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February 2, 2010
The Liberal President
President Obama is reviving and strengthening the EPA, OSHA and the SEC. You know, just like Bush. John Judis via Steve Benen writes:
[T]here is one extremely consequential area where Obama has done just about everything a liberal could ask for -- but done it so quietly that almost no one, including most liberals, has noticed. Obama's three Republican predecessors were all committed to weakening or even destroying the country's regulatory apparatus: the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and the other agencies that are supposed to protect workers and consumers by regulating business practices.Now Obama is seeking to rebuild these battered institutions. In doing so, he isn't simply improving the effectiveness of various government offices or making scattered progress on a few issues; he is resuscitating an entire philosophy of government with roots in the Progressive era of the early twentieth century. Taken as a whole, Obama's revival of these agencies is arguably the most significant accomplishment of his first year in office. [...]
And a warning about the consequences of the midterms: Clinton tried the same thing in his first year, but the Republican takeover of Congress in 1994 ended that process almost instantly.
Filed under: Environment || EPA || Just Like Bush || OSHA || President Obama || SEC
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Posted By Bob Cesca | February 2, 2010 7:59 AM
Comments
Bob,
If Repubs take over in 2010, it will be worse than what Clinton faced. If you thought the 2004-2006 Do-nothing Congress was bad, wait until you get a taste of a Repub Congress alongside an Obama Presidency.
Your party needs to get its head out of its ass right the fuck now, Bob. You need to organize a smear campaign (sorry if that offends your sensitivities, but in war, ALL is fair) that will expose Republicans as the Plutocracy - seeking fucksticks that they are. (Firefox doesn't like the way I spelled "fucksticks"...I wonder if a hyphen is needed).
You need to smear them with this nonstop. It's time to take off the fucking gloves, stop being so civil or "nice", and give these motherfuckers the scarlet bow tie they deserve. If your party won't do thi, they deserve to lose in November.
Posted by: Political Party Pooper ![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.bobcesca.com/nav-commenters.gif)
at February 2, 2010 8:20 AM
I told you that Jackson was moving along at a nice clip over at the EPA. There is not much that the Republicans can do about it because it looks like the EPAs funding has been trimmed a bit this year.
Also, ever so quietly, Dr. Oz has been talking to people on his show about toxic chemicals in drinking water and food. Say what you want about the guy, he has a huge audience and people listen to him.
I don't know much about OSHA except that they probably haven't had the money to do an inspection since the 1970's.
All the SEC needs to do is get rid of the lawyers and hire forensic accountants. Oh, and get he FASB to reverse its ruling on the mark-to-market rule for banks.
Posted by: ec at February 2, 2010 9:47 AM
One must also think of the SCOTUS. What would it look like by the end of a McCain first term?
Sadly there is a very high likelihood that Obama will have to make at least one more nomination to the bench, and one more Alito or Scalia would be disastrous!
Remember these are lifetime appointments!
Posted by: kansasdem at February 2, 2010 10:49 AM
Liberals knew about this, but it went against the narrative that Obama is a failure and so it got buried - i'm lookin' at you HuffnStuff. Trust me, if those orgs were being ignored, Obama would have gotten slammed for it.
Posted by: Allonfla at February 2, 2010 11:06 AM
Yep, he's just like Bush. Just like today's news that Gates and Mullen are now pushing full integration of the military by repealing DADT.
Anyone notice Sarah Palin is calling for Rahm Emanuel to be fired? I swear she did it just so that Obama does fire him, she can take credit, and if he doesn't, she can be the one leading the popular fight against Rahm. Crazy woman.
Posted by: eljefejeff at February 2, 2010 12:50 PM
Speaking of Palin's FB rant about Rahm, I haven't read it, but heard that it uses the "N" word so I really don't want to read it. Anyway it's been proven that she doesn't even read it since she went on Fox and stated the opposite of what her FB post said about the Tebow super bowl ad and NOW.
At any rate, her FB ghost writers have been outed as Rebecca Mansour, known as RAM and a guy whose name I don't recall. An interesting tidbit is that RAM worked for Obama before hooking up with Palin.
Posted by: likala at February 2, 2010 2:25 PM
