September 25, 2009--The Ladies of Forest Trace: Exerting Force

“I only have a minute.” It was my 101-year-old mother calling from her retirement community in Florida.

“Is everything all right? You sound out of breath.”

“I’m fine for an old lady but like I told you I only have a minute to talk. I have so much still to catch up with. The Sunday Times, for example. I read Frank Rich, he’s such a darling, but I just began the crossword puzzle.”

“I wouldn’t exactly call him a darling. Did you see what he had to say about all the violently angry people in America?”

“I did read that and I did agree with him. Though I still think he’s sweet. When I see him on the television he’s so nice. His mother must be very proud of him. The way he behaves. But you’re distracting me from my point.”

“What is it then?”

“You can see some of these angry people right here in Florida. Even in the supermarket. So frustrated about everything. Not that I can disagree with some of this. There is a lot still to be upset about. In fact, this has been on my mind. I have been talking with the girls about it. About our problems and how very little seems to be happening. ‘Talking, talking, and more talking,’ is how Bertha put it. And I’m beginning to worry that she’s right. She’s one of the smartest ones. Reads Time magazine every week and never turns off CNN.”

“The problems we have are very complicated and so there needs to be a lot of discussion about the right things to do.”

“Maybe because I’m old that I don’t have patience for this. And it seems to me that most of the talking is not getting us anywhere. Maybe it’s getting us lost. So much of it goes around in circles. Take healthcare for example. We know that no Republicans are going to vote for it . . .”

“Maybe one. Olympia Snow from Maine.”

“All right then—almost no Republicans. So why don’t the Democrats just get on with it? They have 60 senators again. Taking so much time with this is keeping us from dealing with all our other problems. Like education. When was the last time you ever heard anyone talk about that? As you know, I think it’s a bigger problem than healthcare. It’s about our future. Not just whose going to pay for MRIs for us alter kockers.”

“As you know, mom, and we’ve talked about this in the past, the problems may be less with Republicans than with the Democrats. How . . .”

“Yes, how Obama is having trouble getting his Democrats to agree on anything. Some of them are also on the payrolls of the health insurance companies. Including some very powerful senators. But now this is my point.”

“What’s that?”

“It’s about Obama himself. There was a disturbing poll about him that I just heard about on the news.”

“You mean the one about how more than half of Americans disagree with his healthcare program?”

“That one too. But the one that has me upset is the one that shows that even though that’s true and his overall approval rating—whatever that means—though it is only about 50 percent, 80 percent of Americans still like him. Also, whatever that means.”

“But isn’t that a good thing? That although on some of the issues he has lost support—look, he is trying to do some controversial things and some of this is inevitable--he’s spending down his so-called political capital to get things done. Isn’t that what a good leader should do?”

“Yes it definitely is. But I’m not so sure that it’s such a good thing to be so likable. To get things done sometimes you have to take the risk to be disliked.”

“I get your point but isn’t it also a good thing to have a reservoir of good feelings that can be tapped into if necessary?”

“I’m not at all sure that this is how things work. Look, even the Republicans in Congress who violently disagree with him about everything and more than anything else want to see him fail so they can come back into power, even those—and I believe them—say that they like him. But what is that getting him? Maybe one, and I’m not so sure about her, perhaps one will support him on healthcare.”

“We’ll see.”

“That’s what you always say, ‘We’ll see.’ Well the girls and I are beginning to think we’ve seen enough. Being nice is not working. It feels like wheels spinning to us. Nothing is being accomplished and time is running out.”

“But he has been in office for what, a little over nine months. He still has more than three years in his first term.”

“This tells me you haven’t been paying attention. Politically, he has only maybe another four or five months to accomplish his agenda. I know this sounds ridiculous but in January they begin the midterm election campaign and we all know he is going to lose seats in both houses of Congress. Which will make it even more impossible to pass anything and then they will begin the next presidential campaign and the TV will focus all their attention on that. It’s their favorite thing. That horse race business. So rather than spending so much time on being nice he needs to twist a few arms and do some threatening. When was the last time anything got done in Congress? When Johnson was president and then with that Reagan. That’s when. And though people also liked Reagan, like Johnson he and his people were able to exert discipline. When they needed to they told people they had better get behind their programs or there would be trouble for them. And it worked. Especially for Johnson. How many things did he get passed?”

“Many. Civil rights, the War on Poverty, help for college students. Many things. But with Reagan he didn’t really get much done after his first year so by your theory Obama may turn out to be more like Reagan than Johnson.”

“It could turn out to be. In more ways than one. As you will see if you let me finish.”

“Sorry, but . . .”

“Let’s leave the ‘buts out of this. I don’t have the time for them today. Back to my point--with that actor most of what he later did was with the Russians. He got his tax cuts passed during his first year and then when he couldn’t do anything else he turned his attention to the Cold War. And whatever else I think about him—and most of it is not good—with that he was successful.”

“So perhaps with Obama . . . ?”

“I’m worried about that too. How people all over the world like him.”

“What’s so wrong with that? Isn’t that a good thing? That we are getting an opportunity to restart our relationships around the world, which were largely destroyed during the last eight years?”

“Yes, there are good things about that. But I want to see some results. Look at what that Gadhafi said about him in the UN yesterday. He called him his African ‘brother.’ And that Chavez. About how much he likes Obama. And the Arabs and even many Israelis. Plus the Russians now that he has ended that ridiculous Reagan and Bush Star Wars program. But what has this done for him? So far nothing. Bupkis.”

“Well at least he’s trying to accomplish things on many fronts and isn’t it much too soon to tell if any of this will bear fruit? As with Congress, it takes forever to get anything done overseas.”

“Actually, some things are already happening, and to me they’re not good things.”

“I’m listening,”

“Take Israel, for example. You know what the ladies here think about Israel. Me too. And for good reason. Some of them are survivors and all of us lost much of our families to the Nazis. So we support Israel. Not necessarily the government, especially this one with that ‘Nathan-Yahoo.’ That’s my name for him.” My mother chuckled at her own joke. “Obama started out with him in the right way—quote, ‘demanding,’ unquote, he stop all additional settlements. And when that obviously didn’t work, wasn’t it just yesterday he, Obama, backed off from that. Do I have that right?”

“I’m afraid you do.”

“Do you know what that says to Netanyahu? You see I know his real name. It says Obama is weak. He can be made to back down. And we know what Netanyahu and his ilk will do with that knowledge? They will continue to resist and resist and resist. And things will continue to get worse and worse and worse.”

“I agree with you about that.”

“And soon we’ll see what Obama does about Afghanistan. If he gives in to the generals and the right-wingers and sends more combat troops there. Like Johnson it will be his Vietnam if he does. Mark my words. He’s a smart man who knows his history. So doesn’t he know his history about them? About what they did to the Russians and to everyone else over the centuries? Disaster. It will be the end of America as we know it. So we’ll see what he does.”

“This does really worry me. His whole presidency may be hanging in the balance about that. Thankfully Joe Biden is making the case to begin to back off.”

“But then you heard what Hillary had to say over the weekend?”

“I did. And that too concerns me. How hawkish she still is about these things and how he may feel the need to pander to her. As he at times did during the campaign.”

“They need to focus on Pakistan. That’s where the real danger is with the Taliban and all those nuclear weapons they already have. What happens if the Taliban take over Pakistan? I’m glad I won’t be alive to see that.”

“Now mom . . .”

“How much longer do I have? I’m more than 101 years old. But be that as I may, I have to get back to my crossword puzzle. It’s a good distraction, though I no longer can do it with a pen. I make too many mistakes.” She laughed at herself again. “So here’s my final word about this: he’s likeable and that in itself is not a bad thing; and he’s very smart, which can be a good thing—though not always since being too smart can sometimes stop you from acting; but so far he’s missing the other essential thing that all good leaders have—political leaders, business leaders, religious leaders—the ability to exert force. And I don’t just mean on the physical battlefield. We see where that kind of force can lead. But can Obama exert force in Congress? Can he do it with the American people? I know he would prefer to do it with ideas and civility, but in times like these that doesn’t begin to be enough.”

“I think about that you’re right”

“I have to go, but, quickly, changing the subject . . .”

“Sure. Anything. Our conversation depressed me.”

“Forget about that. In the meantime, I’m having trouble with 27-down. Give me a minute so I can get the Magazine section.”

With that she dropped the telephone receiver and I heard it echoing on the kitchen floor.