Icheoku says irrespective of the reason or the political mileage to be mined from the Bill Clinton's take-over of the White House podium today, President Barack Obama shouldn't have conceded that bully-pulpit to the former president. It appears to show that President Obama is no longer totally in charge and is no longer confidence enough that he deservedly earned the right to own that pulpit to himself and should not in any way seem to be uncomfortable owning it. The president is in addition to being the commander in chief also the communicator in chief of America and should not only do this job effectively and authoritatively, but also be seen to be doing it; so the weird idea that former President Bill Clinton should be brought to the high pedestal to help President Obama sell or attempt to sell a tax-break deal, considered to be an anti-thesis to all that he stood for through-out his presidential campaign as well as during the last November 2 midterm election, makes no sense at all. The derivative imperative is that President Obama could not communicate his position across to the American people and the master communicator former President Bill Clinton has to be called in to do the job. It portrays weakness, incompetence, inability, lack of confidence and above all it is uninspiring; and should never happen again.
Moreso, many Democrats who lost their mid term elections last November 2, 2010 possibly may not have lost their re-elections had this tax-break matter been brought up and rested prior to that election. Instead they were pigeon-holed into a "no tax-cut for the rich" position and mantra of the administration during their campaigns, which in a way cost them the election. Now less than one month after the disastrous mid-term elections, the Obama administration seem to have made a complete 180 degree somersault in its position with the infamous deal he struck with the republicans; which matter was not helped by the administrations exclusion of key Democrats as he negotiated his deal with those hostage-taking Republicans. Icheoku says it is impetous of the administration to expect Democrats to just swallow his deal with the Republicans hook, line and sinker without question or protestation; and accept same as the deal made in heaven. Icheoku wants President Barack Obama to remember who elected him into office and peradventure wherein lies his primary constituency and the people he should try to placate with his policy initiatives and decisions and not the Republicans who are bent on making him a one-term president.
So for the administration to so so soon after the disastrous mid-term election to simply cave in with its about-turn on the tax-cut question shows a White House that is deaf-toned and not apace with the political trajectory of Americans, especially the progressive left. Icheoku asks, why now President Obama? Why should you because of few hundred dollars to be saved in taxes by the middle class give away hundreds of thousands of dollars to the urbane-rich? The proper and correct thing to do is to let the entire tax-cut plan to expire if the Republicans will not go with the fair tax-cut plans alternative which would have seen the super-rich pay their fair-share; thereafter you can then use your executive powers to instruct the IRS on a huge tax-returns to middle-class American taxpayers who need the money most. If your executive powers does not extend to such disbursal, then some programs could be instituted geared towards putting some dollars back in the pockets of the middle class; instead of this peanuts for champaign deal reached with the Republicans.
Icheoku also rejects the Clintonistic argument that "there's never a perfect bipartisan bill in the eyes of a partisan, and that he really believe this will be a significant net-plus for the country" as not assuring enough. You correctly pointed out that the Republicans are hostage-takers and that was enough for the American people to figure out who their nemesis is and then device a plan of action to extricate themselves from their clutches. A few hundreds of dollars in lost revenue for the American people would have hurt but not unbearably so much, the long term income derivable from correctly and adequately taxing the rich considered. Icheoku is convinced that all the options were not exhausted before the throwing of the towel of your administration accepting the Republicans on their terms; and it is not giving us, your supporters the necessary confidence to continue to march in lockstep with you as you fight your political battles. Anyway, Icheoku have strong reservation that not all those people you surrounded yourself with actually have the best interest of your governing at heart, hence some anti-progressive left policy-initiatives coming out of your supposed White House.
Now back to your seeming abdication of office today; please dear President Obama, next time do not do it as that podium belongs to you exclusively for the remainder of your term of office. If there is something Bill Clinton or any other person wants to say to the American people on behalf of your administration, let them use other forums including press conferences, interviews, press releases as well as other available communicative apparatus but certainly not the White House press conference podium. Any appearance of weakness or not being fully in charge or in complete control of the government should be avoided by you at all times and by al and every means necessary. You know what the perception had always been - that you are a knee-jerk 'man-child' president who cannot stand-up to certain heavy issues on your own. A president of America should not be running to a daddy-figure each time he is at a cross-road with some difficult policy issues; not even the last President W ran to H each time he reached a fork on the road; and the last time Icheoku checked, Bill Clinton is not your daddy!
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