Some Non-Prose On Governing

Of commentary in rhyme,
I have been pining.
Though perhaps the best to be said,
It’s surely better than whining.

Here the aim is for alacrity,
The hope is for charm.
This in order to counteract,
Sounding off of the alarm.

Of Obama’s two-year review,
We’ve recently been confronted.
And sad as it is to say,
His growth’s been severely stunted.

It’s hard to be the smartest in the room.
Of that he should very well know.
Especially when unsure of low keying it,
Or instead putting on a show.

He’s got an important lesson to learn,
From that guy on the roof with a fiddle.
It’s tough to keep one’s balance,
Governing from the sensible middle.

For each outcome will be half a loaf,
Which though better than none,
For the idealist insiders and outsiders both,
Can hardly be any fun.

But even the pragmatists who voted for him,
Now feel in a very deep stew,
For it seems as if the President’s end goal
Is with the Congress to get legislation through.

For piddling with the real issues now,
He should ask the voters for absolution,
Then turn his attention to the economy in full,
Which demands a more radical solution.

It’s ok to acknowledge voter impatience.
It’s good that cat’s out of the bag.
But the important point to illustrate,
Often causality happens with a long lag.

Under Reagan we had the S&L crisis,
And we had Black Monday too.
That however wasn’t the primal cause.
It was only an early preview.

Under Clinton there was financial deregulation,
As well as the Internet stock market bubble.
Because the Federal budgets were in surplus,
Ignored was the fundamental trouble.

Expectations had gotten out of whack,
People thought they no longer needed to save.
On the surface it appeared wealth would keep rising.
Beneath that, we were digging our own graves.

Bush II poured fuel on the fire,
Instead of putting it out.
He inherited an economy in recession.
Then Osama gave the weak President clout.

So he got passed his infamous tax cuts,
With an expiry that was a total sham.
The economy didn’t need them at the time,
That really was the scam.

Greenspan’s Fed should shoulder some blame,
They kept interest rates low for far too long.
That and unscrupulous lenders,
Made The Housing Bubble the national song.

The consequence on the ethos was palpable.
We feel like a country that can’t do.
The focus increasingly, “what’s in it for me?”
Regarding social conscience, “well screw you.”

Fear itself is on the rise,
Due to vanishing of the middle class.
That nothing is being done to reverse the trend,
Makes the government seem especially crass.

Instead it seems the special interests,
Are front and center in the show,
Giving the feeling it’s a big sell out,
With them getting all of the dough.

We know it’s hard to be President,
Especially in these very tough days,
When most of the electorate’s in a torpor,
And the rest seemingly in a craze.

But now is the time to concentrate,
And enlist the entire Presidential team.
A new vision must be created,
For how to restore the American Dream.

If We The People had a sense of purpose,
And unity of cause,
That could focus the Presidential attention,
And he could forget about receiving applause.

That isn’t what we have right now.
His policy seems like a laundry list.
Which makes those who voted for him in ’08,
Unlikely to reenlist.

Instead we’re still being pandered to,
Extending the Bush cut to those under $250K.
That limit should be $100K or lower.
That’s what the President should say.

Those who are saving don’t need the tax cut.
If we are ever to get out of this mess,
We need to stop welfare for the well off.
On that the President should confess.

In the campaign the President talked to us as adults,
On the painful issue of race.
We now need a mature conversation on the economy,
In order that for our core issues we face.

It’s an excuse to talk about what can get through Congress,
Instead talk about what the economy needs,
That’s the only way to create a groundswell,
To counteract all of the greed.

Republicans want individuals and businesses to decide,
Totally ignoring their past indiscretions.
Painting an imaginary picture of Adam Smith’s Invisible Hand,
That looks like a sugary confection.

Don’t fall into that trap.
Don’t to the voters fawn.
But do recall the truth in the saying,
The darkest hour is just before dawn.