Posted: 10/20/2009 5:18:57 AM EDT
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Investor's Business Daily
10/19/2009 Americans Reject The European Model By MICHAEL BARONE http://www.investors.com/NewsAndAnalysis/Article.aspx?id=509545 An interesting paradox. Last year, America elected a president who, in attitudes and policies, is closer to the elites of Western Europe than any of his predecessors. Yet in the nine months that he has been in office, ordinary Americans have been moving away from those attitudes and policies and have increasingly embraced positions that over the years have made Americans distinctive from those in other advanced Western democracies. Barack Obama's European tendencies aren't in doubt. His policies on government spending, taxation, health care and carbon emissions would all tend to bring America in line with European norms, to a far greater degree than any other president of the last 40 years and probably any president ever. And what of America's special place in the world? "I believe in American exceptionalism," Obama said on one of his trips to Europe, "just as I suspect that Brits believe in British exceptionalism and the Greeks believe in Greek exceptionalism." Americans Like America In other words, not at all. One cannot imagine Presidents Roosevelt, Truman, Kennedy, Eisenhower or Reagan uttering such sentiments. Obama told European Union parliamentarians in Strasbourg that he hailed "your dynamic union." But most Americans seem to have some vestigial knowledge that over the last 60 years, America has been more dynamic — economically, culturally, politically, militarily — than our friends across the Atlantic. And when presented with public policies that would make us more like Europe, Americans have tended to recoil. Examples abound. Despite the recession, by about 50% to 40% Americans continue to prefer smaller government with fewer services to larger government with more services (June ABC-Washington Post and CBS-New York Times polls). Some 80% want the government to sell its interest in General Motors (July Rasmussen poll). A 58%-35% majority says keep the budget deficit down even if it takes longer for the economy to recover (NBC-WSJ June). A 53%-33% majority opposes more government regulation of the finance sector (Rasmussen October). As Europeanizing policies receive more attention, they become less popular. June's 50%-45% approval of Democratic health care proposals morphs to a similar margin of disapproval in October (Rasmussen). And satisfaction with one's own health care arrangements rises from 29% in 2008 and 35% in May 2009 to 48% in August (Rasmussen again). European elites support gun control and curbs on carbon emissions almost unanimously. Americans don't — and are moving in the other direction. Support for a handgun ban has fallen from 60% in 1960 and 43% in the early 1990s to 29% in May 2009 (Gallup). By 48%-34%, Americans believe global warming is caused by long-term planetary trends rather than human activity (Rasmussen April); in 2008 it was almost exactly the other way around. European leaders agree with Obama's decision to close the Guantanamo detention facility. Americans disagree by 52%-39% (NBC-WSJ June). Europeans accept a large role for unions. American approval for labor unions fell from 59% in 2008 to 48% in spring 2009, by far the lowest figure since Gallup began asking the question in 1936. Gallup reports that 39% of Americans this year say their views have grown more conservative, while only 18% say they have become more liberal. United By Individualism No wonder Democratic pollster Peter Hart, who with Republican Bill McInturff conducts the NBC-Wall Street Journal poll, said in June that Obama and the Democrats "are going to have to navigate in pretty choppy waters." The late political scientist Seymour Martin Lipset, who wrote a book on American exceptionalism, long noted that Americans are more individualistic and less collectivist than Western Europeans (or Canadians). The election of a president who in many ways seeks to push America in a European direction seems to have increased rather than decreased those differences. Why? My explanation is that until November 2008, Americans did not have any reason to contemplate what a more European approach would mean in real-life terms. Now, with Obama in the White House and a heavily Democratic Congress, they do. And they mostly don't like it. Hence the embarrassment of liberal commentators and, it seems, the president himself when five Norwegian parliamentarians tendered him the Nobel Peace Prize. European elites are delighted with Obama's European approach. Most American voters aren't. |
| hope springs eternal, but the only way to determine for sure if this country has had a wakeup call will be in 2010 and 2012... I still have my doubts. There are still a ton of fools out there that think that Eurosocialism is the best solution to all of this country's problems (real ones and those filtered through leftist perceptions). I think the Obama administration and DNC will work hard to factionalize and marginalize their opposition and are already making inroads in that direction. Meanwhile the GOP is still busy sucking hind tit and doing exactly dick to rebuild its image with the public. The democrats have made a ton of progress in the last few years on the PR front, and simply have a better infrastructure in place. The media is still firmly in their pocket, which helps as well. Some chinks have appeared in the armor, but unless the GOP can come up with a viable candidate, pull/keep its base together, and start exploiting those perceived weaknesses it will all be for naught. |
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hope springs eternal, but the only way to determine for sure if this country has had a wakeup call will be in 2010 and 2012... I still have my doubts. There are still a ton of fools out there that think that Eurosocialism is the best solution to all of this country's problems (real ones and those filtered through leftist perceptions). I think the Obama administration and DNC will work hard to factionalize and marginalize their opposition and are already making inroads in that direction. Meanwhile the GOP is still busy sucking hind tit and doing exactly dick to rebuild its image with the public. The democrats have made a ton of progress in the last few years on the PR front, and simply have a better infrastructure in place. The media is still firmly in their pocket, which helps as well. Some chinks have appeared in the armor, but unless the GOP can come up with a viable candidate, pull/keep its base together, and start exploiting those perceived weaknesses it will all be for naught. I try to be optimistic. However, my thoughts and observations mirror yours. In my lifetime, I've witnessed the total collapse of industrial manufacturing in America and can't see it ever returning. The machinery and jobs have been moved away. The new industrial nations––mainly, India & China, maybe Mexico––will seriously outpace America in growth and financial wealth and stability while we struggle with severe trade deficits and generational debt. Those American's with substantial wealth have sheltered it well enough to continue onward. Our middle class white collar workers are going to feel a tax bite and have their buying, investment and savings power severely diminished. The blue collar segment of our nation is going to struggle badly and may never get a foot up again. American's at or below the 'poverty' level is going to increase and become increasingly dependent on .gov aid simply because there may not be private resources available that aren't themselves dependent on .gov for financial survival. I seriously doubt the GOP can find the strength and direction to turn our nation around simply because conditions for a 'conservative' recovery are fast slipping away. The 'entitlement' mentality has more than a foot-hold here and as economic conditions deteriorate, .gov will simply expand entitlement programs to address 'needs' be they individual or business. And I don't think the GOP is immune from expanding entitlements or .gov interventions into private lives or business if it suits their quest for re-election. I don't know what the 'New Amerika' is going to look like but I do know it will look and act radically different than the America I grew up in... And I THINK, the kenyan, Rahm and Dave all stood together and placed a finger on the reset button bright and early January 21, 2009. Some may have seen the light. We are yet to hear the explosion or feel the shock waves coming our way. |
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This article is retarded simply for the fact that Obama hasn't done anything remotely resembling western european policy. He is sure trying. His Health care takeover is right from the socialist book of western europe. The fact he is being thwarted in his goals is beside the point that he IS trying to follow the european model. |
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This article is retarded simply for the fact that Obama hasn't done anything remotely resembling western european policy. He is sure trying. His Health care takeover is right from the socialist book of western europe. The fact he is being thwarted in his goals is beside the point that he IS trying to follow the european model. Nope. The healthcare reform was hijacked by idiot congress people and turned into a huge bailout for the medical insurance companies. The only thing remotely close to european-style healthcare was Kucinic's bill |
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Quoted: Quoted: Nope. The health care reform was hijacked by idiot congress people and turned into a huge bailout for the medical insurance companies. The only thing remotely close to European-style health care was Kucinic's billQuoted: He is sure trying. His Health care takeover is right from the socialist book of western Europe.This article is retarded simply for the fact that Obama hasn't done anything remotely resembling western European policy. The fact he is being thwarted in his goals is beside the point that he IS trying to follow the European model. I'd rather see the health insurance companies get a government bailout than for America to adopt a European style heath care system. Both options would suck, but at least the bail out money wouldn't [much] change the life of the average American. |
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This article is retarded simply for the fact that Obama hasn't done anything remotely resembling western european policy. He is sure trying. His Health care takeover is right from the socialist book of western europe. The fact he is being thwarted in his goals is beside the point that he IS trying to follow the european model. Nope. The healthcare reform was hijacked by idiot congress people and turned into a huge bailout for the medical insurance companies. The only thing remotely close to european-style healthcare was Kucinic's bill Now you are being disingenuous 
Nobody is talking about what bills are moving through Congress or what Obama has accomplished. The discussion seems to be about Obama's VIEWS and PHILOSOPHY, and it seems to be a correct observation that Obama's preferences and views may be CLOSER to some European approaches than previous presidents (even Democratic ones). He clearly favored the "public option" which is absolutely modeled on a more European approach. His thoughts on global warming (or climate change or whatever) and carbon emissions, also seem to lean more towards a European approach, as do some of his other statements on other policy issues. |
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Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: This article is retarded simply for the fact that Obama hasn't done anything remotely resembling western european policy. He is sure trying. His Health care takeover is right from the socialist book of western europe. The fact he is being thwarted in his goals is beside the point that he IS trying to follow the european model. Nope. The healthcare reform was hijacked by idiot congress people and turned into a huge bailout for the medical insurance companies. The only thing remotely close to european-style healthcare was Kucinic's bill You saw what the gov't bailout did for General Motors. The government owns GM, which is socialism. |
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Quoted: And the people still elected this son of a bitch! I am becoming more and more convinced every day that most people's political thought process is something on the order of "George Bush bad...vote Obama instead!" We had plenty of morons here that voted for Obama to teach the Republicans a lesson. There were alot more that voted 3rd party knowing that it would get Obama elected. They made many posts in this forum during the 2008 election to make their intentions known. Their problem is that the GOP was not pure enough for them, so they threw the presidential election to a Marxist gov't out of spite. |
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Now you are being disingenuous
Nobody is talking about what bills are moving through Congress or what Obama has accomplished. The discussion seems to be about Obama's VIEWS and PHILOSOPHY, and it seems to be a correct observation that Obama's preferences and views may be CLOSER to some European approaches than previous presidents (even Democratic ones). He clearly favored the "public option" which is absolutely modeled on a more European approach. His thoughts on global warming (or climate change or whatever) and carbon emissions, also seem to lean more towards a European approach, as do some of his other statements on other policy issues. He's a social democrat, and his views do reflect that. He has flatly rejected calls for America to take guidance from european models in public speeches, and has specifically cited American exceptionalism. And he basically has no spine. For instance, here is the timeline on Obamacare: -I will not sign any bill without a strong public option -I will not sign a bill without a public option -I would like a public option -Please can there be a public option? -Whatever, just put a bill on my desk, I will literally sign anything |
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Now you are being disingenuous
Nobody is talking about what bills are moving through Congress or what Obama has accomplished. The discussion seems to be about Obama's VIEWS and PHILOSOPHY, and it seems to be a correct observation that Obama's preferences and views may be CLOSER to some European approaches than previous presidents (even Democratic ones). He clearly favored the "public option" which is absolutely modeled on a more European approach. His thoughts on global warming (or climate change or whatever) and carbon emissions, also seem to lean more towards a European approach, as do some of his other statements on other policy issues. He's a social democrat, and his views do reflect that. He has flatly rejected calls for America to take guidance from european models in public speeches, and has specifically cited American exceptionalism. And he basically has no spine. For instance, here is the timeline on Obamacare: -I will not sign any bill without a strong public option -I will not sign a bill without a public option -I would like a public option -Please can there be a public option? -Whatever, just put a bill on my desk, I will literally sign anything I see what you are saying, and when clarified that way, makes a lot more sense! I think the problem is that it's VERY hard to ascertain what Obama actually believes, or what principles he holds. The fact that he can be a good political wheeler and dealer, and is willing to compromise (and clearly all along was more centrist than his campaign painted him as, when they saw the upwelling up support for him on the "hope and change" vapid slogans) - means that he can come across as someone with absolutely no principles at all.
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