the U.S. economy will be severely shaken across the world.

Up to now raising the debt ceiling has been more or less a routine matter. Most Republicans did not blink when it came to casting their annual approval during the deficit-riddled administration of President George Bush. President Bush ran up huge deficits due in large part to his unfunded tax cuts and two wars. What has changed?

Republicans have seized on the debt ceiling crisis to gain deep cuts in the U.S. budget, perhaps following the axiom, "Never let a crisis go to waste." They see an opportunity to scale back future government spending in order, they say, to achieve long-term financial stability and grow more jobs. But so far recent government cuts on the national and state level have resulted in thousands of layoffs as well as reductions in education and critical services.

While President Barack Obama and most Democrats agree that some cuts are in order they have argued for a "balanced" approach. That means addressing the problem by raising some revenues, for instance by closing corporate loopholes and increasing taxes on the wealthiest individuals. Not to do so will put the burden on those least able to afford it. And, according to a recent poll, a large majority of Americans agree with this approach. However, Republicans firmly proclaim that raising any taxes will kill jobs. Never mind that there is no historical evidence to back their claim up.

So the two sides have dug in. Negotiations have reached a boiling point. Republican Speaker John Boehner is struggling to keep his caucus in line, with many of its members willing to let the nation to go into default. Most of them say that the impact of a default will not be too severe a price to pay if it results in deep spending cuts. Many have signed a no new taxes pledge. Republican Majority leader Eric Cantor is leading the hardliners, and may be positioning himself for the Speakership.

Meanwhile, negotiations at the White House to end the impasse continue. Accounts of these meetings vary depending on the party spinning the story. Did Rep. Cantor interrupt the president several times? Did a frustrated president abruptly walk out of the meeting? Who cares? Republicans say the debt is President Obama's problem. Democrats say it is the Republicans who are putting the country at peril.

It is time for all parties grow up. It is time to act in the best interest of the nation. It is time for our elected officials to cast partisan politics and petty rivalries aside and to put America first. Either pass a clean debt ceiling bill or compromise on managing future deficits with a mixture of budget cuts and some revenue enhancements. And then let the voters decide in 2012 which side it supports.