Why is there always money for war?

The funny thing about elections is that their meaning undergoes a metamorphosis the very instant they occur. A couple weeks before the vote, a Republican member of Congress declared at a McCain rally, "This campaign in the next couple of weeks is about one thing. It's a referendum on socialism." If you said now that the election was a referendum on socialism, or even mere liberalism, you'd be taken for a left-wing maniac.

Political scientists will tell you that a presidential "mandate" is just a social construct. But it's an important construct, in two ways. Morally, it matters that the president do what the public elected him to do--that, after all, is the point of democracy. And, politically, the majority party would like to know whether voters will reward or punish it for carrying out its agenda.

Former evil genius (and now just evil) Karl Rove offers a nice case study in how to play the game. "The country voted for change Tuesday," he wrote after the election. "But the precise direction of that change remains unclear. Mr. Obama's victory was personal rather than philosophical." Got that? Voters just liked the inexperienced black guy with the radical preacher, not his policy views. Yet, just a few weeks before the vote, Rove had deemed "people's persistent doubts concerning Mr. Obama" as one of his liabilities. Somehow, Obama's personal reputation not only survived but managed to propel him to victory.

Just for fun, let's recall what Rove said four years ago. George W. Bush, remember, narrowly won by relentlessly turning the race into a contest of personal character. A New York Times poll found that voters favored John Kerry's stance on almost every issue, but "a majority of Americans continue to see Mr. Kerry as an untrustworthy politician." Bush even made one of his central themes an appeal to voters who liked his character but didn't support his policies. "Even when we don't agree," he'd say, "at least you know what I believe and where I stand." Naturally, after the election Rove insisted that Bush had won a mandate.

You can argue about how important a role Obama's platform played in his victory. But, to read any newspaper in the days following the election, you'd think that Obama had to start crafting his agenda completely from scratch. "He ran on a platform to change the country and its politics," wrote Washington Post lead political analyst Dan Balz. "Now he must begin to spell out exactly how." Now? I thought that by the end of the campaign even blind and deaf hermits could tell you that Obama had a plan that could be found at barackobama.com/plan. I've resigned myself to the fact that political reporters don't feel compelled to familiarize themselves with the candidates' programs in detail, but they should, at minimum, be aware of their existence.

A related argument holds that Obama cannot carry out his plans because the United States is a "center-right country." Newsweek editor Jon Meacham made this case in a much-discussed cover story, which asserted that Obama would have to move to the right or else "pay for [his] continued liberalism at the polls." Meacham's argument echoes the contention made by John Micklethwait and Adrian Wooldridge in their 2004 book The Right Nation, which explains why the United States is more conservative than other advanced democracies.

Meacham quotes Wooldridge to support his thesis: "Is this a center-right country? Yes, compared to Europe or Canada it's obviously much more conservative." But the question isn't whether Obama can move the United States to the left of Europe, it's whether he can move the United States to the left of where it currently stands.

The practical import of the Obama mandate debate has fallen on the question of whether he should pursue his goal of comprehensive health care reform, which numerous pundits and even some Democrats have tagged as dangerously ambitious. But this is one area where undiluted liberalism enjoys overwhelming public support. The public, by a roughly two-to-one margin, thinks the government has a responsibility to make sure that every American has adequate health care.

Congressional Democrats fear a repeat of 1994--when, as they see it, Bill Clinton over-interpreted his mandate and therefore failed to pass health care reform. This reading has it backward. Clinton's health care plan failed because Congress decided he didn't have a mandate and refused to pass it. If the Democrats fail this time, it will probably be because they psyched themselves out once again.
http://www.tnr.com/politics/story.html?id=003f5516-1670-47de-bab6-4eb78dfd904c

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[noslen1968]

It is going to be so irritating watching the repubs paint themselves as the fiscal conservatives and fight Obama tooth and nail.

[makezmuzic]

4:21 saying how HIS business partners deal with the promises made while campaining.

NO MORE BAILOUTS FOR CORPULENT BUSINESS PRACTICES!

[nuttyeggs]

nut's

[Calsummersishere]

I guess Wall Street is always more important than Main Street. Obama has failed.

[Superpureeliteful]

As far as i am Concerned,Americans talk them selves into Debt....,their are times when i wish we were back in 2000,and Bill Clinton was running the country,i have nothing against Obama,he is a great man and i think he will get us through,he is a civilized man,and a much better man than Bush.

[donotbend1]

there is NO dem or rep they are all the same. until this is accepted by the majority nothing will ever get fixed.

[Timutimmytim]

America punished the Republicans in 2006 and 2008 for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

11 months after a smashing election victory, the Democrats forgot what got them elected and are repeating the Republicans' war mistakes.

How do the Democrats think they can get away with this in 2010?

It's becoming evident that it doesn't matter whether you vote Republican or Democrat. Both will bankrupt America by borrowing money from China to kill American boys in countries with names nobody can spell.

[RoyalDemonforChrist]

you gotta spend money to make money. war is a great money maker.

[chrismychi]

we love war

[cummyCroissant]

because war is fun

a national pastime

[skeeter23451]

Hey we not only gonna fight, We will win..Right always wins....and when ya left weenies come running with ya tail between ya legs cuz Obama stole ya future...watch this..WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA right on..

[skeeter23451]

Ya know, you need to talk to your mama about how to carry on a debate, you really suck at it! A least that told me what age group I am talking to snot nosed wet behind the ears kids like Obama