Obama: The First Change is Lowered Expectations

Just hours after the Barack Obama victory, Democrats are already backing away from the "Change" mantra that hurtled Obama to the White House.

According to The Hill website, U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) is toning-down the rhetoric of the campaign, instead calling for fiscal responsibility.

A wave has swept this country, a wave of hope, hope for the future, a befuddled Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid, as reported in the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Not a mandate for an ideology, a mandate for change, for hope.

Reid had not yet gotten the memo, as he prattled off the list of objectives: fixing the economy, developing renewable energy, helping middle class, improving the schools, and defend country. Plus one odd charge about kids not being able to go to school when they want to.

However, the TimesOnline reported before the election that Team Obama "have drawn up plans to lower expectations for his presidency," fearing that Obama could not live up to expectations.

Expectations that he fostered!

According to the Times, Obama told a Colorado radio station:

The first hundred days is going to be important, but it’s probably going to be the first thousand days that makes the difference, he said. He has also been reminding crowds in recent days how “hard” it will be to achieve his goals, and that it will take time.

Obama's plans are certainly muted by the relative small margin of victory, pulling only 5% more voters than John McCain. Obama's margin of victory was lower than the victories of Reagan ('80,'84), Bush ('88), Clinton ('96) and only slightly higher than Clinton in 1992.

His electoral college victory was middle-of-the-pack, trailing Reagan, H.W. Bush, and Clinton also.

As Harry Reid said, tonight one journey begins and another long, long journey begins...

Obama Fills His Cabinet with Clinton Leftovers

Like his fellow Washington Democrats, Obama seems to be straying from the "Change" theme, which he mentioned some 15 times in his DNC acceptance speech.

...the change we need doesn't come from Washington, Obama told us. Change comes to Washington.

So why is Obama calling on a cadre of Washington hacks and insiders for his cabinet? NBC news is suggesting that Washington long-timers like Robert F. Kennedy, Colin Powell, Tom Daschle,Dick Lugar, Bill Richardson and John Kerry are on his list. He recently hired Clinton flak Rahm Emanuel as his chief of staff. Former DNC chief Ed Rendell may be tapped for Secretary of Energy.

Apparently, he is turning to Washington to develop the change that "doesn't come from Washington." Where are the Washington outsiders?

"I'm running because I don't want to do business as usual," Obama told a crowd of union members earlier in the year. Why is he lining up the usual suspects to help run that business?

With the litany of ex-Clinton aides on Obama's list, who knew that the hope he spoke about so often meant Hope, Arkansas.

Obama Criticizes His Own Economic Policy

Barack Obama has proposed an economic policy that he lambasted as disastrous just a few months ago.

When Hillary Clinton proposed a 90-day moratorium on home foreclosures in March 2008, Obama called her plan disastrous and suggested that it would reward people who made this problem worse and benefit banks that profit from high mortgage rates.

However, yesterday, a mere 7 months later, Obama has proposed -- you guessed it -- a 90-day moratorium on home foreclosures.

Obama believes that banks participating in the federal bailout should temporarily postpone foreclosures for families making good-faith efforts to pay their mortgage."

And, precisely what does good-faith effort mean? Who knows?

It's rather like Obama saying he will bring the U.S. troops home responsibly. Whatever that means.

Obama says the nation needs a new ethic of responsibility, unless of course, you are responsible for paying your mortgage, in which case you will be off the hook.

Maybe Obama should switch his motto to The Change-of-Mind You Can Believe In.