Why Our Country Has a Leadership Deficit
By Bradley Blakeman
FOXNews.com
How is it possible
for America to tackle its massive and historic
debt and economic challenges, if we do not first
solve our deficit in national leadership?
President Obama and Democrats have failed to
lead with regard to our massive economic
problems. Instead of instituting policies and
programs to get people back to work and working
to restore confidence and assurance to consumers
and businesses the administration and Democrats
in the House and Senate did not create jobs,
extend the expiring Bush tax cuts, deal with
high capitol gains, estate taxes, or payroll
taxes.
Just this past week,
our economy got some more bad news. The national
unemployment rate currently stands at 9.8
percent -- Today more than 15 million Americans
are out of work.
Instead of concentrating on creating jobs and
fostering an atmosphere of confidence and surety
in our economy, Democrats are calling for yet
another extension of unemployment benefits.
Many leading economists agree that had Obama
last year re-upped the Bush tax cuts, created at
least a 8 month payroll tax holiday, eliminated
or reduced capital gains and estate taxes there
would have been no need to extend unemployment
benefits since many more Americans
would be working.
Republicans believe that the way to get people
back to work is by incentivising the private
sector not penalizing them and paying citizens
to be idle and unproductive.
Democrats promised that if the $800+ billion
stimulus bill were passed and unemployment
insurance was extended that those efforts would
prevent the national unemployment rate from
rising above 8 percent. By their own criteria,
their "solutions" were utter and complete
failures.
Now, Democrats will be forced to accept the very
solutions Republicans were calling for since
shortly after Obama took
office. The road to economic
recovery is job creation, tax relief for all
Americans, drastically reduced government
spending and deficit reduction, restoring
confidence in our future and respect for our
leaders.
Americans will accept sacrifice for the greater
good, if they believe in and respect their
leaders. They also have to believe that the
sacrifices they are being asked to make are
fair, equitable and necessary.
Since taking
office this president has been
"hands-off." He refuses to lead. He passes the
buck and blames others for our problems. This is
ironic since as a candidate, he had all the
answers for all that ailed us. Sadly, as
president he seems to have no answers.
The best example of his lack of presidential
leadership was his appointment of his Deficit
Reduction Commission. The Commission's findings
are non-binding and in order to make a
Commission finding they needed 14 out of 18
votes of its Commission membership. This "super
majority requirement doomed his Commission from
its inception.
The Commission was
empanelled in February of 2010 and was unable to
come to a consensus last week at the conclusion
of their deliberations. Why was the president
and why were Democrats in the majority of the
House and Senate not engaged? Why was this not a
top priority?
Had the president and Democrats been serious
about deficit reduction and national economic
responsibility they would have worked in a
bipartisan, transparent way within our
Constitutional framework to get results.
It is up to the
president and Congress to solve our problems. It
is not the obligation of presidential
commissions that are not responsible to the
people.
Americans are tired in inaction, incompetence
and avoidance of responsibility and
accountability. Elected officials are expected
to do work themselves to solve problems; they
are not put in positions of power to shirk
responsibility or avoid it all together.
The "buck stops" with the president and should
not be passed by him.
Bradley A. Blakeman served as deputy assistant
to President George W. Bush from 2001-04. He is
currently a professor of Politics and Public
Policy at Georgetown University and a frequent
contributor to Fox News Opinion.