obama - Robert Maguire on Diigo

21 Dec 09

An interesting point from Krugman:
Take the CBO estimate
of the cost of subsidies and Medicaid expansion in the Senate bill —
that is, ignoring all possible cost savings. It’s $179 billion in 2018.
Take the CMS projection
of total health care spending in 2018: it’s more than $4.5 trillion. So
the direct cost of expanding coverage — the initial bump in the blue
curve above — is less than 4 percent of total health care spending.
That’s the amount by which, on the current trajectory, health spending
rises every 7 months.
And it's budgeted. Any Republican who voted for the unfunded Medicare Prescription Drug Entitlement has no logical standing to oppose this bill on fiscal grounds.

18 Dec 09

The $2 Trillion Man | Foreign Policy

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brandamerica politics obama rankings statistics reference approvalrating US business money economy intangibles

Yet in one sense, Obama achieved more in the first 11
months of his presidency than his predecessor managed to in eight years. My
research clearly shows that he has begun to restore America's good name, an intangible
asset with highly tangible (read: lucrative) consequences. As head of state,
Obama has boosted the value of "Brand America" by just over $2
trillion, up from $9.7 trillion in 2008 to $11.8 trillion this year. That means
U.S. goods, services, people, and even the country's landscape are about 20
percent more enticing to the global market than they were in 2008.
5 more annotations...
- Indeed, hardly any country's image has
  altered more than 1 or 2 percent since the NBI was launched. Perceptions about
  a given place remained more or less constant even as it was hit by political
  and economic upheaval, terrorist attacks, and natural disasters. Nor did the
  countless, ruinously expensive publicity campaigns optimistically designed to "brand"
  countries push up any ratings for the better.
- Following the publication in 2006 of cartoons
  lampooning the Prophet Muhammad, Denmark's image collapsed in Muslim countries
  in the survey. In Egypt, for example, Denmark had typically been ranked around 15th
  in most categories, with a high ranking of seventh for its governance.
- The
  second exception occurred this year and was even more dramatic. The United States,
  which had languished around seventh place in my index since 2005, shot up to
  first place, and not just in the perceptions of one or two countries. For a
  sample representing some 60 percent of the world's population and 77 percent of
  its economy, America is suddenly the most admired country on Earth.
- Closer analysis of the data shows that much of the boost
  comes from improved international opinion of the American people themselves.
  After the re-election of George W. Bush to a second term, I began to record
  falling scores not just for U.S. foreign policy but also for U.S. people,
  culture, products, and even -- by a delightfully illogical extension -- the U.S.
  landscape. Now, the world appears to have
  absolved Americans of any perceived sin, having elected the "right"
  president. Even the country's rolling hills and city skylines, it seems, are
  fully restored to their former grandeur in the eyes of the world.
- Redemption of the brand means more than just the warm
  and fuzzy feeling one gets when thinking about the United States. By
  combining the NBI data with a range of economic and industrial statistics, it
  is possible to hazard a brand valuation for a country, much as corporations
  value their brands. Working with Brand Finance, a consultancy that specializes
  in valuing the intangible assets of corporations, we estimate that the value of
  "Brand America" has jumped from $9.7 trillion in 2008 to $11.8
  trillion today. Even more remarkably, that increase comes even as the global
  recession has seen U.S. GDP growth decline 2.3 percentage points over the last
  year. That number is value that Obama has added
  to the U.S. economy simply by taking office and making the right speeches.

17 Dec 09

Secretary Clinton Calls for Broad Operational Agreement on Climate Change

www.state.gov/...133557.htm - Preview

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successful agreement
two are shaping up to be essential
6 more annotations...
- first, that all major economies set forth strong national actions and resolve to implement them; and second, that they agree to a system that enables full transparency and creates confidence that national actions are in fact being implemented.
- a number of core elements
- Transparency, in particular, is what will ensure that this agreement becomes operational, not just aspirational. We all need to take our share of responsibility, stand behind our commitments, and mean what we say in order for an international agreement to be credible.
- It is no secret that the United States turned a blind eye to climate change for too long. But now, under President Obama’s leadership, we are taking responsibility and taking action.
- Some are concerned that a strong agreement on climate change will undermine the efforts of developing nations to build their economies, but the opposite is true. This is an opportunity to drive investment and job creation around the world, while bringing energy services to hundreds of millions of the world’s poor.
- That is why United States is supporting an accord that both complements and promotes sustainable development by moving the world toward a low-carbon economy. The accord we seek will provide generous financial and technological support for developing countries, particularly the poorest and most vulnerable, to help them reduce emissions and adapt to climate change. And we are prepared to join an effort to mobilize fast-start funding that will ramp up to $10 billion in 2012 to support the adaptation and mitigation efforts of countries in need.

The 10 Worst Predictions for 2009 | Foreign Policy

"I do know this. At the end of this first year of Congress, there will be an energy bill on the president's desk."

—Rahm Emanuel on This Week with George Stephanopoulos, April 19, 2009
Declaring that his work is done, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke will announce he'll
leave the Fed upon the expiration of his four-year term as chairman on
Jan. 31, 2010. While mostly not his fault, the recession has hurt his
standing with the Obama Administration -- and it also has worn him down on
a personal level. He'll be succeeded by Lawrence Summers, former Treasury Secretary under the Clinton Administration."

—BusinessWeek, Jan. 2, 2009
8 more annotations...
- While
  the precise impact of the fall resurgence of 2009-H1N1 influenza is
  impossible to predict, a plausible scenario is that the epidemic could: produce infection of 30-50% of the U.S. population this fall and winter, ... lead to as many as 1.8 million U.S. hospital admissions during the epidemic, ... [and] cause between 30,000 and 90,000 deaths in the United States."
  
  —Report to the President on U.S. Preparations for the 2009-H1N1 Influenza, President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, Aug. 7, 2009
- "The economy went into freefall and is still falling and we don't know where the bottom will be until we get there and there's no sign that we are anywhere near a bottom."
  
  —George Soros at Columbia University, Feb 20, 2009
- Chris Wallace: "Best guess: Will the president end up giving McChrystal the troops he wants, or will he change the war strategy?"
  
  Charles Krauthammer: "I think he doesn't and McChrystal resigns.
  
  —Fox News Sunday, Sept. 27, 2009
- "Brown
  will be tempted to fight on, but if he is well advised and sensible, he
  will see that this cannot go on. He will concede what Tony Blair also
  eventually also conceded when the pressure grew too great -- that he has no wish to be an impediment to Labour's electoral success. He will step down soon, maybe today, certainly this weekend."
  
  —Martin Kettle, The Guardian, June 5, 2009
- "I'm very pleased to announce that we've
  had a breakthrough in negotiations in Honduras. I want to congratulate
  the people of Honduras as well as President Zelaya and Mr. Micheletti
  for reaching an historic agreement.... I
  cannot think of another example of a country in Latin America that
  having suffered a rupture of its democratic and constitutional order
  overcame such a crisis through negotiation and dialogue."
  
  —U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Oct. 30, 2009
- "I
  think if they [Israel] are to do anything, the most likely period is
  after our elections and before the inauguration of the next president. I don't think they will do anything before our election because they don't want to affect it. And they'd have to make a judgment whether to go during the remainder of President Bush's term in office or wait for his successor."
  
  —John Bolton, Fox News, June 22, 2008
  
  "It will have to make a decision soon, and it will be no surprise if Israel strikes by year's end. Israel's choice could determine whether Iran obtains nuclear weapons in the foreseeable future."
  
  —John Bolton, The Wall Street Journal, July 28, 2009
- "This is going to unleash rampant inflation around the world, rampant confusion in the currency markets. You're going to have currencies gyrating all over the world. Bond markets are going to start to collapse, and then we're going to have a real problem. The stock market understands this. They're unleashing an inflationary Holocaust because they don't know what else to do."
  
  —Jim Rogers, CNBC, Oct. 10, 2008
- "If
  we do nothing, I can guarantee you that within a decade, a communist
  Chinese regime that hates democracy and sees America as its primary
  enemy will dominate the tiny country of Panama, and thus dominate the
  Panama Canal, one of the world's most important strategic points."
  
  —Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.), Dec. 7, 1999

Media Debate Climate Change - Pew Research Center

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3 more annotations...
- Global Warming
- At 10% of the newshole, the subject of global warming quadrupled the amount of attention it had received any week since PEJ began tracking the media in January 2007. A week earlier had been the previous high water mark, at 2.3%.

Fomenting Fear And Loathing - The Daily Dish | By Andrew Sullivan

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By stoking their sadness, and providing no counterbalance from grieving victims with alternate views, Hannity creates pure propaganda. And he channels that raw, seething emotion not just toward a particular policy decision, but a personalized individual - Barack Obama - who also happens to be the nation's leader in a time of war.

15 Dec 09

DOD: Obama's Afghan Surge Will Rely Heavily On Private Contractors | TPMMuckraker

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statistics reference dod private contractors waronterror obama politics US qdr

As President Obama's escalation of the war in Afghanistan unfolds, the number of contractors will likely jump by between 16,000 and 56,000, adding up to a total of 120,000-160,000, according to an updated study from the Congressional Research Service.
DOD officials who spoke with the study's author said contractors would make up 50-55 percent of the total workforce
3 more annotations...
- The most recent Quadrennial Defense Review, a key strategic overview of American defense and military policy, runs over 100 pages. Just five sentences of the QDR document addresses the use of private contractors, the CRS study notes.

14 Dec 09

Brzezinski Assesses Obama's Foreign Policy : NPR

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Against The Clash - The Daily Dish | By Andrew Sullivan

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crusades islam muslims style obama history waronterror politics US nobel

Osama's favorite label for U.S. and western forces is "crusaders."
Obama pointedly puts the European Crusaders of old on the same side of
the ledger as Islamic extremists. No holy war can ever be a just war. One rule lies at the heart of all religions. Obama is simultaneously taking on the militant understanding of jihad and denying any fundamental clash of civilizations. Mullahs of the world, mull that.

11 Dec 09

Obama’s Succinct Description Of Neoconservatism: ‘The Satisfying Purity Of Indignation’ | The Progressive Realist

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US politics neoconservatives republicans conservatives obama nobel bill kristol

Comparing passages from the Oslo speech and George W. Bush’s 2002 State of the Union address, Bill Kristol seems to think that it’s noteworthy that both Presidents Obama and Bush are in favor of using U.S. power to combat terrorism and extremism, the implication being that this in some way vindicates Bush’s neoconservative-inspired “global war on terror” approach to national security. (Adam Serwer dismantles this idea here.)
Neoconservative pundit Daniel Pipes, however, laments that “the war on terror” is precisely what was missing from the speech. Noting Obama’s statement that “I am the commander-in-chief of a nation in the midst of two wars,” Pipes replies:

And here I thought there were three wars. Obama’s two are Iraq and Afghanistan; missing is what George W. Bush termed the War on Terror and I call the “war on radical Islam.” Obama apparently reduces that third one to al-Qaeda and counts it as part of the Afghan war. His mistake has real consequences; long after American troops have left Iraq and Afghanistan, Islamists will be attacking and subverting us. If we don’t see their efforts as a war, we lose.
1 more annotations...
- his admission that he would prefer that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad win Iran’s presidential elections, because, as Pipes put it, “I would prefer to have an enemy who is forthright and blatant and obvious.” In other words, Pipes may be a crank, but he’s an honest crank.

10 Dec 09

Obama’s Nobel Speech: Climate Change As a Security Issue - Environmental Capital - WSJ

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security climatechange obama nobel US environment politics

The absence of hope can rot a society from within. And that is why helping farmers feed their own people — or nations educate their children and care for the sick — is not mere charity. It is also why the world must come together to confront climate change. There is little scientific dispute that if we do nothing, we will face more drought, famine and mass displacement that will fuel more conflict for decades. For this reason, it is not merely scientists and activists who call for swift and forceful action — it is military leaders in my country and others who understand that our common security hangs in the balance.

Obama Administration on Open Government: More than Rhetoric? « UNREDACTED

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US politics obama reform state secrets security intelligence transparency googlegovernment style lobbying lobbyists

To date, there have been some positive signs that the Obama Administration has been trying to shift the federal government away from the excessive secrecy that characterized the Bush 43 Administration. Many of these efforts, however, have been small steps that impact only a limited area of federal activity—although in some cases those have been important areas. Many open government advocates, however, have been frustrated that the inauguration of President Obama did not lead to a dramatic opening up of federal agency filing cabinets (and databases). More critically, many of the hardest secrecy issues that arose during the prior administration are still not resolved or have not been resolved favorably, from the open government perspective.
to proactively make its visitor records public, is the type of action that is largely in control of the White House itself and that requires little buy-in from other agencies (although we have heard that the national security establishment objected and tried to hold it up).
11 more annotations...
- sets a precedent for the public’s ability to learn who is trying to influence policy at the White House
- the reform of procedures for invoking state secrets privilege by the Department of Justice involves more rigorous review of the decision at the Department of Justice.
- Indeed, some decisions seemed to perpetuate the secrecy of the prior eight years, including the decision to sign legislation passed by Congress that barred the release of images of detainee abuse and the continuing effort to obtain dismissal of a number of lawsuits related to warrantless surveillance and rendition.
- The three principles of transparency, participation and collaboration form the cornerstone of an open government. Transparency promotes accountability by providing the public with information about what the Government is doing. Participation allows members of the public to contribute ideas and expertise so that their government can make policies with the benefit of information that is widely dispersed in society. Collaboration improves the effectiveness of Government by encouraging partnerships and cooperation within the federal government, across levels of government, and between the government and private institutions.
- What doesn’t it do? It does not include any negative incentives for failure.
- Summary of the Open Government Timetable
- Within 45 Days
- Each agency must register three high-value data sets that have not previously been available online in a downloadable format via Data.gov.
- Within 60 Days
- Within 90 Days
  
  The Deputy Director for Management at OMB will issue guidance on the use of challenges, prizes, and incentives to encourage open government.
- Within 120 Days

The Obama Doctrine and the Nobel Prize | The Progressive Realist

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US politics reference nobel price obama style obama doctrine war waronterror exceptionalism

Obama's Nobel acceptance speech -- essentially a second escalation speech -- is perhaps the most articulate expression of The Obama Doctrine we've seen yet. It was a lengthy defense of American military intervention from World War II to Desert Storm, and a forceful justification of the escalation of troop levels in Afghanistan. It was a stirring defense of human rights, and an indictment of violence and extremism. Obama at once dismissed the idea of a military solution for problems of hunger and disease, while justifying military intervention on humanitarian grounds. He venerated Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King Jr., while asserting that "as a head of state sworn to protect and defend my nation, I cannot be guided by their examples alone." Obama conceded that "war itself is never glorious," but nevertheless argued that "the instruments of war do have a role to play in preserving the peace." The president again repudiated the use of torture and advocated for engagement with repressive regimes, citing Iran, Burma, and North Korea by name. While "engagement with repressive regimes lacks the satisfying purity of indignation," Obama said, "the promotion of human rights cannot be about exhortation alone."
It was an unapologetic assertion of American exceptionalism, all while tying that exceptionalism to actual American behavior.
2 more annotations...
- But much of the president's rhetoric on human rights felt hollow. "We lose ourselves when we compromise the very ideals that we fight to defend," he said. By that standard, we've lost ourselves. Obama has repudiated torture, but has left the other hallmarks of executive overreach -- from indefinite detention without trial or charge to warrantless surveillance -- largely untouched. He has refused to hold anyone accountable for the lawbreaking and human rights violations of the past, opting instead to "look forward."
- In this speech, Obama said "Even those of us with the best intentions will at times fail to right the wrongs before us." For liberals, that may be the lesson of the first year of Obama's presidency.

44% of Americans Think that China is the World's Leading Economic Power | The Progressive Realist

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politics reference china US statistics bush obama economy power perspectives approvalrating

According to the latest Pew poll on US attitudes on international affairs, 44% of Americans think that the world's leading economic power is... China. Only 27% think it's the United States. Here's the somewhat blurry chart from the report.
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- As Barack Obama would say: Let me be clear. People who think this are crazy. Or, to be more gentle, they are really woefully misinformed about what the world is like.
- You could address this point with, you know, "facts." Almost no one in the United States is a peasant farmer. Most people in China are. Nearly everyone in America has indoor plumbing. Most people in China don't. Japan has one-tenth as many people as China, yet its economy is larger -- the second largest in the world. America's is of course largest of all, three times larger than Japan's and about four times larger than China's. Name 20 large American corporations that do business worldwide. Without trying, you can probably name 50. Try to name even 10 from China. Name the most recent winner of a Nobel prize in science from a Chinese university or research institution. (Hint: this is a trick question.)
- In unrelated news, I see that 44% of the public wishes that the 43rd president were still in office. I'm not sure which is the less heartening thought: that these are the same 44% who think that China is already #1, or that a total of 88% of the public holds one of the other of these views.

New poll finds Israelis more positive on Obama | The Cable

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obama israel politics palestine statistics reference approvalratings

Israelis aren't nearly as
unsupportive of President Obama and America's role in the Middle East peace
process as most news reports would have you believe, according to a new survey
being released today by the New America Foundation. (Raw poll results here, analysis here.)
52 percent of the 1,000 Israelis
surveyed thought Obama's election would be good for the problems facing
the world and 42 percent responded that they think he supports Israel.
1 more annotations...
- That's
  significantly higher than the number most often cited, that just 4 percent of
  Israelis view Obama's policies as "pro-Israel," a reference to an
  August poll conducted by the Jerusalem Post.

Leaving the Left, Ctd - The Daily Dish | By Andrew Sullivan

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US politics glenn greenwald liberals conservatives obama criticism republicans democrats

Greenwald is in error when he states that people like me who don't identify with the left anymore (I now consider myself an open-minded moderate) want no criticism of Obama. By all means, dissent and dialogue on every issue. That is what brings a deeper understanding to all. What I object to is the nutty dogmatism, the "Obama is a liar!," "Obama is Bush/Cheney," "Obama is... whatever." It's those folks screaming about what Obama isn't doing and what he should do who seem to have invested him with Godlike qualities, not the more pragmatic of us.

They do seem to have seen him as the savior that the right was constantly suggesting many viewed him as. That he would wave his magic wand and all our problems would just evaporate. It's a very immature view with a lot of foot-stopping that seems more emotionally invested than those of us who thought he was smart, thoughtful, compassionate, and broad-minded, and would bring those qualities into all his decision-making. That's what I was looking for and that's what I'm getting.

09 Dec 09

"Embarrass The White Race. That's What This Administration Does" - The Daily Dish | By Andrew Sullivan

The Liberal Reagan - The Daily Dish | By Andrew Sullivan

andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/...the-liberal-reagan.html - Preview

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White House set to announce Taiwan arms deal - By Josh Rogin | The Cable

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US politics taiwan obama china weapons missiles statistics reference armstrade

Taiwan's deputy national security advisor, Ho Szu-yin, is in Washington this week and is said to be talking with the administration about the issue.
"I
can assure you this administration will not waiver in its commitment to
provide those defense articles and services necessary for Taiwan's
defense," Assistant Secretary of Defense Chip Gregson told the U.S.-Taiwan Business Council in September.
8 more annotations...
- Some experts say it's not a huge issue.
  
  "Given the broad agenda that Presidents Obama and Hu [Jintao] laid out in Beijing last month, I expect China to register their complaints, register their disapproval, and then move on," said Abe Denmark, Asia expert at the Center for a New American Security.
  
  The Taiwanese government has already budgeted around $4 billion to purchase 66 F-16s, but Taiwanese officials do not expect a deal to happen. The initial agreement also raised the possibility of Taiwan purchasing diesel submarines, but that is also seen as very unlikely.
- F-16
  sales are also an issue for members of the U.S. Congress, who are
  concerned that the production line for the planes might shut down if
  foreign sales trail off.
- A host of items remain left over from the arms-sales
  agreement made between the Taiwanese government and the Bush
  administration, including Black Hawk helicopters and Patriot missile
  batteries, both of which are expected to be in the package. The Bush
  team put through some arms sales to Taiwan just before leaving office,
  including Apache helicopters and destroyers.
- The Obama administration is clear on its support for standing policies regarding Taiwan, including adhering to the Taiwan Relations Act,
  which pledges that America will help Taiwan maintain its defense
  capabilities.
- China
  continues to build up its missile inventory opposite Taiwan, which is now estimated to top 1,300 missiles capable of hitting Taiwan.
- "These arms sales are at least partially a response to China's military buildup opposite Taiwan," said one Asia hand. "The rapprochement across the strait simply hasn't been reflected in China's military deployment."
- One Asia hand said that the White House might see the arms-sales
  announcement as "a repudiation of the critics of the president's trip
  to Beijing," because it combats the perception that Obama is kowtowing
  to the Chinese.
- "This shows that China policy occurs in more than one-week increments; you can't judge the success or failure from one trip," the expert said.

Rep. Steve King: The White House Served Me ACORN Cookies! | TPM LiveWire

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At the WH Christmas Ball Monday night, they served ACORN cookies

Robert Maguire's Library tagged obama → View Popular

The Cost Of Universal Coverage - The Daily Dish | By Andrew Sullivan

The $2 Trillion Man | Foreign Policy

Secretary Clinton Calls for Broad Operational Agreement on Climate Change

The 10 Worst Predictions for 2009 | Foreign Policy

Media Debate Climate Change - Pew Research Center

Fomenting Fear And Loathing - The Daily Dish | By Andrew Sullivan

DOD: Obama's Afghan Surge Will Rely Heavily On Private Contractors | TPMMuckraker

Brzezinski Assesses Obama's Foreign Policy : NPR

Against The Clash - The Daily Dish | By Andrew Sullivan

Obama’s Succinct Description Of Neoconservatism: ‘The Satisfying Purity Of Indignation’ | The Progressive Realist

Obama’s Nobel Speech: Climate Change As a Security Issue - Environmental Capital - WSJ

Obama Administration on Open Government: More than Rhetoric? « UNREDACTED

The Obama Doctrine and the Nobel Prize | The Progressive Realist

44% of Americans Think that China is the World's Leading Economic Power | The Progressive Realist

New poll finds Israelis more positive on Obama | The Cable

Leaving the Left, Ctd - The Daily Dish | By Andrew Sullivan

"Embarrass The White Race. That's What This Administration Does" - The Daily Dish | By Andrew Sullivan

The Liberal Reagan - The Daily Dish | By Andrew Sullivan

White House set to announce Taiwan arms deal - By Josh Rogin | The Cable

Rep. Steve King: The White House Served Me ACORN Cookies! | TPM LiveWire

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