Bringing Prosperity Back to the United States by Roger Caldwell

On Tuesday January 27, 2011, President Obama delivered his second “State of the Union” address, where he established his strategic economic and political plan for 2011 and beyond. His focus as everyone expected was on the resurgence of the recovering economy and the need for bipartisan cooperation in the 112^th Congress.

With the backdrop of the massacre at Tucson and attempted assassination of Representative Gifford, intense emotions and reflection was on the minds of all the politicians and other guest who attended the “State of the Union” address. The question that all Americans continue to ask themselves is: “How could this happen in the greatest country on the planet?”

As a result of the massacre, there was an unprecedented seating arrangement between the two parties where they sat together and responded to the speech as a united body. Many in the media wrote this activity off as symbolic act, but to me it was the beginning of civility, communication, and respect for each other.

For too long the Democrats and the Republicans act as if they are enemies and their goal is to create an environment of confrontation and anger. Instead of making laws to help all Americans, they are busy repealing laws that can improve the lives of all the residents.

President Obama begins his speech with a teachable moment, where he explains that intense debate is a positive aspect of a robust and informative democracy. “It’s no secret that those of us here tonight have had our differences over the last two years. The debates have been contentious; we have fought fiercely for our beliefs. And that’s a good thing. That what a robust democracy demands. That what sets us apart.”

President Obama makes it clear that freedom is what makes America great and there is a place for differences in opinions. But we are all part of the American family and the challenges that we face as a nation are larger than anyone party. He believes that as a country we have overcome one of the worst recessions and innovation and America’s competitive spirit will move our country forward.

As an insightful leader and a visionary articulate teacher, President Obama in his speech continues to emphasize that our country must position itself to lead now, and in the future. “We measure progress by the success of our people, by the jobs they can find and the quality of life those jobs offer. But we have more work to do.”

In this speech as in all of the president’s speeches, he takes time to inspire us and encourages us to be great. During this speech, he talks about change and how there is a revolution in technology, transportation, and communication. As leaders we have a responsibility to transform the world, which is our rightful place in the world.

President Obama believes for two hundred years, Americans continue to re-invent themselves through innovation and our story is focused on success. Education is the key to our success as a country and the president and both parties have implemented the program “Race to the Top.” There are already success stories where entire schools were failing and now they are succeeding.

The president realizes that we must rebuild the American infrastructure by developing a high speed rail system and a high speed internet. He wants to simplify the tax system, enhance his new Health Care Law, and make sure our children are not buried under a “mountain of debt. Our government must live within its means; therefore he is putting a freeze on annual domestic spending.

In this presidential State of the Union address there were many promises and very aggressive plans. But as Americans, if we can visualize our president’s imagination, there is no reason our country can’t be prosperous and great.   

Can Republicans Really Repeal the Health Care Bill? by Roger Caldwell

John Boehner, the incoming Republican majority leader, and the House Republicans in the 112^th Congress swiftly honored a campaign pledge, and passed legislation to repeal the health care overhaul. On Wednesday evening, January 19, 2011, by a vote of 245 to 189, the Republicans let it be known to the country that they mean business. Some political experts interpret this as a symbolic act but on many different levels this bill is being challenged.

On this important vote in the House, there were three Democrats that sided with the Republicans, and to defeat a veto by the President in the House is needed 280 votes. The Republicans in all probability cannot stop a presidential veto, but in committees they can stop funding for Health Care initiatives. They have the ability to bring things to a standstill in the House, and John Boehner is going to do everything possible to repeal the bill.

Working on the state level to repeal the Health Care Bill, 26 states have filed lawsuits to challenge the constitutionality of the law, because it violates people's rights by forcing them to buy health insurance. Two federal judges have ruled and upheld the law requirements, but in Virginia the federal judge has ruled that the insurance-purchase mandate was unconstitutional.

In Florida, former Republican Attorney General Bill McCollum filed the lawsuit just minutes after President Obama signed the 10 year, $938 billion health care bill into law in March 2010. Joining the suit was the nation's most influential small business lobby, the National Federation of Independent Business. There are major lobbying groups and a broad cross-section of state Attorney Generals who are challenging the constitutionality of the law.

There is also a major petition campaign spearheaded by former Governor Huckabee and conservative Republicans to get the overhaul repealed. The anger that was prevalent over the summer and during the election has turned the repeal of the Health Care Bill into a statement of protest.

Many of the conservative Americans believe that the Health Care Bill is a "job-crushing, socialist plan" that will leave citizens powerless. The conservatives are drawing a line in the sand and they think the entire bill is wrong for America.

No matter what side of the fence you are on considering health care, we all agree that the present system is broken. All of the doctors, medical personnel, politicians, and citizens acknowledge that the cost keeps going up. President Obama's attempt to fix the health care system is far reaching and there will be many problems.

Nevertheless there are certain components in the bill that are helping people save money now and receive service, where they were denied coverage. The five million Americans who were denied coverage because of pre-existing conditions are now covered. Youth who were in college can stay with their parents' insurance until they are 25. Children are now required under the law to receive health care and are benefiting from President Obama's work.

The Democrats in the Senate have made it clear that they are not going to consider the repeal initiative and they have the majority. It would take 67 Senators to repeal a president's veto, but they support the Health Care overhaul.

At the end of the day the Republicans can stir up controversy and set the groundwork for the 2012 election. Their goal is to win back a majority in the Senate and get a Republican voted in as president.

There is one more challenge that the Republicans can use to repeal the Health Care Bill and that is the Supreme Court. The lawsuits in the states are destined to go to the Supreme Court, and if the law is declared unconstitutional, the government may be forced to stop implementing certain portions of the law.

 

Obama Shakes Up His Administration In 2011 by Roger Caldwell

With the terrible beating that the Democrats took in the 2010 election, it is time for a new group of advisors and leaders in the Obama administration. President Obama has loss some of his direction and at times it appears that he is trying to please everyone. There is a major shift in American politics and conservative thinking is the predominant mindset.

In Washington, the 112th Congress will be a divided government where the House will be controlled by the Republicans, and the Senate will barely be controlled by the Democrats. There will take a mindset of compromise and negotiation to get pass gridlock and rigid positions. Bipartisan thinking and making concession to keep things moving in Washington will take a new centrist perspective and mindset.

This week President Obama stated in an interview, "I was eager to implement reorganization in his administration, and make changes after two years on the job. I said I planned to have the personnel realignments finished in the coming days."

President Obama is planning to recharge his administration with new faces by naming a new chief of staff and a new director of the National Economic Council for the top economic policy job in the White House. The name that is being circulated around Washington as the new chief of staff is William Daley. The name Gene Sperling is expected to be announced as the top economic advisor.

Both men worked in the Clinton administration and would signal an effort that the president is reaching out to work with a Republican-controlled House. It would also accelerate deal-making and move in the direction of the conservative movement.

As the mood of the country shifts, it is necessary that President changes his talking points to accommodate the conservative element. Robert Gibbs, the White House press secretary and close confidant to Obama, announced that he was stepping down next month to become an outside political adviser to the president and his re-election campaign. Gibbs said he would leave in early February.

David Axelrod, a senior adviser to the president, and Jim Messina, a deputy chief of staff are both leaving and moving to Chicago to establish the president's re-election campaign. It is quite evident that the president in the next months will be organizing his campaign team for the 2012 election.

President Obama is set to shuffle his staff, and when you play musical chairs, you never know when the music will stop. One thing for certain that the president is preparing to get on board with the new realities in Washington.

He will have to change his liberal ideology and take more advice from the business community and do more listening. Raising money for the campaign next year starts now, and President Obama will be competing with a new and energized Republican Party. It will be interesting to see if the Tea Party gets stronger or if they will fade away.

Some political leaders believe if the unemployment rates decreases and the economy continues to recover, the president's message must still resonant with more Americans. In the next two years, the president must reconnect with the fundamental problems that have created anger with "Middle Class America".

At this point, President Obama is playing musical chairs and the music is still playing. There are many who have worked with the president for four years and they have no idea what their next assignment will be. Nevertheless, restructuring is a good thing, because people become complacent and their work suffers.

Working with the president is never a dull moment and at any time you must be willing to shift. The music is still playing and when the president is finishing with shaking up his administration, the music will stop playing.

 

 

A Teachable Moment at the Tucson Memorial Service by Roger Caldwell

On Wednesday evening, January 12, 2011, in front of thousands on the campus of the University of Arizona in Tucson, and millions on television, President Obama eulogized the victims of the horrific massacre with a speech that energized Americans with compassion and moral imagination. All presidents in their role as the "head of the state" are called on during times of crisis and tragedy to be a uniting force for the country. This was a time when our country needed leadership and our president delivered.

Great orators are able to use a tragic situation and turn it into a divine and spiritual incident that is a teachable moment. All African-American preachers have the ability to make a somber experience a joyful home-going celebration. On Wednesday evening, President Obama took a page out of the Black experience and taught a greater power has the answer.

"Rather than pointing fingers or assigning blame, let's use this occasion to expand our moral imagination," Obama said. The president in his speech acknowledged that there is evil and there are people who are mentally unstable, but as Americans, we are resilient and we have the moral stamina to be better. By using our moral imagination, we have the ability to rise above our setbacks.

As the president spoke, everyone who was listening was involved with the process of reflection. Everyone is aware of the intense polarization and anger that is demonstrated everyday between the Democrats and the Republicans. The dysfunctional political discourse between the conservatives and the liberals has everyone scared to say what they truly believe.

Lately the political rhetoric has become ugly, but the president encouraged those listening to communicate with more civility in our public discourse. President Obama believes that "the forces that divide are not as strong as the forces that unite us."

The president was adamant that no one will ever know what led to the unsuccessful attempted assassination of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, the murder of six people and the shooting of 13 others. But we all are Americans and everyday our legislators are working to make a more perfect union. There is a multiplicity of problems confronting our country but we must never forget the values that make us great.

"At a time when our discourse has become so sharply polarized, at a time when we are far too eager to lay the blame for all that ails the world at the feet of those who think differently than we do, it is important for us to pause for a moment and make sure that we are talking with each other in a way that heals, not a way that wounds."

If ever there was a need for hope, unity, and compassion, President Obama during the Tucson memorial speech joined together and pulled together our country, and we became one. He shared personal notes about all of those who died in the shooting. But the part of the speech that struck an emotional chord with me was when he talked about 9 year-old Christina Taylor Green.

Christina Green was completely innocent and she saw the world from the eyes of a child. There was wonder in her eyes and her world was filled with dreams, and she was born on September 11, 2001, and she believed in the American dream.

Here is what President Obama had to say about Cristina Green: "I want us to live up to her expectations. I want our democracy to be as good as she imagined it. If there are rain puddles in heaven, Christina is jumping in them today."

Every American who attended or listened to the memorial service now understands that we all have to do a better job at loving each other.

 

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President Obama ending the work of the 111th Congress by Roger Caldwell

The leaders of the 111^th session of Congress are working at a feverish pace to complete unfinished business and bills. Many of the lawmakers are well aware that they will not be back, so they are leaving their legacy: be it bad or good. The Democrats have from the beginning had an agenda and a strategy, and time is running out.



Harry Reid, Democratic Senate Majority Leader



Senator Harry Reid has threatened the Republicans that he is willing to work until December 30, and get the work completed. Many Republicans and Democrats know that is not realistic, but Reid knows that the tables will be switched in 2011. With the Republicans with more power in the Senate and a majority in the House, Reid wants major bills passed now and not later.

Reid wants to complete an approval of ratification of a nuclear arms treaty with Russia, legislation to repeal the military's "Don't ask, Don't tell" policy, a "package of land, water, and wildlife" bill, the passage of the Dream Act, as well as the confirmation of several presidential nominees. It is obvious that Reid will not get all this done in the next 10 days.

Usually the main reason that the lame duck sessions are so important is to complete its work on the spending or appropriation bills that form the basis of the annual federal budget. President Obama was personally involved in this lame duck session, because if the Bush tax cuts deal was not finalized, all Americans taxes would have increased by at least $2,500.

One of many bill
 signing ceremonies

The Senate passed the Bush tax cuts on Wednesday, December 15, 2010 by a vote of 81-19, and the House approved the measure by a vote of 277-148 on Thursday, December 16, 2010. Without the president getting involved the tax cut bill, it would not have passed so rapidly.

President Obama and congressional Democrats agreed to compromise in their opposition to extending the lower tax rates to the wealthy Americans, and also agreed to a lower estate tax than had been scheduled to take effect. In return, Republicans agreed to extend unemployment benefits with payroll tax cuts and other tax breaks, which conservatives generally opposed as government stimulus measures.

Many political experts believe that this is an indicator of how President Obama will operate with a split Congress, during 112th session. Instead of change, President Obama is talking about compromise, and he is ready to make deals to initiate a bi-partisan conversation and a sharing of power.

At President Obama's 29^th bill signing ceremony for the Bush tax cut legislature, there were representatives from both parties at the event. At the signing ceremony President Obama said, "The final product proves when we can put aside the partisanship and political gains, we can get a lot done. If we can keep doing it, if we can keep that spirit, I'm hopeful that we won't just reinvigorate this economy and restore the American dream, I'm also hopeful that we might refresh the American people's faith in the capability of their leaders to govern in challenging times."

The president has acknowledged that he was not completely satisfied with the tax cut deal, but his goal was to get the work done before the deadline. It is obvious that the "to do list" for the 111^th Congress will not be completed this year.

Obama signing another bill

With 29 bill signing ceremonies completed, there was unprecedented work done, and the implementation of the groundbreaking legislatures will take years. But now there is a different Congressional session getting ready to start, with different representatives, and with a different set of priorities.

The work of the 111^th Congress will never be completed, because one session carries to the next session and it takes months and years to get new bills operating and implemented.

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Should Democrats Support President Obama Tax Cuts Deal? …by Roger Caldwell

As Congress concludes its business for the 111^th session, the "Bush Tax Cuts" will determine if taxes are raised, and hundreds of thousands of people are impacted by the loss of unemployment insurance. The Republicans and President Obama have made a deal that the Obama administration can work with, and they believe it is good for the country and our depressed economy.

 

President Obama is aware that the new Congress will have a majority of Republicans in the House, and it will be necessary to negotiate and compromise. As a pragmatic statesman, President Obama is reaching out an olive branch to let the Republicans know that he is listening, and he is their friend.

 

He is aware that there are ideological and core differences in their philosophies, but the goal is to make America better for all Americans. The president is ready to make concessions to move forward the committee meetings and debates. There are going to be intense discussions on the direction the new Congress will take, and the Republicans in the House possess the votes to have their policies accepted.

Nevertheless this week in closed-door meetings, the Democrats made it clear to President Obama that they are not in support of the tax deal he made with Republicans. The words "Just say no" were the new mantra being espoused by many of the Democrats. They felt that President Obama was changing boats in the middle of the stream, and they were angry and upset.

 

Many Democrats believe that the wealthy are in a position to pay higher taxes to help improve the economy. If the tax cuts are extended for two years, it will cost the economy $120 billion that it will be missing in tax revenue, and over 10 years it will impact tax revenue by $800 billion.

I have no idea how the Joint Tax Committee comes up with its numbers, but it was my understanding that extending the tax cuts were only for two years. President Obama's plan according to most economists, is supposed to boost the economy. At the end of the two years, the administration and the Congress would sit down again and make an assessment of the economy and determine what direction to take.

At this point by extending the tax cuts, the administration would increase the money supply, reduce consumer uncertainty about raising taxes, and continue keeping the consumers spending money. In order for the economy to grow, it is necessary for the consumer to spend more money, and help put more Americans back to work.

President Obama understands that in politics, there are no permanent friends and there are no permanent enemies. In order to arrive at a compromise, everyone must be willing to give up something. Everyone has a wish list, but they understand at the end of the day they will only get a portion of their demands and wishes.

The tax cuts end on December 31, 2010, and the Democrats can be stubborn and refuse to compromise, or allow the wealthiest two percent of Americans keep their tax breaks. By letting the wealthy have their tax breaks, millions of Americans will continue to have unemployment insurance, and millions of Americans will not have to worry about their taxes increasing.

The Democrats need to get on board and support the "Obama Tax Cut Deal." The Senate Democrats are on board but the House Democrats are angry and grand-standing. Many of these Democrats will not be back in the new session of Congress, because they lost their election.

It is my hope that the House Democrats support President Obama's Tax Cut Deal, so everyone can go home and have a wonderful and healthy holiday.

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Republicans Initiate Gridlock during “Lame Duck Session” by Roger Caldwell

As the 111^th Congress and Senate finishes its session before it recesses for the holiday season, the Republicans are drawing a line in the sand. They have developed a strategy and agenda that is based on the philosophy of cutting spending, not raising taxes, and stopping all earmarks.
Everyone in the country is well aware that the 112^th Congress and Senate session is the beginning of the conservatives taking back influential leadership positions in many major committees. The Democrats will only have the majority in the Senate and the House of Representatives can stop major bills from being passed, because the two parties are on different sides of the fence.

The Republicans are determined to initiate their vision of a smaller federal bureaucracy while cutting spending, and repealing the new healthcare bill. The 42 Senators in the 111^th Congress have been circulating a statement that says, "We are not- we are going to block every piece of legislation that comes our way unless it's related to tax cuts or government spending." The gridlock of this week may be a sign of things to come next year.

The Republicans are adamant about expanding all of Bush's tax cuts and are refusing to give an inch on their position. This week President Obama had a summit at the White House with leaders of the Democrats and the Republicans to create a "spirit of cooperation." This was the first time since the Democratic beating in the election that there was a bipartisan meeting.

President Obama admits that there are "real philosophical differences" between the two parties and this is why there are Democrats and Republicans. While the summit was going on, the Republican leaders were agreeing to work together, and the other members were passing around a statement to block Democratic legislation.

President Obama and his administration are well aware that this past election is the beginning of a new dialogue with the Republicans. Getting bills passed in the next session of Congress will be very difficult and diplomatic negotiations will be the key. During the 111^th Congress, the Democrats had the majority in both houses and it was easy for the Democrats to railroad their agenda through without much resistance from the Republicans.

 


John Boehner



The Republicans will takeover as John Boehner becomes the Speaker of the House, and the numbers will be 242 Republicans to 192 Democrats. With this major shift in the dynamics of the House of Representatives, the Obama Administration will no longer have the numbers to get their bills passed.

The Republicans are now in a position to be a spoiler and create gridlock in the legislative process. In order to get anything done in Congress, the two sides will have to compromise and talk to each other.

Tim Geithner, Treasury Secretary

President Obama has appointed Jack Lew, the OMB budget director, and Tim Geithner, Treasury secretary to sit down with members of the House and Senate to find common ground and ensure middle-class Americans taxes don't go up.

Jack Lew, OMB Budget Director

 On the other hand, the Republicans want an extension on tax cuts for everyone. he Democrats no longer have a majority in both houses and there is now a level playing field. The next couple of weeks are an indicator of the chess match that will be going on in Congress. Maybe our representatives will find some common ground and eliminate a total gridlock and stalemate.             


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The tax cuts are slated to conclude at the end of the year, and the Republicans want a two-year extension on all tax cuts. This is a top priority for the Republicans in the Senate, and they are holding firm on their position. This is the beginging of a stalemate in the Senate, and there is a possibility that this gridlock will continue during the 112^th Congress.