Angela Wins One, Loses One
The Wall Street Journal's headline on the pow-wow in Toronto: "Rich Nations Back Halving Deficts by 2013, Signaling Intent to Ease Stimulus."
What this means, as best I can make it out, is that Angela Merkel won half her battle with Barack Obama. By getting him to give up any thought of enacting another vast, useless stimulus bill, she made sure he wouldn't make the American deficit even bigger. As far as it goes, that's good news.
The half of the battle that Merkel lost? She failed to get Obama to agree to deal sensibly with the vast deficit that already exists. Instead of agreeing to rein in goverment spending, as Merkel is doing, and as the new British government appears determined to do, Obama insisted instead on trying to close our deficit by raising taxes.
If he weren't so utterly determined to pursue policies that will smother investment and prolong high unemployment, I'd almost be willing to savor the irony. After insisting all his political life that the United States needed to become more like the nations of Western Europe, President Obama just devoted an entire summit meeting to dissing...the nations of Western Europe.
- Comment (2)
- · Quote
- · UnfollowFollow (2)
Comments :
Jun '10
Re: Angela Wins One, Loses One
I have to believe that European leaders were dismissive of our featherweight president. I can imagine a conversation between Merkel and Obama along the following lines:
Merkel: "You must understand, Mr. President, Europe can only be Europe when America acts like America."
Obama: "But I thought you hated us when we act like Americans?"
Merkel: "No, Mr. Obama, that's just trash talk to distract the masses."
Obama: "But you believe in soft power and a more compassionate society?'
Merkel: "We believe in saying whatever it takes to maintain power."
Obama: "But, but, but . . . I promised my base we would be more like Europe. I can't afford to lose my base!
Merkel: "What you promise your base is your problem. In Europe we have to act before the train goes off the rails. You might consider what you have to do, Mr. President."
Obama: "Do?"
Jun '10
Re: Angela Wins One, Loses One
~Paules: I have to believe that European leaders were dismissive of our featherweight president. I can imagine a conversation between Merkel and Obama along the following lines:
[...]
Merkel: "What you promise your base is your problem. In Europe we have to act before the train goes off the rails. You might consider what you have to do, Mr. President."
Obama: "Do?" · Jun 28 at 9:10am
Boy, does that ring true. Wow! Where did you hide the microphone?