The LOUDelf speaks!

Many look at Barack H. Obama in wonder… wonder if he’ll do OK as president.  I REALLY hope he does!  However, many feel there’s little to guess at as there is little track record to go on.  But I submit, you can look to one of his friends in the northeast to give you a beautiful view of what is to come.  Who?  Deval Patrick, Governor of Massachusetts.

 

Many may remember the little snafu when it came out that Obama was using the same lines, and similar campaign pitches to Deval Patrick.  Obama had “Yes we can” (also the motto of United Farm Workers), Patrick had “Together we can”.  Go out and look for yourself, and you’ll find some interesting tidbits.

 

Both had some similar backgrounds — no real executive experience prior to their new executive positions.  Both demanded that color not be an issue, but were all too welcoming of nearly 100% support of people of their own color, despite some differences.  Both came into office with very high approval ratings, and both came into office with their party in control of their respective Houses and Senates. 

 

So this leads me to my theory:  Massachusetts may very well be a great model to look at if you want to see how Barack Obama will do in the future. 

 

After Deval Patrick got into office, he immediately came under fire for some questionable spending on interior decorating, staff for his wife, and his urge to have a fancier, state-paid car.  He rectified this after public outcry.  Patrick endorsed ousted state senator Diane Wilkerson, but went into damage control when the $&!# hit the fan over her federal bribery sting.  Later, we saw huge budget gaps pouring in, which he blamed on his predecessor.  Then, he told people that there were going to have to be terrible cuts, and that he was going to have to raise taxes, including more than doubling the gasoline tax. 

 

Now, let’s back up a bit, and look.  Did he know Wilkerson was taking bribes?  Probably (almost definitely) not.  So we’ll give him a pass there.  Let’s then look at his lavish spending.  Would he have been more responsible were he not to have come under fire?  Probably not – We’ll tack him to the wall on that.  What about the fiscal situation?  The answer has been not to reduce the spending (even though there was a ballot initiative to put the spending back to the cities and towns), it was to raise taxes, tolls, fees, etc.  Since I’ve never once heard that raising taxes HELPED the economy, I’m going to also tar and feather on this one.  And did he reach across the aisle to people of other parties?  He hasn’t found the aisle…

 

So, let’s look to the national stage.  We have a guy who comes in, like Patrick, with little applicable experience, pals around with some dubious characters, and who walks in with a one-party-dominated congress preaching that the previous guy made a mess and that he will clean it up.  Sound familiar yet?    

 

We’ve seen Obama rail on this “stimulus” bill, which is little more than a spending bill that does little to stimulate.  This will come at enormous costs, and will take more than a whole generation to pay off.  Instead of fully working to fix the problem, he has blamed much of the problem on the previous administration and their party.  So much for reaching across the aisle, or reducing deficit spending right?  What about the increase in taxes?  Fear not.  Just like Patrick waited, so too will Obama.  But it too will come; maybe in more creative means, but it will come. 

 

So look to Massachusetts in the next year or so to see how the good old US of A is doing my friends.  I have a funny feeling that a lot of people in Massachusetts will tell you that their governor is a miserable failure.  Let’s hope our president proves me wrong!  Please?

Filed under: Bailout, Economy, Politics Tagged: | Conservative, Democrat, Deval, Independent, liberal, Libertarian, moderate, Obama, Patrick, Politics, republican