Herman

Cain

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April 27, 2009

Obama is Not in Control

It did not take 100 days for some of us to recognize that President Obama is not in control of the legislative agenda. Nor did it take 100 days to see that he is being advised to micro-manage the biggest nation on the planet, the United States of America.

First, presidential candidate Obama promised to allow five days of public comment before signing bills into law. He signed his first bill extending the statute of limitations for salary discrimination lawsuits in less than five days, and he signed the expansion of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) within three days of being sworn in as president.

Next, presidential candidate Obama promised “no earmarks” in spending legislation. The Democrat-controlled Congress proceeded to pass the $787 billion economic “stimulus” bill in less than 24 hours with earmarks hard wired into the bill. The Congress also sent the president the fiscal year 2009 budget appropriations bill, which contained over 8,600 earmarks. He signed both bills without a five-day waiting period for public comment.

Presidential candidate Obama repeatedly pledged bi-partisanship and openness to ideas from both sides of the political divide. When asked by a Republican congressman why no Republican ideas were considered in the “stimulus” bill, President Obama replied, “I won”. 

The Democrats in Congress have just revealed that the much touted “95 percent tax cut for all Americans” will probably expire at the end of 2010 along with all the other Bush tax cuts. Although the $13 per week for the average working couple is insignificantly small to begin with, President Obama will probably do nothing to stop an increase in taxes for all of us.

When I became president of one of the smallest pizza chains in the country (725 units) in 1986, I learned after 100 days that the company was headed for bankruptcy because it was trying to do too much, too fast, with too few resources. I also knew from the start that I could not make every pizza in every restaurant every day. It’s called micro-micro-management, a certified recipe for failure.

President Obama’s first 100 days have been filled with carefully staged press conferences, slap-down sessions with bank CEOs, automobile company CEOs and credit card company CEOs – plus an around-the-world apology tour.

He has just recently held his first meeting with his cabinet, where the big story in USA Today was the seating arrangement of the cabinet members.

The United States of America is the largest economy in the world by a factor of three compared with the next largest economy (Japan). And as goes the U.S. economy, so go the economies of the rest of the civilized world. We have the most powerful and capable military in the world, we are at war, and North Korea and Iran are headed by nut job dictators who are trying to acquire nuclear weapons.  

We have the highest standard of living in the world, which is coveted by the rest of the world, even though we are in an economic recession.

President Obama’s rhetoric does not match what’s happening in Congress, and his apparent management style is that of a micro-manager.

Maybe it is because he has never run a small or large business entity before he became president. Maybe it is because he lacks the business instincts of a great leader. Even worse, maybe he lacks the instincts of just a good leader.

If most humans cannot micro-manage a small business and succeed, it’s not likely that it will work for the biggest job in the world.

We have learned a lot in the first 100 days. We only have 1,360 more days to make a change.

© 2009 North Star Writers Group. May not be republished without permission.

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