I have made a number of posts the last few days of people who legitimately call themselves moderates who are having second thoughts about this administration.  And, for the record, I believe the number of moderates who are going to become angry in the weeks ahead is going to grow.  Maybe even Andrew Sullivan will come around.

Scott, during the election cycle, assured us that Obama is “left of center”.  And, in fact, I believe there was some anecdotal evidence to suggest that to be the truth.  (Some public comments, and some advisors on his campaign come to mind.)  Nevertheless, Steve and I argued back and forth with Scott that Obama is pretty far left and some concessions were made on both sides along the way…and I would say that we ended the discussion with some HOPE that maybe Scott was right.

And with that as the context I have to say this…I am EXTREMELY disappointed in his first 45 days in office.  EXTREMELY.  Perhaps I haven’t looked hard enough or perhaps I have looked in all the wrong places…but I have not seen the slightest moderate impulse from Obama.  (With the possible exception of foreign policy.)

Which brings me to my main point.  What does it mean to be a moderate?  And why is their a growing unease among them about Obama’s start?

Here is my analysis.  (This is all over-simplified to make my point.)

There are really two kinds of moderates.  Conservative Moderates (right-of-center) and Liberal Moderates (left-of-center).  They are really two different groups.  Generally speaking, conservative moderates are fiscal conservatives who are socially progressive (and therefore part ways with right-conservatives on social issues).  Liberal moderates are fiscal conservatives who are socially progressive (and therefore part ways with liberals on economics issues.)

So, of the four groups–left liberals, center liberals, center conservatives, and right conservatives–3 OF THEM ARE FISCAL CONSERVATIVES.  This is VERY TELLING.

As I said…I realize that this is a little simplistic so let me grant a little complexity.  Both of the center groups may in fact be for higher taxes or minimum wages or other anti-Austrian economic principles.

So, in what sense are these three groups fiscally conservative.  For the purposes of my post…by fiscally conservative here is what I mean…DRUM ROLL PLEASE BECAUSE THIS IS MY MAIN POINT…fiscal conservatives are people who believe that Business and Free Enterprise and Entrepreneurship are the engine of the American economy.  In other words, when it comes to the economic recovery…they don’t trust in Government…they trust in people and private sector organizations.  People and organizations who put their fortunes and capital at risk to start new ventures, invent new gadgets, produce new whatzits, propose new ideas, expand the plant’s capacity, supply a need and otherwise fill in what’s lacking.  It is predicated on two almost axiomatic principles.  One, is that the government doesn’t produce anything and, two, the government can’t employ everyone, even if Obama wants to try.  So, in order to fulfill it’s good intentions the government has to TAX (confiscate people’s property through the threat of imprisonment) which removes money from the economy and use that to hire more employees who actually don’t produce anything.

My hope and the hope of moderates everywhere was that there would be some indication at some level that Obama realizes this.  We were hoping to detect some impulse somewhere in his policy-making that understands that in the end that there is only so much hiring that the government can do (whether through government jobs or temporary make-work) and that it is up to the private sector to do the real hiring of real people doing real jobs providing real goods or services.

In his time in office Obama has demonstrated ALMOST NONE of that impulse.  Certainly nothing that will make a real difference.  This is made VERY clear through everything he has done but mostly through the $1,000,000,000,000 spendulus bill (which Republicans were right to say lacked enough stimulative provisions) and now his $3,500,000,000,000 budget proposal.  The budget proposal. particularly is what is beginning to alarm people.  There is NO SIGN of compromise in that bill.  There is absolutely NO INDICATION in the bill that Obama believes that business is the key to the recovery.  Nothing.  Nil.  Nada. Nyet.  Zip.

Let’s make my point personal.  Do you work?  Do you work for the government or a business?  What about most of your friends…government or business?  Of those who you know who have entered the unemployment rolls…did they used to work for government or business?  (I know the answer.  Government employees never lose their jobs…even when they are incompetent and there is a recession.)  Are they more likely to find a job working for a business or the government?

Everything Obama has done screams, “In Government We Trust.”  He could have done SO MUCH to stimulate this ecomomy and he is missing his opportunity.  He could have temporarily suspended payroll taxes (which has the double effect of putting more money into consumers hands and freeing up business capital at the same time).  He could have cut corporate tax rates which are the highest in the world.  He could have suspended some of his more progressive programs until the economy recovers and could absorb them easier.  For example, he could have suspended the HUGE TAX increase he is about to foist on everyone in America through his Energy Cap and Trade policy.  He could have avoided putting a cap on charitable giving (still part of the private sector economy who unlike government actually will do some good in these times), he could avoid tinkering with the home mortgage deduction when the housing industry is in a shambles, he could have avoided taxing the wealthiest people in America who need to spend their money to build new business or expand existing ones.  He could have avoided demonizing whole sectors of our economy (banking and healthcare come to mind–not all of them behaved wrongly) and demonstrated speech and behavior that didn’t demonize America’s most successful people and businesses.  He could have asked unions to concede more to companies in these difficult times rather than promising a nationwide push for unionization of more industries across every state in the union.

But now I know. Obama can’t have done any of these things because at his core he doesn’t believe in them.  In other words, he is not a moderate.  AND he has to do the political payback to all of those exreme leftists who got him elected which he is doing in spades.  AND he has to seize the opportunity of this downturn to accomplish as much of the leftist wish-list as he can.

Do you think I am wrong.  For you Obama supporters out there (Scott, are you listening) could you please present to me 3 things that Obama has done in the last 50 days that are “”business friendly”.  Only 3.  Not 10.  Not 50.  Just 3.  Leave a comment.

Now…here is the upside of all of this.  Obama will either have to shift-to-the-center (which is good for the country) or he will keep us in recession/depression long enough that Republicans will sweep the 2010 elections (which will be good for the country).   And then he might just become a decent president.

Do you agree?  If not, tell me please, what has been moderate about Obama so far?

Seth

PS.   One closing thought.  I will start with where I began.  I have said in earlier posts that the Daily Kos has their head in the sand.  What I say in this post is WHAT THEY DON’T GET.  Remember the 3 of 4 segments I mentioned earlier in the post that all hold some form of fiscal conservatism in common.  The 2 center groups and the right group.  TOGETHER these three groups EASILY represent enough voters to defeat ANY democrat.  The Daily Kos thinks we are leftist country.  But at best we are a left-moderate-to-right-moderate country.  True progressives account for less than 30% of the voting electorate.  I hope Kos and other lefties keep NOT getting this.  It will help us in 2010.