Enough with the Lincoln analogies; Reagan is the president that is most closely modeling himself after. inherited stagflation, a defeat abroad and a nation at its nadir in morale. Through the sheer force of his personality as much as his policies, four years later, it was "Morning in America," the theme of his 1984 re-election campaign when he won 49 states. Obama isn't president yet, but his determined calm and orderly transition pace appear to be soothing the financial markets, producing the first sustained gain in stocks since the mid-September meltdown.
Gee, Eleanor, perhaps you might at least want to wait until Obama is actually in the Oval Office before comparing him to Reagan. Anyway, it is good to see some liberals finally recognizing the leadership abilities of a conservative president that they previously derided as being out of touch:
On Jan. 20, Obama will take the oath of office, join a private luncheon in Statuary Hall, then meet with congressional leaders and, if all goes according to plan, sign into law a massive stimulus plan before he proceeds up Pennsylvania Avenue to the viewing stand outside the White House for the Inaugural Parade. Reagan initiated the tradition of the Inaugural Day meeting with the legislative barons, a gesture that signals respect and sets a tone for the 100-day dash when a president can be most productive.
An interesting corollary to this Clift's new-found admiration for Reagan is the derision of the two most recent Democrat presidents:
This will be the first time since 1960 that two senators have gone directly from to the White House. The people they're bringing with them, together with the relationships they have, constitute an unparalleled early warning system. Unlike and , who quickly ran afoul of their Democratic majorities, Obama will be better wired on Capitol Hill than anybody in either party since Lyndon Johnson. Rahm Emanuel has a boatload of IOUs he can call in as chief of staff along with a high sensitivity to what it takes to preserve and build an enduring majority. Phil Schilero, tapped as Obama's liaison to Capitol Hill, has deep roots in Congress both as a top aide to former Senate leader Tom Daschle and as ace House investigator Henry Waxman's longtime sidekick. With Waxman displacing old bull John Dingell as chairman of the powerful Energy and Commerce Committee, the prospects for meaningful action on a host of legislation, notably climate change, improve dramatically. Dingell is known as "Tailpipe John" for his fierce defense of Michigan's auto industry against government regulation.
...Carter's first 100 days turned contentious when key committee chairmen rebelled at his proposal to cancel several water projects he regarded as wasteful. The hometown loyalists Carter surrounded himself with had no idea of what a sacred cow they had taken on, and Carter was forced to back down.
It would have been nice if Clift and her fellow liberals had been honest in assessing Ronald Reagan while he was actually president. Instead they seem to have to wait 20 years to deliver some honesty on the 40th president and primarily as a way to boost a Democrat president-elect who hasn't even assumed office yet.
